John Hunt's Manifesto on one side of A4
Climate change is the biggest threat we face. Greens demand a 40% production of energy from renewables by 2020 , as well as energy conservation. We would immediately phase out nuclear power. Green councillors are already promoting re-cycling and zero-waste strategies.
Health Greens want to restore the NHS to its founding principles of universal care, and abolish prescription charges. We reject privatisation and PFI. Greens place greater emphasis on prevention.
Education We would increase funding for under fives, scrap university tuition fees and restore student maintenance grants. We support fully rounded education, not just skills for the workplace, and would abolish SATs, moving towards an approach centered on the individual child.
Transport Greens would divert the £30bn the government spend on roads to improved public transport, and support walking and cycling. We will bring the railways back into public ownership. We would tax aviation fuel so that air transport pays its true environmental costs.
War on Terror/Iraq War on Terror is a self-serving distraction from the real issues of global security: climate change and global inequality. The war on Iraq was illegal, immoral and unjustified. UK troops should be replaced by UN peacekeepers.
Crime The Green Party would focus the criminal justice system on restorative justice. Prison doesn’t work. Draconian ID card spending would be replaced by extra community policing. We would reduce drugs-related crime by providing proper treatment for addicts.
Asylum/Immigration People fleeing torture and persecution should be welcomed by Britain into a tolerant multicultural society. Refugees are made not born, and Greens would go to the root of the issue by working to reduce global economic inequalities and political instability.
Pensions Greens would introduce a Citizen’s Pension- a basic pension for all, at £109 per week linked to earnings and free from means-testing. We would phase-out tax relief for private pension contributions, and give people control over their company schemes.
Tax/Economy Economic policy should be rebalanced in favour of human-scale small and medium size business, not multinational corporations. We would phase out VAT in favour of eco-taxes. Greens would increase income tax rates on incomes above £50,000 per year.
Europe Greens are Europeans and internationalist. We want decisions taken at the most local practicable level. Greens believe in Europe as a force for good, but feel the EU Constitution will fail to make the EU greener or more democratic.
Families/Welfare Reform Greens want a Citizen's Income for all, raising the incomes of the poorest families and replacing most means-tested benefits. This simplifies the benefits system and removes the poverty trap. Green would aim to reduce working hours and improving pre-school childcare support.
Rural Affairs (inc fox hunting/agriculture/fishing) Greens want to save British farming, favouring smaller mixed farms and organic produce. We would replace the CAP and reform the Common Fisheries Policy. We would ban GM. We would ban factory farming, all blood sports and animal cruelty.
Equality/Rights (inc. disability, race relations, ethnic/religious) Green politics is about interconnectedness. Responsibilities are integral to rights. We all have responsibility for ensuring the absence of discrimination in ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, age, national or social origin, economic status or any other social, physical or mental condition.
Constitutional Reform We would introduce a written constitution and elect the Lords. All elections would be by PR. Greens would increase the powers and representativeness of local and regional government. The legislative, executive and judicial roles of the monarchy would be ended.
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Anyone with questions on Green Party policy, or with offers of help in the general election campaign, can email hounslowgreens@beeb.net or call Tom Beaton on 020-8568 3756.
April 22, 2005
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