The Conservative Government's plans to create a seven-day working week for doctors have been slammed by the Green Party leader Natalie Bennett who is urging the government to call an end to “health service austerity” and instead invest in “primary and community care”.
The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt revealed the proposals in a speech this morning that have been labelled as a “wholesale attack” on doctors by the British Medical Association. The Green Party say they have a commitment to maintain a publicly funded, publicly provided health service free at the point of use.
Attacking the Tory proposals Natalie Bennett Commented: "Jeremy Hunt’s ‘ultimatum’ is typical of the Tories’ damaging and antagonistic approach to public services. Forcing new doctors to work seven days a week is the polar opposite of the solution needed to our chronic shortage of staff, and shows an utter lack of respect for the needs of NHS workers."
Continuing Ms Bennett said: "Doctors are already stressed, overworked and, in increasing numbers, considering leaving the profession due to arbitrary targets, short staffing, and punitive legislation; we should be ensuring that they have the resources and support they need to properly care for patients, not imposing further demands which will damage doctors’ work-life balance and make the NHS an even less attractive employer."
"Instead of barrelling ahead with measures opposed en masse by NHS staff, the government should be calling an end to health service austerity, stopping the privatisation of our health service, and investing in primary and community care." Natalie Bennett added
Showing posts with label Natalie Bennett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natalie Bennett. Show all posts
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Friday, 5 June 2015
Greens attack Labour's 'cruel' £1,000 fines for Hackney’s homeless
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett is backing Hackney Green Party’s calls for Labour controlled Hackney Council to retract its proposals to impose fines of up to £1,000 on persistent rough sleepers and homeless people. The plans are included in the provisions of a Public Space Protection Order covering much of central and south Hackney.
Commenting Natalie Bennett said: "The rising tide of poverty and destitution caused by low pay and benefits cuts, combined with the soaring cost of housing, is evident in the increasing number of people forced to sleep on our streets. Fining and criminalising them for their own misfortune is not only cruel, but also likely to be counter-productive. Hackney council talks about protecting the community from harm that may or may not have been caused by rough sleepers, but it appears to forget that they are members of the community too."
Hackney Green Party wants to see a coordinated approach to homelessness and rough sleeping. This would include working in partnership across Hackney, improving access to health and rehabilitation services, and providing secure and supported housing.
Hackney Green Party spokesperson Charlotte George said: "Under the government’s austerity programme over the last five years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of people made homeless in London, up 77% since 2010 according to Crisis. With cuts to public services set to deepen over the next five years, we need to find ways to address the root causes of homelessness - because it will undoubtedly continue to rise. Criminalizing rough sleeping is not the way to do it."
The Green Party is encouraging people to sign the petition against the fines and write to Hackney Council to oppose this proposal.
"The only thing this Public Space Protection Order can achieve is to move rough sleepers elsewhere. Out of sight, out of mind. It is a shameful, inhuman policy and we want Hackney Council will reconsider," added Ms George.
Commenting Natalie Bennett said: "The rising tide of poverty and destitution caused by low pay and benefits cuts, combined with the soaring cost of housing, is evident in the increasing number of people forced to sleep on our streets. Fining and criminalising them for their own misfortune is not only cruel, but also likely to be counter-productive. Hackney council talks about protecting the community from harm that may or may not have been caused by rough sleepers, but it appears to forget that they are members of the community too."
Hackney Green Party wants to see a coordinated approach to homelessness and rough sleeping. This would include working in partnership across Hackney, improving access to health and rehabilitation services, and providing secure and supported housing.
Hackney Green Party spokesperson Charlotte George said: "Under the government’s austerity programme over the last five years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of people made homeless in London, up 77% since 2010 according to Crisis. With cuts to public services set to deepen over the next five years, we need to find ways to address the root causes of homelessness - because it will undoubtedly continue to rise. Criminalizing rough sleeping is not the way to do it."
The Green Party is encouraging people to sign the petition against the fines and write to Hackney Council to oppose this proposal.
"The only thing this Public Space Protection Order can achieve is to move rough sleepers elsewhere. Out of sight, out of mind. It is a shameful, inhuman policy and we want Hackney Council will reconsider," added Ms George.
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Greens back call for inquiry into 'memo' leak
Patrick Harvie MSP, co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party, and Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, have jointly backed Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's call for an inquiry into how the "Cameron" memo was leaked to the Daily Telegraph.
In a joint statement Natalie Bennett and Patrick Harvie said: "The French Consul-General, the independent individual in this story, has said the memo is entirely incorrect and the topic of preferred prime minister was not discussed."
"That should put an end to claims about what Nicola Sturgeon said about David Cameron in the conversation - confirming as it does her denial of the original report."
"But it leaves open serious questions about the origins of this alleged leak. This is damaging to the reputation of our politically independent civil service and should be investigated as a matter of urgency."
In a joint statement Natalie Bennett and Patrick Harvie said: "The French Consul-General, the independent individual in this story, has said the memo is entirely incorrect and the topic of preferred prime minister was not discussed."
"That should put an end to claims about what Nicola Sturgeon said about David Cameron in the conversation - confirming as it does her denial of the original report."
"But it leaves open serious questions about the origins of this alleged leak. This is damaging to the reputation of our politically independent civil service and should be investigated as a matter of urgency."
Sunday, 15 February 2015
Greens to introduce a tax dodging bill within 100 days
In the wake of the HSBC, Swiss Leaks and LuxLeaks tax avoidance scandals the Green Party has pledged to introduce a Tax Dodging Bill in the first 100 days after the election. The campaign for such a Bill is being widely supported by a network of NGOs, cooperatives, faith groups, MPs and Unions.
The Green Party has long championed firm action on tax avoidance as an alternative to austerity and fully back the Bill which calls for new rules to make the UK tax regime more transparent and tougher on tax dodging. Green Party policy is to crack down heavily on tax havens and other methods of tax evasion and avoidance, and press for a transparent country-by-country reporting so that company profits can be located and taxed.
Green Party finance speaker, Molly Scott Cato MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament’s tax working group, said: "In the wake of repeated tax avoidance scandals, it is now all the more vital that we put in place legislation to ensure corporations and wealthy individuals pay the taxes that treasuries need to invest in public services and infrastructure. Greens have been pushing hard in the European Parliament for a full inquiry into the Lux Leaks scandal but unfortunately, despite the rhetoric from both Tories and Labour on the issue, they have refused to back such an inquiry."
In 2011 Green MP Caroline Lucas launched the Tax and Financial Transparency Bill in the House of Commons. She exposed the fact that HMRC was failing to prevent serious tax evasion, amounting to as much as £16 billion of lost tax each year. Despite two attempt at getting the Bill passed, it failed to gain enough Parliamentary support.
Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, said: "Tax avoidance has cost this country tens of billions of pounds over the course of this Parliament, at a time when public services are being slashed. If the Government’s political priorities had been clamping down on tax avoidance, rather than dismantling our welfare state and public services, then we’d be in a far fairer, more humane, and more economically stable Britain. We need new laws to make the UK tax regime tougher on those who wish to avoid contributing to our society."
The Green Party has long championed firm action on tax avoidance as an alternative to austerity and fully back the Bill which calls for new rules to make the UK tax regime more transparent and tougher on tax dodging. Green Party policy is to crack down heavily on tax havens and other methods of tax evasion and avoidance, and press for a transparent country-by-country reporting so that company profits can be located and taxed.
Green Party finance speaker, Molly Scott Cato MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament’s tax working group, said: "In the wake of repeated tax avoidance scandals, it is now all the more vital that we put in place legislation to ensure corporations and wealthy individuals pay the taxes that treasuries need to invest in public services and infrastructure. Greens have been pushing hard in the European Parliament for a full inquiry into the Lux Leaks scandal but unfortunately, despite the rhetoric from both Tories and Labour on the issue, they have refused to back such an inquiry."
In 2011 Green MP Caroline Lucas launched the Tax and Financial Transparency Bill in the House of Commons. She exposed the fact that HMRC was failing to prevent serious tax evasion, amounting to as much as £16 billion of lost tax each year. Despite two attempt at getting the Bill passed, it failed to gain enough Parliamentary support.
Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, said: "Tax avoidance has cost this country tens of billions of pounds over the course of this Parliament, at a time when public services are being slashed. If the Government’s political priorities had been clamping down on tax avoidance, rather than dismantling our welfare state and public services, then we’d be in a far fairer, more humane, and more economically stable Britain. We need new laws to make the UK tax regime tougher on those who wish to avoid contributing to our society."
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Top union official to stand for the Greens in Redcar
It is the first time that the Green Party has stood in the north eastern constituency and follows recent turmoil in the local Labour party which saw the resignation of ten councillors just 4 days ago. And the north east Labour party as "North Korea Labour"
Commenting Peter Pinkney said: "I spoke at the Green Party Conference in 2013, and I was impressed with the ideas that were being put forward. The ideas of the Greens resonated with a lot of my beliefs. Obviously the Greens commitment to bring railways back into public hands struck a chord, but also policies to invest in the NHS, build social housing, institute higher taxes for those who can afford it, and put forward progressive policies on immigration informed my decision to stand."
"As a life long socialist, I could see that most of the policies were what the Labour Party once had, but those days are long gone with Labour." Mr Pinkney added.
Pinkney was elected as RMT President in December 2012 for a three year term. He spends much of his time in London working for the union but his home is in the Redcar constituency. Though the Greens have not stood in Redcar before they expect to make an impact amid Lib Dem collapse and the splitting of the local Labour Party.
Also commenting the Green Party Leader, Natalie Bennett, said: "We’re delighted to announce Peter as our candidate in Redcar. Voters there, like their counterparts across the UK, are sick and tired of the business as usual politics offered by the establishment parties. We’re giving them a chance to vote for someone who will defend our NHS, campaign for publically owned railways and push for decent affordable housing for everyone who needs it."
Commenting Peter Pinkney said: "I spoke at the Green Party Conference in 2013, and I was impressed with the ideas that were being put forward. The ideas of the Greens resonated with a lot of my beliefs. Obviously the Greens commitment to bring railways back into public hands struck a chord, but also policies to invest in the NHS, build social housing, institute higher taxes for those who can afford it, and put forward progressive policies on immigration informed my decision to stand."
"As a life long socialist, I could see that most of the policies were what the Labour Party once had, but those days are long gone with Labour." Mr Pinkney added.
Pinkney was elected as RMT President in December 2012 for a three year term. He spends much of his time in London working for the union but his home is in the Redcar constituency. Though the Greens have not stood in Redcar before they expect to make an impact amid Lib Dem collapse and the splitting of the local Labour Party.
Also commenting the Green Party Leader, Natalie Bennett, said: "We’re delighted to announce Peter as our candidate in Redcar. Voters there, like their counterparts across the UK, are sick and tired of the business as usual politics offered by the establishment parties. We’re giving them a chance to vote for someone who will defend our NHS, campaign for publically owned railways and push for decent affordable housing for everyone who needs it."
Friday, 6 February 2015
Greens to build 500,000 social rented homes by 2020
That just 5% of the government’s housing expenditure is spent on building more homes is a disgrace say the Greens, whose housing policy is designed to serve the common good not the top 1%.
The Greens say too many people are being priced out of expensive places like London and Brighton due to a lack of social rented homes and skyrocketing private rents. Over 30,000 social rented homes have been lost to Right to Buy since 2010, with too few replacements
The Green Party pledge that they will build 500,000 social rented homes by gradually increasing the social housing budget from £1.5bn pa to £6bn pa by 2017. The Greens say they will pay for this by reforming landlord tax allowances to incentivise good practice rather than profits, starting by scrapping buy-to-let mortgage interest relief. They also say they will also remove the borrowing caps from local councils.
Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, said: "We need to move away from regarding houses as primarily financial assets and go back to regarding them as homes. This policy is an important step in that direction. Landlords have been receiving massive public subsidies through tax breaks and housing benefits, and this is contributing to the rising, unsustainable level of inequality in our society. They do not deliver enough of social and economic benefit to the rest of society to justify their favourable tax treatment: it isn't in the interests of our common good to continue this bias towards the wealthy at the cost of those struggling to survive with high rents and often low-quality housing."
Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: "In my Brighton constituency the cost of buying a home is 44% higher than the average. That’s pushing my constituents into debt, into poor quality rented housing, and into homelessness. There’s no silver bullet that will magic away years of failure by successive governments to invest in ending the housing crisis, but increasing the supply of sustainably built social housing, as we are announcing today, will start to make a real difference for tenants, homeowners, and anyone wanting to buy a home."
Tom Chance, PPC for Lewisham West and Penge and Green Party Housing Spokesperson, said: "Social housing has provided decent, affordable homes for millions of people over the past 150 years. After 40 years of sales, demolitions and budget cuts, the Green Party will put social housing back at the heart of housing policy."
The Green Party’s Manifesto, due to be launched in late March and the party say it will include a full fleet of policies designed to address the housing crisis, including policies to bring empty homes back into use, a better deal for private tenants, ending Right To Buy, and action on rent levels.
