All's not quiet on the New Home Front

Yesterday I took part in a panel discussion to mark the launch of a movement and campaign - The New Home Front - headed up by Caroline Lucas MP and Andrew Simms, Fellow of NEF, which calls on the public to take action to mitigate the fierce urgency of climate change. The campaign looks back to the time when the nation came together as one as the Second World War was raging, and while climate change is raging all around us, it is felt that communities could come together in a similar way to make headway as the world rushes towards the tipping point. "This [issue of] climate change goes beyond generations", said the gentleman from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research, "it makes the 100 years war look like a walk in the park. The science of climate change has not changed in two decades, but the current suite of tools is wholly inadequate to tackle climate change in 2011”.

The WI was active on the home front during the Second World War, preserving foods – of course making jam by the tonne – using every scrap of food in order to prevent waste; making new clothes out of old; conserving energy and water; and recycling rather than throwing away. All of these actions have been championed again in recent years by WIs through their Eco Teams, Love Food Hate Waste, Carbon Challenge, composting and car sharing, and many other worthwhile and commendable activities.

Caroline Lucas coined the phrase 'wisdom in one place' when she spoke of the report and this phrase really fits the profile of the WI as an organisation – the wisdom of the membership together with practical knowledge and know-how should not be ignored.

This was highlighted again at The City Food Lecture given this week at Guildhall by Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever. He too was saying we 'need new tools' in agriculture if the world is to be fed, and products have to be sustainably sourced for sourcing to be able to continue!

Later in the week I had a meeting with the Government Equalities Office in light of the departure of the Women's National Commission. The work of the WNC, set up in 1969 as the national, independent organisation to present the views of women to government, now comes under the banner of the GEO. The priorities for the GEO are civic participation, the launch of a consultation on access to public life and also reporting on the diversity, or lack of it, of people in politics. This office will be delivering an on-line newsletter to which anyone may subscribe.

Meanwhile the week hosted 2 NFWI committees – there is never a dull moment!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all blog readers! I begin 2011 with a Victoria Sponge - “the frumpy, floury image of a Women’s Institute Victoria Sponge” to be precise.

A Victoria Sponge, if properly made and presented, is neither frumpy nor floury, no matter who makes it. I’m sure many young WI members who bake would not be happy at the implication of the Victoria Sponge they make being frumpy, and neither would many older members, myself including. If Jane Simon of The Mirror would like to learn how to make an un-frumpy Victoria Sponge, I know many a WI member would be more than happy to show how its done, not least at the WI Cookery School.

But isn’t it great that people want to bake Victoria Sponges (and every other type of cake for that matter!). Baking can be a very therapeutic exercise, especially when the results are so tasty and admired by those who eat them.

Looking towards other WI business; there is plenty going on with the WI throughout January. Snow or no snow, events are planned in Federations across England and Wales, and I see from their websites that several areas will be holding a Burns Night celebration. Amongst other things there are walks and beauty days; science groups and food hygiene certificate classes; New Year sales and resolution meetings; judges information days and speaker selections days – never mind play readings and patchwork and many other craft classes.

The WI never sleeps.

Climate change, local communities and real ale...

I was intrigued to read Chris Huhne's comment that "...even the Women's Institutes has better rules" than the UN when it comes to their negotiating procedures when he discussed the Climate Change Conference in Cancun last week. When it comes to the UN's organisational skills, I sincerely hope that they were better in Cancun this year than they were in Copenhagen last year. I was refused entry to the Climate Change talks last year with the entrance in sight, which was not something that endears one to the UN's power of organisation. At the time it was obvious to me that the WI could have and would have arranged that event much more efficiently so it’s interesting to hear Chris Huhne echoing me earlier thoughts! I also attended the previous talks in Poznan in 2008 so know a little of how things work, although the WI was not at this year’s talks despite that fact that women's roles in finding solutions to the changed climate remain important to the organisation. We must all continually strive to make a difference every day through environmentally friendly actions at home, in our local communities and in our wider actions at every level.

Another area of interest in December is The Sustainable Communities Act, originally put forward by Nick Hurd MP, which is now on the statute book. The Act was celebrated last week with a reception for its many adherents and those who worked so tirelessly on the Bill focusing on communities and how they can have more of a say in how they are run. Ron Bailey and Steve Shaw of Local Works deserve a special mention here; I met them both when speaking on behalf of the WI in the big push to put people at the heart of governance through the aforementioned Bill. David Cameron, while he was still an MP, made special reference to the uniqueness of the the WI and the Campaign for Real Ale speaking on the same platform and thus, surely, making the Sustainable Communities Bill one that should be accepted by all.

It might have been unique but since then a WI Real Ale has been produced – you can read all about it in the current edition of WI Life!

And now I raise a glass of the Harmston Heavenly to all you blog watchers; thank you for reading the musings and goings-on of the WI in the last few months. Happy Christmas to you all!