New Year's almost here and the noughties almost gone

I wanted to write one of those clever blog posts making a host of predictions for 2010 that I could unscrupulously edit as the year went on just to show what foresight I had but having thought better of it, I just want to reflect on 2009 and the noughties a little.

With the County Council election and a borough by-election fought this year, the by-election bringing 21% to the Greens, it has been somewhat hectic. Not only the local elections, but canvassing for Norwich North and leafleting in Brighton has meant even more electioneering than normal. With the general election just a few months away the electioneering is going to increase, but with polls predicting our first Green MP in Brighton, it should be an exciting time.

The ecological crisis rolled on with Copenhagen proving to be a complete disaster and the scientist's prediction that the planet's temperature is going to rise quickly after the recent couple of cooler years (as they had predicted). It is not just the climate though, the waste and resource depletion rarely get a mention now and yet waste is having a devastating effect on wildlife and human. Resource depletion is already causing wars across the globe - Iraq and Dafur for example, sadly we can expect more. On a brighter note, grass roots campaigning has increased dramatically over the past 10 years. This month's march in London, The Wave, attracted 50,000 people - the biggest climate change march in the world, ever. Other movements such as Transition Towns have sprung up across the country and are drawing people together quickly, even Ambridge is a TT! Without grass roots understanding and drive, little will be achived.

The world economic crisis, predicted back in 2006, has led to this country's longest ever recession. As expected. the Tories and Libdems are planning to make the recession deeper and more painful than ever, especially for the poorer and more vulnerable members of society. Public services are not there to protect the rich, they are there to ensure that all members of society have fair and equiable access to services.

Labour's renewed class war is the first smart move I have seen Brown take. Let us hope it is enough to bring a hung parliament next year and that the Lib Dems are able to drive some constituional reforms through by holding the balance of power (just a thought, how about introducing democracy in the form of proportional representation?).

Please help make the Teenies the decade when we turn the planet and society around. There is so much to do, so much to understand and so much to debate. We need to put the playstations down and get out there and join in.

Finally, don't forget to vote Green!