The Greens say too many people are being priced out of expensive places like London and Brighton due to a lack of social rented homes and skyrocketing private rents. Over 30,000 social rented homes have been lost to Right to Buy since 2010, with too few replacements
The Green Party pledge that they will build 500,000 social rented homes by gradually increasing the social housing budget from £1.5bn pa to £6bn pa by 2017. The Greens say they will pay for this by reforming landlord tax allowances to incentivise good practice rather than profits, starting by scrapping buy-to-let mortgage interest relief. They also say they will also remove the borrowing caps from local councils.
Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, said: "We need to move away from regarding houses as primarily financial assets and go back to regarding them as homes. This policy is an important step in that direction. Landlords have been receiving massive public subsidies through tax breaks and housing benefits, and this is contributing to the rising, unsustainable level of inequality in our society. They do not deliver enough of social and economic benefit to the rest of society to justify their favourable tax treatment: it isn't in the interests of our common good to continue this bias towards the wealthy at the cost of those struggling to survive with high rents and often low-quality housing."
Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: "In my Brighton constituency the cost of buying a home is 44% higher than the average. That’s pushing my constituents into debt, into poor quality rented housing, and into homelessness. There’s no silver bullet that will magic away years of failure by successive governments to invest in ending the housing crisis, but increasing the supply of sustainably built social housing, as we are announcing today, will start to make a real difference for tenants, homeowners, and anyone wanting to buy a home."
Tom Chance, PPC for Lewisham West and Penge and Green Party Housing Spokesperson, said: "Social housing has provided decent, affordable homes for millions of people over the past 150 years. After 40 years of sales, demolitions and budget cuts, the Green Party will put social housing back at the heart of housing policy."
The Green Party’s Manifesto, due to be launched in late March and the party say it will include a full fleet of policies designed to address the housing crisis, including policies to bring empty homes back into use, a better deal for private tenants, ending Right To Buy, and action on rent levels.
Thursday, 5 February 2015
Voter registration changes threaten our democracy
On National Voter Registration Day the Green Party are urging people to check they are registered to vote at the May 7th 2015 General Election. Recent electoral registration changes, put through by the Coalition government, mean all individuals in a household have to register individually. Before these changes, students in halls of residences were automatically registered in bulk.
New research has shown that 80% of local authorities are suffering a decline in voter registration, with the drop mostly occurring in university towns. The Electoral Commission has said that 30% of people aged 18-24 have not registered to vote yet.
Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader of England and Wales, said: "Statistics emerging from many areas on levels of voter registration give real cause for concern. There's a danger that we could see significant numbers of people turning up to vote on May 7th 2015 and finding that they have been disenfranchised by not being registered. That would be seriously damaging to our democracy. Today is an important day on which I hope the media, institutions such as universities and colleges, and community groups will be launching a concerted effort to rectify the problem."
"Everyone involved in politics has a responsibility to make sure voters can have their say. The Young Greens and local Green parties are working hard on this issue, and I'd urge everyone, whatever their politics, to do the same." Ms Bennett added.
New research has shown that 80% of local authorities are suffering a decline in voter registration, with the drop mostly occurring in university towns. The Electoral Commission has said that 30% of people aged 18-24 have not registered to vote yet.
Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader of England and Wales, said: "Statistics emerging from many areas on levels of voter registration give real cause for concern. There's a danger that we could see significant numbers of people turning up to vote on May 7th 2015 and finding that they have been disenfranchised by not being registered. That would be seriously damaging to our democracy. Today is an important day on which I hope the media, institutions such as universities and colleges, and community groups will be launching a concerted effort to rectify the problem."
"Everyone involved in politics has a responsibility to make sure voters can have their say. The Young Greens and local Green parties are working hard on this issue, and I'd urge everyone, whatever their politics, to do the same." Ms Bennett added.
The Green Party is currently one of the most popular parties among 18 to 24 year olds. A poll today by YouGov shows in the Greens are comfortably in third place ahead of UKIP and the Liberal Democrats in 18-24 age group. The same poll shows the total collapse in the Liberal Democrat vote among the 18-24 age group, registering at just 1%. Polling also by YouGov has also suggested that new members of the Green party are very likely to be coming from amongst young people.
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Greens move to a bigger Conference venue to accommodate 'Green surge'
The Green Party has moved its Spring conference to a bigger venue following a huge and ongoing surge in membership. The party has doubled to more than 50,000 members in less than three months, and is polling at its highest numbers ahead of a General Election since 1989.
Conference organisers have taken the decision to move from St George’s Hall in Liverpool, where the party congregated last Spring, to the larger ACC venue to accommodate new members.
Key speeches at the event, which will be held between the 6th and 9th of March, will now take place at ACC Liverpool's 1,350 person capacity auditorium. The modern venue, which is committed to accessibility, sustainability and the local community, has 18 multi-sized meeting rooms. Key speakers over the weekend will include Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion.
Cllr John Coyne, leader of the Greens in Liverpool, said: “This is the fourth time we’ve brought Conference to Liverpool since I’ve been a Green councillor and the change in venue reflects our huge local and national growth.”
High demand has also led the ‘early bird’ booking deadline to be extended until Friday, 13th February.
Conference organisers have taken the decision to move from St George’s Hall in Liverpool, where the party congregated last Spring, to the larger ACC venue to accommodate new members.
Key speeches at the event, which will be held between the 6th and 9th of March, will now take place at ACC Liverpool's 1,350 person capacity auditorium. The modern venue, which is committed to accessibility, sustainability and the local community, has 18 multi-sized meeting rooms. Key speakers over the weekend will include Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion.
Cllr John Coyne, leader of the Greens in Liverpool, said: “This is the fourth time we’ve brought Conference to Liverpool since I’ve been a Green councillor and the change in venue reflects our huge local and national growth.”
High demand has also led the ‘early bird’ booking deadline to be extended until Friday, 13th February.
Monday, 19 January 2015
Leaders debates: 'What are you afraid of, boys?'
 |
| The Green party poster is on its way round Westminster |
The Green party have today launched a poster which continues the party's campaign to be included in the general election leaders debates. So far the broadcasters have invited the Conservative leader David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and UKIP leader Nigel Farage. All four are clearly male and the Greens have picked up on this with the question "what are you afraid of, boys?"
The poster comes just days after it was revealed that the Greens have surpassed both UKIP’s and the Liberal Democrat’s party membership numbers, signing over 2,000 new members a day. Membership for the combined UK Green Parties currently stands at 47,969.
The Tory leader David Cameron is in favour of Natalie Bennett, the Green party leader, taking part in the debates. So far he is refusing to agree to appear if she is not invited on. Nick Clegg who had opposed Ms Bennett appearing at the leaders debates, on the Andy Marr show called on the broadcasters to think again. UKIP MP Mark Reckless echoed this call on the Daily Politics, this lunchtime.
