Green Party calls on the UK not to be seduced by Nick Clegg’s “nationalisation” of the banks

Nick Clegg’s call, on June 23, for a government ‘giveaway’ of banking shares to the British tax payer must be treated with caution, the Green Party has said.

The government currently owns 83% of shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland and 41% in Lloyds Banking Group after Labour ex-chancellor Alistair Darling moved to protect the banks during the 2008 financial crisis.

The Deputy Prime Minister has written to George Osborne to argue for the collective ownership of government shares by giving them away to the 46 million people who are either on the UK electoral role or who have a British national insurance number.

However, rather than citing the desperate need for both banking reform and a moral distribution of capital in the UK as reasons for his proposal, Nick Clegg justified his plan by saying “psychologically it is immensely important that the British people feel they have not just been overlooked and ignored”.

Greens say Britain should avoid dangerous nuclear distraction

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne yesterday announced that up to eight new nuclear reactor sites have been designated for development, including Wylfa in Anglesey. Mr Huhne signalled that Britain will be “open for business”, and hopes to attract foreign nuclear investment, despite recent events at Fukushima and elsewhere.

Green Party Deputy Leader Adrian Ramsay responded to the government announcement, “While the Conservatives and LibDems often talk about being ‘the greenest government ever’, the coalition partners show their real priorities with their policies. Reducing carbon emissions must be a top priority, but this fixation on nuclear will divert investment away from the real solution – energy efficiency measures and renewable energy.”

“There are good reasons why countries across Europe are turning away from nuclear power and yet the British government is taking us in the opposite direction. Nuclear power creates a toxic legacy of waste and is bad value for money. Investing the same amount in energy efficiency and renewable energy would make much more difference more quickly in reducing carbon emissions, making our energy supply more secure and creating skilled, lasting jobs.”

Circus animal legislation set to ignore public opinion

The Green Party has called on MPs to listen to the voices of their constituents this Thursday, when they have an opportunity to vote on a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses and make the coalition act on this issue. Nearly 3 out of 4 British citizens favour a ban.

As MPs prepare to vote, ministers have tabled a counter-motion, which means MPs may only be able to vote for or against the Government motion, and not with the backbench call for a ban.

Caroline Allen, Green Party Spokesperson on Animals said, “These majestic animals do not belong on the road, living in inadequate enclosures, suffering from inappropriate, sometimes cruel, training techniques and performing routines that demean them and their audience.”

The government claimed that a ban would risk a legal challenge, but Greens argue that this is little more than an excuse, with no evidence forthcoming to back up the position. During a parliamentary debate on 8th June, Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP highlighted that the government was given similar legal advice on banning the import of cat, dog and seal fur, yet when other governments challenged similar legal advice they found that they could implement bans.

Energy Bill must pay more attention to energy efficiency

In a piece written for her regular Guardian environment blog, Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP calls for more action by the government on its commitment to energy efficiency.

She describes the bill as “an important piece of legislation that has the potential to transform the energy efficiency of our homes, improve energy security and set us on the right track towards a low-carbon economy.”

But she sounds a note of caution, “Turning that potential into reality, however, will require far greater political will and resources than have been evident in the committee meetings so far.”

Swansea Green Party Candidate “nominated” for the House of Lords

Keith M Ross of Swansea Green Party has been “nominated” for the House of Lords in the Lord Speakers ‘Peer Factor’ competition for 2011.

‘The Peer Factor: Who Would You Put in the House of Lords and Why?’ competition asked young people to think seriously about the role and purpose of the House and Lords, giving them their say on who would make a valuable contribution to making laws on behalf of the UK public and checking and challenging government actions and decisions.

Entrants could make a short film, produce a podcast, write an essay, create a collage or submit a newspaper or magazine article. Nominations included Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and broadcaster; Simon Cowell, music executive and television producer; Jamie Oliver, chef and restaurateur; Dame Jacqueline Wilson, childrens author; Willow Smith, child actress and singer; and Sue Sylvester, a character from the TV series Glee.

One of the three winning entries this year was an essay submitted by 16-year-old Anna Mammedova from Swansea, who nominated local Green Party member Keith M Ross.

Green Party calls for an end to “economic egos”

In light of Ed Balls’s speech to the LSE on Thursday morning,(1) the Green Party welcomes his refutation of the government’s deficit reduction strategy, but the Shadow Chancellor failed to apply his most powerful arguments to his own policies.

Mr Balls correctly argued that the regressive VAT increase and drastic fiscal austerity, combined with interest rates that can be lowered no further, have shaken our economy by stoking inflation and driving unemployment up to 7.9%.(2) Chancellor George Osborne’s shock therapy has forced an increase in UK borrowing by an additional £46 billion on top of what was forecast after the Spending Review.

