Stuart Jeffery, Green campaigner in Kent

Council Says It Is Too Difficult To Enforce Car Idling Powers That Other Council Have Managed To Do.

2020-07-15 18:34

This evening I asked Maidstone Borough Council: "Given the Council’s stated ‘Anti Idling Campaign’, has the Council adopted the powers provided by Regulation 12 of The Road… Read More

Litter Picking In Whatman Park

2020-06-28 11:37

After months of relatively low litter levels, it is starting to rise again with the relaxation of lockdown. Obviously nowhere near as bad as we can see at the beaches but four of us decided… Read More

Climate Change Funded By Kent County Council

2020-06-14 11:54

Globally, April 2020 was the hottest April on record. Globally, May 2020 was the hottest May on record. Globally, carbon emissions have bounced post Covid lockdowns as people are w… Read More

Tow Path - Ash Die Back

2020-06-11 07:00

KCC want to remove 200 ash trees along the river bank and have closed the tow path claiming it is dangerous. There are dead trees, young trees that are 50m+ from the path. The majority of tr… Read More

#showlove #blacklivesmatter

2020-06-06 07:02

Please stand with our black friends in Maidstone today. https://www.facebook.com/events/2971817429532168/There is a lot of energy in the world right now.On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a… Read More

Planning In Kent Is Stacked Against People

2020-05-30 15:13

While it might appear good news that the plans for 421 houses on farm land to the SE of Maidstone were rejected, the comments by the head of planning are indicative of the appalling lack of… Read More

Cummings Chlorinated Chicken And The Agriculture Bill 2020

2020-05-27 07:46

While Cummingsgate rages across the country and the rest of the world continues to facepalm at us, the government is quietly passing very damaging legislation.Firstly, the Agriculture Bill i… Read More

Bee Happy In Kent!

2020-05-24 15:09

KCC has a "Bee Pollinator Action Plan" after a successful campaign by our Green Cllr on KCC, Martin Whybrow. Sadly they continue to use glyphosate to spray on our roads, they don't leave all… Read More

An Invisible Killer

2020-05-16 08:02

It has been described as an invisible killer. We obviously need air to breathe but when that air is polluted then it impacts on our health. A Lancet study shows that 8% of UK death… Read More

Planet Of The Humans

2020-05-14 18:09

Ok, I plucked up courage and watched the Planet of the Humans finally and I really wish I hadn't.The core message of the film, that capitalism and humans are destroying the planet, that cons… Read More

300 Million Air Passengers Per Year In And Out Of The UK

2020-05-07 08:08

Earlier this week I was interviewed on KMTV about air pollution during the lockdown but we got onto holidays and flying. What did I think about people returning to having holidays abroad? My… Read More

Objection To More Greenfield Development - Hermitage Lane

2020-05-06 09:04

My objection to planning application 20/501773/FULL for 187 houses on a greenfield site on Hermitage Lane. Please add you thoughts here: https://pa.midkent.gov.uk/online-applicati… Read More

Lenham Heath - Garden Town Proposal

2020-04-29 15:52

This afternoon Maidstone Borough Council decided to plough ahead with proposals for 5000 houses on farm land and countryside next to Lenham. The agreed to "continue to pursue a Council-led G… Read More

Thank You Everyone

2020-04-23 14:31

Just wanted to put out a huge thank you to all the key workers who after over a month of crisis are still working their socks off to keep us safe. That thank you is not just to my friends in… Read More

Stockbury Roundabout Changes

2020-03-08 15:41

Just one day left to object to the "improvements" to Stockbury Roundabout...https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/m2-junction-5-improvements/If it helps, my objections are:On the basis that… Read More

Climate Change And Biodiversity Consultation From Maidstone Borough Council

2020-02-09 09:15

Last year I prompted the council to declare a climate emergency. Very little seems to have happened since but they are now consulting on climate change...https://wh.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=1… Read More

XR Listed In Prevent Programme

2020-01-10 19:23

Dear Police, Feel free to arrest me whenever. Love and rage, Extremist of Maidstone. p.s. your children who will inherit a dead planet too unless there is drastic action.https://www.theguard… Read More

