Ben Crystall
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bencrystall.bsky.social
Ben Crystall
@bencrystall.bsky.social
💚Green cllr & leader of East Herts District Council, and cllr at Hertford Town and Hertfordshire County Council. Former New Scientist journo. Promoted by Alex Daar on behalf of Ben Crystall both at East Herts Green Party c/o 55 Ware High St Ware SG12 9BA 🇵🇸
Reposted by Ben Crystall
If this is a deal, then it's a deal to do nothing meaningful whatsoever

As predicted at the beginning of the COP 2 weeks ago, this was a complete and utter waste of everybody's time

Another year lost - and another nail in our coffin

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Cop30 live: Deal agreed at Cop after long negotiations
After a series of all-night meetings and fears the summit could collapse, an agreement has been gavelled through at Cop30
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Huge thanks to Jeremy and Chris and #Bengeo @easthertsgreens.bsky.social cllrs @greendaar.bsky.social and @vickysmith.bsky.social for coming out on a damp Saturday morning to break sweat and help clear most of the leaves and mud from the path on Port Hill in #Hertford 💚💚
November 22, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
A family cycled from Bath to Brittany with two kids, two cargo bikes and zero flights.
Was it chaotic? Yep.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
More adventure, less stress, way smaller footprint.
Try going flight-free in 2026. #TravelByTrain#GreenTravel
flightfree.co.uk/travel_artic...
Bath to Brittany with bikes!
Cycling campaigner Saskia Heijltjes tells us about her family’s cycling holiday in Brittany
flightfree.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
Two of our Green councillors helping with tree planting at Christ Church Primary School

George Williams and Kirsty Taylor-Moran helped plant trees kindly donated to the school by Ware Swifts. Ware Town Council has also provided funds to help the school with its forest school project
November 17, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
Breaking: YouGov poll out today has Greens on highest ever 17%. The Green surge continues.

join.greenparty.org.uk
Join the Green Party
Join the Green Party from just £6 a year. Become a member today - join the only party standing up for people and planet.
join.greenparty.org.uk
November 18, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
Green Councillors Sue Nicholls and Vicky Burt visited the Ward Freman Community Pool Group CIO table-top sale on Sunday

A wonderful fundraiser for the Buntingford pool reopening. Still lots to do but all the hard work is finally coming to fruition.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/XWJEgr1...
November 17, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
We're celebrating the Green Party's rapid national growth which is being powerfully echoed here in East Herts, where membership has surged by 62% since @zackpolanski.bsky.social was elected leader.

eastherts.greenparty.org.uk/2025/10/27/g...
Green Party Membership Soars in East Herts Amid National Surge - East Herts Green Party
Local Green Party members are celebrating as their party’s rapid national growth is being powerfully echoed in East Hertfordshire, where membership has surged by 62% since Zack Polanski was elected le...
eastherts.greenparty.org.uk
October 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
As @rbreich.bsky.social notes billionaires and their families own X, Paramount, CBS, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, the Washington Post, Amazon, MGM, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and New York Post, and could soon own Warner Bros and CNN

And they are all Trump supporters

"Liberal media" indeed
November 13, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Honoured to represent East Herts Council at Hertford’s Remembrance event on Sunday, laying a wreath to commemorate men & women of many countries - European, North American, Indian, African, Nepalese, Australian and New Zealander - who fought together against fascism. Never forget.
November 10, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
We were proud to participate in the Remembrance Services today in Hertford, Ware and Buntingford.

Never forget. Never again.
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
The resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness must be an opportunity for the BBC to turn a new leaf, rebuild trust and resist those like Nigel Farage who want to destroy it

We must stand up for a strong, independent BBC, to stop Trump’s America becoming Farage's Britain.
November 9, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
BREAKING: Tim Davie resigns as BBC's director-general - with CEO of BBC News also stepping down

news.sky.com/story/tim-da...
Tim Davie resigns as BBC's director-general - with CEO of BBC News also stepping down
Tim Davie has resigned as the BBC's director-general.
news.sky.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
They remove monuments memorializing Black soldiers who served the United States but restore monuments to traitors who fought against the United States? Disgusting.
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
The Green Party leader Zack Polanski has just announced two defections from Labour to the Welsh Greens.

Sean Morgan, former Labour leader of Caerphilly Council has joined the Greens.

Former Labour group leader on Carmarthenshire County Council Robert James has also defected.
1/2
November 8, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
Former Labour group leader on Carmarthenshire County Council Cllr Robert James has defected to the Green Party

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has welcomed Robert, who represents Lliedi ward on Carmarthenshire County Council, to the Green Party. Announced at the Wales Green Party conference today.
November 8, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
@zackpolanski.bsky.social Not just Vogue! Glamour too!
November 8, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
But I do suspect the differences in press attention, along with the lack of social media and rolling news, are why people forget how much worse and more prevalent violence was in the 1990s.

I don’t recall commentators freaking out that they were terrified to go to supermarkets.
November 3, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
Who remembers when Nigel Farage told everyone to ignore those ‘clever people’ warning that smoking kills millions of people every year?
November 3, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
European negotiators were personally targeted by their American counterparts during a brutal negotiation over green shipping rules, European Commission officials told POLITICO. 

This highly unusual gambit left diplomats shaken after the meeting. 
US accused of threatening EU diplomats during bid to kill green shipping rules
Negotiators at shipping talks in London were told both they and their countries could be punished unless they voted with the U.S.
www.politico.eu
November 3, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
One in twenty Reform councillors elected in May 2025 has left by the Autumn
- half expelled/suspended
- a quarter resigned from council
- some defected

An "unusual rate" of attrition in 6 months, says Tony Travers

www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Reform Is Losing Councillors Elected In May At An 'Unusual' Rate
Reform UK has lost more than 5 per cent of the councillors it had elected six months ago, an analysis by PoliticsHome has found.
www.politicshome.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
The window to act on climate is rapidly closing. Our new 2025 State of the Climate report is just out. Read the full report here: doi.org/10.1093/bios... @michaelemann.bsky.social @dwallacewells.bsky.social @georgemonbiot.bsky.social @ecowarriorss.bsky.social
October 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
The Home Office may be unfit for purpose, but so is #R4Today. The BBC needs to get their news values right. Deporting someone after accidental release is NOT the most important event of today. Stop following Reform’s agenda. Get rid of Robbie Gibb and his friends. Give us back our impartial BBC!
October 29, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Ben Crystall
We agree - this Labour Government has failed to keep its promises on nature
I’ve tabled a Parliamentary Motion calling out Thames Water’s failures.

Our water system isn’t designed to deliver decent service—it’s built to make water firms rich.

It's high time they were forced to cough up and put right the flooding and pollution across North East Hertfordshire.
October 25, 2025 at 7:20 PM