In a one minute manifesto for Radio 1, party leader Caroline Lucas told listeners why they should vote Green. Lucas reminded BBC listeners that "there is an alternative". She said: "We're the party that wants to bring our troops home from Afghanistan and stop bankers from receiving unfair bonuses . . . we want to double investment in activities for young people and build more affordable homes for first-time buyers - we're the Green Party."
The Green Party's major and immediate priority is the creation of an extra million jobs and training places. It wants an immediate £44bn package of measures which would include workforce training, investment in renewables, public transport, insulation, and social housing. Green MPs would push for the phasing out of tuition fees, since education should be about inclusion, not the ability to pay.
The Green Party wants to give young people better things to do by doubling expenditure on local authority youth services, ensuring access to quality facilities for music, art, drama, dance and youth clubs, as well as sports. The ‘Young People's Executive Council' scheme would give young people aged 11-17 control over a chunk of their local council budget, approximately £25000, which will be a designated youth fund.
The Greens want more young people involved in democracy, with an extension of the right to vote to those aged 16 and up. Young people play a key role in the Green Party. The deputy leader Adrian Ramsay (1) is a Young Green. The Young Greens have their own conferences, Action Days, magazine and website (2). The next lord mayor of Norwich, Tom Dylan, is also a Young Green councilor.
Matthew Butcher is the youngest, aged 21, and is the candidate for Nottingham South (3). As a student, Butcher has been keen to foster strong relationships between the student and long-term-resident communities. He has recently campaigned against council cuts as well as lobbied for the re-opening of community post offices. The Green Party has 12 candidates aged under 30.
Caroline ended the Radio 1 broadcast by encouraging listeners to try the Green Party policy matchmaker: "By answering 10 simple questions you can quickly see how your views match with ours." (4)
"Remember, you don't have to settle for the same old parties and the same old promises."
Notes
1. For more information on Adrian Ramsey - http://www.adrianramsay.org.uk
2. See http://younggreens.greenparty.org.uk
3. For more information on Matthew Butcher - http://twitter.com/matthew1butcher; http://matthewbutcher.org.uk/
4. See http://www.onlygreen.org.uk/