My Letter To Labour Party Members

2020-01-01 13:56

Firstly, I do not want a Labour government, I want a Green government. However I think most of us would agree that having some form of left of centre government would be preferable to the re… Read More

Thank You And Reflections On GE 2019 In Maidstone And The Weald

2019-12-14 17:59

Well that was depressing but with a ray of hope. A brief election in the dead of winter dominated by an issue that should never have been in play while the huge existential threat of climate… Read More

Two Hustings

2019-12-07 09:40

Two very different hustings in Maidstone. Last night I was with Helen Grant (Con), Greg Levitt (standing in for the Labour candidate who felt that being at Maidstone Studios where the leader… Read More

Allington Incinerator Expansion And New Household Waste Recycling Facility

2019-11-16 08:43

"Kent Enviropower", the "energy from waste" EfW incinerator in Allington is consulting on expanding with a fourth turbine to generate more power from burning waste and with a new Household W… Read More

Standing Down...

2019-11-05 20:03

No of course I'm not, that was just click bait! Here's why I want people in Maidstone and the Weald to vote positively for a Green MP for our constituency next month.Firstly, Maidstone and t… Read More

An Election Is Not A Referendum

2019-10-27 08:57

Here I am discussing whether or not an election is the right thing to do right now on Paul on Politics. I am ready for an election, they are always interesting and a great opportunity to dru… Read More

General Election? Bring It On!

2019-10-24 19:17

So Johnson thinks he can't run the government and wants a General Election. As previously announced, I will be standing for the Green in the Maidstone and the Weald constituency against Hele… Read More

The Canning Town Tube Protest Was Probably The Right Thing To Do. Here's Why...

2019-10-20 07:26

After initially condemning XR's tube protest at Canning Town where rebels were beaten up by commuters, I think I may be changing my mind.XR is not a populist campaign. It isn't seeking wides… Read More

London's S14 Is Undemocratic, Unlawful And Murderous.

2019-10-15 06:32

The Green Party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Maidstone and the Weald and active member of Extinction Rebellion has called on government to overturn the Met Police's banning of X… Read More

Greens Select Maidstone And The Weald Parliamentary Candidate

2019-10-03 02:30

Maidstone Greens have selected Stuart Jeffery as their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Maidstone and the Weald in the likely General Election later this year.Stuart, who is a well-kn… Read More

We Need A Moratorium On Building On Farmland Around Maidstone

2019-09-30 17:30

2000 large houses to be built on farmland around Marden and now plans for 5000 on farmland outside Lenham. These are not the high density affordable homes, close to jobs and sustainable tran… Read More

Page 27 For The Climate Strike In Maidstone

2019-09-28 13:11

Letter to the Kent Messenger: [email protected] Editor,You would have thought that hundreds of young people on strike from school, protesting in the heart of Maidstone about the… Read More

Maidstone Borough Council's Consultation On The Ridiculous Local Plan

2019-09-27 18:51

My responses to Maidstone Borough Council's consultation on the Local Plan:OQ1 – What can the Local Plan Review do to make the growth we need ‘good growth’?This is a biased… Read More

Climate Demonstrations In Maidstone

2019-09-27 06:46

Last Friday around 100 young people striked outside County Hall in protest for action on climate change. Mandy Rossi and I were privileged to be asked to address them. Below is a copy of the… Read More

Consultations On Housing And Climate Change In Maidstone

2019-09-21 14:08

Two consultations that seem to have slipped out and passed people by. Both started in July, right at the start of the holiday season - never a good time!Firstly, there is the Local Plan revi… Read More

Feeding The Trolls

2019-09-12 18:42

I really wonder if I should offer to buy the guy a calculator. He seems to think that 17.4 is more than half of 66. I have tried to convince him otherwise but then he may have also believed… Read More

