How Zumba Fitness Helps My Politics...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Rhythm of ignite . . . fun workout loosens body while clearing mind and freeing spirit

I've had a great week. 

Did all sorts of official politics stuff in the Town Hall over a series of meetings to discuss the rules and regulations of thine Parliamentary candidature.

It turns out I can also run for my Borough Council - Holmebrook - as well, for which there are two Councillor seats available. 

This is great news because, as I am sure I'm not alone in thinking, it looks unlikely that I will triumph as an MP in this first campaign.

However, now I have an election on my hands that I can actually win. Exciting.

Time to start door-knocking around the local estates.

Meanwhile, I bumped into the same couple from the cider-drinking immigration chat the other day.

Incidentally this time I was on my way home from another candidate briefing.

We got chatting about the local area and I mentioned my plan to provide free dance classes for kids.

"My 8-year-old daughter would love that," said Sarah.

Then they invited me round for dinner next week.
So what started off with a few shouts across the street has turned into a friendship. And what seemed like a fun novelty [offering free dance classes] may turn into something that actually helps get The Peace Party elected onto the local council.

Zumba's been a godsend.

When overtly practicing popping techniques, the muscles can get too used to 'hitting' the beat and thus lose fluidity.

Wriggling about and gyrating to Taylor Swift once a week does wonders for the lumbar flexibility.

I shied away from feminine moves for many years after being verbally abused muchly in my local town on nights out, for wearing polyester, 1970s floral shirts and - I'll be honest really rather - tight trousers.

A couple of times I got duffed up for clearing dancefloors with various combinations of disco and drunken flailing.

So I just kept popping because it was way more masculine.

But doing Zumba has allowed me to become comfortable with expressing myself however I want again.

As a peace-loving, Tai Chi-living juice enthusiast - who does a pyrouhette every now and again.

Speaking of spinning around, the world continues to do so, and as it does, time passes.

As time passes, the election date draws ever closer.

Chances are there won't be a Peace candidate in your area just yet, but - in the spirit of word of mouth - do spread the word of our existence, as this is merely the beginning of a snowball.

And just like that snowball - you stay cool now.

In Peace,

Tommy

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get a a disco CD played in the canteen of the House of Commons for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

We are just like the immigrants...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Hust good friends . . . I eagerly anticipate non-mudslinging political debate

Well, what a lovely week of official political business here in Chesterfield.

On Monday I attended the Chesterfield 2015 General Election Prospective Parliamentary Candidate briefing at the lovely Town Hall (above).

On the way there, an underweight, mid-afternoon cider-drinking, Rottweiler-walking couple began shouting 'nice hair mate/oi afroman' from across the road.

The reason I have overtly described them is that it paints the picture of the type of individual that is currently cast out by this society. I am not one to judge for I will have spent many afternoons [sometimes mornings] drinking cider in the street [or park, or on a bus/in a library if it were syphoned off into an apple juice bottle from the supermarket] between the ages of 16 and 26.

So I crossed the road and asked them how they were doing. In all honesty they looked a bit scared when the security of the two-lane barrier had been traversed, and didn't really know what to do.

I find it often diffuses a situation when one enquires as to the wellbeing of another.

"You up to much this afternoon," I further probed.

"Just trying to get a load of bull**** sorted," replied the lady of the pair.

The bovine-dung they were referring to was the sorting of benefits. We had found common ground on this matter as I had recently experienced the frustration of JobSeekers' Allowance. We then genuinely hit it off when I spotted that one of them had a K Cider (8.4 per cent) while the other was drinking White Storm (7.5 per cent) which led to a chat about 'pennies per unit of alcohol' and they were visibly impressed with the calculations I still have in mind from the frugal days of uni-boozing.

Be-cider-self . . .  girl drinks in the street [pic: Guardian.com]

When I explained I was running for Parliament, their response was - without missing a beat: "Please just do something about those f*****g immigrants. We can't get any jobs because they're here."

"You might want to vote for Ukip," I chuckled, in a way that will never be intended to demean the intentions of the purple party.

She said: "No, but they're all over here, I saw it on a program once, there were loads of them working in a chicken factory, and living illegally in a disused building in the middle of nowhere."

Luxury.

