Caroline on Student Fees

Great speech from Caroline at yesterday's student rally outside Westminster.



Kent students are getting in the news too and have occupied the University of Kent. Maidstone student activists have door stepped Helen Grant with a petition - well done to Luke and team.

Lucas on Lib Dems: “on a whole range of issues they’ve sold out”

As Clegg goes on defensive over cuts at Lib Dem conference, Greens reiterate the alternative – finding the cash to avoid the cuts and invest in job-creation

As Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg prepared to defend the coalition’s cuts in his keynote speech to the Liverpool conference today, the Green Party reiterated its alternative policy (1) – investment in job-creation funded partly through higher taxes on higher incomes, partly through scrapping projects like Trident, through cracking down on tax evasion and tax avoidance (2), and though a “Robin Hood Tax” on financial transactions (3).

The Greens say they “believe this is a policy package most Lib Dem voters would be likely to prefer to a programme of savage spending cuts.”

And Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MP accused the Lib Dem leadership of “selling out on a whole range of issues” – not least the “horrendous, brutal, savage cuts” which she said evidence showed “will hurt the poor ten times harder than the richest.”

“People will be shocked” by Lib Dem leadership’s behaviour, says Lucas

The Green Party leader and Brighton Pavilion MP’s criticisms came in a new video published today by the Green Party (4).

In the film, Caroline Lucas says:

“I think people will be so shocked to see the gap between what the Lib Dems said in their election campaign and what they’re delivering now.”

She makes it clear that she doesn’t criticise Mr Clegg for entering into coalition: “I think coalition government can often be very good, and often it’s the outcome of proportional representation.”

But she asserts that “on a whole range of issues they’ve sold out.” She speaks of Mr Clegg’s compromises over Trident, nuclear power and electoral reform.

In the video, Caroline Lucas says:

“...what I do criticise Nick Clegg for absolutely is the terms of the deal that he has struck with David Cameron, because that has required him to give up so many long-held principles of the Lib Dems. And I think many people who voted Lib Dem are going to be absolutely horrified – are already horrified – to see what they’ve actually voted in.”

Notes

1.      The Green Party’s 2010 general election manifesto presented a full-costed alternative budget to tackle the deficit while finding £44bn for an investment package intended to rapidly create more than a million jobs and training places. See http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/resources/Manifesto_web_file.pdf.

2.      See Cuts: the callous con trick by Caroline Lucas et al: press release at http://www.carolinelucas.com/News/2010-06-19-callous-cuts-report.html, full report at http://www.financeforthefuture.com/TaxBriefing.pdf.

3.      See http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/. The Green Party had long had a policy for a financial transactions tax, and formally signed up to the Robin Hood Tax campaign at its spring conference in February 2010.

4.      The video “The truth about the Lib Dems” can be viewed on the Green Party’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvIZFconPIE.

Caroline on the Politics Show

Caroline on the politics show today:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/7892123.stm

Caroline Lucas on KIG

Great letter from Caroline in the Maidstone edition of the Kent Messenger this week:

Dear Editor,

Once againI have made a submission to the consultation on KIG in the hope that continuing public objections about the environmentally destructive nature of this vast industrial estate will bear fruit.

What is more, the recession casts an enormous question mark over the viability of the proposals.

There is a potential conflict between KIG and the China Gateway development planned for Thanet, since both rely on heroic,and totally unsubstantiatedassumptions about future economic activity.

Proposals for economic development in this recession need to become realistic about the state of the economy.

A locally focused response to the recession could be upon three elements:

• Implementing public transport improvements
• Taking unfinished and empty buildings into public ownership and ensuring decent housing for all
• Beginning a comprehensive energy efficiency and local energy supply programme

All of these would create useful employmentwithout the traffic congestion and air pollution a completed KIG project would impose on the Maidstone area.

Caroline Lucas, Green Party Member of the European Parliament for Kent

SOUTH EAST EURO-MP WELCOMES EU VICTORY FOR KENT ANIMAL CAMPAIGNERS

The South East’s Green MEP has paid tribute to the commitment and hard work
of a Kent animal campaign group today, after its monitoring of livestock
shipments at Dover led to an EU investigation and subsequent damning report
to which the UK must now respond.

Kent Against Live Exports (KALE) alerted Green MEP Caroline Lucas to the
potential breaches of existing EU law on the transport of live animals
through the Dover harbour; she then took the campaign to the EU through a
series of formal complaints to EU Commissioners.

KALE, the Kent based volunteer- run organisation which campaigns against the
export of live farm animals to mainland Europe, has spent the last two years
documenting the movement of livestock through the port of Dover, uncovering
numerous breaches of EU animal welfare law.

When their pleas for action were ignored by the UK Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), KALE and the Green MEP took
their efforts to Europe; the EU Commission for Health and Consumer Affairs
in Brussels promptly sent a team of officials from the Food and Veterinary
Office department (FVO) to investigate.

Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, who is also Vice President of the RSPCA and VP of the
European Parliament’s Animal Welfare Intergroup, said: “I wholeheartedly
welcome the conclusions of the FVO report, which confirms that welfare
standards of farm animals being transported at Dover fall far short of EU
regulations – if only the UK’s own DEFRA had shown such concern.