What The Brexit Referendum Forgot

2019-09-10 05:30

Please watch this, particularly if you still believe that Brexit is the right thing to do. The testimony from Alan Black will bring tears to your eyes.It is quite clear that the impact on th… Read More

Prospective Parliamentary Candidate For Maidstone And The Weald

2019-09-09 17:30

I am delighted to have been selected to run for Parliament in Maidstone and the Weald for the Green Party. I have been thoroughly appalled by the actions of the Conservatives and Lib Dems… Read More

Radical Climate Action, Not Denying, Is Needed - Letter To KM

2019-09-05 17:00

Letter to the KM following to climate denying letters being published this week...Dear Editor,I find is very sad that in these days of climate breakdown where weather records are broken with… Read More

Brexit Misrepresentation

2019-08-29 16:00

Letter to the KMDear Editor,I am saddened that the KM chose to misrepresent the result of the EU referendum in last week’s opinion piece by John Nurden. Mr Nurden claimed that &ldquo&hellip…Read More

What If There Were "only A Few Summers Left"?

2019-08-27 17:20

Mat Wills use those words during his set at this year's Edinburgh Fringe (he was very funny and highly recommended!) It wasn't clear what context he was referring to but it got me wondering… Read More

A Philosophical Shift In Thinking Is Urgent

2019-07-31 19:21

Just done KMTV on the ten hottest years being since 2002. I explained that there was even worse news out there right now, the Arctic is literally burning and records are being broken. Climat… Read More

No People's Assembly For Maidstone

2019-07-24 05:36

I sat through over an hour of debate at Maidstone Borough Council last night which ended on a decision along party line on an issue that all had said was beyond party politics. The discussio… Read More

The 420 Express From Humanity

2019-06-24 17:13

As CO2 levels head toward the 420ppm mark there are an increasing number of apocalyptic articles hitting the web.CO2 increases remain unchecked despite rhetoric from governments. Allegedly t… Read More

World Oceans Day Should Not Be Necessary

2019-06-08 09:14

The UN's World Oceans Day really shouldn't be necessary - at least not in this context. Earth, sea and sky - our three ancient realms. Three of the four great 'elements' that define our… Read More

Â£1 Trillion Is A Lot Of Cash But No Future Would Be Far More Expensive

2019-06-07 10:41

Not sure what I dislike most about Philip Hammond's statement that it will cost £1 trillion to become net zero carbon by 2050 - the fact that he questions its worth or that 2050 would… Read More

New KCC Charges Will Increase Flytipping Across Kent

2019-06-04 19:00

Please sign to help stop Kent County Council introducing these potentially very damaging charges.We are calling on KCC to cancel the introduction of these charges in light of this new inform… Read More

Green Party Result In Kent: Third Place!

2019-05-27 07:50

Back in 2013, I was on the Green Party Executive and seem to recall discussing whether getting over one million votes should be our target, just 6 years later we have got over 2 million&nbsp&hell…Read More

KCC Refutes Climate Science

2019-05-26 18:38

The science is clear: we have until 2030 to make a radical change to the way we live our lives in order for there to be a future for humanity.That humanity, that's your children, their child… Read More

Greens In Power On Swale Borough Council

2019-05-14 08:17

Well we have had worse months! I had wondered if there was going to be a rainbow alliance in Folkestone and Hythe but the numbers didn't work. But who'd a thought it would happen in Swale? G… Read More

Green Election Successes In Kent

2019-05-12 16:11

Wow, what a month! 15 new district councillor across Kent (see below) and some fantastic results here in Maidstone too. In North Ward, Steve Cheeseman received 25% of the votes and was just… Read More

Climate Rhetoric Needs Climate Action

2019-05-02 06:12

So the Commons has declared a climate emergency! Only 50 years too late but better late than never... Interestingly that vote happened on the same day that a court ruled against the campaign… Read More

Extinction Rebellion

2019-04-19 07:58

I am really pleased to have been able to take part in the NVDA in London this week. Climate change and the sixth mass extinction are the most important issues of our time and unless we take… Read More

