'Green Wave’ party conference sees 600 activists gather in Scarborough, with the party jubilant at recent election success.
Pic: Co-leader Jonathan Bartley with former leader Caroline Lucas.
The Green Party have pledged to be ‘tough on Brexit and the causes of Brexit‘ as they gather for the party’s conference in Scarborough this weekend.
The spring conference kicks off with a celebration congratulating all of the party’s new MEPs and councillors. The party gained nearly 200 new councillors in the May local elections, and saw its number of MEPs go from three to seven.
Co-leaders Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley will be reinforcing their EU election campaign’s “yes to Europe, no to climate change” message in their speeches on Saturday.
The conference comes as a new YouGov poll puts the party on 9% support for a General Election, while other recent polls have put the party as high as 11%. However, the party was squeezed to 3% in Thursday’s Peterborough by-election.
Co-leader Jonathan Bartley said:
“This is a tremendous exciting time to be a Green. The Green Wave, driven by the demand for action of our climate emergency and the pressing human needs causes by inequality and poverty, is pushing through Europe.
“We offer policies designed to reinvigorate our communities, the democratic process and our natural environment.
“We stand against the politics of fear, the rhetoric of division and xenophobia pushed by the far right.”
Co-leader Sian Berry AM said:
“We acknowledge the concerns in communities up and down the country, like those in North Yorkshire, where large numbers of people voted leave in 2016.
“They are concerned about low wages and insecure employment, about filthy air and unaffordable housing, about the destruction of the natural environment that they see going on daily around them.
“Distant Westminster doesn’t speak to their concerns, is tied up in internal party wrangling and acts in the interests of big businesses rather than communities. It starves the poorest and most vulnerable of funds while enhancing the incomes of multinational companies and rich tax-dodgers.
“Transformational change is inevitable, and we offer policies that deliver for the common good, while looking after this fragile, overstretched planet.”
Following the local election results, the party declared that Westminster’s ‘two party system is dead’.
Conference highlights
Friday 3pm Deputy leader Amelia Womack’s speech.
Friday 4.30pm Mobilising the climate emergency, a panel chaired by MEP Molly Scott Cato.
Saturday Noon “Our Europe” rally with local and regional “Stop Brexit” groups.
Saturday 1pm Co-leaders Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry joint speech.
Saturday 3.15pm A UK Green New Deal, from idea to reality, a panel chaired by Caroline Lucas MP.
Sunday 3.15pm Ocean pollution and the future of our seas panel.
Saturday and Sunday 10-11am Members will be joining the local Sea Swim group for a dip.
Josiah Mortimer is Editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter. At conference? Get in touch: editor@leftfootforward.org
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