“The report clearly identifies a number of breaches of EU Regulation 1/2005
on ‘the protection of animals during transport and related operations’. It
found a lack of adequate contingency plans, a lack of an unloading facility
for animals in the vicinity, and a general non-compliance with welfare
requirements, including lack of cleaning and disinfection of the vehicles
used in livestock transport.”

Dr Lucas concluded: “KALE’s continued commitment and hard work on the
campaign against long distance transport of live farm animals has really
paid off. With this report, the EU is sending a strong message to the UK
authorities that more must be done to safeguard the welfare of live animals
being transported in and out of Dover.

“Farm animal welfare standards in the EU are far from perfect, and this
report represents a small step along a very long road. The Green Party
continues to call for a complete end to all live animal exports, both within
and beyond the EU, to prevent unnecessary suffering."

Mark Johnson, EU correspondent for KALE, said: “Now that the EU / FVO report
has been published, KALE trusts that the UK authorities will now take note
of the suggestions and recommendations, and fully implement procedures to
ensure that we (KALE) do not continue to see animal suffering as regularly
witnessed by our monitors and observers at Dover harbour.

“KALE, as always, will be independently monitoring all animal shipments from
Dover, and if we find that the proposed recommendations are still not being
implemented, we will go back to Brussels asking for the EU to take legal
action against the UK for continual non-compliance with EU regulations on
animal welfare”.


ENDS

Notes to Editors

KALE has obtained access to the twenty-four page (FVO) inspection report,
number 2008/7690 titled “Animal welfare during transport”. It can be viewed
at http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/ir_search_en.cfm by entering the inspection
report number (2008/7690).

For more information on KALE, please visit http://www.myspace.com/snuffle.

Landmark day at Green Party Conference

On Friday Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay were elected the first leader and deputy leaders of the Green Party. Yesterday Caroline gave one of the most rousing speeches that I have ever heard.

She told the conference: "Just three companies - BP, Centrica and Shell - together made £1,000 profit every second over the first six months of this year.

"These corporations are robbing from the poor to give to the rich and they know it. And it's about time they learned that, in a progressive democracy, there is no place for robber barons."

Gratuitous photo of Caroline and me:

There are still a few people in the party who don't like leaders, but I have never been more certain that The Green Party has done the right thing electing Caroline and Adrian.

Caroline's speech came straight after a panel session on the Green New Deal with Ann Pettifor, Colin Hines, Jeremy Leggett and Tony Juniper. Amazingly inspirational, the deal calls for nationalisation of money creation (currently in the hands of banks) and the rapid creation of a green industry to reduce our carbon dependency.

Keeping people warm, reducing their fuel bills, providing jobs and stabalising the economy are just a few of the many positive outcomes suggested by the GND.

Kent MEP to lead the Green Party

At 8pm at the Green Party Conference at SOAS, Caroline was elected the first leader of the Green Party. The ballot was unequivocal with Caroline getting 90% of the vote.

I was in the audience and watched the announcement happen (history in making???). Certainly Caroline has an excellent chance of being the first Green MP at the next general election.

Just listening to Caroline on Radio 4 and it is great to hear her talk about the need for a windfall tax on energy companies to support people who are struggling and to hear her talk of the current 'Victorian levels of inequality' that needs to be tackled.

Also great to watch was the discussion with Ken Livingstone, clearly a nice guy but he hasn't got his head around Green politics!

Greens have a key role to play in combating the BNP

Great pieces from Caroline and the Observer today (see below). The key message is for activists to get out and talk to the electorate. The only way we can move forward is to engage, listen and persuade; to get our message across and become visible and known.

We have had very little BNP activitiy in Maidstone, fortunately, and long may this continue. And when we talk about how to keep our place as the fourth party nationally - in Maidstone the race is between Labour and Green for third place.

This is from Caroline:

Greens have a key role to play in combating the BNP, says Lucas

Caroline Lucas, who is standing to be the Green Party's first leader in September, today issued a stark warning that only the Green Party has the answers to combat the BNP.

She was adding to a growing national debate, lead by the Observer, highlighting that Britain needs the Greens to be the growing force in politics, not the BNP.

She said:

“The rise of the BNP has been rapid. In the absence of political hope, voters have turned to them as a political protest. Every council seat gained, together with the recent London Assembly seat they have won, have been targeted towards promoting their leader, Nick Griffin, to a position of power.

“Britain has faced down the rise of the far right in tough economic times before, and it must do so again.

“It’s time for people to come off the sidelines and re-engage the British public with politics they can believe in.

“Unlike Labour, Greens will never pander to racism and prejudice – but we will work for a better future for everyone, wherever they live.

“Our Councillors are constantly striving to tackle unemployment, poverty and poor housing, the very things that create the bitterness and sense of abandonment that the BNP attempts to exploit.

“Green Councillors work hard on the ground, and never take their wards for granted, as so many other councillors do.

“The Green Party is playing its part in promoting positive, progressive politics wherever we can. We urge anyone who wants to take racism and prejudice out of politics to join us and work for a better future, for everyone.”

Contact:

Matt Hanley 07766 592126

Notes:

Caroline Lucas MEP is standing against Ashley Gunstock to be elected as the Green Party’s first ever Leader. The vote will be counted on Saturday 5 September at Conference in London. For more information, visit:

http://www.carolinelucas.org.uk/

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/leadership-elections

The Observer today outlines why the Greens must beat the BNP

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/17/greenpolitics.thefarright