But Ed Balls’s most profound insight was one that the Green Party has been articulating since 2010. He admits that he only recently realised that George Osborne’s decisions on the UK’s economic course were made for party political benefit. Britain is suffering because the Conservatives have decided it will make them more electable if they can eliminate the deficit in a single parliament – whatever the cost.

Shale Gas Extraction in South Wales

(Letter to the South Wales Evening Post)

Councillor Alun Llewelyn (Have Your Say, Thursday 16 June) appears at odds with his Plaid Cymru colleagues in Bridgend. Whilst he is supportive of shale gas extraction and the supposed economic benefits it might bring, they are joining with local people in opposing this highly controversial development.

In suggesting that the risks still need to be “properly quantified” Councillor Llewelyn glosses over the wealth of evidence available from the USA and elsewhere that shale gas extraction and the accompanying process of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) pose a significant threat to local populations. Evidence that has caused the US House of Representatives to ask the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to instigate an urgent review because of increasing concerns about the impacts on drinking water, public health, and the environment; and has already led to the process being banned in France and New York State.

If proposals for shale gas extraction across the South Wales coalfields go ahead, we could see anywhere between 2,500 and 10,000 wellheads being established in the area. Figures that dwarf the numbers of proposed wind turbines, even in the worst nightmares of the windy-nimbys.

Councillor Llewelyn is right to make comparisons between coal and shale gas. Shale gas extraction will provide dirty, dangerous jobs; cause untold damage to the land and environment; and almost all the benefits will be felt outside of Wales as both gas and profits are exported.
Extraction of shale gas will only serve to prolong our dependency on carbon emitting fossil fuels.

Our efforts would be better employed in developing new, safe, green and sustainable industries in renewable energy, micro generation and energy conservation that have the potential to create thousands of jobs across Wales.

Yours,

Keith M Ross
Swansea Green Party

Green Party responds to NHS ‘listening exercise’ outcomes

“We need an NHS based on service provision, not on market principles.”

Greens today responded to the results of the coalition’s ‘listening exercise’, after Nick Clegg claimed victory for the Lib Dems in saving the NHS.

Speaking at the Commissioning Show in London this morning, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley once again tried to justify NHS reform by criticising current performance, for example on cancer survival rates [1], despite such claims being rebutted months ago [2]. On top of this, there are serious concerns that, while watered down, the role of watchdog Monitor could act as a “Trojan Horse” for future privatisation [3].

Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP said, “There have been some concessions, but many appear to be contradictory – like allowing “any qualified provider” to bid for NHS work while at the same time maintaining that cherry picking will not be allowed.

“Unsurprisingly, there are no details from the Government about which of their contradictory promises will come out on top.

“I will be scrutinising the amendments to the legislation and pushing for changes wherever possible, but my fear is that this Bill is still rotten from the core – and riddled with problems that have not really been addressed.”

Green MP steps up campaign against UK’s billion-pound tax evasion crisis

A new Tax and Financial Transparency Bill, which could help the UK recover billions of pounds of lost tax by forcing companies to be more transparent in their accounting, is on the agenda for debate in Parliament on Friday 10 June.

The Bill, launched by Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP in March this year, is due for its second reading in the House of Commons – and will also feature on BBC Radio 4′s Decision Time programme tonight.

The Brighton Pavilion MP launched her campaign after posing a number of Parliamentary Questions to the Chancellor, in which she exposed the fact that H M Revenue & Customs is failing to prevent serious tax evasion which could amount to as much as £16 billion in lost tax.

She believes that urgent measures are needed to stop companies that are formally dissolved from trading fraudulently, thereby undermining honest businesses who do pay their taxes.

She is also calling for a requirement on multinational companies to publish information on where they make their sales, record their profits and pay their taxes, in order to ensure that corporations make a fair and proper contribution to society.

More details here.

Government’s mixed messages on natural environment could hamper conservation efforts

Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP today warned that the Coalition’s inconsistency on policies to protect our natural world and encourage a greener, more sustainable economy could ultimately hamper conservation efforts.

While she welcomed the Natural Environment White Paper published by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs today, Caroline said that many of the proposals lacked the legislative weight needed to make a sufficient impact – and called for more joined up thinking across Whitehall to promote genuine sustainability.

The Brighton Pavilion MP said, “While I welcome this report’s recognition of the need to address biodiversity loss and protect our natural environment, its proposals lack detail – and the test will really be in the implementation.