The Green Party in Wales has responded to the ongoing public debate over Scottish independence by calling for a discussion of further extending self-Government to Wales.

Pippa Bartolotti, recently elected leader of Wales Green Party said:

"It's clear that people in Wales now want the Assembly to be the level of Government with most control over issues affecting Wales, expressed in the landslide ‘yes' vote in last year's referendum on further powers for the Assembly.

"But even with the new powers approved in 2011 the Assembly is still very constrained compared to Scotland and does not have the same scope to mitigate the appalling damage being inflicted on our country by the Tories and Lib Dems in Westminster. "

She continued by insisting that Scotland should choose the timetable for any independence referendum:

"We express our full solidarity with Scotland over their right to self determination and their right to decide the timing of any referendum free from Westminster interference. Surely the Scottish Government has more of a mandate for this that a party with one MP in Scotland? The people of Wales have long memories, and are watching this debate closely.

"If Scotland does become independent it will have dramatic consequences for Wales and its place within the UK, and this is something that must be discussed without delay. We think that Wales should in time have a referendum on ‘devo-max', similar to the proposed 3^rd option in Scotland, where almost all power is devolved but stops short of full independence.

"The Welsh Assembly is best placed to decide our future here in Wales, and with an increasingly malevolent Government in Westminster targeting the poor and vulnerable, it is essential that Wales has the powers to forge an alternative, fairer future."

ENDS

 For more information contact press@walesgreenparty.org.uk or 07590008249

Pippa Bartolotti has been elected as Wales Green Party's new leader. Pippa is known by her local community as a hard-working campaigner against the Newport Incinerator and a member of the flotilla offering aid to Gaza.

She said:
"I am proud and indeed humbled to be leading Wales Green Party at a time when our message of solving economic and environmental challenges together is desperately needed. Our membership has nearly doubled in the last 2 years, and our voice is getting stronger. The people of Wales deserve to be represented by a party which is prepared to stand strong in action and principle, and present sturdy policies to bring Wales successfully through the difficult years to come.

"All over this country we face threats from an unrepentant banking sector which the rest of us have been forced to pay for, and a Government refusing to protect our health and our future by safeguarding the environment. The Green Party will push for policies which create decent jobs and tangible stability. Our strength is in our unwavering commitment to a philosophy which has been proved right time and again. I will work hard to forward our Green agenda for small businesses, for green jobs, for clean industries, better health and a more stable economy.

"I would like to thank all the members of the Green Party who have voted for me, and thank them for their honesty and commitment which has become the hallmark of a party I am proud to serve."

Elected as Deputy Leader was Chris Were, who is 24 and is self employed in his home town of Monmouth. He said:

"It is a great pleasure for me to be able to support Wales Green Party as Deputy Leader. Today we see a government which fails to protect local businesses, an essential cornerstone to our economy and providing more employment than over sized multinationals. I believe it is essential that support for local businesses is protected in the face of ruthless cuts to public spending. Education and our health service are also things I want to work hard to protect here in Wales.

 For more information contact press@walesgreenparty.org.uk or 07590008249

ENDS

For more information regarding the meeting please e-mail Mark Gabb at mark.gabb@walesgreenparty.org.uk

The planning application was heard in Barry and a protest took place outside the Civic Offices beforehand. Both BBC Wales News and ITV Wales News ran stories regarding the protest showing the continued interest in the issue: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-15371033

Unfortunately, it is more than likely that Coastal Oil and Gas will appeal against the decision to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). Given the heightened interest in the application, it is believed at this time that it will go to a public enquiry where an independent will be appointed by WAG.

Although the refusal of the planning application at Llandow was of significant importance, we know all too well that a moratorium called by the UK government to look into safety concerns regarding hydraulic fracturing is the only true measure of our campaign being successful.

Gwent Green Party (along with other groups) staged a protest outside of a planning consultation held at Llanwern Village Hall on Thursday 6th October outline their opposition to the building of a new waste incinerator near Llanwern Village.

Wales Green Party Deputy Leader Pippa Bartolotti said: “There were a lot of glum faces coming out of the hall that couldn’t believe this was happening around here.”

A further demonstration will be held st a Prosiect Gwrydd drop-in session at Magor Square on October 22nd from 10am to 4pm. To find out more about Wales Green Party’s opposition to the Newport incinerator please visit greenwales.org or click on the links below.

