The Greens are the first party to formally support the campaign
Members of the Green Party of England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly to support the Enough is Enough campaign. The vote took place at the party’s autumn conference in Harrogate, and calls for the Green Party to formally request that the party affiliates to the campaign.
Enough is Enough is a mass movement resisting the cost of living crisis. It was launched earlier this year, and has grown rapidly. Over 500,000 people signed up to the campaign by the end of August and the group has held packed out rallies in cities across the country. On October 1, Enough is Enough held protests and actions in solidarity with striking workers in 50 towns and cities.
Enough is Enough has a set of five demands – delivering a real pay rise for workers, slashing energy bills, ending food poverty, ensuring decent homes for all, and taxing the rich. Recent polling from Survation found the group’s demands are popular with the public. Survation found 84 per cent support capping energy bills, 76 per cent support pay rising with inflation, and 72 per cent support increasing taxes on the rich.
Enough is Enough was launched by a coalition of organisations and MPs. Among those to back the launch were the CWU union, Tribune magazine, and the community union ACORN. Since, a number of other trade unions have backed the campaign – including UCU.
In taking this decision, the Green Party becomes the first parliamentary party to formally endorse the Enough is Enough campaign.
At the party’s conference, members also voted to support a £15 an hour minimum wage and to repeal the UK’s anti-strike laws.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer welcomed the motion. She said, “We are living in an unprecedented economic and political crisis, with the actions of the government willingly making life harder for people up and down the country.
“It’s absolutely right that people stand up and say that this cannot go on any longer and I am pleased that the Green Party is the first political party to back all five of Enough is Enough’s key demands.
“We’re backing a real pay rise, we wouldn’t just cap energy bills, we would slash them, we must end food poverty in this country, make decent homes available for everyone and finally, it’s time to properly tax the rich.
“Grassroots campaigns such as Enough is Enough, alongside political parties getting people elected, can make real change at all levels of government across the country.”
This article is jointly published with Bright Green.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Steve Eason – Creative Commons
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