Conference highlight

Apart from my emergency motion, which was passed unanimously,this speech was one of my highlights of conference.



Here is the text of my Emergency Motion on the Yarlswood hunger strike, which is still continuing.

This conference notes the on going hunger strike at Yarlswood Detention Centre and the demands of the hunger strikers, including

*Access to appropriate medical treatment.
*an end the detention of children and their mothers, rape survivors and other torture victims,
*an end to the detention of physically, mentally sick people and pregnant women.
*an end to the separation of children from their mothers.

This conference is appalled at the way the hunger strikers have been treated, being locked outside without outdoor clothing, and in corridors without toilet facilities. Some women have been beaten by the guards.

This conference calls on for the immediate release of the Yarlswood 4 (Aminata Camara from Guinea, Sheree Wilson from Jamaica, Shellyann Stupart from Jamaica, Gladys Obiyan from Nigeria), who have been put in prison even though no charges have been made against them.

This Conference resolves to send a message of support to WomenBehindTheWire@ncadc.org.uk and a copy of this motion to the Rt Hon Phil Woolas Minister of State for Borders and Immigration.

Here is a little more background to this if you haven't seen it in the press.

Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, were resident in Yarl's Wood IRC on Monday 8th Feb, when an absolute and unwarranted response to a peaceful hunger strike by Serco staff, led to eight hours of chaos. Many of the detainees were injured, Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, were removed from association and transferred to Bedford police station, where they remained overnight. They were then transferred to Colnbrook STHC, where they were this morning.

Gladys Obiyan, alleges that in the police station on Tuesday morning, when they were about to be moved, the police roughed her up.

At 01:15 this morning they were told they were being moved to prison, HMP Holloway and HMP Bronzefield, when they asked why they could not be returned to the detention estate, they were told there were no bed spaces available, this is blatantly untrue. women in Yarl's Wood this morning confirmed there were plenty of empty bed spaces.

All the women are deeply disturbed at the prospect of being put in prison.

None of the women have been charged with any offences or were in any way involved in any actions at Yarl's Wood that were other than peaceful.

UK citizens cannot be remanded to prison, except they have been brought before a judge and the judge orders it so.

Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, have not and will not be brought before a judge, they are being remanded to prison on the whim of Phil Woolas MP
Minister of State for Borders and Immigration.

What You Can do to Help:
The detained women are asking you to Email/fax/phone/write Phil Woolas MP, requesting that Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, are returned to Yarl's Wood immediately or released into the community. Download model letter , which you can copy/amend/write your own version, there are no Home Office reference numbers available as the women were moved from Yarl's Wood, with out their belongings.

Rt. Hon Phil Woolas MP
Minister of State Borders and Immigration
3rd Floor, Peel Buildings, 2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Telephone: 020 7035 0195
Fax: 0870 336 9034
Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Emails: UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Please let the campaign know of faxes/emails sent:
WomenBehindTheWire@ncadc.org.uk

Brighton Conference

Have returned from the Green Party conference in Brighton.We had some lively debates and I was in the thick of things on the Education Voting Paper. Although the debate didn't always go my way I am still very proud to belong to a party that conducts its business in such an open and democratic manner. You certainly wont see this at the stage managed conferences of the big parties. But losing a crucial vote by just one vote (after the original hand count had gone in my favour) was a bit galling. You'll find reports and videos of the conference on the green party site, but here are a few of the policies that I think will help us gain support in the next General Election.

All major airports and ports will be taken into public ownership under a Green Government. This is of course in addition to our current policy to nationalise the railways. Government will then be able to take control of our transport system.

Our policy on Afghanistan now reads
(1) An immediate withdrawal of all UK forces from Afghanistan.
(2) The withdrawal of all NATO forces from Afghanistan .
(3) An regional agreement with the powers bordering Afghanistan – Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, together with Russia and China, to hold a peace conference as soon as possible with the aim of establishing a new Afghan government which will have the support of all the Afghan people.
(4) Continued support from the EU, UN and other international bodies to support the rebuilding of Afghanistan and the provision of international aid.
(5) The protection all women and minorities in Afghanistan and the upholding of human rights to be an essential part of any peace agreement reached with the regional powers, the UN and the people of Afghanistan.
(6) The issue of Afghan refugees in neighbouring states and elsewhere, and their long term settlement and humanitarian support to be a central feature of any peace agreement.
(7) And to amend ROPS (Record of Policy Statements) accordingly.

As more and more lives are lost in Afghanistan in a war whose purpose Gordon Brown can not explain, I am sure this policy will be popular with the electorate.

On Health
"Health spending in the UK needs to reflect the needs of the country and should be maintained at around the average in the European Union. The party will continue to support the principle that the NHS is a national service, free at the point of entry and fully funded by taxation." As Labour continues the creeping privatisation of the NHS it is very important that the Greens protect it.

On the MP's expenses scandal we passed policy to introduce a system for the electorate to recall an MP.
PA254 Government at all levels should be accountable to electors between elections. Accordingly, necessary legislative steps will be taken to provide for any representative's electors to be able to petition for the recall of any elected person. Specifically, a petition signed by 40% of the registered electors within an MP's constituency will trigger a recall by-election. Until this legislation is passed, Green MP's will voluntarily resign and trigger a by-election, if they are presented with a valid recall petition signed by 40% of the registered electors within their constituency. In the event of the elected representative having been elected by the Additional Member System, the recalled representative would be replaced by the next person on their party list not to have been elected.

I'm not sure the 40% figure is right- it needs to be a big enough number to avoid abuse of the system, but it needs to be small enough to enable it to be used- getting 40% of a constituency to sign a petition would be a mammoth task and could probably only be organised by the press barons. So I hope the 40% will be reduced to something more attainable, say 30%, in the future.

One of the highlights of conference was the Saturday entertainment. Mark Thomas got us writing a silly manifesto. One of the most popular ideas was to provide a free needle and cotton with every pair of socks! Attilla the Stockbroker was superb.
I love his poem about asylum seeking dalekswhich can be found here along with some of his other works.