Press Release, Ronin GPNS Leadership Campaign, 4 August 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATELINE: Pugwash River, August 4, 2009

Sebastian Ronin
216 Stewart Road, Pugwash River, NS B0K 1L0
sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca

Cumberland County Resident Announces Green Party Leadership Bid

Former Pictou County resident, now living in Cumberland County, Sebastian Ronin, has announced his intent to seek the leadership of the Green Party of Nova Scotia.

In light of the controversy and public skepticism surrounding the GPNS which came to light during the recent provincial election, Mr. Ronin proposes a major overhaul for the party. This would include a re-invention of the party’s philosophy and policies and a re-positioning of the party with the Nova Scotia electorate.

“The most important message for the GPNS to relay to the people of Nova Scotia at this time is the Peak Oil message,” claims Mr. Ronin. “It is the primary global condition through which all of the party’s policies must be filtered. The social and economic consequences of Peak Oil trump those of global warming and climate chaos by several decades.”

“To advocate a smooth transition to a post-industrial way of life without severe social dislocations is a political lie,” says Mr. Ronin. “The time to act and prepare is now.”

Mr. Ronin proposes that the natural support base for the GPNS is rural Nova Scotia. He further claims that rural Nova Scotians have an obligation to themselves and to their families to support a revitalized Nova Scotia Green Party. He claims that with the decimation of the Progressive Conservatives and a four-year time line to work with, the opportunity for rural Nova Scotians to re-invent the GPNS has never been better.

“The rebirth of the GPNS can begin in what I refer to as The Northumberland Triangle,” said Mr. Ronin. “It takes in that rural and jurisdictional area connected by Amherst-New Glasgow-Truro. It can spread to the rest of rural Nova Scotia from there. Except for a handful of university students, forget HRM. It is Orange and will remain to be so.”

One of Mr. Ronin’s planks in support of his intent to bring the GPNS to rural Nova Scotia is to have the party's central office re-located to Truro.

Mr. Ronin has released a 30-point platform which is available for public view at the GPNS forum at: http://novascotiagreens.ning.com.

Two major elements of political re-invention that Mr. Ronin proposes to bring to the GPNS are a constitutional de-coupling from the Global Green Charter and a necessary distancing from the federal Green Party of Canada. "The optics of both suck," claims Mr. Ronin.

Mr. Ronin says that his proposals are being fought by a significant proportion of the “old guard” in the GPNS.

"Rural Nova Scotians will understand Peak Oil immediately,” claims Mr. Ronin, “If the tank is half-empty, then it's half-empty. Why supposed Greens cannot or will not understand that the natural support base for a Green party lies in rural districts is beyond me,” he says. “I cannot fathom it.”

For all rural Nova Scotians who might be interested in supporting Mr. Ronin’s leadership bid at the Green Party’s AGM slated for mid-October, he requests that he be contacted by email at: sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca. A dedicated campaign forum can be visited at: http://roningpns.ning.com.

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