Five Months Is A Long Time In Politics

2019-03-31 08:35

It's almost five months since my last blog post - sorry! I probably better tell you some of what I've been up to...Working backwards:The People's Vote march last weekend, I joined over a mil… Read More

100 Years Ago Ended A War That Didn't End Wars

2018-11-11 11:00

My great grandfather, Albert Enever (right) fought in WW1. He survived, his brother Ernie didn't. When I say survived, he certainly did physically but I don't know what it did to his mental… Read More

Avoiding Extinction

2018-10-08 08:04

Today's IPCC report tells us that we are at the tipping point for the climate. A dozen years left. A couple of months ago the Hot House Earth report talked of possible extinction of humans… Read More

Has Politics Failed?

2018-09-14 17:27

A few excerpts from Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General's speech this week:"We face a direct existential threat."Climate change is moving faster than we are"If we do not change course by… Read More

Do We Need Pre-emptive Drone Strike Against Heaven?

2018-09-13 07:00

North Carolina is about to be hit by a huge hurricane, no doubt one of those 1 in 100 year events that happens most years, so I am waiting for them to pass a law against hurricanes hitting t… Read More

Divest Now!

2018-09-03 18:00

I'm on KMTV this evening talking about the latest investment figures from Kent County Council. They have £165m invested in fracking industries (according to Platform London) and a whop… Read More

The Martian, Life On A Dying Planet...

2018-09-02 11:56

I watched the 2015 film, The Martian, for the first time last night. Aside from being a riveting story, albeit a bit silly at the end, the one thing that struck me was the fragility of life… Read More

Radical Action Is Now Necessary

2018-08-08 06:41

What a title for a blog post. It sounds like I want to radicalize the world into action. Well I do.Monday's report on the Hothouse Earth effect clearly demonstrates that humanity cannot be a… Read More

Dear Labour Party

2018-07-30 06:26

Dear Labour PartyThe latest opinion poll puts you neck and neck with the Conservatives, both of you on 38%. While this is a reasonable vote share, you have known for many years that you need… Read More

Earth Overshoot Day

2018-07-29 15:27

Letter to the Kent Messenger:Dear Editor,August 1st this year marks Earth Overshoot Day, the date when we (all of humanity) have used more from the rest of nature than our planet can renew i… Read More

Lies, Damn Lies And Brexit Campaigning

2018-07-29 08:36

The emerging news that the leave campaigners lied, cheated and were funded by Russia, is a welcome exposé of what many of us knew already. 76 million people in Turkey are not being g… Read More

YOUR PLANET NEEDS YOU

2018-07-27 18:46

Caroline's recent comments during the heatwave are well placed but it shouldn't take such an event to trigger people's awareness, especially as that once the event has passed they will… Read More

Assault On Democracy: Time To Rescind Article 50

2018-07-21 10:38

At what point will we realise that the EU referendum result is invalid, undemocratic and corrupt? It has been 5 days since Vote Leave were reported to the police by the Electoral Commission… Read More

House Of Lords Visit

2018-07-17 18:43

Had a lovely afternoon with Baroness Jones of Mousecombe (our Green Peer, Jenny). Tea on the terrace, watched questions in the chamber, tour of the building etc. Huge thanks to Jenny for doi… Read More

Vote NO2 Heathrow

2018-06-19 06:10

Just seen a call to action (below) via Derek Wall from the Vote NO2 Heathrow group. Expanding air travel, one of the most damaging ways of putting green house gasses into the environmen… Read More

Sunday Times On Brexit Armageddon

2018-06-03 08:28

From ITV "In the second worst scenario, not even the worst, the port of Dover will collapse on day one. The supermarkets in Cornwall and Scotland will run out of food within a couple of… Read More

Steel, Brexit And Trade Agreements

2018-06-02 07:46

From PixabayI raised the connection between Trump's imposition of trade tariffs on steel imports and the pre-referendum rhetoric on Brexit on Paul on Politics yesterday (on KMTV). For anyone… Read More

