a green voice for the south west in brussels · the move towards a clean energy future offers...

A Green voice for the South West in BrusselsMaking the European Union work for the common good

� A Green voice for the South West in Brussels South West Green Party

Contents Why Greens say ‘Yes’ to the European Union 3

An economy for the common good 4

Finance for the common good 6

An energy policy for the common good 7

Protecting our climate for the common good 9

Protecting animals: ‘the common good’ includes them too 10

Farming for the common good 12

Fisheries for the common good 14

Transport for the common good 15

Europe for the common good of the world 17

Making democracy work for the common good 19

Making the EU work for the common good 20

Let’s make it our Europe! 22

Jonathon Porritt (centre) with five of the South West European candidates

South West Green Party A Green voice for the South West in Brussels �

Why Greens say ‘Yes’ to the European UnionThe Green Party believes that Europe is about hope, peace and a genuine prosperity for all. Greens recognise that the European Union enables nations to work together for the common good. We recognise that the real wealth of Europe lies in our skilful people and the abundance of our environment. The European Union currently does much to protect the environment and support workers’ rights through regulations, but they are under threat from the increasing power of corporations and their readiness to exploit people and planet in pursuit of profit.

Greens are different. We look different. We have many women in high-profile positions and lots of young people joining us. We sound different. We don’t shout or abuse people who disagree with us; we tell the facts as they are and recommend solutions. We act differently. Studies show Greens are some of the hardest working MEPs in the European Parliament and we’re open and honest about our work.

We won’t walk away from Europe like some parties; we want to change it from within. We are working for a Europe that serves the people rather than the corporate lobbyists who like things run on a business-as-usual basis. So we put communities before fracking; local businesses before multinationals; animal rights before pharmaceuticals and intensive farming. We want to put a stop to further deterioration of our environment; we want safe food, clean air and proper protection for animals. We want a peaceful, secure future for our children.

Green MEPs in Europe form a larger group than the groups Conservatives or UKIP belong to. Green MEPs have won tougher climate-change-reduction targets and secured a cap on bankers’ bonuses. They have stood up for your right not to be overworked and spied on, and battled against public sector cuts. Now it’s time to strengthen their hand by sending a Green Party MEP from the South West.

We invite you to join us in our efforts to turn anger against Europe into new hope for our common European home. Europe must change; it must transform and reform. We hope, in this centenary year of the start of the First World War, to share with you our vision of a Europe that returns to its original mission of achieving peace and prosperity for all, a Europe for the common good.


An economy for the common good

n Reinforce consumer protection by strengthening laws governing chemicals, food packaging and pesticides

n Abandon the secret trade talks with the US that could undermine our democratic rights and market regulation

n Change structural funding so that it achieves environmental improvements

The single market lies at the heart of ‘corporate Europe’. As Greens we value the protections offered by strict rules about the quality of products in the single market, such as the banning of GM crops or raising animal welfare standards. But we believe that our security would be better served by more locally based economies. We recognise that trade can be socially damaging and produce unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions.

The Green Group is also leading the attack on the dangerous and secret trade talks to extend the single market to include the US. As Greens in an area with a strong agricultural sector we fear that livelihoods will be threatened as standards of regulation fall. In the South West we focus on high-quality produce and high animal welfare standards. Under the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) it is likely that corporations that focus on volume rather than quality will be able to undermine standards of food safety, environmental protection and animal welfare. In the dairy industry this may mean that we will be forced to accept milk produced from cows that have been given the BST hormone, even though consumers do not want such milk and we have worked strenuously in the EU to oppose the use of BST.


Jean Lambert MEP

Jean has pushed repeatedly for International Labour Organisation treaties and conventions to be incorporated into EU law. She is also a strong supporter of the ‘Just Transition’ agenda, developing thousands of environmentally friendly jobs based on the ‘decent work’ concept.

European structural funding has brought great benefits to the South West, especially in Cornwall which received £415 million between 2007 and 2013. If used wisely, European structural funding could create thousands of green jobs in the South West. This would achieve the triple win of enabling people to find satisfying work, building our green infrastructure for the future, and reducing our impact on the environment. In a time of recession we need EU funding to have the maximum impact in terms of jobs.

