Last year of any activity in this locale and after a long hiatus finally in the last throws of moving so not standing in this years local elections, so I'll confine my mainstream political activity to helping Sue Groom in Welwyn Garden City.

Finally tidying up this Website, this involves re-locating my general points relating to my decision process for joining the Green Party, from this sites Home Page to this Green Party webpage. From this year this will assume the form of an 'Archive' of my political activity not simply in the Green Party but mainstream politics in England.

What follows is the part relating to my decision to join the Green Party.

In England I have decided to join the Green Party and I have now include a page for it. I know people who think they know my politics will be surprised at my even considering it. I had come to the conclusion that if I was to re-enter the political fray it would be into the mainstream rather than into the political tributaries, and it was for me a matter of looking at different parties considering their broad political scope and agenda, and working within my own practical capabilities on a local scale with immediate issues of local concern. The Green Party is as main stream political parties go more left, centred in its overall aims and and indeed more principled in these than for instance the Labour Party. The main points I considered at issue will be delineated further anon, suffice to say that its a working compromise that I considered worthwhile to remain politically active. I have looked through its policies and it has got reasonable ideas on the Monarchy.

<EG PA 600: Monarchy and the Church> That relates to stripping back the Political Trappings of Monarchy. BUT it makes NO direct mention of the actual Monarch, that left me contacting the party for clarification and I'm informed that:

"The current policy assumes the monarchy could carry on as a purely ceremonial position but with all the remaining legal and constitutional powers removed. This is what happened to the Swedish monarchy in the 1970s"

As I felt that this is unsatisfactory I contacted Stuart Jeffrey Green Party Policy Coordinator for clarification thus:

"As this essential aspect is not mentioned or covered in Green Party policies, I do not feel it can either be inferred or implied by the wording of policy PA 600. I feel therefore that the Green Party policy on the Monarchy as expressed in PA 600 needs to be revisited to take account of this consideration. There should be a clear and concise explanation of Green Party policy regarding the Monarchy and the Monarch, to avoid any misunderstanding or confusion as to where the Green Party, actually stands on this essentially import constitutional issue.

Regards Barry T. Cross"

Stuart Jeffrey has since replied thus <~>

"Dear Barry, A policy motion to clarify the position of the party may well be helpful. Unfortunately the deadline has passed for the Autumn conference and you will need to consider proposing one for the Spring Conference. Dates and guidance for these submissions will be sent out in October / November.

Kind regards Stuart"

This reply was received by me on Saturday 9th June and remains the current situation.

The Green Party is a broad political church as is the Labour Party, this was explained to me locally before I decided to dip my toes into its particular waters and I've recently had cause to realise just how broad that is. A colleague in the local hospital campaign has also recently alluded to the consideration that "there are Tories in the Green Party Barry". When I reminded him about his comment of a local Labour Party member that had been in the Conservative Party, he rejoined "but he is now in the Labour Party" The assumption being that if someone leaves the Tories and joins Labour, they have seen the light and have been politically redeemed. No such consideration though according to this political paragon, can be said to apply to the Green Party on the contrary the inclusion of Tories simply serves to taint the party with their hue. Something I have had to ruminate on ruefully after my recent local altercation. Nothing daunted however I did not let such unfortunate incidents defer me from my path. I persevered with my chosen course of action for the reminder of 2012.

2013