Killing Ravens

2018-04-27 06:49

Email to Mike Cantlay, Chair of Scottish Natural Heritage on why I think SHN should withdraw the licence: [email protected] are some great responses, such as this by Chris Packham… Read More

Nuclear Waste Is Coming To A Place Near You

2018-04-23 06:39

There are plans to make Kent the country's first nuclear waste site...Apparently the plan is to bury it 1 km down under Romney Marsh in sealed containers.Containers that must last for thousa… Read More

UKOG And The High Court

2018-03-19 11:16

I joined Bianca Jagger, Jenny Jones our Green Party Lord and Gillian Kavanagh from The Warrior's Call outside the High Court this morning for a protest in advance of UKOG's attempt to ban pr… Read More

Maplin, Toys R Us, Carillion - Its Beginning To Feel A Lot Like 2008

2018-03-01 07:58

I don't want be a doom-sayer (yes I know that is my natural outlook) but it is beginning to feel a bit like 2008 with Maplin, Toys R Us and Carillion all going bankrupt in the first cou… Read More

Talking To Young People

2018-02-22 18:23

Had a lovely morning earlier this month talking to local primary school kids about politics.My thanks to the young woman who wrote to me a couple of months ago inviting me to speak at her sc… Read More

Maidstone's M&S Consultation

2018-02-22 18:22

Maidstone people, make sure you tell M&S what a bad idea it is to close one of their town centre shops by merging and reducing it into the other while opening a large out of town shop th… Read More

Hunger Strike To Make Votes Matter

2018-02-05 08:42

A leading member of the Green Party in Kent will be on hunger strike outside Parliament tomorrow as part of a national campaign for Proportional Representation to make votes count. The prote… Read More

Hunger Strike For Electoral Reform

2018-01-28 10:15

It's been done before methinks. 100 years ago actions by the Suffragettes brought women the vote."On 6th February 1918 the Representation of the People Act passed into law, extending voting… Read More

Labour Claims To Be The Only Party To Oppose The Gyratory In Maidstone!

2018-01-14 13:34

Well this is the bizarre claim in the Kent Messenger this week. At the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee on 1st Dec 15, Labour leader Cllr Harper stated clearly… Read More

Plastic

2018-01-11 20:01

I've just been on KMTV talking about plastic. Theresa May's announcement that she will get rid of all unnecessary plastic in 25 years time is frankly ridiculous. As Greenpeace have suggested… Read More

Become A Trustee Of The Earth

2017-11-21 19:40

This is great! A vitally important message from Mission Lifeforce:Right now, ECOCIDE (destruction of ecosystems) is legally permitted, while resisting it is criminal… Read More

Lords Reform Backed By 63%

2017-10-31 20:06

A poll out today showed a significant increase in support for reform of the Lords, i.e. for it to become an elected chamber. This is very welcome - it may be a few years since I posted on Lo… Read More

Maidstone Councillors Adopt An Unsustainable Local Plan

2017-10-28 07:47

On Thursday Maidstone's Local plan was agreed by the Borough Council. The plan sets out where housing is to be built, predominately on farm land around the town. Much of the building is unde… Read More

50,000 Killed By Pollution In The UK Each Year And The Poor Are Most Affected

2017-10-21 07:54

This week's environmental story is a revised assessment of the impact of pollution on health published in The Lancet:"Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature de… Read More

Methinks The Lib Dems Doth Protest Too Much

2017-10-01 14:28

Letter to the KM:Dear Editor,While Bruce Ditcher (KM Letter 28 Sep) calls for council officers to be sacked for the decisions the council makes, it should be noted that it is elected counc… Read More

Letters To Kent Police

2017-09-04 06:13

I said that I would write to them and I have. Looking forward to the responses!Dear Mr Pughsley,I was surprised to see a Kent Police van at the Cuadrilla site on Preston New Road in Lancashi… Read More

Who Fracking Knows Why Are Kent Police Working In Lancashire?