At present a large proportion of funding is spent on building roads and airports, infrastructure that is environmentally destructive and also undermines local economies and this must end. Research from a group of leading environment organisations has shown that more than half a million jobs could be created in four green sectors: renewable energy, conservation, energy saving and sustainable transport. Investing in these sectors would also protect our environment and make us more resilient in the face of climate change.


Finance for the common goodn Introduce a Financial Transactions Tax as a first step towards making

banking work for the common good not the private interests of shareholders

n Introduce stringent rules for the separation of banking activities into those which are essential to society and those which are not

Five years after the outset of the financial crisis, our system remains dominated by banks that are too big or too interconnected to fail and therefore too dangerous. Bank bail-outs have cost billions to the European taxpayers; this must never be allowed to happen again. Yet banks continue to be convicted of mis-selling and fraudulent practices. The Green Party has a simple message on banks: the banking services we all rely on for our daily lives should be separated from the risky casino activities of the financial giants.

We also want to see banks broken up into a system of local community banks, which would be required to actually act like banks, building supportive relationships with local businesses.

Green MEPs are leading the way in reforming Europe’s banking sector. Green MEP Philippe Lamberts won the battle to introduce a cap on bankers’ bonuses, meaning no banker can earn a bonus worth more than 100% of his or her annual salary. We have also pushed hard for a Europe-wide Financial Transaction Tax, a small tax on banks and the financial sector which would raise billions of pounds each year to support public services, protect the environment and help society’s poorest. Eleven Member States including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have decided to put people before the profits of big banks and financial speculators the tax. Unsurprisingly, capping bankers’ bonuses and introducing a Financial Transaction Tax have been fought tooth and nail by Osborne and his friends in the City.

‘As an economist I think that the most important political issue is getting a grip on the bankers. I’m impressed by the work Green MEPs have done to get finance working for us all rather than for the benefit of a tiny minority.’

Molly Scott Cato, European candidate, Stroud


An energy policy for the common good

n A rapid programme of home insulation to create jobs and reduce energy demand

n Political support for on-shore and off-shore wind installations and the Severnside energy lagoon

n A high and consistent rate of feed-in tariff for community renewables

n Invest in European energy networks connecting renewable energy production in different parts of the continent, increasing energy security and cutting costs

n An end to public subsidies for and investments in fossil fuels; a Europe-wide ban on fracking

The UK has been left vulnerable because of the failure of successive governments to treat energy as a key strategic area of our national life. Much of the debate on energy is around how energy is produced. However, we believe that, energy policy must prioritise energy savings and efficiency, especially by improving the quality of our homes.

The move towards a clean energy future offers exciting opportunities for the South West. Government figures show that the South West is leading the way in renewable energy with £387.5m renewables investment during 2011-12. Between 2007 and 2010 the region saw a 38% increase in installed renewables capacity.

Energy is not just about how electricity is generated but also who owns and profits from it. Currently the Big Six dominate the market and can set


prices at will. This privatisation of energy has failed everyone, except fat cat energy bosses and shareholders, and 68% of British people think that energy should be publicly owned.

Greens believe that community-owned renewables provide the opportunity to escape the clutches of the energy corporations and bring power back to the people. South Brent Community Energy Society in Devon is one excellent example. Their wind turbine is set to generate between 300,000 and 400,000 kWh of clean electricity annually. The Society intends to reinvest around £10,000 a year into local energy-saving and generating initiatives.

Building on the success of the EU’s 2020 renewable energy target, we want to ensure a target for 45% of energy to be supplied from renewable sources by 2030. We also want an end to subsidies for fossil fuels, which received £4.3bn in 2011; the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) suggests the UK is now the world’s fifth largest subsidiser of fossil fuels after the US, Russia, Australia and Germany.

The important role the European Union plays in energy developments in the South West has been made clear over the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, submitted his nuclear plans to the EU Commission because any development that is to receive government subsidy needs to pass EU single market State Aid rules. The Greens are clear: the proposed nuclear development at Hinkley Point should not be permitted as the deal represents a subsidy that unfairly disadvantages potential competitors in the renewable energy industries.

