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Friday 22 May 2009

Day 2...Apathy leading to the far-right gaining

Its by accident I set up this blog - did it inadvertently while attempting to become a blogger for the 'progressive economy' blog of TASC - http://www.progressive-economy.ie/ but now I've set it up I'll try and use it for odds and sods. Been avoiding working on my book, Vulnerability, Sustainability and Green Politics - well not exactly avoiding - tied up with helping the European elections - for the Green Party's candidate Steven Agnew - www.greenpartyni.org/ - as well as doing some Transition Town work and doing my bit for developing awareness and support for a 'Green New Deal' for NI - spoke to Morning Star reading group (mostly members of the communist party and Trades Union movement) on Wednesday - interesting discussion to say the least. At that meeting I said there was a real sense of the 1930s around - not just to do with the recession and proposals such as a Roosevelt inspired 'Green New Deal' but also the discernable shift in working class suppport for far-right parties such as the BNP in the UK (where the Greens are the only party that can stop them getting their first MEP) and Libertas in Ireland or Jim Allister's 'Traditional Unionist Voice' here in Norn Iron. What worries me (and others) about the forthcoming election is that the apathy people feel in the wake of the MPs expenses scandal, will mean people won't vote, and as always in these situations the extremists and determined tend to win.

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