Caroline Lucas Election 2017

I want to start off by saying how inspired I am to be here because

this kind of space sums up to me what makes Brighton what it is.

Pioneering spirits like yourselves and also people who recognise that

cooperation and collaboration are on the other side of that pioneering

spirit. It doesn't have to be an entirely individualistic pursuit.

There can be a lot achieved by being together, and that collaboration is

key to making ideas fit for the 21st-century. It is good to hear

from you about questions you might have. The Green party is committed

to doing all we can to support this kind of working which is something

pretty different from what our parents and grandparents were doing.

People have more approach to their work, it's much less 9-5 than it

ever was. We want to make sure the legislative environment catches up

to the reality of where work is now and I feel this is the case their

rematch when it comes to the self-employed, the freelancers and

those moving in and out of employment. It feels like our

structures are based on a 20th-century model, when in fact,

the way are working now is different so we need to get those structures

to catch up with that reality. Let's talk about social enterprise, one of

my passions. We are blessed with some amazing examples of this,

putting social- capital back into the community. One of my favourites,

back in 2010, is How It Should Be the supermarket on London Road. This

isn't another health food store that's trendy. This is about making

healthy food affordable, normal. Those kinds of trading relationships

knowing that when you walk into that shop, everything in it is 100% not

exploiting, and supporting local farmers and businesses. And the idea

that becoming the norm rather than Nick sketch -- the exception. The

big Lemon Bus, when they were using recycled cooking oil to power those

buses. Tom drew it has taken that company from strength to strength

and we are launching their first bus that is now running on solar power

which is topped up overnight at the station. That pioneering spirit

where you are combining the environmental way of doing things

with the social capital side of things, in terms of it being a

community interest company, and putting it back into the community,

is really exciting. I've tried to see if this could be taken further,

with a whole city approach, and I was struck by the success of the

Bristol Pound. It's gone from a different layer to the Lewis Pound.

That is a bit niche and isn't being used the day-to-day transactions.

But the Bristol pound means you can use it on the railways, to pay

council tax, business rates. You can use it on your mobile phone and it's

an alternative, parallel currency which is focused on keeping capital

in the city of Bristol and to that extent, it stops people from

spending in the big chain stores. What this does is absolute the

keeping that money flowing locally. We got together to explore whether a

Brighton pound would be possible, in the Chamber of Commerce and we

didn't get as far as that, but what did spring out of that is something

called Good Money of which I am a board member. This is a step towards

that, if you voucher system using independent shops in the city. So

instead of buying a gift voucher from Amazon, you would have won

which is exchangeable in 50-60 local, independent shops and that's

to keep capital flowing locally. We are beginning to look at other ways

of trying to address some of the problems of the city. Sometimes when

you sit in a place like this, Brighton can seem wonderfully

trendy, and it is that, but it is also a city of two halves. A city of

enormous inequality and what we want to look at, and we haven't quite

cracked it yet, is to ensure the people living on the outskirts of

the city centre, how are they going to benefit from all of these

resources present in the city? So on any given day, if you were looking

at the cinema was in the city, there would be lots of empty seats. How

could we connect those who are isolated, on the peripheral areas,

connecting people on the outside to people on the insides, connecting

them to those seats. The issue of inequality is one of the biggest

that this city faces and business has eight big, broad role to try to

bridge that gap. I want to say a few things about Green party policy on

freelancers and independents and sold businesses, because we are

passionate about small businesses, because we realise you are the

backbone of this economy, in the city. The framework doesn't

necessarily recognise that. I've had Rhyl answers coming to me saying why

don't I get maternity pay, paternity pay? The benefits you would get if

you were an employee. Given the number of self-employed people is

skyrocketing, people who are choosing to do that, able to reap

the benefits of that, but also those who are being exploited. We want to

recognise the challenges the needs of the freelance self-employed

market. It's absolute leaky. I'm looking at the Taylor Reports,

looking at the future of work, and I note that the submission was made by

IPSI who have made lots of sensible recommendations in there. Some of

the things I've been doing is to fight for... Fights against the hike

in business rates. Otherwise things will skyrocket here. Brighton Pier

facing a 17% increase in business rates, one of the pubs I spoke to

his facing a increase. Not sustainable for a city made up of

small businesses. We've been fighting that. I'd like to see rent

controls to stop landlords putting up rent. The percentage of retail

floor space in all new developments to be affordable for small, local

businesses. We need to get back the old business Link, that model where

you can get face-to-face support, that seems to be crucial to me, not

just having someone on the end of the phone. I'd love to see banks

about after the financial crash, but about after the financial crash, but

we are so far away from the banking model they had in the US and in

If anyone remembers the TV programme The Bank Of Dave

whereby he knew all those in his bank. . It we had genuine, local

banks, if we had community mutuals, more credit unions. That financial

ecology needs to be there to And finally, gosh, there's so much

more to say... I'm proud of the fact that the Green Party is at least

answering some of the questions that are relevant to the 21st-century, in

other words, what is the model of work going to be like in ten, 15

years' time? A recent report said that we could have lost 10 million

jobs in 15 years' time because of automation. How do we make that

positive rather than a massive threat? How do we perhaps shift to

something like a four-day week. It's been promised for over 100 years,

John Maynard Keynes was talking about it. How do we do that and

still make sure people have enough to live on and thrive? Is there a

role for a universal Basic income, a guaranteed, non-means tested amount

of money you get every week which would be a basic security? Obviously

if you are earning a lot you get taxed more, but otherwise it could

be giving you that basic security. Those are some of the questions the

Green Party is asking. There has been lots to say as well about

things like the housing crisis in the city, the fact that our schools

are being starved of funds by the Government, by the fact that the NHS

is also in crisis and the Green Party would like to see the private

sector taken out of the NHS. And finally of course the elephant in

the room, Brexit. I'm -- and hope somebody would ask me a question

about Brexit, because then I could wax lyrical about the fact that I

don't think Theresa May has a mandate for the extreme Brexit, that

was not in the ballot paper, this extreme Brexit where we are out of

the single market and the customs union. I think that spells bad news

for Brighton. And I wish, I do wish that the Labour Party had been a bit

stronger on that because I do think we could have had an alliance

between Labour, the Lib Dems, Green Party, nationalists, and maybe some

of the Tories as well, to have a version of Brexit that allowed us to

stay in the single market, keep freedom of movement, I think it is

an extraordinary gift, a precious gift that we are now just throwing

away carelessly. But that ability to study, travel, in other member

States, why would we want to deny ourselves or our kids about? So I

think there is all still to fight, and our policy would be a second

referendum on the terms of the deal. If people like it, then that's fine.

But people don't like it, there should be the option to stay inside

the European union. What's the first thing every MP has

oath of allegiance to the crown. oath of allegiance to the crown.

Until the oath is taken, you cannot take your seat, draw a salary or

make a speech or vote. And you could have your seats declared vacant or

even be fined if you try. An MP holds a sacred text in their

uplifted hand, and says the words of the vote -- the oath. I well by

Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her

Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according