Fracking would result in the industrialisation of our countryside, which is such a precious asset of the South West. There are also risks of environmental contamination to water and air in the fracking process. Another crucial factor is that exploration, extraction and burning of the gas from fracking would make it impossible for Europe to meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. For these reasons Greens want a ban on fracking in Europe.

‘Living in Bournemouth I see the huge opportunities offered by offshore wind power both to address the issue of climate change and to provide for employment. We need more Green MEPs who are committed to the renewable energy revolution.’

Mark Chivers, European candidate, Bournemouth


Protecting our climate for the common goodn Increase the EU-wide carbon dioxide emissions target to 60% initially

and eventually 90% by 2030n Introduce a binding renewable energy target for all EU member statesn Work urgently to achieve a global agreement at the Paris summit in

2015.

Europe has led the way in international climate negotiations and it has been the Green Group pushing the parliament towards more ambitious and more urgent targets for greenhouse gas reductions. As this winter’s storms and floods have demonstrated, the South West is particularly vulnerable to climate change and the extreme weather events it brings with it.

Greens in the European Parliament are calling for a climate law, built on existing national and regional initiatives, with both targets and sanctions to ensure that climate goals are met. This will commit Europe to a path of sustainable economic transformation and away from devastating climate change. With the 2015 UN climate summit in Paris (COP 21) hoping to deliver a binding global agreement, the clock is ticking and the EU needs to play a leading role. This means increasing an outdated greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2020 from 20% to 30%, and 60% reduction by 2030, based on 1990 levels. Reviving the EU’s emissions trading scheme is essential to achieving these targets and means setting a high and rising price for CO2 emissions. Businesses must be encouraged to divest from climate damaging assets and public subsidies for and investments in fossil fuels should be ended.

The rapid transition to an economy based on renewable energy could create an estimated 570,000 jobs and save €500 billion through fuel import reductions.

‘I spend much of my working life with young people and I’m horrified to see the very poor opportunities for them today. The Green economy offers them exciting employment opportunities while also protecting their future environment.’

Emily McIvor, European candidate,

East Devon

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Protecting animals: ‘the common good’ includes them too

n An animal welfare framework law covering companion animals, exotic pets, farmed animals and captive wild animals

n Strengthen and enforce the multilateral agreements on wildlife traden Include consideration of animal welfare in all trade agreements

Greens have the strongest policies on animal protection of all the parliamentary political parties and a proven track record of action in Europe. Greens are the voice for animals in Europe. No party has stronger policies combined with a record of action on animal protection issues.

Greens strongly support the introduction of an animal welfare framework law covering all categories of animal that are subject to some form of human control – including companion animals, exotic pets, farmed animals and captive wild animals. There must also be comprehensive and accountable Europe-wide implementation of existing rules, such as the Pig Directive, which some countries are turning a blind eye to. Greens are also demanding animal welfare be included as a consideration in all trade agreements.

Greens oppose factory farming which is a highly inefficient way of producing food. It damages the environment, creates pollution, overuses water, requires intensive application of drugs to combat infection and disease, reduces food security and treats animals as machines, not as sentient beings.

Greens also want an end to all animal experimentation and are calling for an EU strategy that ensures research funding is directed away from failing animal disease models and towards more effective and safer

Naturalist and TV presenter Bill Oddie with candidate Emily McIvor at the protest rally against the badger cull in Bristol last November

South West Green Party A Green voice for the South West in Brussels 11

modern human biology-based techniques. The support of Greens in the European Parliament was pivotal to the successful ban on testing cosmetics on animals.

The illegal and unsustainable legal trade in wildlife is devastating species across the globe. The EU must strengthen and enforce the multilateral agreements on wildlife trade and use its influence to ensure other countries are enforcing their own rules

Greens are also committed to strengthening EU wide regulation for companion animals, which are increasingly being traded across country borders. Greens will push for legislation to ensure countries across Europe deal with stray animals in a humane way, using programmes based on neutering and not culling. We also support European legislation to regulate the breeding and sale of cats and dogs.

