Obama Presidency heralds hope for new era, say Greens
The Green Party congratulated Barrack Obama on his inauguration as US President today, saying it heralded hope for a new era based on social justice and real environmental protection.
In a special message to her supporters, Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MEP said the 44th President had lit a beacon for those who sought to achieve "the impossible" in politics.
"With the Middle East in flames, and with millions of people around the world fearing for their jobs and their security, the burden of expectation on President Obama is awesome. Yet the very fact that he is in the White House at all is nourishment to those of us who dream that things can sometimes get better. He has lit a beacon for anyone who refuses to be discouraged by people who say ‘you can't' or ‘it's impossible.'
But she cautioned against expecting too much, too soon, and said that the Green Party's support for Obama's new administration would not be uncritical or without thinking:
"I'm sure we all remember watching a young family man with a winning smile on his first day as Prime Minister," she said. "In 1997 many of us thought the days when democracy could be bought and sold were over. We thought that Britain, at last, would become a fairer, greener place. We were wrong.
"Yet for millions of people, Tony Blair was a massive, war-mongering disappointment. Now though, to paraphrase Barack Obama himself, let us ‘dare to hope' that his inauguration represents something completely different. And some of Mr Obama's key appointments are already cause for optimism that environmental concerns will be central to US economic policy."
Steven Chu, the incoming US energy secretary, has a long record of opposing coal-fired power stations while Carol Browner, who now has responsibility for climate change, is regarded in the US as a progressive radical.
"These are very promising signs," said Dr Lucas.
"In politics, ‘hope' is not just a four-letter word. It's a powerful driving force. Whatever else it might be, Mr Obama's inauguration is a dramatic moment in the timeline of history.
"Today marks a new start for US and global politics, and the Green Party congratulates Barack Obama on a breathtaking journey which is far from over."