Then my tone turned into a political man trying to sound ordinary [although I am a working-class mining-town lad when all is said and done]. Like when Ed Cameron talk about 'meeting a dinner lady called Beverley' etc.

I said: "The thing is, that picture you painted doesn't sound like they are having a very good time. 

"I remember working on a fish farm in the uni summer holidays. I spent two months living with a pair of Polish blokes - Kristoff and Marius - whose life involved spending ten hours a day, six days a week, chopping heads off trout. Each night, they would get home and take it in turns to Skype their families for 15 minutes, before crashing out asleep.

Trout of order . . . the image we have been given of immigrants is, quite frankly, innacurate 

"They were basically putting themselves through hell - for UK minimum wage - so that their families could live a better life back home and their kids could afford school meals. They love their families, in the same way that you love your families. Us three are exactly the same as the immigrants in that sense.

"But what we would be looking to do is find ways of working with the - among others - Polish/Romanian communities in a way that might treat the problem at source and lessen the need for them to escape and leave their families. Thus, ultimately lowering levels of immigration."

The lady responded: "So you would be helping the issue?"

"I suppose so, but in a way that sees them as fellow people, as opposed to illegal and foreign," I said.

"Hmm," they both mused, possibly as though this were the first time they had encountered a proposition that wishes to deal with the situation in a way that sidesteps useless anger.

Because what is the point of having enemies when we are all - as humanity - surely working towards the same goal of achieving happiness and finding enjoyment in the giving and receiving of love?

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get a former-fish farmer elected for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Intentional Women's Day...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

The world needs women . . . and this should be recognised with equal pay and opportunity

Yesterday (Sunday 8 March) was International Women's Day.

The quote on the image above is powerful enough to bring to mind the contribution women make to society [of course, this contribution comes on top of giving birth to all of society's members] as well as the power of peaceful and well thought out demonstration.

As it happens, World Peace Day is on Septmeber 21st, which spawned the peace365 movement/campaign, which ultimately aims to see this day extended throughout the rest of the year, as per below...

A good year . . . as a relatively well-known singer put it, 'Imagine'

It would be nice to see 'International Women's Day' extended to 365 days a year as well.
I've got a mum for whom I am exceedingly grateful. Fetal gestation is nigh on impossible sans womb.

It is difficult to think at what point men became so arrogant that they declared women to be second class citizens.

Chances are, to you reading this now, the concept of such inequality may seem like a distant memory or 'something that happens in other countries', but our role as a forward-thinking nation that prides itself on being at the forefront of equal rights and multicultural acceptance may be to set the bar as high as possible and aim for 50/50 on all major decision-making bodies within the government, and a larger representation of women on boards of big businesses.

Then we might move away from trying to build the biggest buildings and have the fastest trains [satiating the male ego's desire for bragging rights, possibly, but does it help kids learn more about what's in an apple, or help an elderly person heat their home?] and think about how we can look after people.

The Green Party are setting a fine example with regards to raising the bar for numbers of women in politics, but - as I have heard them referred to on radio - to call them 'the women's party' is also a little unfair.

It makes it seem like the party doesn't hold sufficient machismo to attract a male crowd, which ought not to be the case.

It also sounds a little dismissive, as if 'women can go over there and talk about the environment and compassion-led policies, while we [men] plan a new high-speed rail infrastructure and compete for the opportunity to show which one of us knows most about money.

Just think about the plethora of Prime Minister's Question Time showings where 'grown-ups' display pre-juvenile behaviour, on national television, heckling each other and shouting each other down.

Does any listening actually occur? 

I like to think so. And I wouldn't be surprised if it were the gentler gender with their ears open.

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get MPs listening to each other and focussing on the concept of basic manners for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Dancing Through the Corridors of Power

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Baby steps . . . I'll start with some basic footwork in the morning, then take it low prior to PMQs 

