NORTHERN IRELANDS OWN OBAMA

Gone are the days where the Bush regime was able to veto every effort to tackle the threat of global warming.

Obama has only entered the White House yet we are already seeing how Obama isn’t just the first black US President in history, but also the first ‘Green’ US president in history! We are seeing the change he so passionately promised the world.

Outlining his energy priorities he has stated that he will not let his country fall victim to the growing threat of dwindling resources and a warming planet.

He has promised that in just THREE years he will DOUBLE the capacity for Green Energy in the USA from wind, sun and bio fuels.

When California tried to implement legislation to implement its own stricter vehicle emission and fuel efficiency standards it was vetoed by Bush with no reasonable reason given. Now Obama has asked the Environment Agency to review this decision and is ordering the transportation department to come up with new short-term rules on how carmakers can improve fuel efficiency.

With all this in mind it is even more important to have a ‘Green’ Europe! It is vital that Green MEP’s are elected to the EU to push for the same Green measures and work with Obama. We already have 43 Green MEPS, lets add more to that number!

For this reason it is even more important to vote for Northern Irelands very own Barack Obama, Mr Steven Agnew of the Green Party!

JOIN STEVENS CAMPAIGN PAGE ON FACEBOOK! CLICK HERE

VOTE GREEN VOTE AGNEW VOTE CHANGE

YOUNG GREENS SUPPORT GREEN EURO CANDIDATE STEVEN AGNEW

Young Green Co-Chairs Karly Greene and Adam McGibbon with Green European Candidate Steven Agnew.

The Green Party announced it's European Election candidate as 29 year-old Steven Agnew at Harland and Wolff on Thursday 22nd January.

Harland and Wollf is currently being given a new lease of life from the manufacture of wind turbines and other green technologies. The idea of a "Green Economy" to create jobs and help the environment will be a key part of the Greens' campaign.

Steven was born and raised in East Belfast, and educated at Grosvenor Grammar School and Queens University Belfast. He worked as a support worker with the homeless in West Belfast and went on to work for the Simon Community in their hostel in Lisburn.

Speaking at the launch Mr. Agnew said: "Everyone knows the problems - the triple crunch of job losses, fuel poverty and of course climate change. I offer a solution that will tackle all three, a solution that has the potential to create tens of thousands jobs here in Northern Ireland. I offer a solution where new green techologies will bring energy security to Northern Ireland and ensure we play our part in the fight against climate change. I offer a Green Industrial Revolution."

Young Green Co-Chairs Adam McGibbon and Karly Greene welcomed Steven's candidacy, and , at 29, the youngest candidate going into these elections.

The Young Greens are planning an ambitious voter registration campaign leading up to the elections.

MARCHING FOR PEACE IN GAZA

The Young Greens took part in the Gaza Peace March on Saturday 10th January in Belfast. We marched to express our horror at the level of civilian deaths especially the depressing figures of near 300 dead children in Gaza.

We carried the white flags of peace and joined the thousands of people in Belfast in calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence that has killed so many innocents.

This was a peace march attended by thousands yet a small group of fanatics seeked to hijack the march. The Young Greens have criticized the actions of a small group who burned the Israeli flag during a rally in Belfast city centre.

The Green Party Youth Co-ordinator, QUB Greens co-chair Adam McGibbon said: “The actions of a few fanatics will distort the message of peace, which the rally was supposed to send out. Glorifying violence and burning flags, while it may give some people a cheap rush of adrenaline, only exacerbates the problem in the Middle East. You'd think that after 30 years of violence in our own country, all of us would know that political violence doesn't solve anything."

Among the speakers at the rally was Mieread Corrigan Maguire, founder of The Peace People and Nobel Laureate.

Speaking after the rally Mr. McGibbon said: “The vast majority of the people at the rally were there to represent a peaceful, principled stand for an end to the violence. However, a small minority took it upon themselves to burn Isreali flags and chant slogans such as "Victory to the Intifada" through a megaphone. Not only is this unhelpful and one-sided it is completely contradictory to the aims of the rally, which was a call for a ceasefire, not for more violence. I am very concerned at reports that Israelis who work in the city centre found the experience very intimidating. Remember these people came to Northern Ireland to escape violence.”

The QUB Greens do not wish to be associated with those groups who took part in these acts and hope that the thousands of peace activists voices are heard over the chants of those who wished to hijack the march.