Tag Archives: GB

6 October 2017

Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, has welcomed the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

Lucas said: “This shouldn’t come as a surprise. ICAN’s work on the international treaty to ban nuclear weapons is groundbreaking, and needed now more than ever.

“The fact that Britain has been actively boycotting this process is scandalous. Ministers should be hanging their heads in shame for working against this Nobel Prize winning movement. 

“The majority of the world’s nations are behind this ban. Britain must now join them.”

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6 October 2017Keith Taylor MEP, the Green Party’s Animals Spokesperson, has given a cautious welcome to the announcement that the UK government is considering restricting the ivory trade.Mr. Taylor was one of the driving forces behind the European Par… read more

3 October 2017

The UKs Green MEPs have responded to today’s overwhelming vote in favour of a resolution on Brexit in the European Parliament [1]. Of 678 MEPs present, 82% voted for the resolution, with only 14% voting against and 4% abstaining. A number of amendments tabled by UKIP were all rejected.

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London, said:

“This level of unity in the European Parliament both between political groups and also with the other EU institutions is unprecedented. MEPs have sent a clear message that in all the three key areas of citizens’ rights, a financial settlement and the question of the Irish border there has been insufficient progress for talks to move on to the next phase.”

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, said:

“The European Union is a family founded on the principle of peace and solidarity and in that vein, we’ve seen the European Parliament come together today to show unshakeable unity on Brexit – yet again.

“MEPs are in wide agreement about the Tory government’s lack of progress in the Brexit negotiations. The split cabinet might have just about agreed to kick the Brexit can down the road, with a two-year transition, but there’s still no coherent plan and the ‘cake and eat it’ approach is very much in evidence – they’re in la-la land while the EU27 are in the real world.”

Speaking in a debate ahead of today’s vote [2], Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP for the South West, said:

“Theresa May said that the United Kingdom has never felt totally at home in the European Union. Personally, I have never felt less at home in the UK since the vote to leave the EU.

“Such a sentiment is echoed by many people: by the majority of young people who still consider themselves European; by people living in our diverse and multicultural cities; and, of course, by those European citizens who have chosen, for reasons of love, work or study, to make the UK their home.

“If Brexit is a divorce then we are the children of the divorce and the process is a painful and troubling one.”

Ends

Notes

[1] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brexit-negotiations-talks-latest-sufficient-progress-not-made-european-parliament-eu-leaders-theresa-a7980351.html

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5tlZlvQ4s0

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2 October 2017

The Green Party has criticised the Government’s decision to press ahead with the roll out of Universal Credit, which it branded an “ill-conceived, counter-productive assault on Britain’s most vulnerable”.

Responding to the announcement by David Gauke [1], Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, urged the Government to reconsider – and investigate a pilot of a Universal Basic Income instead.

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

“Universal Credit is an ill-conceived, counter-productive assault on Britain’s most vulnerable. The Work and Pensions secretary may think it’s working, but the reality is different for the families left without food because of lost benefits and delayed payments.

“In pressing ahead with the scheme the Government has shown a complete disregard for the pain it is inflicting, and I urge it to reconsider the roll out. Instead it should pilot a Universal Basic Income, which would truly eliminate the poverty trap.”

Notes:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/02/heidi-allen-tory-mp-theresa-may-universal-credit

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2 October 2017

The Green Party has responded to the situation in Catalonia where police used violence against voters casting ballots in a referendum on independence.

Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas, co-leaders of the Green Party, said: 

“The horrifying police violence in Catalonia is a shameful stain on Rajoy’s government.  The people of Catalonia must be able to peacefully assert their wishes for their future without being subjected to repression and attacks.

“Regardless of the case for or against independence, the Spanish Government must uphold the right to democracy and act to ensure people’s safety is its first priority, and the EU must work with Spain to find a peaceful and democratic solution going forwards.

“Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s failure to condemn the violence unequivocally is also wholly unacceptable and the UK government must use its voice to stand up against violence.”

Molly Scott Cato MEP, Green Party Europe spokesperson, said:

“The EU has a proud history of spreading democracy in the Mediterranean and Central Europe. As democratic norms come under stress in the wake of the financial crisis and the rise of nationalism it is vital that European leaders – and the EU institutions – continue to champion and defend the principles of democratic engagement and self-determination.

“We call on heads of state and the European Commission to call on both sides to step back from the brink and play a mediating role in negotiating a solution that works for the people of Catalonia and the people of Spain.”

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