2017-08-30 17:26

A Kent Police riot van was filmed on the Preston New Road (PNR) site where the anti-fracking demonstrations have been held for many months now. PNR is currently the front line of the anti-fr… Read More

Britain First May Inadvertently Raise Funds For The Maidstone Mosque

2017-08-30 16:59

I love this idea. It came from a town in Germany that donates money to anti-fascist causes whenever the fascist march there - and they taunt the fascists as they march, letting them know how… Read More

Air Pollution Letter To Kent On Sunday

2017-08-21 06:47

Letter to Kent on Sunday:Dear Editor,Terry Hudson's claim that the huge death toll from air pollution is a lie is frankly bizarre. He claims that the science is flawed while stating that h… Read More

KCCâ€™s Â£3m Six Lane Bottleneck On Sutton Road

2017-08-17 06:22

I am deeply concerned that spending £3m on making Sutton Road six lanes wide for a short stretch around Willington Street will be a complete waste of money and simply create bottleneck… Read More

Paul On Politics

2017-07-30 08:07

I had my first appearance on KMTV's Paul on Politics (Freeview channel 07 in Kent). We discussed the governments ban on petrol and diesel cars due in a mere 23 years time, brexit and its imp… Read More

MGGS And Discrimination

2017-07-29 08:40

I was shocked to read about a student at Maidstone Girls Grammar School, a school to which both my wife and daughter went to and where I was a parent governor for a short period (I was expel… Read More

Too Little, Too Late: No Political Will To Tackle Air Pollution

2017-07-27 06:13

News that petrol and diesel cars won’t be on sale after 2040 and that council are to receive £255m to tackle air pollution[1] has been branded “too little too late” b… Read More

Maidstone's Lib Dems And Tories Vote For More Air Pollution

2017-07-07 05:23

At Maidstone Borough Council's Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee on 13th June, 2017, councillors agreed a draft Low Emission Strategy that they felt was re… Read More

Student Debt Hits Twice

2017-06-29 18:07

A little maths on student debt and why it will hit people twice.So today's graduates might leave university with £40k of debt or more.They are paying interest on that debt at RPI plus… Read More

Our Open Letter To Theresa May And Jeremy Corbyn

2017-06-15 06:11

A letter from 27 candidates in last week's General Election across five parties has been sent to Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn calling for urgent changes to the electoral system. Of the 1… Read More

800,000 People Across Kent Do Not Have An MP Of Their Choice

2017-06-11 16:10

Last week across Kent candidates stood to represent constituencies and to take our political views to Westminster. While 500,000 people voted for winning candidates, our first past the pos… Read More

Campaign For Proportional Representation

2017-06-10 08:24

A couple of quick actions to campaign for proportional representationPlease sign this from MVM: https://www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/open-letter-2017Can you join me on the march on 24th June i… Read More

Overlapping Ideologies And The Urgent Need For Proportional Representation

2017-06-09 03:35

Congratulations to Helen Grant for winning the election in Maidstone and the Weald.I want to thank the 888 people who voted Green in Maidstone and the Weald yesterday. I will make sure that… Read More

Vote Green Today - There Is No Tactical Vote In Maidstone And The Weald

2017-06-08 06:21

This graphic was posted on Facebook yesterday by the Labour candidate. It shows that neither Labour or Lib Dems are anywhere near the 45% needed to beat the Tories in this constituency.This… Read More

Election Launch

2017-05-16 06:33

A huge thank you to everyone who came to the election launch last night - it was good to see so many people there and great to have new people too. A special thanks to Matt, Susie, Siobhan a… Read More

Attempting To Divert The Course Of Business As Usual Politics

2017-05-08 07:00

The day after the local election results came in and showed just how bad the Lib Dems and Labour had fared (did you know that we increased our seats - no, because the media continue to ignor… Read More

More Money To Be Wasted On The Town Centre In Maidstone...

2017-04-28 19:14

Maidstone Green Party are shocked at the news that Maidstone Borough council have opted to waste another £4m upgrading streets in the town centre. This comes after spending £6m o… Read More

Stuart Jeffery Blog

Share the post

Subscribe to Stuart Jeffery

Thank you for your subscription