Missing duck of Wadhurst.

Transition funding nearly out for a duck.

A luke warm reception was given for Transition initiatives last night at the Parish Council meeting.

It seems that the Wadhurst parish councillors would rather discuss the missing duck than to offer their whole hearted positive support for making their local community more resilient to transition from carbon based society.

Despite some support for the new group;
“This is an organisation worthy of us getting it off the ground...” their actual grasp of how to help Wadhurst to a Transition economy and lifestyle was pretty unedifying.

They do not seem to have grasped the fact that we are all involved in Transition.
That it is not simply the Parish council’s role but moreover its duty to provide not only allotments for residents but also whole hearted support for community initiatives which will give added time to our children to react to the challenges of climate change.

The generally negative attitude was exemplified by one councillor who thought that the group had already spent the money and that were coming to them for help- which he did not think they should give! This patronising attitude was unfortunately widespread amongst them, as was their negative and unenlightened stance to Transition.

But apart from not getting their facts right, the majority of councillors have failed to grasp the real challenges that Transition from carbon based society will mean. The energy saving workshops and practical seed swopping workshops which Transition Wadhurst plan to run locally will offer real and practical help to local residents to shift towards a more resilient society and a community in which more people try to help each other.

Transition seems to be poorly understood by the Parish councillors, who fear it as a militant organisation bringing change. It is not a party political group nor is it affiliated to any political party but wants to involve a whole community. We face challenges. Perhaps I am more militant than other members of Transition and these are my own views.

Transition is a very worthwhile initiative, but only half of the councillors supported it to any significant degree. This is despite the fact that it is in our Parish Plan to support initiatives like this. This is also despite the fact that they have a moral duty to support their local community.

Rotary club Xmas lights, a twinning trip to France and other far “safer options” were given more financial backing and air time than what they saw as “political or controversial issues”; namely, an energy saving workshop run by the Energy Saving Trust and a local food growing/seed swopping workshop initiative.

The Vicar of Dibley springs to mind...Politics at the local level... arcane, negative and befuddled.

The result? Wadhurst PC voted several times with motions to halve the paltry amount requested for the practical workshops to a mere £200, at one point half of the councillors suggesting that they offer only the derisory sum of £100. Some even just a room for the venue or no other help whatsoever. I would expect more from the people I elected to represent me.

Yes, we certainly do seem to have a long way to go to gain true Parish Cpuncil backing.

Transition begins at the individual and local Parish level. But this is precisely the level at which administrators like our parish councillors simply can’t see the wood for the trees. While I think that at a National level we do have braod support, at the local level, the Parish level, we do not. They cannot seem to grasp that this is a cross party movement; nor that it is a positive move towards building community resilience. Nor, can they fully grasp the urgency of the action required. If our future society is to be faced with climate change and fuel poor, we will need to build local resilience into our communities. We will need Parish Councillors whole hearted sipport; we will need them on board. The best way is to start locally.

They would much rather discuss the missing duck, prevent speed limits from being imposed on dangerous roads and dwell on grass clippings’ removal.

Perhaps we should implement some of the 300 + suggestions from the first public meeting of 100 + residents of the village.
All grass verges should be replaced by communal winter salads, beetroots and courgettes.
Safe cycling for 1 mile on every road out from the village.
Zero carbon conversion for all public buildings in the village.

Is this too much to ask?


My own personal view is that perhaps we should start with an educational workshop for our own Parish Councillors to which I would expect every Councillor to turn up.
They have a duty to support and encourage the Transition team to lead the way.

"A picture of happiness"

“ A picture of happiness” was just one of the workshops run on the New Economics Foundation “Interdependance Day” on 24th October, 2009 at Oxo Tower, London.

The NEF sees itself as;
“an independent “think and do tank that inspires and demonstrates real economic well-being... aiming to improve quality of life by promoting innovative solutions that challenge mainstream thinking on economic, environmental and social issues. (They) work in partnership and put people and the planet first.”

“So, the economy is in ruins...unemployment is still rising and we are running out of resources...we are at a cross roads and we need to start thinking about a way forward.”(Samaah Abullah, researcher, NEF)

So, where do we start?

We were asked us to remember a time in our life when we were really happy.

You can do this now. (Don’t look at the themes below the line of asterix yet if you want to think clearly of your own first.)

What was it that made you feel so happy? What are the themes? (Come up with your own- don’t look at the ones listed below for a moment.)
Also, what helped and what detracted from this personal happiness? (Put a + or a – next to them.)

Write them on different coloured paper hexagons, (orange paper hexagon for main themes, green paper hexagon for positive or negative influences.)

Now you could try to slot them together to see if or how they fit together.
This may help you to redress the balance in your life and perhaps to enable you to achieve greater personal happiness?

**********************************************************************************
The themes that our group felt brought us feelings of happiness were;
Achievement
Freedom and creativity
Relationships

Friends
Love
Nature
Spiritual

Other groups’ additional universal happiness themes were;
Peace and tranquillity
Support
Connections

Letting Go
Humour
Shared values

“Instant happiness”
Being what you are
Autonomy- freedom to do your own thing
Making a positive contribution

Community
Carefree time
People joining together

Excitement
Thrill and variety
Beauty

Learning
Empathy

Happiness differs for each individual as it is personal view and no two people are completely alike. Of course the list is different for different people. Not everyone wants to be creative, not everyone derives happiness from exciting pursuits or thrilling exploits! So, different groups came up with different ideas. Some people don’t like variety, whilst others relish change.
Some themes are shared by all people, (universal) whilst others are not. However, amongst all the themes, there are numerous common “threads” of experience; albeit, there are many different ways of achieving happiness.

So, can we blend our ideas and come up with some interlocking ones that will benefit each other?
That way we can perhaps help to rebuild a society in which people feel more included and not isolated. We were asked to think of things that would either help or detract from ability to achieve the above happiness themes.
We had to put a plus or a minus next to them.

The positive themes that PROMOTE the goals of happiness were;

Achievement
Good relationships
Peace

Compromise and balance
Collaboration
Individuality and autonomy

Focus
Trust
Confidence

Stress (+/-)
Resilience
Opportunity

Time (to think)
Positive thinking
Acknowledgement and acceptance

The negative themes that DETRACT from and prevent happiness goals are;

Stress(+/-)
Poverty
Isolation

Empathy ( +/-) ie. can be both a positive and negative force
Inequality(+/-)
Individuality (+/-)
Depression
Lack of confidence
Low self-esteem


The elephant in the room was, of course, money. Money and its role in happiness is very relevant.

Money acts as “a sort of points system, with status attached to people who gain money. It’s a symbol of power and is connected to positive self-esteem.” (Samaah Abdullah, New Economics Foundation)

Making lots of money is associated with thrill, status , addiction, achievement and other less tangible aspects of happiness, such as speed and excitement (an Investment banker.)

To date, happiness has been wielded into the argument for achieving economic success or power, to such an extent that we may sometimes forget what our goals originally were when we started out.

In view of the current economic crisis and rising unemployment, research into happiness is vital. This will enable the potential and talents of individuals to be unlocked, achieving happiness and improved quality of life for more people and arguably, a better society as a result.

You can join the growing debate on how we can measure and achieve happiness other than in economic terms.

We came up with the above list on Interdependance Day, which was organised by NEF.

You can add you comments below
or email researcher Samaah Abdullah at well-being@neweconomics.org

Landvision.