‘Animal protection has always been important to me; animals can’t speak (or vote!) for themselves, so we have to take action on their behalf. Green MEPs consistently work for the highest animal welfare standards that can be achieved. Without the Greens, animal protection across the EU would be weaker.’

Ricky Knight, European candidate,

North Devon

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Farming for the common goodn Accepting the maximum limit on individual and corporate CAP

payments of €300,000, as proposed by the Commission, and consider reducing this further in future years

n Requiring all CAP payments are based on the achievement of environmental benefits

n Support farming methods that maximise carbon sequestration and reconnect food producers and food consumers

The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) aims to support the rural economy that underpins farm-based livelihoods and protect the rural environment and biodiversity. It also seeks to encourage innovation to make European farming more globally competitive. Greens believe these objectives are inconsistent and are understood differently in different EU member-states where diverse views exist on the role of farmers and agriculture in national life.

The CAP is the EU’s single largest piece of expenditure, involving transfers to farmers of about €55bn annually. Greens accept and support this public subsidy, believing there is something special and fundamental about the business of farming. However, this places a duty on farmers to use the land for the common good and not just for their individual advantage. Also Greens in Europe have demanded a strict limit on the amount of subsidy agri-businesses can claim to ensure that CAP payments can be better distributed.

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Greens want to see a sustainable farming sector that builds local resilience, protects the countryside, reduces water pollution and creates high-quality jobs. To achieve this we believe that we need to use the subsidy system to encourage smaller farms using less intensive and preferably organic systems of production. We seek a system of payments to support farming systems that responds to the enormous desire and capacity of people to work on the land while also creating jobs through supporting food delivery systems that reduce food miles and connect local producers and consumers.

‘Greens want to replace the outdated CAP with one that supports small farmers in making the transition to sustainable agricultural practices, and ends export subsidies which lead to the dumping of agricultural products on fragile developing world markets.’

Jean Lambert MEP


Fisheries for the common goodEngland’s three largest fishing ports are in the South West: Brixham lands £26m worth of fish each year, Newlyn £22m a year and Plymouth £14.2m a year.

As a result of campaigning from South West-based Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, amongst others, the EU has recently agreed significant changes to fisheries policy. These were largely driven by the concern for pressure on and possible collapse of fish stocks, as well as an ongoing destruction of the marine habitat.

Many of the objectives of the EU Green Group were achieved by the new proposals, although their more ambitious proposal to protect marine environments was watered down.

The Greens have played a lead role in pushing for a more sustainable Common Fisheries Policy. The policy of throwing unwanted fish back into the sea was a massive waste of food and income and will now be curtailed. Fish stocks will be better managed and the capacity of the fishing fleet better regulated. Consumers will now be able to see not only where their fish came from but how it was caught. Much remains to be done to implement these reforms and to ensure that loopholes are not exploited. Greens will continue to fight for better controls over intensive fish farming, which is highly polluting and for fairer treatment for small-scale, local fishing inside and outside Europe.

‘I grew up in the Scilly Isles and went to school in Cornwall so I’m passionate about protecting the marine environment. In conversations with the Cornish fishermen I’m convinced that we can find a way that supports their livelihoods while protecting fish stocks.’

Judy Maciejowka, European candidate, Bere Alston


Transport for the common goodn Return railways to public ownership.n Electrification of railways, improvements to networks, opening new

lines and re-opening old ones. n Establishment of Regional Transport Authorities in the South West

to re-regulate and coordinate bus and local rail services, copying the successful London model.

n Investing in integrated cycling and walking networks and car share schemes in local communities across the South West

The Green Party in the UK has a vision and a plan for an efficient, reliable, clean, and green transport system across the country. The collapse of the railway line at Dawlish was just one indication of the way the Westminster politicians have failed to invest in our transport infrastructure in the South West; research shows that London receives around 140 times more spending per head on transport infrastructure compared to the South West. Investing in vanity projects such as HS2 will further reinforce this discrepancy and do nothing for the South West.,

Greens call for a coordinated approach to delivering an integrated public transport system across the South West; one that would be more effective in supporting local businesses, commuters, families and tourists. Greens across the region are already supporting local people and groups to improve public transport, for example by campaigning to save subsidised bus services under threat.

