Green Party Manifesto Launch Election 2017

Thank you everyone for coming to the launch of our green guarantee for

this election. I'm Sian Berry the London Assembly Member and I'm here

to introduce our co-leaders. First of all, we have Jonathan Bartley. I

cannot turn on social media at the moment without being flooded with

messages about saying how fantastic he is. I'm very, very pleased to

welcome him to our launch today, where he'll introduce some of our

policies for this election. It feels like the only way is down

now. Thank you so much for coming to today's launch of the Green

guarantee. It sets out what Greens Health Secretaried to the House of

Commons would stand up for on your behalf. These are big and these are

bold ideas that with the right political will are possible. They're

about building a confident and a caring Britain and a future that we

can all be proud of. Confident because we're creating a resilient,

diverse and people-powered economy that allows us to live larger lives

and cope with the challenges ahead. Caring, because we're redefining the

Welfare State, striving to end inequality and committed to

redistributing both wealth and power. We have the fifth largest

economy in the world. In such a country, no renter should have to

live in damp, cold or neglected accommodation. No parent should have

to compete with other parents to find their child a decent school.

No-one should have to wait ten hours in an emergency ward before getting

the care and attention they need. When I go to my children's school I

walk in to the foyer and I'm frented with a huge board right in the

middle of the school. Everyone see it's when they come in. On that

board are three concentric circles. In those circles is the picture of

every child in the school with their names underneath. The children with

three levels of progress are in the centre. That's where two of my

children are. Those children that have made no progress are pictured

on the outside of those circles, Sigma tied for everyone to see. None

of my children want that. None of the teachers in their heart of

hearts want that. They want an education system that works for

everyone. When I go to a hospital, as I did last year, and I go with my

son as a regular user, I don't want to have to have my hospital

appointment cancelled three times, my operation cancelled three times

for my son. It's not fair on him. It's not fair on the others. When I

go to a basic hospital appointment, I don't want to wait two hours only

for that appointment to be cancelled. We can have a different

future, one where we all have the security and the choices we deserve,

for a basic income which allows us to fulfil our potential, yes, let's

say it - our dreams. No-one should tell you that your voice doesn't

matter. When it comes to the biggest decision this country has faced in

generations, you will not get a say on whether having seen what life

outside the EU will look like we should choose that future or choose

to remain. The media, with respect, and the old parties will tell you

that there are other two options on the ballot paper at this election.

It's not true. That is aess service to our democracy. If you believe in

a welcoming Britain, a country of compassion, a fair economy, where

those with the most contribute more, the protection of our countryside, a

nation confident enough to build bridges not walls. You have a

choice. If you believe things can change for the better and that the

next generation must be defined by fairness not food banks, then we

will give you that choice. If you believe that our future will be

defined not by the size of our nuclear Arsenal but by harnessing

the enormous potential of the people who live here in this country - join

us and stand up for what really matters.

On June 8 choose a positive future and vote Green for a confident and

caring Britain. Thank you. APPLAUSE

Thank you Jonathan. I'm very, very proud to introduce Caroline Lucas.

She's defending to be reected as MP for Brighton Pavillion for the

second time now. She just gets more and more popular, as far as I can

tell. Caroline Lucas. . Thanks so much. Thank you to everyone for

being here. I'm delighted to be with Jonathan and launching this

wonderful Green Karen gee and -- guarantee. I want to thank WIRA for

hosting this launch in this amazing place. Since 2012 they have

supported the creation of 160 new start-ups. They have been getting

behind bold, creative new ideas and sharing the future through brave

leadership. And by being here today, we're choosing a future of

opportunities for pioneers and innovators like them. We are here

choosing a new kind of economy that meets people's needs and makes sure

we protect the environment. A confident and caring Britain, that

reaches for a bigger future that we can be proud of. The Green guarantee

is about hope and we need hope now like never before. I can't remember

a time in my own lifetime where the future has felt more uncertain. With

Brexit, with accelerating climate change, with an NHS in crisis.

We face challenges that we can't possibly pretend to fix in the next

100 days or the next 1,000. Threats to our economic future, threats to

our security, threats to our planet. But ours is a message of hope

because we believe that if we stand together for what matters, we can

change the course of history. We can meet these enormous challenges. So

while other parties ignore the environment, Greens will protect it.