May 2011
http://www.greenwales.org/2011/05/stop-newport-incinerator-campaign.html

Semptember 2011
http://www.greenwales.org/2011/09/newport-incinerator-update.html

September 2011
http://www.greenwales.org/2011/09/stop-newport-incinerator-campaign.html

This blog will provide views from many of the Wales Green Party members from all corners of Wales. This exciting new blog will allow the people of Wales to know exactly what work the Wales Green Party does and what exactly we stand for.

If you have any questions regarding the blog then please e-mail Mark Gabb at mark.gabb@walesgreenparty.org.uk

Andy Chyba of the Bridgend Green Party and Mark Gabb of the Vale Green Party have been working closely with the Co-operative to bring this event to reality.

This campaign has been brought about following new licenses to ‘frack’ being sought in Bridgend County, Neath Port Talbot, the Vale of Glamorgan and Swansea.

‘Fracking’ or ‘Hydraulic Fracturing’ is the process of drilling for shale gas which has a history of causing numerous negative environmental impacts around the world.

The Wales Green Party have been calling for a moratorium into this risky gas extraction technique before any further test drilling or hydraulic fracturing takes place in the UK.

If you are interested in attending the event on the 23rd September then please contact Mark Gabb at mark.gabb@walesgreenparty.org.uk

Jake Griffiths, Leader said:

"People are very familiar with Ieuan Wyn Jones supporting a nuclear power station in his constituency despite it contradicting his own party's policy, but it's disappointing to hear Plaid Cymru as a whole has now voted to support it.

"Nuclear power is expensive, unsafe and unnecessary. Thousands more jobs could be created in Wales, including Anglesey in safe renewable technologies. Support for nuclear power will be at the expense of safe clean renewable energy. Countries such as Spain, Germany and Denmark already produce 30% of their electricity from renewable sources.

"The recent nuclear Fukushima accident in Japan shows just how unsafe nuclear power can be.

"It is ironic that Plaid has just made a commitment to an independent Wales, yet is supporting a nuclear power plan that was designed by Westminster to satisfy England's energy demands.  Plaid support for nuclear seems nothing less than political opportunism to safe guard their Assembly and Westminster seats in Anglesey and Gwynedd."

 ENDS  

For more information contact Sam Coates 07590008249 sam.coates@walesgreenparty.org.uk

He said:

"I'd like to thank the thousands of people who put their faith in us, and gave us their votes in May's Assembly Election. You put your faith in us when people were naturally feeling defensive, when it was all too clear what damage was being done by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in London.

"Thousands more people than ever before, responded to our positive campaign, showing that there is a real alternative to the politics of public service cuts, environmental degradation and punishing the vulnerable for the mistakes of the super-rich."

"Whilst we were not successful this time we were just 2% short of electing our first Assembly Member, at a time when we could have easily fallen backwards.

"In some of our strongest wards, including my home ward of Canton in West Cardiff, we polled as high as 20% according to election night tallying.

"This shows that where we've put the work in over the years, more and more people are coming to like the green message and are prepared to vote for it. And that's great news for the Local Elections next May, where we are fully focussed on electing Councillors. "

Pippa Bartolotti, Deputy leader of Wales Green Party has been detained in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on her way to a visit of the West Bank.

Pippa was taking part in the ‘flytilla' protest against Greece's blockading of a fleet of aid ships, preventing the supplies from reaching the deeply troubled people of Gaza.

Jake Griffiths, Leader of Wales Green Party commented:

"We're immensely proud of Pippa for highlighting the terrible plight of people in the West Bank and Gaza, which continues to be occupied in violation of international law after several decades. She was part of an aid convoy last year which succeeded in breaking the blockade to deliver desperately needed supplies that are normally banned from entering Gaza.

"From what we know Pippa was detained upon arriving in Tel Aviv on her way to Bethlehem to take part in a week of peaceful activities in protest against the continued blockade of Gaza. There does not appear to be any grounds for her being detained, as travelling to the West Bank is meant to be permitted for British citizens.

"She should be allowed to complete her journey to the West Bank to take part in the peaceful events planned. Despite this, we understand she is likely to be returned to the UK this week. Reports from Israel are unclear at the moment, but we hope she is being treated well. Israeli authorities should realise that the world remain appalled by the conditions people are forced to put up with in the occupied territories, and people like Pippa will continue to highlight their plight."