The Labour party have remained silent on the issue, but pressure is growing on the party to also call on the broadcasters to think again and agree to the Greens taking part in the leader's debates.
Monday, 5 January 2015
Greens calls for 10% cut in train & bus fares with increased public investment
The announcement came on the day when local Green parties up and down the country joined RMT, Action for Rail, Compass and People’s Assembly protests against the 'failed' privatised rail system. They also back the Green party MP Caroline Lucas’s Railways Bill. A bill which would reverse the rail privatisation of the Conservative government of John Major and bring rail services back into public hands, which the Green party say, would allow the service to be run for the benefit of passengers, not shareholders.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, who this morning joined protesters at King’s Cross station, said: "Today as many workers return after the seasonal holiday, they're encountering an all-too-familiar pain: the damage done to household budgets in our low-wage economy by the latest jump in rail fares that are already the most expensive in Europe. That’s why I'm pleased to announce that included in the Green Party's 2015 general election manifesto will be funding to allow a 10% cut in the cost of public transport for passengers, giving the travelling public a much-needed financial break.
Continuing Ms Bennett commented: "The privatisation of the railways has been a huge disservice to passengers - driving up prices while creating a race to the bottom in service provision. It's left us with a rail network that is fragmented, costly, understaffed, and under-invested - and the public are shouldering the financial burden. The Green Party believes that public services should be run in the interests of those that use them, not the minority who happen to own them. That's why I was at King's Cross station this morning, joining Green Party members and others calling for an end to this failed privatisation project, and an end to the endless fare rises."
"This investment of £1.8 billion would offer an enormous help to Britons to as they travel between communities, to work, to meet up with friends and relatives, and would help us relieve the national reliance on carbon-intensive forms of transport. The £9 billion investment would be paid for by scrapping most of this government's indefensible £15 billion road-building programme, leaving £6 billion for further transport programmes." Natalie Bennett added.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, who this morning joined protesters at King’s Cross station, said: "Today as many workers return after the seasonal holiday, they're encountering an all-too-familiar pain: the damage done to household budgets in our low-wage economy by the latest jump in rail fares that are already the most expensive in Europe. That’s why I'm pleased to announce that included in the Green Party's 2015 general election manifesto will be funding to allow a 10% cut in the cost of public transport for passengers, giving the travelling public a much-needed financial break.
Continuing Ms Bennett commented: "The privatisation of the railways has been a huge disservice to passengers - driving up prices while creating a race to the bottom in service provision. It's left us with a rail network that is fragmented, costly, understaffed, and under-invested - and the public are shouldering the financial burden. The Green Party believes that public services should be run in the interests of those that use them, not the minority who happen to own them. That's why I was at King's Cross station this morning, joining Green Party members and others calling for an end to this failed privatisation project, and an end to the endless fare rises."
"This investment of £1.8 billion would offer an enormous help to Britons to as they travel between communities, to work, to meet up with friends and relatives, and would help us relieve the national reliance on carbon-intensive forms of transport. The £9 billion investment would be paid for by scrapping most of this government's indefensible £15 billion road-building programme, leaving £6 billion for further transport programmes." Natalie Bennett added.
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Natalie Bennett's New Year Message
"Hello, and happy new year.
As we polish off the last of the Christmas cake, and contemplate our resolutions on fitness regimes, now’s also a great time to look to the year ahead.
For politics, it promises to be an exciting one – a year with the possibility of real change.
We’re approaching a general election like no other – a five- or six-party election that promises to be the most unpredictable in generations.
We saw in 2014 what’s being called – and not just by us – a green surge: Green Party membership is now 120% higher, more than double, than it was just one year ago.
If you collect the numbers of members of my party, the Green Party of England and Wales, and those of the Northern Ireland Greens, then we’re above 38,000 – closing in fast on the numbers of Ukip and the Liberal Democrats.
And just before Christmas we reached another milestone: hitting 10% for the first time in a general election poll. One in 10 voters said they’d vote Green if there was a general election tomorrow. Not only that but we know, thanks to YouGov, that if they believe we can win, 26% of voters would choose us.
That represents a huge opportunity and challenge for the Green Party in 2015 – a chance to reshape British politics, towards a politics that acknowledges the joint economic, social and environmental crises that we face – the interlinked reality of our failed system of run-away capitalism fuelled by the Thatcherite ideology that greed is good, profit is all that matters, and the planet’s resources are infinite.
It’s time for a new approach. We want to build a new society - one in which everyone has certain access to the resources for a decent quality of life, in which no one fears hunger, or losing the roof over their head. And a society in which we collectively all live within the resources of the one planet that we have.
Making the bold changes to our economy and society that requires – introducing a living wage for all workers, decent benefits for all who need them, every home being warm, comfortable and affordable-to-heat, the profit motive having no place in our NHS, our railways run for the benefit of passengers not shareholders, no university tuition fees – calls for committed, courageous action.
And that’s something only the Green Party is offering.
The “traditional” parties have taken us too far in the wrong directions for tinkering with our system to be enough.
But it’s not just our economic priorities that need changing. Politics has to change – and that is the other great possibility of 2015: constitutional reform, a reform that will make other changes so much easier.
First-past-the-post Westminster elections are clearly past their sell-by date - indeed all of Westminster, the unelected House of Lords, the special privileges of the financial sector. It’s 100 years since the last significant reform when women’s struggle to gain the vote finally succeeded. It’s too late for minor changes, which is why the Green Party is calling for a people’s constitutional convention, starting from scratch to draw-up a constitutional settlement fit for the 21st-century written for the public by the public.
With our politics, our economics, our society, our environment in its current state, one thing is clear. The status quo is not an option: we are in a profoundly unstable condition – with our financial sector debt at 1,700% of annual GDP, with 22% of workers on less than a living wage, with our seas a plastic soup and our global wildlife numbers halved.
But this year, the possibility of change is in the hands of voters. The Scots showed us the possibilities in the referendum vote – 97% of eligible people registered to vote, 85% voting, strangers at bus stops talking politics.
We can create a peaceful revolution in 2015. If the same proportion of under-25s vote as the over 60s, if voters chose to vote for the person, party or policies they most believe in, then this can be a transformatory election.
So that’s my ask of you, as a voter in 2015: please make sure you’re registered to vote, please DO vote – and for vote for what you believe in, for the kind of Britain you want to see."
As we polish off the last of the Christmas cake, and contemplate our resolutions on fitness regimes, now’s also a great time to look to the year ahead.
For politics, it promises to be an exciting one – a year with the possibility of real change.
