Mince pies are generally more expensive in the supermarkets this year, some costing 40% more than last year. This isn’t due to the selfish, greedy instincts of the owners but is a direct result of the failure of the Turkish sultana harvest. Heavy rainfall led to the rapid spread of disease amongst the vines. It’s climate change. As a result, we pay more for our Christmas delights. The stability of the world is increasingly at risk. Along with the rise of fascism, the aggression of powerful states and their despotic leaders, our dependence on fossil fuels, our outdated infrastructure vulnerable to terrorism – we are mincemeat in the grinder of seismic forces. Climate change is affecting us daily in ways we may not even be aware of yet.
Cockermouth was once a haven for red squirrels – now sightings are few and far between. Our landscapes, once so rich in wildlife, are falling silent. My house on Waterloo Street was flooded three times in recent years. What can we do? In the face of hopelessness, we have to take action at four levels: as individuals, as families, as a community and as a nation.
Politically, the Green Party is the only party with a radical vision of how making positive change now can lead to a better and more sustainable future for us, our children and their children. The Tories are morally bankrupt; Labour, having fallen into power, is stumbling around chasing their tail in a state of benign paralysis. There is no strategic ground-up vision of how to support ordinary people to lead healthier, safer lives more in harmony with the planet. Our small farmers despair in the grip of an outdated system of land management that needs to alter dramatically to support the transition from livestock farming to a more sustainable natural system of land use. Equally West Cumbria needs substantial investment in the technology and production of renewable energy, both the capital and the human resources, including training and career development. The opportunities are boundless, but we need imagination, capacity and courageous leadership to make that leap. There are dark whisperings in the communities, rooted in lies and deceptions, aimed at causing disruption in the minds of ordinary folk, poisoning them against political activists. They aim to fracture our society in order to seize power.
So, remember, Christmas witnessed the birth of the greatest change agent the world has ever known, and commit yourself to positive change (perhaps even joining the Green Party!).
A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.
Keith Fitton
Chair, West Cumberland Green Party