9 June 2019

Delegates at the Green Party conference passed an emergency motion on Saturday in support of a trade unionist who was sacked for writing “racist” on a poster for the government’s Prevent programme.

David Muritu, a college lecturer and member of the Universities and College Union, was sacked by Sandwell College this week after defacing the poster because he felt the Prevent scheme – which requires teachers to report students who show signs of being drawn into extremism – unfairly targeted Muslims (1).

Green Party member Samir Jeraj, who moved the motion, said:

“We completely oppose trade union victimisation and call on Sandwell College to reverse their decision. 

“Prevent is a racist endeavour and we stand in solidarity with Dave in calling this out.”

The Green Party conference motion called for Mr Muritu’s immediate reinstatement.

Co-leader Sian Berry said: “The Green Party has since its inception been expressing concerns about Prevent.

“In its current form it disproportionately targets Muslim communities.

“We should instead pursue community-led collaborative approaches to tackling all forms of extremism.”

Notes

1. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/sandwell-college-sacks-lecturer-dave-16380273

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7 June 2019

The Green Party deputy leader, Amelia Womack, will open the party’s spring conference in Scarborough with a call to build on the electoral and campaign successes of this year, which have seen the number of Green councillors and Green MEPs more than double and membership increase by nearly 15,000 in England and Wales.

Amelia will tell delegates that electoral success is being achieved despite the odds being stacked against smaller parties with a political system that is badly broken, and a hollowed-out, outdated and out-of-touch media.

“Our archaic democracy needs to be revived with a truly proportional system where every vote and every voter matters,” she will say.

“A system where MPs can sit in the party which truly reflects their values and beliefs in a mature parliament with collaboration at its heart.

”For three years that system has tried to handle Brexit… and it has failed embarrassingly.”

Amelia Womack will also say the Green Party remains committed to equality for women on boards of business, in the houses of Parliament and in every aspect of public life.

On climate action, she will accuse the media of ignoring the climate crisis and instead manufacturing a migration crisis.  And she will criticise the government and local authorities for continuing to support airports or road building while at the same time declaring a climate emergency.  What’s needed instead, she will say, is a complete rebuild of Britain’s economic and political system with a Green New Deal.

“A Green New Deal will not only build green infrastructure, it will empower people and it will put environmental and social justice where they belong – jointly at the heart of our democracy and intertwined.”

“We must be the architects of the future.  We will build new structures: ones based on peace, justice and equality. Ones which leave no-one behind. And ones which hold the wellbeing of people and planet at their very core.”

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6 June 2019

The Green Party ‘spring’ conference will open tomorrow (Friday) in Scarborough, with a big celebration congratulating all of our new MEPs and councillors (3.45pm).

Co-leaders Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley will be reinforcing the “yes to Europe, no to climate change” message in their speeches on Saturday, as the party celebrates spectacular European and local election results, and polling putting us on 12% in general election voting intention.

Jonathan said: “This is a tremendous exciting time to be a Green. The Green Wave, driven by the demand for action of our climate emergency and the pressing human needs causes by inequality and poverty, is pushing through Europe.

“We offer policies designed to reinvigorate our communities, the democratic process and our natural environment.

“Greens know that the politics of hope is what people need. We stand against the politics of fear, the rhetoric of division and xenophobia pushed by the far right.”

Sian added: “We acknowledge the concerns in communities up and down the country, like those in North Yorkshire, where large numbers of people voted leave in 2016.

“They are concerned about low wages and insecure employment, about filthy air and unaffordable housing, about the destruction of the natural environment that they see going on daily around them.

“Distant Westminster doesn’t speak to their concerns, is tied up in internal party wrangling and acts in the interests of big businesses rather than communities. It starves the poorest and most vulnerable of funds while enhancing the incomes of multinational companies and rich tax-dodgers.

“Transformational change is inevitable, and we offer policies that deliver for the common good, while looking after this fragile, overstretched planet.”

Other highlights:

Friday 3pm Deputy leader Amelia Womack’s speech

Friday 4.30pm Mobilising the climate emergency, a panel chaired by MEP Molly Scott Cato

Saturday Noon “Our Europe” rally with local and regional “Stop Brexit” groups

Saturday 1pm Co-leaders Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry joint speech.

Saturday 3.15pm A UK Green New Deal, from idea to reality, a panel chaired by Caroline Lucas MP

Sunday 3.15pm Ocean pollution and the future of our seas panel

Saturday and Sunday 10-11am Members will be joining the local Sea Swim group for a dip

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27 May 2019

Huge support for ‘yes to Europe, no to climate change’

European parliamentary group is third-largest

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley has this morning celebrated his party’s total vote in the European election topping 2 million.

Jonathan said: “The result of this election, with 12 per cent of the vote, a tally of more than 2 million, shows huge support for our message of ‘yes to Europe, no to climate change’.

“To beat the Tory Party in a national election for the first time is just the icing on the cake.”

Jonathan added: “The result in the UK is a reflection of what has happened across Europe. The Greens/EPA group in the European parliament is leaping to be the third-largest group, with great results from the German, French, Finnish and many other European green parties.

“The pollsters did not see approaching the 50% boost in the group to 75 seats that the voters have delivered.

“As our European parliamentary co-president Ska Keller told the BBC last night, we want to deliver on transformational climate action and the promise of social action in Europe.

“Austerity in the UK and far beyond has done great damage. The political philosophy that has allowed the wealth of the 1% to soar while many millions struggle is one of the key causes of the 2016 Brexit vote. It is causing great dissatisfaction with the politics-as-usual approach of the old parties across Europe.

“Green politics is new, different and exciting. That’s a message that particularly has captured the imagination and votes of young people across Europe and I look forward to seeing what our great team of seven MEPs can achieve in Europe.”

Notes

Greens were elected for the first time as MEPs in the Eastern, North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber regions. Greens retained seats in London, the South East and the South West (where Molly Scott Cato was re-elected).

Greens topped the vote in Bristol, Norwich and Brighton and Hove and scored notable second places in Sheffield, Cambridge and Oxford.

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27 May 2019

Sian Berry, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, tonight said that the result of the European elections was a clear direction that the UK should call a People’s Vote now, giving voters the chance to choose between remaining in the EU and leaving under a deal agreed with the EU.

Sian said: “Giving the people the final say over the country’s direction is now clearly the only way forward, the way to draw a line under the Brexit chaos.

“The vote tally for clearly Remain parties is higher than for that of the Brexit Party and Ukip. The people have spoken.

“We are in a state of political crisis in the UK. But to understand that we need to look at the causes of the anger and frustration in Leave majority areas, Westminster austerity, our archaic Victorian voting system, and the concentration of power in London.

“We have to be tough on Brexit and the causes of Brexit.

“And we have to turn our focus to addressing the climate emergency, our social crisis that sees millions insecure and uncertain they’ll be able to feed and house themselves, the damage done to the NHS by privatisation and underfunding and the many problems in our education system.”

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