We’re approaching a general election like no other – a five- or six-party election that promises to be the most unpredictable in generations.
We saw in 2014 what’s being called – and not just by us – a green surge: Green Party membership is now 120% higher, more than double, than it was just one year ago.
If you collect the numbers of members of my party, the Green Party of England and Wales, and those of the Northern Ireland Greens, then we’re above 38,000 – closing in fast on the numbers of Ukip and the Liberal Democrats.
And just before Christmas we reached another milestone: hitting 10% for the first time in a general election poll. One in 10 voters said they’d vote Green if there was a general election tomorrow. Not only that but we know, thanks to YouGov, that if they believe we can win, 26% of voters would choose us.
That represents a huge opportunity and challenge for the Green Party in 2015 – a chance to reshape British politics, towards a politics that acknowledges the joint economic, social and environmental crises that we face – the interlinked reality of our failed system of run-away capitalism fuelled by the Thatcherite ideology that greed is good, profit is all that matters, and the planet’s resources are infinite.
It’s time for a new approach. We want to build a new society - one in which everyone has certain access to the resources for a decent quality of life, in which no one fears hunger, or losing the roof over their head. And a society in which we collectively all live within the resources of the one planet that we have.
Making the bold changes to our economy and society that requires – introducing a living wage for all workers, decent benefits for all who need them, every home being warm, comfortable and affordable-to-heat, the profit motive having no place in our NHS, our railways run for the benefit of passengers not shareholders, no university tuition fees – calls for committed, courageous action.
And that’s something only the Green Party is offering.
The “traditional” parties have taken us too far in the wrong directions for tinkering with our system to be enough.
But it’s not just our economic priorities that need changing. Politics has to change – and that is the other great possibility of 2015: constitutional reform, a reform that will make other changes so much easier.
First-past-the-post Westminster elections are clearly past their sell-by date - indeed all of Westminster, the unelected House of Lords, the special privileges of the financial sector. It’s 100 years since the last significant reform when women’s struggle to gain the vote finally succeeded. It’s too late for minor changes, which is why the Green Party is calling for a people’s constitutional convention, starting from scratch to draw-up a constitutional settlement fit for the 21st-century written for the public by the public.
With our politics, our economics, our society, our environment in its current state, one thing is clear. The status quo is not an option: we are in a profoundly unstable condition – with our financial sector debt at 1,700% of annual GDP, with 22% of workers on less than a living wage, with our seas a plastic soup and our global wildlife numbers halved.
But this year, the possibility of change is in the hands of voters. The Scots showed us the possibilities in the referendum vote – 97% of eligible people registered to vote, 85% voting, strangers at bus stops talking politics.
We can create a peaceful revolution in 2015. If the same proportion of under-25s vote as the over 60s, if voters chose to vote for the person, party or policies they most believe in, then this can be a transformatory election.
So that’s my ask of you, as a voter in 2015: please make sure you’re registered to vote, please DO vote – and for vote for what you believe in, for the kind of Britain you want to see."
Thursday, 18 December 2014
79% of public want to see the Green Party represented at the ITV Leaders Debate
Four in five members’ of the public want to see the Green Party represented at next year’s Leaders Debates. A whopping 79% of people surveyed in an poll by ICM said they would welcome seeing a Green Party representative at the ITV Leaders Debate in 2015. In the interests of fairness the question was independently verified by ICM to make sure there was no bias and also shown to ITV before polling. ITV were invited to partake in the framing of the question put by ICM but declined.
Over ¾ of the people polled responded favourablywhen asked the question :
"You may have seen or heard that ITV has announced proposals for a televised Leader's Debate in the run up to the 2015 General Election which is likely to be held in May next year. ITV currently propose to invite the leaders of the Conservative Party, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP to participate, but not the leader of the Green Party. Do you think that the leader of the Green Party should or should not also be invited to join in the ITV Leaders debate?"
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett said: "It is clear from votes and polls that the public are fed up with the three business-as-usual parties and are looking around for alternatives. The public want a serious debate in which they hear the full range of views. They are well aware that austerity has failed even in its own terms while it has made the poor, the disabled, disadvantaged and the young pay for the fraud, corruption and mismanagement of the bankers."
"The Green Party offers a positive alternative to the Westminster “business as usual” approach to politics by the three main parties. Our policies on bringing the rail network and NHS back into public ownership resonate with the public understanding that the privatisation of public services by successive Tory and Labour governments is an expensive and damaging failure." Ms Bennent added.
The ‘Green surge’ has seen the Party, which was founded in 1973, more than double its UK membership since the beginning of the year which currently stands at just over 38000 (England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland).
* ICM Unlimited interviewed a random sample of 1001 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 12-16th December 2014. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
Over ¾ of the people polled responded favourablywhen asked the question :
"You may have seen or heard that ITV has announced proposals for a televised Leader's Debate in the run up to the 2015 General Election which is likely to be held in May next year. ITV currently propose to invite the leaders of the Conservative Party, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP to participate, but not the leader of the Green Party. Do you think that the leader of the Green Party should or should not also be invited to join in the ITV Leaders debate?"
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett said: "It is clear from votes and polls that the public are fed up with the three business-as-usual parties and are looking around for alternatives. The public want a serious debate in which they hear the full range of views. They are well aware that austerity has failed even in its own terms while it has made the poor, the disabled, disadvantaged and the young pay for the fraud, corruption and mismanagement of the bankers."
"The Green Party offers a positive alternative to the Westminster “business as usual” approach to politics by the three main parties. Our policies on bringing the rail network and NHS back into public ownership resonate with the public understanding that the privatisation of public services by successive Tory and Labour governments is an expensive and damaging failure." Ms Bennent added.
The ‘Green surge’ has seen the Party, which was founded in 1973, more than double its UK membership since the beginning of the year which currently stands at just over 38000 (England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland).
* ICM Unlimited interviewed a random sample of 1001 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 12-16th December 2014. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
Thursday, 13 November 2014
'Invite the Greens' petition handed in at the BBC
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| Young Greens outside New Broadcasting House this morning Image courtesy of the Green party |
Over 260,000 people have signed the petition calling for the broadcasters to include the Green Party in the TV Leaders' Debates ahead of the 2015 General Election. The petition is one of the top ten most signed petitions The huge popularity of the petition chimes with polling released by YouGov, which reveals that if the debates do go ahead as proposed, the debate that includes UKIP Leader Nigel Farage (ITV) should also include Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett. 47% are in favour of including the Green Party.
Robyn Meadwell and Amelia Womack were joined by Green activists and supporters of the petition from across the political spectrum. The ‘Green surge’ has seen the Green Party of England and Wales climb steadily in the polls in 2014 and membership pass 25,000 for the first time.
