On Monday 21 August, Chichester & Arun Green Party hosted a Green Social for members and apolitical but green-minded people alike at Reina Kitchen in Chichester. It was a lovely venue for a Green gathering. With our own space reserved upstairs, dedicated service and a lovely menu to choose from, people came from Bognor, Rustington, Yapton, Littlehampton, Arundel and of course Chichester and surrounding areas, to enjoy each other’s company and put the green world to rights with lots of informal conversation and debate. Especially enjoyable was the presence of some who are also involved in other activist groups and campaigns, including Switch Off The Lights, Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. Also great especially for new faces, was a chance to meet local councillors Sarah and Tim (from CDC), Carol (Arun DC) and Grainne (Havant).
We are keen to hear from members on subject areas people would most like to have a talk and debate about. So far we are suggesting topics such as: 'How can we persuade people out of their cars much more?'; 'Food security, quality and farming'; 'Climate breakdown – mitigation & adaptation'; and 'War and the ubiquitous normalisation of it in the media'. In discussing any of these areas we must of course be mindful of what we can most have an influence on and be clear about how we will go about it, both as individuals and in our groups.
Deborah Smith, Arun area co-coordinator and organiser of the August social, said: "After the talking, it MUST be, and it was, heartening to hear about all the street-based and on-line campaigns, legal cases, local democratic participation in development consultations and council meetings that are going on. NOW is the time for all the groups and tribes to come together, enhance democratic processes, sift out the verbiage and not be deflected from priorities by too much bureaucracy!!"
Our next Green event is a wonderful talk that will take place on Tuesday 26 September entitled: 'How can we get government policies changed?' The Chichester and Arun Green Party has invited three speakers who are deeply involved in legal actions opposing oil and gas drilling: Sarah Finch, Sue Taylor and Lorraine Inglis. Everyone is welcome to join us, to discuss these issues and hear more about our speakers' experiences with the legal system. The talk will take place at Chichester Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Priory Road Chichester PO19 1NX. You can read further details and register your intent to attend on the Eventbrite event page.