I joined the Green Party three months ago because, for the first time in my life, I was truly fired up by the possibilities of what hope could achieve over hate in our divided country. The spectre of Reform marching to any kind of victory with its depressing band of failed Tories, and demoralising message of hate, was enough to show me that we needed new and fresh perspectives for our country. The results of the Gorton and Denton by-election dramatically confirmed that.  In fact, the Greens message of hope reminded me of a quote by someone else who also emphasised the power of hope and self-belief when he made an audacious bid for the White House, former President Barack Obama . In a moving statement, he said then: "Hope is not blind optimism. Its not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead, or the roadblocks that stand in our path. Its not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that ...

It was Eleanor Roosevelt , the amazing 32nd White First Lady of the USA, who once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” And she was so right. The serene, responsible Barack and Michelle Obama , without doing anything negative, is still showing White supremacist, Donald Trump , how true leaders conduct themselves; that he cannot make them feel inferior, no matter what he does.  Trump has always felt inferior to the Obamas because of his low self-esteem and obvious envy and greed. And we won't even mention that Nobel Peace Prize he craves which President Obama got. Not having received public acknowledgement or acclaim from them, especially as he secretly seeks their approval, he has turned on them over the past year in a vicious way that only a rabid, obsessed person is capable of doing. This latest gutter action from the President of the United States, depicting the Obamas as apes (and I won’t dignify it by reposting it here) has come about for ...

In answer to this question, many people might be tempted to say ’No’, judging by their negative or disappointing experience of politics, and the number of politicians who have lost credibility trying to deliver that truth and have been found wanting, or were proven to be blatant liars - like the empty promise of £millions to the NHS (on the side of a bus) to emotionally move people to vote for Brexit!  The surprising fact is that truth does exist in politics, but it is often lost along the way for one main reason: politics operate on two levels - INTENTION and REALITY - and truth is often lurking somewhere between them , which makes it difficult to find. No doubt every politician starts out with the intention of being truthful. They are often guided by ideals of truth, by principles that enable truth, and the determination to deliver their truth. In fact, it seems that the goal of every politician, especially the new ones, is to ensure that voters recognise their singular commit...

Over 17 years ago, USA President Barack Obama burst on the scene with a stirring "Yes, We Can". Many of the American population, especially the youth, were galvanised into action, having been in some despair about the Bush years. They saw Obama's vision, they could feel the possibilities, they loved his speeches and jumped on to his bandwagon. The rest is history as he stormed the White House. Towards the end of his presidency there was some talk of voters being 'disillusioned', of him lacking 'leadership', of the president being 'weak', of falling approval ratings, and all such negative perceptions. But was that really the case, or did some people just expect too much of a mere mortal?  More interesting, are we operating in entirely different times which need a different political approach and reaction if any leader is to be perceived as achieving anything of value? Worse still, can any future politician cut the mustard and please the people al...