Commonwealth Leaders at the 2026 Summit. Photo credit CHOGM To hear Andy Burnham’s condescending response regarding any apology or reparation for the legacy of slavery is to see the colonial White mindset in action. His defence for not granting reparations to the Commonwealth countries whose people were enslaved is that the UK population today had nothing to do with slavery, so they shouldn’t be held accountable. Taken on its own merit, and out of context, that’s a fair point. But when you put it beside other aspects of this sorry tale of White supremacy and cruelty, the argument doesn’t stand up. To understand where Commonwealth countries are coming from, a brief background to this debate is necessary. Believe it or not, Britain finally abolished the trading of enslaved people across its empire with the Slave Trade Act of 2007 (though the initial ban on purchasing or transporting slaves via British ships occurred 200 years earlier under the Slave Trade Act of 1807! ). However, ...

Galvanised by its principles, its energy, inclusion and vision, I became a member of the Green Party of England and Wales earlier this year. I have been very excited by it, so each month I donate what I can afford. For me, being a member and seeing the party thrive is a big deal as I've never joined a political party before. I liked the Green's idea that policies are formed from the grassroots upwards, and not just imposed by the leadership. I thought: lots of opportunity here to be involved. In fact, it is a great idea, if everyone is going to get their chance to have a say about any new policy. But, speaking as a female member of a minority group, to have a motion passed by just over 1000 people, which is then imposed on the rest of the 200,000+ members as official party policy, is not fair, nor inclusive, unless the Green Party wishes to continually include, or notice, only those with the loudest voices! Let's be clear about what happened. At the 2026 conference early Oc...

  The Green Party UK leader, Zack Polanski , has declared his interest in being a candidate for the parliamentary seat being vacated by former prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and I am over the moon at the news.  I have never been a political person. I have tended to leave political parties alone though I've felt it an absolute duty to vote. Many women suffered to get that vote, so I bear that in mind when I am tended to be cynical and not exercise mine. But being a fully paid up member of a political party has never appealed to me - until recently. Zack and the Green Party changed all that virtually overnight! Since he began to lead the Green Party, I have watched its dramatic rise and impact with fascination and awe; at the sheer possibilities that could lie ahead under his passionate, energetic leadership. I believe that after the debacle of the empty, scandal-ridden Tory years, the need for radical change is now. That need couldn't be greater, and it is blowing on a ...

‘Change’ in politics is a handy word that politicians tend to cling to like leeches to get the attention, support and the votes, especially from the doubters and discontented in society. Note the names of the right-wing parties: ‘Reform’ and ‘Restore’. No matter how well the UK might be doing, the current status quo is not acceptable to them. They have to ‘reform’ or ‘restore’ things back to a bygone age. Everything has to fit their vision of the country. However, one contradiction of the notion of ‘change’ is that many people still perceive it as 'business as usual’ with some fringe additions that won’t alter their lives too much, because, deep down, we all dislike genuine change until we can see the benefits from it.  The other contradiction is that one cannot use the old mindsets of some politicians, like Nigel Farage who yearn for the divisive past, to bring about change, because real change has no precedence and no history. It is new, often untried and bottomless. It also...

  Over 17 years ago, USA President  Barack Obama  burst on the scene with a stirring "Yes, We Can" . Many of the American population, especially the youth, were galvanised into action, having been in some despair about the Bush years. They saw Obama's vision, they could feel the possibilities, they loved his speeches and jumped on to his bandwagon. The rest is history as he stormed the White House. Towards the end of his presidency there was some talk of voters being 'disillusioned', of him lacking 'leadership', of the president being 'weak', of falling approval ratings, and all such negative perceptions. But was that really the case, or did some people just expect too much of a mere mortal?  More interesting, are we operating in entirely different times which need a different political approach and reaction, if any leader is to be perceived as achieving anything of value? Can any future politician cut the mustard and please the people all the time...

There is another by-election on the horizon in the UK, one that is totally unnecessary, but was triggered by power hungry folks who seem to prefer instability and chaos at a time when confidence and calm reasoning are needed.The campaigners are already out in force, but how will the people of Makerfield vote? And what will prompt them to vote that particular way? It is tempting to believe that most people base their election choices on careful intelligent analysis to get the best person to represent them. But  democracy  encourages transience and fickleness. Hence people tend to base their election votes primarily on  emotion , though a little intelligent reasoning does come into it, especially when they are aware of the facts relating to a particular candidate. Emotions play a big part in voting choices because we tend to be drawn to anything that makes us  feel   comfortable and secure , that  reflects our values  and  aspirations , and feels in...