The Green Party welcomes the BBC Trust’s recent decision to consult on its draft election guidelines. Earlier this week, Green Party parliamentarians Caroline Lucas MP and Baroness Jenny Jones, signed a cross-bench letter to the BBC Trust which said "we believe that the (British Broadcasting) Corporation’s public service remit makes a clear case for wider representation (in the Leaders’ Debates) than is currently envisaged."
Amelia Womack, who is 29, said: "The broadcasters’ TV leaders’ debates proposals fly in the face of both fairness and democracy - that’s why there has been such a sustained public outcry. It’s not just Green supporters who believe the Greens should be invited; politicians and political commentators from across the political divide have called on the broadcasters to rethink their proposals. Excluding the Green Party – which out-performed the Liberal Democrats comfortably in the May 22 2014 European Elections and is polling at its highest numbers ahead of a General Election since 1989 – utterly fails the electorate and democracy."
"I have been overwhelmed by the support and signatories to the petition I started last month”, said Meadwell ahead of the hand-in. With the traditional Westminster parties all singing from the same hymn sheet, the public has a right to hear an alternative view. Blocking out the voice of the Green Party in these debates will simply guarantee a continuation of business-as-usual politics and do a disservice to the voting public who deserve to hear what each of the parties has to offer them." Ms Womack added.
The meteoric rise of the Young Greens has been one of the most startling features of the 2014 ‘Green surge’, which has seen total membership of the Green Party of England and Wales rise by 83% since January 1st 2014. The Young Greens have seen a 165% rise in membership, going from 1,700 members to 4,500 in under a year.
Monday, 3 November 2014
Greens call for Living Wage to be mandatory
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett has today repeated Green Party calls for the Living Wage to become mandatory in response to the release this morning of the new Living Wage Foundation figures.
Commenting Natalie Bennett said: "The latest update from the Living Wage Foundation could not have come at a more significant time. Workers are currently experiencing the most sustained and painful squeeze on their wages since the 1860s. The target set by the Foundation has once again highlighted the growing divide between the wages employees are taking home every month and the amount they need to live, pay the bills and provide for their families.
"That's why it is so disappointing that the Coalition and Labour opposition have refused to make the commitments necessary to improve worker pay and bring it in line with inflation. Their plans offer nothing except a continuation of our current inadequate wage levels.
"The Green Party would not allow this situation to persist. We are calling for the minimum wage to be made a Living Wage today, and for a target to be set of a £10/hour minimum wage, outside of London, by 2020. We are serious about taking the steps necessary to reduce inequality, tackle low pay, and create an economy that supports everyone."
Research undertaken by the London Green Party has revealed that nine in ten big businesses (employing 250+ people) in London are not signed up to the London Living Wage scheme, eight years after the policy was launched by the previous Mayor of London.
London Assembly Member Baroness Jenny Jones said: “It’s horrible to think that nine in ten big businesses are holding out and paying poverty wages, while many pay their top executives multi-million pound bonuses. The Living Wage campaigners have been brilliant at getting some employers to voluntarily sign up. But we can’t leave more than half a million Londoners on grotesquely low wages, so we need the London Living wage to become mandatory.”
Commenting Natalie Bennett said: "The latest update from the Living Wage Foundation could not have come at a more significant time. Workers are currently experiencing the most sustained and painful squeeze on their wages since the 1860s. The target set by the Foundation has once again highlighted the growing divide between the wages employees are taking home every month and the amount they need to live, pay the bills and provide for their families.
"That's why it is so disappointing that the Coalition and Labour opposition have refused to make the commitments necessary to improve worker pay and bring it in line with inflation. Their plans offer nothing except a continuation of our current inadequate wage levels.
"The Green Party would not allow this situation to persist. We are calling for the minimum wage to be made a Living Wage today, and for a target to be set of a £10/hour minimum wage, outside of London, by 2020. We are serious about taking the steps necessary to reduce inequality, tackle low pay, and create an economy that supports everyone."
Research undertaken by the London Green Party has revealed that nine in ten big businesses (employing 250+ people) in London are not signed up to the London Living Wage scheme, eight years after the policy was launched by the previous Mayor of London.
London Assembly Member Baroness Jenny Jones said: “It’s horrible to think that nine in ten big businesses are holding out and paying poverty wages, while many pay their top executives multi-million pound bonuses. The Living Wage campaigners have been brilliant at getting some employers to voluntarily sign up. But we can’t leave more than half a million Londoners on grotesquely low wages, so we need the London Living wage to become mandatory.”
Saturday, 1 November 2014
Natalie Bennett welcomes report of BBC public consultation on election debate guidelines
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has welcomed reports emerging tonight that the BBC Trust plans to hold a public consultation on the 2015 general election leader debates The Press Association has reported: “the BBC Trust will be launching a public consultation on the ‘relevant guidelines’ next week”.
Natalie Bennett said: "Whilst this is only an early report, it is encouraging that the BBC Trust, the ‘guardian of public interest’ in the organisation, has recognised the level of public disquiet about the initial plans announced by the BBC and other broadcasters. I hope that this consultation will be broad-ranging, well-publicised, and will have a significant impact on the Corporation’s plans."
The current proposals allow for three debates with one with Tory, Labour, Lib Dem and UKIP, then the first three parties, then the first two parties. The Green Party is excluded from them. More than 198,000. people have signed a petition demanding the Green Party be allowed to participate.
Ms Bennett added: “With the current plans the BBC is acting as a dangerous brake on democratic change, failing to grasp that the future of politics doesn't look like the past. This attitude is contributing to the build up of frustration and disillusionment with politics in the UK. I’m delighted that the BBC Trust has recognised there is a problem. The BBC should be at the forefront of quality, accessible, varied political debate in the UK, and I hope that after the consultation it will be moving in that direction.”
Natalie Bennett said: "Whilst this is only an early report, it is encouraging that the BBC Trust, the ‘guardian of public interest’ in the organisation, has recognised the level of public disquiet about the initial plans announced by the BBC and other broadcasters. I hope that this consultation will be broad-ranging, well-publicised, and will have a significant impact on the Corporation’s plans."
The current proposals allow for three debates with one with Tory, Labour, Lib Dem and UKIP, then the first three parties, then the first two parties. The Green Party is excluded from them. More than 198,000. people have signed a petition demanding the Green Party be allowed to participate.
Ms Bennett added: “With the current plans the BBC is acting as a dangerous brake on democratic change, failing to grasp that the future of politics doesn't look like the past. This attitude is contributing to the build up of frustration and disillusionment with politics in the UK. I’m delighted that the BBC Trust has recognised there is a problem. The BBC should be at the forefront of quality, accessible, varied political debate in the UK, and I hope that after the consultation it will be moving in that direction.”
