A quick account of the 12/12 petition presentation for those who couldn’t be there:
- 5-minute address, I didn’t fluff my lines (phew!)
- Great audience participation from our supporters in the public gallery.
- The bad news: the Tory ‘do nothing’ proposition passed 32 to 20 (10 abstentions). Outrageous!
- The good news:
- Four of the Tories didn’t vote for their own motion.
- All of Labour, Lib Dems and Green/Independent alliance voted against the Tory ‘do nothing’ proposition.
- All three parties put propositions of their own in support of the petition.
- The demo that followed went well: Debbie Woudman (convenor of Worthing Green Party branch) spoke in support of the petition. Plus a number of those present spoke about what else they are doing for Palestine.
Going forward:
- Development of the relationship with supportive Councillors?
- Focus on the Pensions Committee?
- A new petition?
Presentation of WS-Divest Petition with 3,293 signatures
The presentation of our petition was met with predictable results. All but four of the Tory councillors voted to ignore it. Outrageous! However the good news is that all the councillors in the other main parties: Labour, Lib Dem, Green/Independent alliance put in their own motions of support for the petition and all voted against the Tories ‘do nothing’ motion – a superb joint effort!
Now the campaign goes on! WS-Divest – Bigger and Better in 2026.