We will continue to set the agenda with bold policies to transform

peoples lives with things like a pilot for a basic income scheme and

a shorter worker week. We'll protect the NHS. We'll properly fund it,

yes, but crucially, we'll take the private sector out of it. We'll

repeal the Health and Social Care Act and replace it with the NHS reap

statement act, that's a bill that I've had the honour of presenting to

Parliament a couple of times now already as Private Members' Bills.

We'll proudly stand up for free movement. We'll give the British

people an explicit option to remain part of the EU, as part of a

ratification referendum on the Brexit deal. Let me say a few more

words about Brexit, this huge challenge that's facing us. In our

view, the huge threat that is facing us, in terms of the extreme Brexit

which Theresa May is pursuing. Let us make no mistake. She has no

mandate for the kind of Brexit she is pursuing, out of the single

market, out of the customs union, leaving key social and environmental

protections behind, leaving free movement. That was not on the ballot

paper. Yes, there was a rote leave. But it's not clear what that leave

looks like in practice, which is why we say it is right for the British

public to have a final say on the deal not just MPs as Theresa May

would have it. It was the British people that set off this process. It

is the British people who should be able to look at the small print of

the final deal and if they like it, then fine. But if they don't, then

they should have, we should have, that right to remain inside the EU.

That is what the Green Party is offering. We are also saying to EU

nationals, who have made their lives here, in good faith, that of course

your future here should be guaranteed immediately now, not

using them cynically as bargaining chips, as Theresa May is doing. We

are the one party that is proud to stand up for the wonderful gift that

is free movement. It is an extraordinarily precious gift to be

able to work and travel and live and learn and to love in 27 other member

states. My kids, I want them to benefit from that. I want everyone's

kids to benefit from that. I want to broaden that out so that everyone

can benefit. You know, what I feel in particular it is young people

betrayed by this Brexit vote. We know the majority of young people

want to stay inside the EU. In our manifesto, in our Green guarantee

today we are talking particularly to young people. We are making a pitch

to them saying not just that we think they've been betrayed by the

decision on this extreme Brexit, but also they are being burdened by

debt, which is why we'd scrap tuition fees. We're delighted Labour

has caught up with us on that one. It's why we want to see a genuinely

affordable housing, including rent caps and longer tennancies. We would

set up a living rent commission to see what would be a reasonable rent

given the cost of living in different areas rather than making

it clear that young people are never going to be able to save enough for

a deposit because they are constantly paying over the odds

rent. Also, one of the biggest ways we are letting down young people is

on the environment. Last year was the hottest year on record.

state of nature report said 60% of species in the UK are in long-term

decline, 15% at risk of disappearing from our shores all together. We

launched an environment manifesto, a specific environment manifesto last

week in. That we pledged a new environment protection act, which

would safeguard and enhance the environment upon which we depend for

literally everything. It set out our approach to key threats like air

pollution. Air pollution is a public health emergency. It is linked to

the premature deaths of 40,000 people in this country. Yet, it

hardly even made it into the Tory manifesto. It sets out as well the

kinds of policies we have around investment, renewables, energy

efficiency, keeping fossil fuels in the ground. It crucially sets out

how we would protect that body of EU law that currently protects our

environment and which we need it to have safeguarded and enhances in a

post Brexit world. What we're talking about there is making sure

that legislation is not only transferred from the EU to the UK

statute books, but that it is properly enforceable. We need the

legal ark checkure there to make sure in the absence of the European

Commission or European Court of Justice we can enforce that law.

Brexit, the environment, the NHS in crisis, we face huge challenges,

huge questions. I'm proud that the Green Party is at least is asking

those questions and is beginning to get some of the answers as well. We

want to have that debate with you about the answers to these major

questions we face today. This election is about what kind of

future we want for our children. It is about protecting our values of

openness, compassion, cooperation. It's about our promise that a

confident and caring future is possible, if we work together, if we

do politics differently, and if we dare to be more ambitious. The

guarantee says we're ready and we hope you'll join us by voting Green

on June 8. APPLAUSE

Would anyone like to ask a question? REPORTER: ITV news. Many of your

policies seem very, very close indeed to Jeremy Corbyn's Labour

Party, are people really getting a choice in this election? Well, they

certainly are. First of all, of course, they say don't they

imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We're glad Jeremy Corbyn

has been looking at our 2015 general

election manifesto and taken lots of our policies, like bringing rail

back into public ownership, cancelling tuition fees. But Brexit

is the obvious thing that he's not doing. I feel so let down by the

fact that Labour has not been a rigorous Opposition when it comes to

Brexit. They have allowed the Government to have a blank cheque on

a hard Brexit. Not only that, they helped them cash it in at the bank

as well. On Brexit, we are very clear that we want as close a

relationship to the EU as possible. We want to stand up for the free

movement, Labour is not offering that. On the environment and climate

change, they don't go nearly as far as we do. They can be not be

champions of renewable energy and support money for Hinckley Nuclear

Power Stations. -- power station. Sadly we feel there is a long way to

go from Labour and we're proud to be offering something very distinct.