Friday, 24 October 2014
Overcrowded and understaffed prisons causing “immense damage”
The Green Party have criticised the state of jails in England and Wales and demanded major improvements following the release of the Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick. Figures show that, in just one year, there were 85 self-inflicted deaths in male prisons alone and a further 17,474 incidents involving self harm (1,075 more cases than the previous year).
Alongside the rising levels of self-harm and violence, reports have recorded an alarming cut of prison officers by 30 per cent in three years coinciding with an overcrowding crisis and the closure of many prisons.
Responding to the latest figures, Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, said: "Nick Hardwick rightly talks about the 'terrible toll' that prison suicides are taking in our overcrowded, understaffed, underresourced prisons. It is clear that prisons, which should be rehabilitating prisoners, helping them to prepare for their future lives and, where needed, providing mental health and addiction support, are in fact causing immense damage to the individuals in them. They are failing prison inmates, failing society, and failing to tackle the causes that lead to criminal behaviour."
The prison population total of England and Wales currently ranks 4th highest in Europe and, alarmingly, has the 17th highest total in the world but the proportion of prison officers to prisoners currently stands at nearly 5 prisoners to only one officer.
Ms Bennett concluded: "This is not only inhumane, and inappropriate for a decent society, but shortsighted. Investment in decent facilities, adequate levels of well trained staff and policies that only lock up individuals when necessary, would not only produce better outcomes, but save a great deal of money and human suffering."
The Green Party say it has a robust policy on prison reform, they say that retributive sentencing to be ineffective in reducing crime, and that a less punitive and more rehabilitative system would favour society, the taxpayer and prison officers.
Alongside the rising levels of self-harm and violence, reports have recorded an alarming cut of prison officers by 30 per cent in three years coinciding with an overcrowding crisis and the closure of many prisons.
Responding to the latest figures, Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, said: "Nick Hardwick rightly talks about the 'terrible toll' that prison suicides are taking in our overcrowded, understaffed, underresourced prisons. It is clear that prisons, which should be rehabilitating prisoners, helping them to prepare for their future lives and, where needed, providing mental health and addiction support, are in fact causing immense damage to the individuals in them. They are failing prison inmates, failing society, and failing to tackle the causes that lead to criminal behaviour."
The prison population total of England and Wales currently ranks 4th highest in Europe and, alarmingly, has the 17th highest total in the world but the proportion of prison officers to prisoners currently stands at nearly 5 prisoners to only one officer.
Ms Bennett concluded: "This is not only inhumane, and inappropriate for a decent society, but shortsighted. Investment in decent facilities, adequate levels of well trained staff and policies that only lock up individuals when necessary, would not only produce better outcomes, but save a great deal of money and human suffering."
The Green Party say it has a robust policy on prison reform, they say that retributive sentencing to be ineffective in reducing crime, and that a less punitive and more rehabilitative system would favour society, the taxpayer and prison officers.
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Greens call on UK Govt to put pressure on Turkey to cease its continued tacit support for ISIS in Syria
The Green Party has today called on the UK government to use their influence to bring pressure on Turkey to end its continued tacit support for ISIS’s campaign in Syria.
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett said: “The UK government cannot stand by and see innocents denied safe passage and refuge. We must be at the forefront of putting pressure on Turkey to support International efforts to prevent constrain and eventually destroy ISIS.”
“The Green Party has always been clear in saying that the long term answer to this horrendous ongoing genocide lies not with Western military intervention on the ground but in the wider International community assisting the states and peoples of the region to defend themselves and bring relief to the ever growing number of refugees displaced by the fighting.
“It is therefore not acceptable for a nation like Turkey to actively working against this goal and being seen to be part of the problem rather than providing logistical and real support to the innocent civilian populations who border onto their territory and fleeing for their lives”
The call comes at a time when 70,000 Kurdish Syrians have fled the Kobane region under fire from advancing ISIS forces leading to Turkey closing its border to innocents looking for refuge and shelter.
Kurds from throughout the region including 3,000 fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) based in Iraq’s Qandil mountains are reported to be crossing from Iraq into Syria and heading for Kobane to defend the 2.5m civilian Kurdish population in the Kobane region and halt ISIS’s advances.
Green Party International Spokesperson and former Labour MP Tony Clarke said: "While it is vital to give solidarity to the Kurds and others opposing the so-called Islamic State, Western intervention has failed time after time and will only lead to more chaos."
It is also widely rumoured that Turkey has released 180 ISIS detainees in response to the release by ISIS of 49 Turkish citizens held hostage in Mosul. Turkey continues to refuse to support international coalition efforts to stop ISIS’s campaign to establish a Caliphate in land currently belonging to Syria and Iraq.
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett said: “The UK government cannot stand by and see innocents denied safe passage and refuge. We must be at the forefront of putting pressure on Turkey to support International efforts to prevent constrain and eventually destroy ISIS.”
“The Green Party has always been clear in saying that the long term answer to this horrendous ongoing genocide lies not with Western military intervention on the ground but in the wider International community assisting the states and peoples of the region to defend themselves and bring relief to the ever growing number of refugees displaced by the fighting.
“It is therefore not acceptable for a nation like Turkey to actively working against this goal and being seen to be part of the problem rather than providing logistical and real support to the innocent civilian populations who border onto their territory and fleeing for their lives”
The call comes at a time when 70,000 Kurdish Syrians have fled the Kobane region under fire from advancing ISIS forces leading to Turkey closing its border to innocents looking for refuge and shelter.
Kurds from throughout the region including 3,000 fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) based in Iraq’s Qandil mountains are reported to be crossing from Iraq into Syria and heading for Kobane to defend the 2.5m civilian Kurdish population in the Kobane region and halt ISIS’s advances.
Green Party International Spokesperson and former Labour MP Tony Clarke said: "While it is vital to give solidarity to the Kurds and others opposing the so-called Islamic State, Western intervention has failed time after time and will only lead to more chaos."
It is also widely rumoured that Turkey has released 180 ISIS detainees in response to the release by ISIS of 49 Turkish citizens held hostage in Mosul. Turkey continues to refuse to support international coalition efforts to stop ISIS’s campaign to establish a Caliphate in land currently belonging to Syria and Iraq.
Friday, 5 September 2014
Green Party calls for a £10 minimum wage for all
The Green Party has called for the statutory minimum wage to be immediately lifted to Living Wage levels and for a £10 per hour minimum wage for all by 2020. The Green Party say they are the only party committed to delivering real change for the common good, believes every worker over 16 should be paid at least the minimum wage and would abolish the age-based differential rates currently in place.