It's a complicated story that I may detail more another time, but, late in 2014, I ended up in the semi-final of Arabs Got Talent.
It was part of a dancing double act [my partner being Tunisian] into which I had been brought in as a last minute replacement, but sour relations between the other two parties meant legal complications and a consequent dropout from the show.
But while this was happening [it involved a 56-hour round-trip journey to Beirut, which comprised full day of filming and live performance in front of a 500-seater auditorium] I was also tweeting about peaceful politics as it was days after David Cameron sanctioned air strikes in Syria.
I was also pulling in evening shifts as a production editor on The Sun's tablet edition.
That golden 'Dancer-Politician-Journalist' occupational triad.
I wasn't sure which ones to focus on next.
I had been fancying a change of scenery following a decade of on-and-off red top reportage, so said to Dad one night: "I think I'll be moving home to pursue The Peace Party. What do you reckon?
He said: "But you have always wanted to be a dancer though, and maybe Arabs Got Talent could be a final throw of the dice?"
He's right, as I'm nearly 30. While age is but a number, in the realm of physical performance, it pays to have youth on your side.
"Yeah, but I was thinking about incorporating dancing into the politics," I replied, "I'm getting my Exercise To Music certificate soon and will be teaching at the local leisure centre. I could pledge to teach dance for free in schools and stuff."
"You could be a dancing politician," said Dad.
And that was that.
I am now comfortable answering the question of 'what do you do?'
The nature of the dance I enjoy to exhibit is 'experimental street freestyle', which is a fairly new category found in dance championships and so on.
Here is an example of a recent video I recorded. Incidentally it was filmed on the roof terrace of The Sun newspaper's News UK building in the final weeks before my departure. I would go out there in between double shifts and do tai chi, while surrounding the area with crystals in a bid to bless Rupert Murdoch's private office, asking that he may feel the love of humanity.

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get disco-focussed MPs moonwalking through the House of Commons for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Give Spirulina to kids in schools...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Super-ulina . . . this green algae boasts so many positive side effects

I remember sitting down in Primary school and having milk. Or, more rather, we were forced to sit round in a circle and drink it until we could drink it no more [ie, finished the bottle].

I know the school was trying to do us good [it was a catholic school after all, and Jesus said to be nice to each other] and it was because it contains calcium, which is useful for bones and teeth.

But the memory I'm detailing here was the good old days of milk, before the genetic modification of cow's growth hormone levels led to an increase in production capacity for these churning bovines, resulting in pus-laden, potentially cancer-causing liquid that has a knock-on effect to human health [article here].

I envisage - in a nutritionally conscious world where children are taught properly about how to treat the body - a sit-down session filled with life-giving nutrients and superfoods.

Spirulina is one of the oldest forms of life on earth [also now widely purported to be beneficial in fighting cancer], and it has been claimed that 1 gram of quality spirulina provides a similar amount of essential minerals as 1kg of common fruit and vegetables.

NASA and the European Space Agency have even started reseraching ways to incorporate the substance into astronauts' diets for their Mars missions.

It is also extremely efficient in terms of how it is produced, and what energy results from it [taken from this Guardian article].

In her paper on food security in the context of a growing demand for protein, Dr Hanna Tuomisto calculates that the algae (along with ‘in vitro’ meat) has the lowest land use per unit of protein and unit of human digestible energy. 

In other words, it offers the potential to improve food security while also benefitting the environment by requiring less land to produce the same amount of protein and energy as livestock [this point is worth noting as there is often debate over how efficient veg farming is versus livestock farming].

I sometimes wonder why this kind of substance isn't promoted more by the government?

I suppose it is because natural, non-patentable substances, plus the good health of the nation [ie, less people taking prescribed medicine] do not necessarily equate to large amounts of money to be made by large food and drug companies.

Dr Urs Heierli suggests that the lack of widespread political support to date comes down to a misguided set of priorities:

"Political forces and their international institutions do not, it seems, consider hunger as intolerable and as a major human problem. 

"Malnourished children are not seen as future voters and many politicians appear to have other priorities. 

"The food industry was also not interested in fighting malnutrition, in the past at least, as this struggle has not seemed to be profitable."

Once again, profit is getting in the way of helping people.

It would be nice to see these kinds of supplements available - and administered in a creative way, blended with smooth fruit juices etc - in schools and hospitals.

There will always be somebody to say, 'but what about the cost?', but also - thankfully - there will always be Tony Benn's famous words, 'If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people'.

Maybe one day the government would be able to subsidise programs that get more nutrients into more human bodies. 

*************

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get nutritionally-focussed morally upstanding politicians chomping on carrots in the House of Commons for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Well worth looking into...

By JOHN MORRIS

I heart learning . . . with non-violence on the curriculum, compassion could become society's default state

Well worth looking in to.

