The Green party will provide a real opposition to the Conservatives – if the voters are willing

In previous elections when I’ve voted for the Greens, it’s been as a protest vote. They had so little chance of success I didn’t need to worry about their unreadiness for political life. In Thursday’s European elections I shall be voting Green in a different frame of mind. With proportional representation, they stand a real chance of getting seats and the worry is no longer what would happen if they entered mainstream political life prematurely, but what on earth will happen if they don’t. So what’s changed?

Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jun/08/eu.greenpolitics

A black child misbehaved. The white lifeguards refused to act

Huge relief has followed the arrest of a suspect for the bombing of London minorities. This is not just because it feels safer again but also because no more complex explanation is demanded than the craziness of one individual. As a result, understanding has been left to the ‘rainbow alliances’ tendency. Vigils led by Outrage tell us Britain’s ‘minorities’ will continue to assert their rights and that the new heterogeneous, rainbow Britain will not be dented by ‘racist scum’.

Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/may/11/uksecurity.roscoward