Is there a danger people might understand and respect your Remain

message but but put off by more costly things like paying off

student debt? We need to have an honest conversation about taxation

in this country. Look at Germany. Spends 44% of its gross domestic

product on public expenditure. We are heading down from 40%. It is

absurd the Conservative Government said it would cut corporation tax,

how is that going to work? They have no economic credibility, we can be

like Germany, we can find 775, perhaps ?100 billion, of proper

investment, the money is there, the problem is that the money is in the

wrong hands. It needs the political will to make those decision, the

Resolution Foundation estimates that because just the corporation tax

cuts since 2010, through to today, cutting from 27, 28 percent, wanting

to go town do 17%, we could have ?125 billion more, 235 billion more

if we carry on. It gives you an idea how much money there is, but it

requires the political will to do it. I think people are getting that,

responding to that and we are seeing over social care the Conservatives

have scored a massive own goal politically about pursuing this

policy where people will lose their home, anything over 100,00 pounds.

People are saying hang on. It doesn't have to be this way, there

could have been investment in social care, there is only a crisis in

social care because of under investment. The ageing population is

coming but the crisis now is here, because of Tory mismanagement of the

economy, and making the wrong choices over the last seven years,

people are getting that and wanting that progressive taxation, they

realise the money has been sucked out, it has gone for excess profits

and it doesn't have to be like this. Manufacture Do you believe there is

still 48%... But, I think the critical thing here is there is two

to be period of time for the negotiation, the next 18 months or

so, and, at the end of that at the moment, it is proposed that should

come back to Parliament, to sign it off. The distinction we making it

should come back to the British public, so we are not suggesting

that the negotiations should go on any longer than Theresa May is. We

are saying that democracy has to be at the front and centre of decision

and it is right that British people get to see what the the final deal

look like. Already,er we are seeing so many of the promises that we were

made, unravelling, I mean the famous of course the 350 million for the

NHS, weekly has been, you know, it was evaporated within a couple of

days of the referendum result. But things like the threats of Turkey

joining the EU, or all kinds of other threats that were made, which

are now unravelling at the same time as thing like inflation is going up

and people are beginning to realise that it is going to cost them, to

leave the EU, so given I think we will have a lot more information

about what leave looks like, I think it is right that people get the

right to look at that small print. There was another hand at the back.

Is it your impression... Well, I think

that the latter of to easy two options seems to be rather more

likely, there is a real fight on our hands to be serious about what will

happen to the Paris climate agreement and so forth, even if the

worst happens and Trump turns his back on it, I think the good news is

there are so much momentum behind the green economy, behind green

energy, behind renewables and green technology, it is already telling

its own economic story, which is it is cheaper 19 fossil fuel

alternatives. I think it will be too late to turn that back, so yes, at

this critical moment it will be wonderful to have more real

champions of shifting to that greener society, greener energy,

greener economy, we need that, but the worst case scenario that some

are painting, that Paris could collapse because of Trump, I don't

think will happen because I think the economics are speak for

themselves. It makes economic sense to be investing in green energy, not

just environmental sense. I think it is too late for that.

Have you got a idea what it will look like? What else can you do to

try and get the message over to people? The metric, it is

disappointing. The Labour leader and Liberal Democrat leader didn't

respond to our joint letter at the beginning as a priority to come and

talk, to have conversations about this, there is a insurrection going

on, that is what the metric is, in 30 seats round the country people

are talking, green dabbed at thes have shown leadership and stood

aside. And if there are wins in the seats it will be the greens what won

it, absolutely clear. This election is the beginning not

the end. We are looking at system which is creaking, under the strain,

1950, 95% of people voted toer the two big parties. Now we are down to

two thirds. The system has not caught up. The Green Party is ahead

of the curve and looking at what kind of control and democracy we

want for the 21st century. Have row done it again? I am proud of the

party, for making that stand, and leading the way.

Any more questions. No?