Adrian Ramsay, in his keynote speech as Deputy Leader of the Green Party at autumn conference, strongly criticised the coalition government as ramming through policies that will damage our country for years to come.
In describing the current economic crisis, he referred to David Cameron's acknowledgment that we've been "living beyond our means" and asked "Has Dave finally caught up with decades of Green thinking? It turns out that when Dave says we're ‘living beyond our means' it's just his code for saying that the Government is spending too much on public services. Good public services are not about living beyond our means, they're about securing the means to live."
Ramsay went on to highlight that the coalition government has missed opportunities to reduce unemployment while building a green and sustainable economy. He emphasised the Green Party's continued opposition to the cuts, criticising the coalition's budget plans as those which will hit the most vulnerable the hardest.
Adrian Ramsay said: "There's no doubt that these cuts to essential services will hurt those who most need help. But in the long-term they will hurt us all. Dismantling our public services is no way to build a fair society - and it's no way to build a strong economy.
"Since Thatcher's era, we've seen Tory and Labour Governments scrambling to sell off our public services. That's all set to continue under the ConDem coalition. We're seeing social inequalities widen, industrial conflict increase, mass unemployment and the prospect of a lost generation.
"It's like we are hearing a 'Worst-hits of the '80s' political CD and someone's set it on repeat."
You can view the full speech here.