Clegg's 'Toryisation' makes Greens the progressive choice
15 September 2008
NEWS: Green Party | www.greenparty.org.uk
For immediate use, Tuesday 16 September 2008
CLEGG'S "TORYISATION" MAKES GREENS THE PROGRESSIVE CHOICE
-- Caroline Lucas hits out at public service cuts and tax breaks for the well-off
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has expressed 'shock' at the pace of the rightward shift in Lib Dem policy during their conference in Bournemouth. She extended an invitation to traditional Liberal Democrats let down by the move to join the Greens and urged her own party to redouble efforts to inform voters of the differences between the parties on key issues such as public services.
Dr Lucas said:
"No one who has been watching the Lib Dems is still surprised by their shifts to the right, but I am shocked by the speed of their Toryisation. From cuts in public services, to tax breaks for the well-off, the agenda being pushed through this conference is boldly, unapologetically regressive.
"People still remember the Lib Dems as the public-spirited party of Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy. They remember the commitment to invest in education. But this Liberal Democrat party is now committed to cutting public services, whipping away the safety net just as people are beginning to need it more.
"They propose to give tax breaks to people with "healthy lifestyles," including paying people every time they swipe into the gym - a highly accurate way of targeting tax cuts to benefit the well-off. Sticking to the Tory playbook of helping people less and blaming them more, it's about as regressive a tax plan as we've seen for a long time.
"Nick Clegg is squeezing himself up against Gordon Brown and David Cameron in a crowded corner at the right of the political field, leaving not only the majority of the public but also his own party unrepresented and let down.
"Liberal Democrats who don't share Clegg's right-wing vision will find themselves at home in the Green Party and I invite them to join us now.
"It's the job of all Green Party activists to make clear the difference between the pro-privatisation Lib Dems and pro-public services Greens, and to give Lib Dem supporters the opportunity to stick with their progressive values rather than their errant leader."
ENDS
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