Founded in 1999, the Global Campaign for Peace Education (GCPE) is an internationally organized network that promotes peace education among schools, families and communities to transform the culture of violence into a culture of peace. The Global Campaign for Peace Education is presently coordinated by Tony Jenkins and the Peace Education Initiative at The University of Toledo.

Peace education is a holistic, participatory learning process that includes teaching for and about human rights, nonviolent responses to conflict, social and economic justice, gender equity, environmental sustainability, international law, disarmament, traditional peace practices and human security. 

The methodology of peace education encourages reflection, critical thinking, cooperation, and responsible action. It promotes multiculturalism, and is based on values of dignity, equality and respect. 

Peace education is intended to prepare students for democratic participation in schools and society.

The Global Campaign for Peace Education has two major goals:

1. the integration of peace education into all curricula, community and family education worldwide to become a part of life; and

2. the education of all teachers in the content and methods of teaching the knowledge and skills of making and building peace.

Sounds good to us.

There are so many peace organisations being connected across the world now it surely must be time for the snowball to gather pace.

Another organisation doing incredible work to unite people based on the principle of human kindness is The Charter For Compassion.

They have drawn up a simple but all-encompassing constitution centred around the golden rule of treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.

Something The Peace Party will be pushing to get signed by our local councils in a bid to join the growing global network of 'Compassionate Towns & Cities' comprising other communities from the US to Malawi, Pakistan and many many more.

More info on becoming a Compassionate Community can be found HERE.

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get world peace for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Meanwhile, Peace Party's Tommy Holgate is uploading a series of videos throughout March from a long distance handcycle journey partaken for Sport Relief in 2014. Day two can be found below...

'LOSE 1/2 A STONE IN A MONTH FOR £50' - reasons to check our crowdfunder...

Well, well, well . . . the word above has become a rewarding lifestyle pursuit [pic: inspiringwellnesssolutions.com]

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Hello,
I hope this blog-reading scenario finds you well.
It is with boldness that I type the title above, as I recognise that, in this world of online clikety-browsing, one's attention needs to be grabbed with an interesting 'top line' of what this post is about.
I was just daydreaming about various potential wellness programs, and was mentally listing the benefits of a month spent following a certain cleansing lifestyle.
Weight loss is not the primary focus, it is more like a natural by-product of the detoxifying and refreshing effects of the regime.
The dietary element would consist of a whole-foods, plant-based lifestyle, as purported in T. Colin Campbell's The China Study, and follow advice from a series of the world's leading figures in the realm of 'superfoods' and organic lifestyles, teamed with a metabolism-boosting series of exercises and movements that can be carried out in chunks as little as 2 x 10 minutes per day.
I qualified as a Herbalist and Holistic Nutritionist last year so can tailor food and herbal medicine programs to the individual based on age, weight, occupation and incorporating many other factors.

Nature's medicine . . . herbs can boost metabolism, alleviate colds, help you sleep & more [pic: Higgledygarden.com]

For the £50 perk in our crowdfunding campaign, we can have a 30-minute consultation via phone or Skype, after which you would receive a month's nutrition program to ensure you never felt hungry but were burning off sufficient calories to be 7 pounds lighter after four weeks.
Every 7 days we can touch base and assess how you are feeling and tweak the program to fit in with your current life's activities.
If you haven't achieved that goal after one month, we can carry on the program till you do (if you like, that is, as I mentioned before, weight loss is not the primary goal, as thriving with energy from a foundation of physical harmony is the main focus, but usually this shedding of built up 'unnecessary storage' throughout the body, does also come about.)
I am putting this stuff out there having experienced the benefits myself over the past three years, since quitting alcohol following a problematic decade-long relationship with the substance.
Through Tai Chi and food, I now have energy to enjoy life to the full [almost] every day.
It's in the spirit of going 'what can we try and offer that is a bit different, but in line with the core points of the political campaign?'
I'll explain the other perks in forthcoming blogs, but in the meantime here is the video where I babble a bit about dosh and democracy, while detailing the very-much-grass-roots-nature of our campaign.

*************

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get nutritionally-focussed morally upstanding politicians chomping on carrots in the House of Commons for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Meanwhile, I am releasing a series of videos throughout March from a long distance handcycle journey partaken in 2014. Day one can be found below...