A Green MEP in the South West will work for a bold, integrated, co-ordinated transport system and change can be achieved directly through the EU, via the budget and the rules governing transport systems in Europe.


The Green Party wants to see an expansion of the rail network in the South West with old lines being reopened, new lines being considered, increased frequency of services and electrification. Like the majority of the public, we want this to happen under a publicly owned railway and have set up a petition calling for the Great Western franchise to be brought back under public control. Greens in Europe have been resisting European Commission plans to impose the failed model of privatisation on rail services in EU member states and have campaigned for individual countries to be able to choose the way they want to run their passenger rail services.

We also support re-regulating bus services, bringing them under the control of Regional Transport Authorities which would determine routes, frequencies and fares, as has worked so successfully in London. Above all, we want to see investment in safe joined-up cycling and walking networks across the South West region. As well as the health and environmental benefits, high quality walking and cycling networks offer massive potential for green tourism across the region.

Cars of course have an important role to play in any transport system, particularly for rural communities. We would like to see the expansion of car clubs and car share schemes which free people from the need to own a car. Such schemes are already successfully established in many areas of the South West and allow people who are unable to or do not wish to own cars access to them when needed.

A truly sustainable transport system also involves re-localising our economies where communities and people are less dependent on having to travel large distances to work and less reliant on goods that travel large distances to reach us. Green Party transport policy emphasises the need for us to travel comfortably, reliably and sustainably, while our economic policy is based on a shift towards high quality goods and services being produced more locally.

‘To tackle climate change people must be provided with affordable, safe and comfortable public transport options. Greens will always push for transport options that allow people to get about safely without having a negative impact on the environment.’

Keith Taylor MEP


Europe for the common good of the worldn Increase the EU’s peace-keeping budgetn End the destructive arms trade and work for nuclear disarmament in

Europen Undertake an honest debate about immigration that focuses on

equality rather than victimisation

The EU was created to ensure peace after devastating wars. Today it must contribute to ensuring peace not only in Europe but throughout the world. Greens want to promote non-violence and a culture of cooperation. The EU has played and can continue to play an important role in conflict prevention, civil conflict-resolution, peace-building, peacekeeping, promoting freedom, eradicating poverty and by increasing mutual understanding between cultures.

Greens have secured a much larger EU budget for peace-building through the Instrument for Stability and Peace. We have also supported the idea of an EU Peace Corps and the creation of a Peace Institute. We oppose financing military research, the development of European drones and Europe being a nuclear warehouse; we will continue to campaign for nuclear disarmament.

There appears to be a rising tide of xenophobia across Europe which threatens our peace and prosperity as a continent. There are a great many myths about immigration both in terms of the actual facts and what politicians can do about it. The principle of free movement, meaning that European citizens can go to whichever country they wish, is a key founding principle of the European Union. It is a principle that was recently endorsed by the EU parliament and South West Greens support


it. As long as we are part of the European Union it is impossible for our national politicians to do anything about this whatever they may say in speeches.

As Greens we are committed to fairness and equality and so support the EU principle that there should be equal living standards in all member states. We think that raising living standards in new member countries should go hand in hand with people being free to move. Greens are also concerned about the ‘brain drain’ from central European countries which are now struggling to staff their hospitals, for example.

The European arms trade with the Middle and Far East is exporting insecurity to these regions. Greens want to cut down this trade and prevent such exports including surveillance technology where they could be used against freedom movements and civic protest.

Greens in Brussels have worked tirelessly to bring about a ban on the world’s most indiscriminate weapons. In 2010 and 2011, Greens won support from fellow European Parliamentarians to pass resolutions banning the use, production and stockpiling of cluster bombs on the continent.


Making democracy work for the common goodn Make subsidiarity happen by devolving power down towards Europe’s

regionsn Lower the voting age to 16 for European Electionsn Democratise the European Central Bank by making it accountable to a

committee of MEPs

More democracy, not less, is the answer to the crisis of confidence in the European Union. We believe that a shift towards more citizens’ participation, accountability and transparency is crucial to gain legitimacy for future European co-operation.