Raising the minimum wage to living wage levels would benefit an estimated 5.2million people – 17% of the working population – and usher in a fairer society where fewer workers are trapped in poverty pay conditions. The policy announcement was made by Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett on the eve of the Greens’ Party Conference at Conference Aston in Birmingham (September 5th-8th).
The new policy pledges will appear in the Green Party’s 2015 General Election Manifesto alongside other measures designed to address persistent inequality and poverty. The Green Party is calling for a Wealth Tax on the top 1% and company-wide pay ratios.
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett said: “Under our plan no-one would be paid less than £10 an hour in 2020. It is a scandal that under the Coalition government the number of workers earning less than the Living Wage has risen by a staggering 50% from 3.4million in 2011 to 5.2million today. It makes a mockery of Prime Minister David Cameron’s 2010 statement that a Living Wage is ‘an idea whose time has come.’"
"The fact that the Green Party are consistently polling at some of our best numbers since 1989 goes to show that our message of the need to reshape our politics and economy to work for the common good is really hitting home. It is our policies such as making the minimum wage a Living Wage, a Wealth Tax on the top 1%, renationalising our railways and having a publicly owned and run NHS that are both encouraging people to join as members and vote Green in growing numbers."
Raising the minimum wage to living wage levels would benefit an estimated 5.2million people – 17% of the working population – and usher in a fairer society where fewer workers are trapped in poverty pay conditions. The policy announcement was made by Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett on the eve of the Greens’ Party Conference at Conference Aston in Birmingham (September 5th-8th).
The new policy pledges will appear in the Green Party’s 2015 General Election Manifesto alongside other measures designed to address persistent inequality and poverty. The Green Party is calling for a Wealth Tax on the top 1% and company-wide pay ratios.
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett said: “Under our plan no-one would be paid less than £10 an hour in 2020. It is a scandal that under the Coalition government the number of workers earning less than the Living Wage has risen by a staggering 50% from 3.4million in 2011 to 5.2million today. It makes a mockery of Prime Minister David Cameron’s 2010 statement that a Living Wage is ‘an idea whose time has come.’"
"The fact that the Green Party are consistently polling at some of our best numbers since 1989 goes to show that our message of the need to reshape our politics and economy to work for the common good is really hitting home. It is our policies such as making the minimum wage a Living Wage, a Wealth Tax on the top 1%, renationalising our railways and having a publicly owned and run NHS that are both encouraging people to join as members and vote Green in growing numbers."
Friday, 18 July 2014
Lib Dems’ bedroom tax u-turn is ‘too little, too late’
The Liberal Democrat's decision to question the fairness and effectiveness of the bedroom tax (under occupancy penalty) comes "too late for many poor and vulnerable people" says the Green Party, which has been wholly opposed to the Coalition’s destructive tax since it was first floated.
Writing in The Daily Mirror, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander argues that the government's benefits reforms were working but said that the Lib Dems wanted to see "fairer rules" applied to the bedroom tax, adding that "it's time to change our approach in this particular area." The Lib Dems voted for the 'bedroom tax' and the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has repeatedly defended the changes to Housing Benefit.
Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said: "That the Liberal Democrat leadership should have suddenly discovered the huge damage the bedroom tax is doing to vulnerable households is perhaps not surprising in light of the proximity to the General Election.
"But 'too little too late' is the phrase that comes to mind: Mr Clegg says he's now seen 'evidence' of the damage done by the bedroom tax, but there was clear evidence from the time of its proposal that it would hit the poor and disabled extremely hard, and that they would have no options to escape from it.
"The government of which Mr Clegg is a part has forced the poor and disadvantaged to pay for the fraud, mistakes and risk-taking of the bankers. I'm proud that the Green-run Brighton and Hove council has "no evictions as a result of the bedroom tax" policy, and that other Green councillors around the country have pushed for the same."
The latest General Election 2015 polling from IpsosMori has the Greens and Liberal Democrats neck-and-neck on 8%.
Writing in The Daily Mirror, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander argues that the government's benefits reforms were working but said that the Lib Dems wanted to see "fairer rules" applied to the bedroom tax, adding that "it's time to change our approach in this particular area." The Lib Dems voted for the 'bedroom tax' and the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has repeatedly defended the changes to Housing Benefit.
Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said: "That the Liberal Democrat leadership should have suddenly discovered the huge damage the bedroom tax is doing to vulnerable households is perhaps not surprising in light of the proximity to the General Election.
"But 'too little too late' is the phrase that comes to mind: Mr Clegg says he's now seen 'evidence' of the damage done by the bedroom tax, but there was clear evidence from the time of its proposal that it would hit the poor and disabled extremely hard, and that they would have no options to escape from it.
"The government of which Mr Clegg is a part has forced the poor and disadvantaged to pay for the fraud, mistakes and risk-taking of the bankers. I'm proud that the Green-run Brighton and Hove council has "no evictions as a result of the bedroom tax" policy, and that other Green councillors around the country have pushed for the same."
The latest General Election 2015 polling from IpsosMori has the Greens and Liberal Democrats neck-and-neck on 8%.
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Greens call on Cameron to sack Owen Paterson
The Green Party has repeated calls made earlier this year for Prime Minister David Cameron to sack Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, this is because of what they say is his failure to take the threat of climate change seriously and take action to protect Britain against it.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said: "Mr Paterson's failures have again been exposed this morning, with a warning from the Committee on Climate Change that three-quarters of the UK’s flood defences are being inadequately maintained due to budget cuts, and the exposure by the Independent newspaper of the fact that he declined an offer of an important briefing from the Met Office in advance of last September's report from the UN Panel on Climate Change."
Ms Bennett added: "To have an Environment Secretary who denies the reality of climate change, and refuses to take urgent, essential action to protect the residents of Britain against it, is a gross failure on Mr Cameron's part. With talk now of a reshuffle, this is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to finally remove this barrier to effective planning and action on climate change in Britain."
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said: "Mr Paterson's failures have again been exposed this morning, with a warning from the Committee on Climate Change that three-quarters of the UK’s flood defences are being inadequately maintained due to budget cuts, and the exposure by the Independent newspaper of the fact that he declined an offer of an important briefing from the Met Office in advance of last September's report from the UN Panel on Climate Change."
Ms Bennett added: "To have an Environment Secretary who denies the reality of climate change, and refuses to take urgent, essential action to protect the residents of Britain against it, is a gross failure on Mr Cameron's part. With talk now of a reshuffle, this is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to finally remove this barrier to effective planning and action on climate change in Britain."
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