RSPB Blacktoft Sands, and Waterways Museum, Goole

What a great day!   I was invited to the reserve as an MEP candidate.  I took my Mum along as she is keen on birds, and to try out the disabled access.  On both counts the reserve did us proud…..Amongst other species, we saw a marsh harrier,  nesting avocets AND a very busy water vole at close quarters!  A wheelchair was produced when my Mum couldn't make it in the strong wind to the further hide, and we had a long and fascinating talk with Pete, the RSPB Humber Reserves Sites Manager.  

On the way home through Goole, we stopped for lunch at the Waterways Museum – another excellent place to visit.  It's all about life on the waterways, has an art gallery on an old barge – and they grow their own veg for the café!  Both highly recommended for a family day out.  

European cooperation is needed to support fantastic projects like these in the face of industrialised farming, austerity and globalisation.

Candidate for the Greens in Yorkshire and the Humber in Europe in 2014

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http://shanoakes.blogspot.co.uk/

'the price of freedom is eternal vigilance'

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Zummer iz a cummin in

Sunrise May 1st 05.29 am Beverley Westwood: the cows were
amazed.

Sheffield - Hustings 30 April

Greens very busy in Sheffield last night: hustings organised by Students
Union and FSB. Shan speaking at SU, Andrew at FSB and Ben (in middle)
busy leafleting for local and European elections with Eamonn.

Green campaign meeting Nellies Beverley

Martin and Bill at The White Horse Inn Beverley - known for its excellent
Sam Smiths beer and gloomy gas-lit rooms.

Campaign trail

– yesterday was a good day -  we needed to get some packs of Green newspapers from York cellar so decided to go by bike from Beverley - wearing our Green tabards of course.  It was a nice ride via  Cherry Burton and Etton.  We ate our lunch by St Helens Well on the old railway line nr  Mkt Weighton with all the ribbons attached to the tree. A robin came close for crumbs.  Dropped in at ‘Caring for Cats’  (Mkt Wtn)  open day…why do people apparently avoid black cats?...then to other side of A1079 (which is NOT bike-friendly):  cuppa at pub at Melbourne and visited the Pocklington Canal where volunteers run free boat trips.  We took a nice rural back route into York thru Heslington and over the Millennium bridge.  Snuck into Fairfax Corner (www.fairfaxcorner.co.uk )  as the guests were out,  watered pots in yard, changed  clothes in shed , used outside loo, strapped papers onto trolley , had G & T  and water with Rachel, and caught bus home  - where Bill slept all the way and I put the world to rights with a very thoughtful  lollipop man from Cottingham!...

 

 

Candidate for the Greens in Yorkshire and the Humber in Europe in 2014

http://www.facebook.com/shanoakesgreen

http://shanoakes.blogspot.co.uk/

 

‘the price of freedom is eternal vigilance’

 

tel 01482 862085 or 07769 607710

 

Who cares? (Letter to Beverley Guardian)

Dear Sir,

In response to Ian Middleton’s letter last week, ‘Does the Labour Party really care?’..   I would say that none of the old grey parties really care,  because  they are all stuck in a paradigm which  punishes the vulnerable for the crimes of the amoral  trans-national corporations and the banks which support them.  

The grey parties  are unable to see that ..‘what the world needs now’.. is a complete revamp of aims and values.   It’s ridiculous now to  support ‘growth’ at all costs.   The old  grey parties are stuck in that mind-set because of lobbying and funding from outdated vested interests.   The greys (and now UKIP) support fracking, Trident, and  the appalling  TTIP (Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership…or the Big Bad Law… which will have us all dancing even more to the tune of the aforementioned corporations) and flogging off our esteemed public services to boot.  They pay lip service to social justice by arguing about frills instead of dealing with these elephants in the room.

Sincerely

Shan Oakes

Leeds Trinity Uni Hustings

This was a really enjoyable event - thanks to LTU for hosting it.  The Green vote jumped from 5th to 2nd place (a before and after vote was held) so that was great.  However, I would have thought a room full of young people couldn't fail to vote Green since it's the only party which fights for genuine fairness, for the common good ( not the good of the few), and is firmly on the side of people and planet instead of profit for mega-business.  I think I took too much for granted and didn't spell out the the fact that social justice is fundamental to Green policy,  so Labour retained their first place even though they support the TTIP, neoliberalism, infinite growth on a finite planet, fracking, and Trident!!