Although subsidiarity may be an unattractive word it sums up a Green view of the political process: power should be devolved to the lowest appropriate level, where it can be exercised more effectively. Greens believe that power is much too centralised

at present. Pollution knows no frontiers: thus environmental issues are an obvious case for international action of the kind undertaken at the EU level; but power over many other decisions should be decided locally.

By choosing the Members of the European Parliament, citizens have a say on how many crucial issues of our times will be tackled, from climate change to bank regulation, from the refugee crisis to youth unemployment. We want to give the European Parliament a stronger role in EU crisis management and economic policy making. We want to lower the voting age to 16 for the European parliament and the option of introducing lists of transnational candidates.

The growing influence handed to the European Parliament by the Lisbon Treaty must be exercised responsibly and not undermined by commercial lobbying interests, which currently have far too much influence in Brussels, where they are shielded by weak and ineffective rules on lobbying. In the Council of the European Union, as well, more transparency and accountability is needed.

Greens are campaigning for the UK to remain a part of a reformed European Union. The UK’s Green MEPs Keith Taylor and Jean Lambert have consistently voted for increased transparency and accountability in the EU. Both MEPs have supported the Single Seat campaign to end the monthly travel to Strasbourg.

�0 A Green voice for the South West in Brussels South West Green Party

Making the EU work for the common goodn Ban the Brussels revolving door between lobbyists and the Commissionn Give the European Court of Auditors stronger powersn EU parliament to be given the power to initiate legislationn Introduce a strong EU-wide data protection law

Corrupt behaviour by EU officials or parliamentarians in their relations with lobbyists must be challenged urgently, as must the excessive power of corporate lobbyists on the Commission. Greens want to see a regulation to tackle the problem of ‘revolving doors’ where senior bureaucrats and politicians in European institutions join private organizations which they were responsible for regulating.

We want to provide the Court of Justice of the EU and the European Court of Auditors with stronger tools to control the way in which the EU resources are spent and to act against corruption both within the EU institutions and in the case of serious problems within the member states. Parliament should be given more power to act against such wastefulness, for example to end the travelling circus between Brussels and Strasbourg and have a single seat for the parliament.

Our proposals for more democracy, more transparency and more accountability at the EU level require clear changes in the functioning of the EU. The European Parliament should have the right to initiate legislation. It needs more legislative co-decision powers while national veto rights should be diminished. Some decisions must, on the other hand, be taken much closer to the citizens.

Greens in the European Parliament are at the forefront of the fight for digital rights. They helped stop the ACTA treaty and we fight for a strong European data protection law and strict net neutrality. Now is the right

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time to go all the way and take civic rights into the digital age. Your personal data should belong to you, not to companies or governments. Your privacy must be respected. The data retention law, which obliges telecom providers to store data about whom you communicate with, is a serious mistake and must be abolished. Governments have to abide by their own laws. Whilst national security is important, personal freedoms and liberties must not be overridden.

‘Young people feel shut out of the political debate both in Britain and the European Union. Greens are working hard to find ways to engage young people and also to protect our rights to digital privacy.’

Audaye Elesedy, Green Party European

candidate, Exeter

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Let’s make it our Europe!

As Greens we believe that Europe is our common home and our future. In a globalised world, facing the daunting social, environmental and security challenges ahead, we need to work in partnership across Europe for a peaceful, secure and sustainable future.

We need an economy based on fair shares and cooperation rather than competition and profits for the few. We need to ensure that we focus on the quality of our lives rather than economic growth and that our economy respects ecological limits. The Europe we believe in is not self-satisfied, but ambitious. We refuse to condone failure in European policies but are optimistic about the possibility of changing for the better, not just walking away to isolationism.

To safeguard our common future we want to change Europe, to strengthen it. That is why we stand for a Europe where security and sustainability actually mean something. Join us in our vision of a Europe for the common good.

Published and promoted by Jenny Rust for South West Green Party, both at Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LT.

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