6 August 2018

The Green Party has responded to news the total number of homes proposed for building on the Green Belt has hit a record of 460,000 [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“Developers are carving up our countryside to build homes normal families can’t afford to live in – and the Government is letting them get away with it. Building on the Green Belt will never solve the housing crisis and it’s time Ministers gave this land the stronger protection it needs.

“Everyone deserves to have somewhere safe and secure to call home. Instead of overseeing the erosion of our green space, the Government should invest in increasing social and affordable housing on the plentiful brownfield sites in our towns and cities, take action on empty homes, and introduce a Land Value Tax to encourage the use of vacant land and reduce speculation.”</span>

Notes: 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/06/new-green-belt-housing-applications-push-total-to-a-record-460000

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31 July 2018

The Green Party has responded to the Met Office’s fourth annual State of the UK Climate report calling it a “final wake-up call” for the Government to take meaningful action on climate change.

The report found that 2017 was the fifth warmest on record for the UK, with nine of the 10 hottest years in the UK occurring since 2002 [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“This must be the final wake up call for the Government to end its failure on climate action. With nine of the ten hottest UK years on record occurring since 2002, history will ask why this Government didn’t show leadership in the face of the overwhelming evidence of climate breakdown.

“Despite knowing we are set to miss climate targets the Government has pushed fracking, approved airport expansion and pulled the rug from under renewable energy. This recklessness is a total abdication of responsibility and it’s time the Government matched its green rhetoric with meaningful action.”

Notes:

1.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/31/2017-uks-fifth-warmest-year-on-record-says-met-office

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30 July 2018

Green Party members will decide who leads the party into the future after polls opened in the leadership elections today (Monday 30 July).

The positions of leader and deputy leader are up for election, with three leadership slots available overall. If a single leader is elected there will be two deputies, while if co-leaders are elected there will be one deputy.

There are also 10 other positions on the Green Party Executive up for election. All fully paid up members are eligible to vote and will have until 31 August, when polls close, to have their say. Voting will be by single transferable vote, with ballots issued by email and, where required, paper copies.

Results will be announced in early September this year, with the date to be confirmed closer to the time.

A full list of candidates can be seen here: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2018/07/02/green-party-announces-leadership-candidates/

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18 July 2018

Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, who sits on the Economics Committee in the European Parliament, has responded to the record fine imposed on Google by the European Commission [1]:

“Again we see the EU having the power and the courage to stand up to the global tech monopolies. This eye-watering fine indicates that Margarete Vestager is the White Knight of the Global tech wars, battling the corporations on behalf of the consumer.”

Dr Scott Cato, who is also the Green Party’s spokesperson on Brexit, continued:

“This action shows that only the collective strength of blocs like the EU can take on corporate giants like Google. If the UK goes ahead with Brexit we will not have the size of market or the powerful institutions necessary to stand up to companies with such massive global reach and dominance.”

The European Commission today imposed a record fine of €4.3 billion on Google for abusing its dominant position in the market and forcing smartphone manufacturers which use its Android operating system to have Google apps pre-installed. It took three years for the Commission to deliver its largest ever anti-trust fine for a single company.

Notes

[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-android-fine-latest-billion-eu-european-commission-browser-chrome-web-a8452481.html

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17 July 2018

In response to the Electoral Commission investigation[1], Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley said:

“The Electoral Commission report marks a watershed moment and clearly calls into question the legitimacy of the referendum result. This cannot be pushed into the long grass or glossed over with a slap on the wrist and a fine. When the very democratic process is called into question in this way then there must be consequences.  If people do not have confidence in the system they can have no confidence in the result.

“There must now be a wider criminal investigation into the actions of the Vote Leave campaign. All members of the Government who sat on the campaign committee of Vote Leave should resign.  They can have no place in a Government negotiating Brexit.

“And clearly any final deal that is negotiated must now be put to the British people with a People’s Vote including an option to remain in the European Union if that is the will of the British people.”

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44856992 

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