ENDS

For more information contact Sam Coates 075 9000 8249
or Jake Griffiths 077 5275 4537

We didn't quite make it in South Wales Central - Labour's clean sweep of constituency seats making it harder to reach the threshold of votes needed. But this campaign built the blocks to elect Councillors in Cardiff and beyond next May.  In South Wales Central we increased our vote by nearly 40% in an election where Plaid and the Lib Dems did badly.

We've been heartened by the level of goodwill in the campaign as people saw the benfits of having Greens in the Assemby and our positive message for the future of Wales. 

Our work on the ground this year we feel will allow us to be back even stronger next year and in a great position to elect Assembly Memers next time.

 Thank you

Jake Griffiths, candidate for South Wales Central said:

"This is a great example of the benefits increased investment and imaginative thinking around renewable technologies could bring to Wales. Renewables won't just tackle environmental issues like climate change and resource depletion, they will also address many of the social problems we are faced with.

"For example, renewable energy and better insulation mean cheaper heating bills for tenants. On a wider scale this kind of thinking would massively help to reduce fuel poverty and prevent the disgraceful situation we found ourselves in last winter when 25% of Welsh households struggled to heat their homes (1).

"Converting to renewables would create thousands of green jobs, and help put people back to work. They would also give us more energy security at a time when oil and gas supplies are becoming more and more unstable. And of course they will also help us to reduce our carbon emissions and tackle climate change. This really is a win-win situation."

Greens are calling for increased investment in social housing to support the depressed building industry, create jobs and address demand and affordability. They also argue that new housing should be regulated to introduce minimum standards.

(1) http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/02/09/children-living-in-fuel-poverty-see-health-and-education-suffer-91466-28138372/

For more information please contact Wales Green Party Press Office 075 8263 5798 press@walesgreenparty.org.uk

As the economy fails to pick up and people become increasingly worried about their livelihoods, it is hugely important that we have real debates and introduce constructive ideas about how their situation can be turned around.

This will not happen by fighting over details or placating voters with the kind of small changes that fail to tackle fundamental problems. Instead what we need is the introduction of long-term, sustainable and people-oriented policies.

Green Party is now the only party to offer an ambitious, fully planned alternative and to unswervingly focus on policy. We are dedicated to coherent issue based politics and bigger-picture thinking.

These are the kind of ideas we think should be being debated across Wales:

How can we reduce the deficit?

Greens argue that cuts will cause unemployment, increase the number of people drawing benefits, reduce tax income and reduce spending. All of which will keep us on a downward spiral and increase public debt.

Strange as it may sound, if we want to reduce the deficit we need to invest into the economy now to create the jobs that will kick-start the economy again.

Who should pay for the crisis?

The financial crisis was caused by greed and the deregulation of the financial sector. But instead of forcing those who profited most from this, the government has been making the public pay.

Greens argue that instead of cutting public services, we should introduce a tax on financial transactions, cut down on tax avoidance and ask the wealthiest people and firms in society to contribute more.

How can we reduce our reliance on oil and make the transition to a sustainable economy?

We argue the case for a prosperous life, lived within the limits of our planet. The financial crisis gives us the perfect opportunity to invest in the transition to a green economy and wean us off our reliance on oil.

This means taxing the most polluting industries, aviation and investing in Green jobs in renewables, recycling, public transport, insulation, conservation and waste management. With the right policies, we estimate 50,000 jobs could be created in the low carbon economy in Wales.

How can we make the Welsh economy stronger?

Greens oppose the flawed logic of attracting inward investment at the expense of local economies, and of pretending that markets alone can fairly distribute wealth.

We think that money put aside for attracting multinationals should be targeted towards helping Welsh businesses to start up and grow. This would include localising the food chain by assisting small farms, farmers' markets, farm box schemes and locally owned co-ops. It would also mean maintaining convenient local facilities, such as post offices, banks, and shops and pushing for the creation of 50,000 new green jobs.

Jake Griffiths, Wales Green Party leader said: 

"It's really heartening to hear that the Canadian Greens have elected their first MP, especially after hearing that Greens in South Wales Central are polling 8% on the second ballot, putting us on track to make our own breakthrough here in Wales.

"It really feels like Greens around the world are seeing more and more support as people become tired of just voting against things, and start to realise that we need to be implementing policies with a vision for the future, that put power back into people's hands." 

Greens are currently seeing success across the UK. Last May, the party won their first seat in Westminster and this year they are expecting to increase their presence in councils such as Bath, Lewis, Reading, Lancaster, Norwich and Brighton and Hove. They are also hoping to treble the number of Green MSPs in the Scottish parliament.

