A 'Green Knight' for the South West: organic beer launches South West's chances for its first Green MEP
02 May 2009
Green beer, a Green Knight on horseback, speeches, quiz, storytelling and an Open Mic night launched the Green Party's bid in Gloucestershire to get their first Green MEP elected in the South West.
On Saturday 2nd May, Green Party members were met in Nailsworth by a Knight on horseback outside The Village Inn pub for the launch of a specially brewed organic beer - 'Green Knight', created by the Nailsworth Brewery. The beer is named after Ricky Knight, the Greens’ lead Euro candidate, and is possibly the first beer ever to be named after a European election candidate!
Speaking on the evening, Ricky said: "It was a glorious start to the Euro campaign here in Gloucestershire with the knight on horseback, an apt rendition of the Arthurian tale of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’, a suitably tricky Euro-quiz and then, to round the evening off, joining in with the many talented local musicians and singers who put themselves forward for the Open Mic.
"It’s great to have a beer named after me, but this evening was really about highlighting how we can get a Green elected to the European Parliament for the first time in the South West. These elections are run on a Proportional Representation system, which means that tactical voting need not be the preferred response to our ludicrous ‘first-past-the-post’ system. The economy is in a mess and the environment balanced on precarious tipping points; the best possible message to send to those that have failed so spectacularly to honour the trust we have placed in them, is to vote Green on June 4th."
Ricky Knight, a Green councillor in Barnstaple who gave up his job as a modern languages teacher to campaign full time for the European elections, made a powerful speech at the beginning of the evening and even took a turn at the mic, to sing passionately a ‘Seize the Day’ anti-war song, without accompaniment.
The 'Green Knight' beer has been described as a light, hoppy organic beer with hints of grapefruit and elderflower coming in at 4.4% abv. and is vegetarian and vegan. It is hoped that more of the beer will be available in selected venues across the South West.
Read Stroud Green councillor Philip Booth's blogpost on the event.
South West Green Party RSS Feed
Press enquiries
