NATURAL LAW PARTY EAST ANGLIA: REGIONAL CONFERENCE

15 March 2000

A core group of Natural Law Party enthusiasts from around East Anglia enjoyed a landmark conference on Saturday 4th March at the beautiful Quy Mill Hotel, Cambridge. Speakers were invited from Skelmersdale, Tonbridge, Brighton, and London to inform and guide the delegates who represented every East Anglian county. This was the first of many proposed regional Natural Law Party meetings around Britain to plan a new campaign focus through an 'Education Forums', and devise strategies for networking with other like-minded groups and organisations throughout the community.

PARTNERSHIPS

"We welcome partnerships with the many people and organisations in East Anglia - in education, health, rehabilitation, agriculture, business, social relationships, whatever - who share our vision of achieving greater harmony and fulfilment in life," said Terry Sale, businessman from Lowestoft. "Intuitively we know that living out of tune with the laws of nature leads to problems. The Natural Law Party can act as the political rallying point to unite all these holistic aspirations and activities at the local level."

KEY ROLE FOR NATURAL LAW IN THE GENETIC ENGINEERING DEBATE

An inspiring opening address by national Natural Law Party Chairman Richard Johnson was illustrated by numerous recent newspaper articles. These chronicled the key role being played by the Natural Law Party in highlighting the risks of genetically engineered food for human health and the environment, as brought out by Steven Druker at Edinburgh's 'Other GMO Summit' last week. "We're out there with the Soil Association and others right at the heart of the debate," said Patrice Gladwin of Cambridge. "I have been campaigning on this issue together with other environmental groups in Cambridgeshire ever since the Natural Law Party spearheaded the GMO debate as far back as 1996. The aim of today's conference is to build on that success and bring to education in the broadest sense, our unique knowledge and experience."

ENLIGHTENED EDUCATION FOR EAST ANGLIA!

Work began on an Education Forum presented by former Devon county Education Adviser, Jeremy Bowler. The campaign is to be launched nation-wide later in the year. Primary Teacher Jenny Outred from Kings Lynn was particularly excited. "The time has come for a fundamental re-appraisal of education," she said. "'E-ducare' means to lead out the inner genius, the total potential of every member of society. Research shows over and over again that where Natural Law Party policies are taken up, people flourish. The successes of the Maharishi School in Skelmersdale where programmes to develop higher consciousness sit comfortably alongside the National Curriculum, have been extolled by inspectors and featured in literally dozens of media reports over the last few years. The Natural Law Party would like to bring that success to every school in East Anglia!"

EUROPEAN LINKS WITH EAST ANGLIA

A European dimension to the day was supplied by Marilyn Munn from Colchester, the Eastern Region Representative of an organisation called the 'European Movement'. She said: "Like the European Movement the Natural Law Party is active in almost all European countries. It's very exciting to be associated with these two organisations who in different ways champion a European Union of unique, strong sovereign states in which each smaller region has a voice."

LOCAL ELECTIONS

Many people at the conference were inspired to stand as Natural Law candidates in the 4th May local elections by Patricia Saunders, Deputy Chairman of the Natural Law Party and co-organiser of the conference. "I have stood as an NLP candidate in local, national and European elections," she said. "In local elections there is more scope for interacting with people as a friend, on issues that are really closest to their hearts. It's the kind of campaigning I really enjoy."

SUPPORT NATURAL LAW AND NATURAL LAW SUPPORTS YOU!

A bright summer day, superb vegetarian lunch served in the conservatory and a floodlit waterwheel as conference-room backdrop, completed a thoroughly enjoyable and useful day. We were all reminded of the ancient Vedic saying: "If you support Natural Law, Natural Law will support you!"

COMMENT FROM ANGELA HOLLAND,
Secretary, Friends of the Natural Law Party East Anglia, and one of the conference organisers

"The roots of our conference on 4th March sprang from a determination to share with others in this region the refreshing, new 21st-century-flavoured Natural Law Party that delegates experienced at last year's annual conference. On the one hand was the sharper, more challenging approach, speaking the truth about the errors and failures of government and demanding that Natural Law solutions be implemented - thus giving a very fresh, lively quality to the language and stance of presentations.

"On the other was the desire to open our party to the many people and organisations who are also striving to change society in the direction of Natural Law. Find out what their needs are. What can we learn? What can we offer? Since Natural Law supports everyone and everything, perhaps we are the party to give a political focus to their aspirations. Reinhard Borowitz, Secretary General of the International Council of Natural Law Parties, has prepared an excellent paper on this which we are circulating together with a video of his presentation to the annual conference. The actual doing of it, of course, is an ongoing process. We were pleased when a group of Friends of the Earth supporters who were campaigning against GMOs in Cambridge on the same day as our conference spoke admiringly and enthusiastically about the party to some of the participants saying what wonderful work we do.

"The history of this very successful conference started before Christmas when we settled on a date and alerted the few active people. We imagined a kind of working party in Patrice Gladwin's front room. When time came to plan in earnest - on a telephone conference call between a few of us - Natural Law took over . . .. and RAN. We started from our own needs: a (new) campaign, and training. Jeremy Bowler needed an audience for his excellent Education Forum initiative and happened to be free to come that day, and William Hite and Lawra While were available to offer expert training in marketing and media. Suddenly we had burst out of Patrice's front room. The rest is history!

"It's the familiar adage: just start. To date we have made one decision and carried it out: To form a regional Natural Law Party."

Angela Holland can be contacted by e-mail at: Angela.Holland@btinternet.com