ChangeUK have announced their European election candidates today
As Change UK launches its European election campaign, the Green Party of England and Wales has accused the group of being just a “single issue party”.
The Greens’ MEP for the South-West of England Molly Scott-Cato said:
“Change UK are a single-issue Party with no coherent policy platform beyond opposing Brexit. This is a re-branding exercise for former Conservative and Labour politicians who presided over cuts to public services and the relentless growth in inequality. And we have no idea which group in the European Parliament any elected MEPs would join.”
“Greens on the other hand are the most electorally successful pro-EU Party standing in this election and Green votes are more likely to send pro-EU MEPs to Brussels than votes for any other party. We are standing candidates in all 28 EU nations and polls suggest Greens will increase their number of MEPs.”
“We are unflinchingly pro-European. We have led the national movement for a people’s vote and unequivocally defend freedom of movement – the right to study, work, travel and love across our continent.”
“But Greens are also a Party that deliver change not just talk about it. We have a strong track record on developing rules to tackle tax avoidance by corporations and wealthy individuals; we are strong on climate, shifting finance away from fossil fuels and dirty industries towards green sectors; we’ve succeeded in protecting whistleblowers while getting tough on the corporate lobbyists stalking the corridors of EU institutions.
“This is why European Greens, standing in all 28 EU nations, are united under a banner of We Change Europe.”
The Green Party of England and Wales currently has three MEPs. One each in the South-East, South-West and London.
They are part of the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament, which has 51 MEPs across Europe.
ChangeUK announced some of its candidates for the European elections today. They included Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel, BBC journalist Gavin Esler and former Labour and Conservative politicians.
Joe Lo is a reporter for Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
4 Responses to “Greens accuse ChangeUK of being a “single-issue party” on a “rebranding exercise””
Tom Sacold
Strange all of these left of centre parties trying to remain in the EU neoliberal captialist club .
They are are the EU’s ‘useful idiots’.
“Britain’s continuing membership of the Community would mean the end of Britain as a completely self-governing nation and the end of our democratically elected Parliament as the supreme law making body in the United Kingdom.” Tony Benn.
wg
Well said, Tom Sacold.
If there was ever a point of view that I agreed on, it was that of Tony Benn’s view on democracy re the European Union.
Democracy is something that pro-EUers don’t like to discuss much – and who could blame somebody like Ms Scott-Cato: somebody who barely scraped 4% of my South West region’s vote – and that on a Closed List system.
I have never voted on any aspect of the European Union; it has all been done over my head.
To see the Labour Party lining up alongside the bankers and currency speculators to keep us in the EU is an affront to the section of society for whom the Labour Party was formed.
Come on, Corbyn – you’ve always been against the EU; come out for what you believe to be right.
Patrick Newman
We live in a global capitalist world. Outside the EU the UK will not be able to declare UDI and establish an independent socialist utopia. A force for socialism in the EU linking up with other progressive movements is not ridiculous!
Simon
“Britain’s continuing membership of the Community would mean the end of Britain as a completely self-governing nation and the end of our democratically elected Parliament as the supreme law making body in the United Kingdom.” Tony Benn.
Even if this were true, can anyone explain why this would be a bad thing? Everyone seems to assume it would be without having the slightest clue why.