Since 1999, the Green vote in Wales has increased every time a PR system has been used, reaching 6.4% in South Wales Central in the 2009 Euro Election, just below the threshold required to breakthrough to the Assembly. 

Greens say momentum is strong towards the Party gaining its first representatives in the Assembly, as the public tell canvassers they are unhappy about the damage being done by the Conservative Liberal Democrat government in London.

Explaining his call Jake Griffiths said:

"Rhodri Morgan wanted space between the governments in Westminster and Cardiff even when both were Labour. Now the ConDems are in control at Westminster it's even more important to have progressive and radical AMs in Wales to address concerns about protecting health care, improving social care for the elderly, protecting public services, protecting existing jobs and creating new ones in the low carbon economy."

Jake Griffiths renewed his call for people considering voting Labour on their first vote to go Green with their second:

"If Labour falls short of getting an overall majority in the Assembly, there is a risk of a rainbow coalition between the Tories, Lib-Dems and Plaid Cymru. This could enable regressive cuts to hit Wales as a double whammy from both the Tories in Westminster and in Cardiff.

"Just a small number of Green AMs would provide a conscience within the Welsh Government and put Clear Green Water between our small nation with big ideas about progressive social policy and the parties which are causing so much damage in Westminster."

Jake Griffiths also commented on the possibility of Labour winning an overall majority:

"A totally red Wales is just not enough to solve all of today's problems - the Assembly needs a strong Green presence to provide the kind of principled voice and forward thinking that Caroline Lucas has since being elected as the first Green MP."

Greens argue that Labour's likely success in the first vote means winning a seat on the second vote in most regions is almost impossible. With Plaid Cymru refusing to rule out a rainbow coalition with Conservatives and Lib Dems, Greens say that a second vote given to Labour is likely to make the chances of this happening much higher.

With polls today putting the Green Party at 8% on the second ballot in South Wales Central, Greens are calling on Labour voters to give them their second vote and help bring more progressive voices into the Senedd.

Jake Griffiths, Wales Green Party leader said:

"The way our voting system works means that huge amounts of second votes for Labour don't actually help to elect Labour Assembly Members. 74,000 votes failed to elect a single Labour AM on the regional ballot paper in South Wales Central in the last election.

"Greens would be a strong voice in the Assembly to oppose the hard and fast cuts being imposed by the coalition in Westminster, encourage the creation of Green jobs and boost the economy.

"If you are voting Labour in your constituency on Thursday and don't want to wake up next week to a rainbow coalition led by the Tories, doing the same damage in Wales, you should give your 2nd vote to the Green Party."

The Green Party says the proposed scheme ‘Energy for Wales', would install solar panels on government and local authority property such as schools, libraries, government building and landfill sites. It would also create new skilled jobs within a Welsh green economy and help to reduce energy costs for local authorities.

Wales Green Party Leader and lead candidate for South Wales Central Jake Griffiths explained:

"While the Tories and Lib Dem coalition in London are imposing cuts on Wales, we need to come up with innovative ways to generate jobs and protect public services through the building of a strong green economy.

"Although there are some examples of renewable energy being used by the public sector within Wales we believe that this scheme could make the rollout of green technology quicker and more effective - enabling every part of the public sector to benefit."

A similar scheme is being developed in Norwich (1), where Greens are the second largest party with 14 councillors.

Jake continued:

"The Green Party consistently punches above its weight. Caroline Lucas has become a strong figure within Westminster and in areas where Greens are elected we have always been an effective and positive force. We are aiming to elect our first Green AMs this week so that we can be a strong voice for environmental issues and against the cuts in Wales."

Notes

(1) http://www.greenparty.org.uk/localsites/norwich/news/2011-02-22-energy-scheme-will-reduce-cuts.html

Jake Griffiths, Wales Green Party leader and candidate for South Wales Central said:

"The response on the streets has been great. I think people are really starting to look around for alternatives to the short term and regressive politics we've been seeing, and understand that Greens can offer that.

"Greens get into politics because they really believe change is necessary to bring democracy back to local communities, create a safe future for our children and invest in Wales to create a sustainable local economy.

"We're asking people to use their 2nd vote to go Green and bring a fresh voice in the Assembly this year."

Greens are currently seeing success across the UK. Last May, the party won their first seat in Westminster and this year they are expecting to increase their presence in councils such as Bath, Lewis, Reading, Lancaster, Norwich and Brighton and Hove. They are also hoping to treble the number of Green MSPs in the Scottish parliament.