East Midlands Launch of Green Party EU Manifesto

Brian Fewster and Press Officer Paul Anderson at the launch

East Midlands Green Party officially launched its regional manifesto for the East Midlands European Parliamentary elections on Wednesday May 26 at 11am at the International Community Centre (ICC), Mansfield Road, Nottingham.

The Party is campaigning to make the vote on June 10 a call for action on global warming and Iraq. Lead candidate Brian Fewster said: "Greens believe we can do something about global warming and we need to act now. By voting Green in June voters will tell the Blair government to make this a priority. It will also be an opportunity for people to register their disgust at the Labour party's foreign policy and Blair's Iraq folly."

The overall theme of the manifesto is "Real Progress". Green ideas of progress are contrasted with those espoused by politicians of other parties.

For example:
"LABOUR + TORY + LIB DEM ECONOMICS = globalisation + privatisation. IS THAT PROGRESS?
GREEN ECONOMICS = fairer wealth distribution + public ownership of public utilities + a restored UK manufacturing base + better workers' rights."

Key points in the manifesto include:

The environment must be at the centre of policymaking, not an add-on extra. Greens would:

strengthen of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change

strictly regulate new sciences such as nanotechnology

set a Zero Waste target – maximising recycling, shutting down incinerators.

A safe environment requires a radical change in economic policy. Greens would:

stay out of the single currency
replace the existing international trade rules with a General Agreement on Sustainable Trade, putting people and the environment before the interests of multinationals
use economic investment to create sustainable jobs – targeting green and appropriate labour-intensive industries such as energy, waste management, transport.

The Green Party believes that everyone is entitled to healthy, wholesome food that has been produced using methods that do not harm the environment, waste resources, or cause cruelty to animals. Greens would:

replace the Common Agricultural Policy with policies to promote organic farming, high animal welfare standards and sustainable rural development
ensure a GM-free Europe – with no GMO releases and no imports of GM food and animal feed.

On transport and energy the manifesto calls for:

more investment in rail freight, with fewer lorries on EU roads
the 50 major trunk road schemes due to be completed in the next five years scrapped
an EU-wide aviation fuel levy and no new runways.
phasing-out of nuclear power and abolition of the Euratom treaty.

The Green Party opposes the privatisation of public services and the UK Government's Private Finance Initiative. Greens oppose extension of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which would 'lock in' privatisation and prevent public authorities from making decisions to improve local economies or bring about social or environmental benefits.

The manifesto points out that no other British political party can match the party's record of opposing the war in Iraq. Greens would:

get rid of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons
withdraw from NATO and seek its dissolution
close all US bases on European soil.

The manifesto states that EU treaties and the EU constitution must uphold the rights of workers - including the right to join or form a trade union, to obtain union representation and to take industrial action. It is opposed to all forms of discrimination and opposes hate campaigns against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers Greens also have a strong commitment to animal rights, and demand:

an end to live animal exports from the UK
an immediate ban on the use of primates in animal research

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Published and promoted by Brian Fewster on behalf of the Green Party and himself as candidate at 89a Winchester Avenue, Leicester LE3 1AY.