political programme
shout now for a future
A system based on inequality and exploitation is threatening the future of our planet and making the lives of many not as good as they should be. The Greens are the only political party in England and Wales committed to fixing this.
We are not a traditional party
Traditional parties all set out their plans in the same way:
- Section on tinkering on with the current economic system?
- Section on spending more money on nuclear weapons than on international aid to the poorest countries?
- Section on how our democracy couldn’t possibly evolve any further?
Our policy programme is founded on ten pillars, built from policies proposed and voted on by our members. It sets out what Greens are in politics to do: to end the system that keeps hurting the environment and all of us who rely on it – and to build a better alternative.
As other parties run out of ideas, and rely on dated clichés to address the fast changing and fragile modern world, we embrace the new and relish the bold.
Save the Environment
We live on an amazing planet, rich in resources and able to sustain an incredible diversity of life. But we cannot take for granted it will always be this way.
All around us are the warning signs of environmental crises. This century already has seen 16 of the hottest 17 years ever recorded in human history. We are in the midst of what scientists have called the sixth mass extinction. Hurricanes and wildfires are spreading, seas are rising and wildlife is in decline.
Whilst other political parties talk about the environment, they have repeatedly failed to make the urgent changes needed to protect our natural world, to safeguard us from climate breakdown and to preserve the future.
The Green Party are the only party that will look after the planet on which we all depend.
Green Our Land
The land on which we all depend is under assault – from greedy developers, from dirty technology, from a tide of plastic. It’s an assault driven forward by corporations and the privileged few, putting profit over people and the places they love.
It’s time for a counter-attack. It’s time to not just protect forests, but to plant new ones, not just to fight fracking but to ban it forever, not just to tackle litter, but to eliminate all waste.
The Green Party will green our land, for us and for generations yet to come.
Protect our animals
Policy making around animals should be designed to protect them against cruelty.
All too often it isn’t. Animal testing, hunting for sport, factory farming – all have flourished under successive Governments.
We don’t think it’s right to exploit the other species we share this planet with and are prepared to take on the vested interests that fuel animal cruelty.
The Green Party will protect animals.
Challenge Privilege
Privilege is power. The power of well connected groups and individuals to dictate what happens in our society, and the power to keep things that way.
Privilege is all around us. From vested interests that use our broken electoral system and corrupt party funding process to steer policy in the direction they want, to politicians who feel they have a right to rule because of the school they went to.
Reducing privilege increases the power of ordinary people – of all of us. As the establishment shrinks, democracy grows.
The Green Party will challenge privilege.
End Discrimination
At the heart of the Green Party is a belief that everyone is equal, that all lives have intrinsic value and that personal life choices are deserving of dignity.
Whatever your skin colour, sexuality, ability or gender identity, our country should be a place where you feel at home.
We need a society that recognises the needs of all, that celebrates diversity and where people are supported when they need it.
The Green Party will end discrimination.
Champion International Friendships
Our country can be a force for good in the world – working with other nations to combat shared threats like climate change, and to build a more prosperous, happier future for everyone.
We want to build a country that is at ease with itself and its neighbours, which builds bridges not walls.
And we desperately need a Government that understands that closer global cooperation, rather than ever increasing spending on world-destroying weapons, is the best way of protecting its people.
The Green Party will champion international friendships.
Liberate our Working Lives
The economy is there for our benefit – not the other way round. It doesn’t always feel like that though and we need to take action to get things back in balance
We can build an alternative to the current system, an economy which delivers for the people who make it. An economy that delivers more free time to spend with friends and family, which ensures greater financial security for everyone, alongside the opportunity to live larger lives.
The Green Party seeks to liberate our working lives.
Unleash Our Creative Power
The creative urge in all of us builds businesses, upholds communities and enriches all our lives through the arts.
Nourishing that urge, and the small business owners, artists, students and professional pioneers that embody it, will build a better future for our country.
For other parties supporting creativity is afterthought – for us it is a priority. Creativity is key to building an economy that works for individual and communities, not just huge corporations.
Embed Collective Kindness in Our Society
Our schools, hospitals, rail links and bus routes aren’t merely services; they are the roots that sustain our society. They are roots that need to be nurtured so that they in turn can nurture us.
We envision a country underpinned by wellfunded, locally led public services providing care and support for all – a society rooted in kindness.
The Green Party would embed collective kindness in our society.
Deliver Quality of Life for All
Our current system allows vested interests and corporations to degrade that wellbeing in the name of profit. Increasingly communities are fighting back – standing up for their right to breathe clean air, to enjoy green space, and to live in warm, affordable housing. We don’t think that it is too much to ask. We want to build a future where these are accepted rights, not distant hopes.
The Green Party seeks to deliver quality of life for all.