Natalie Bennett joins Green campaign in Wales for first assembly seat

3 May 2016

The Green Party’s leader Natalie Bennett joins the campaign trail in Wales today (3 May) as the party aims to win its first seat in the Welsh Assembly.

Natalie will be joined by Wales Green Party leader, Alice Hooker-Stroud as they take part in the Reclaim the Power action camp near the Ffos-y-Fran opencast mine, Merthyr Tydfil [1].

The leaders will join activists from across the UK to occupy the site nearby the current open cast mine to highlight the damaging impact of coal on health, the local environment and to the climate globally.

Bennett said:

“Green AMs will work tirelessly for a Wales powered by renewable energy, rather than dirty fossil fuels or dangerous, expensive nuclear power. Our party is united behind a policy of saying no to costly trident renewal and we’ll campaign hard for this money to be spent on making our NHS and education system the best it can be.

“The London and Northern Irish assemblies have been strengthened by the addition of loud Green voices, as has the Scottish Parliament. Wales will be no different and I’m confident that we can elect our first Green AM on Thursday.”

Natalie added:

“If we are to meet commitments made in Paris to keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees we need to end fossil fuel extraction now. The UK government is failing to act to cut our carbon emissions, instead it is decimating the renewables industry,  pursuing fracking and continuing the operation of open-cast mines; the UK’s climate change and energy policies are in crisis.”

Wales Green Party leader, Alice Hooker-Stroud said:

"Fossil fuels must stay in the ground if we're to act responsibly on climate change. We don't need or want more open cast in Wales. There is huge potential for renewables in Wales, creating a clean energy economy fit for the future. Not only is the industry potentially worth billions to the Welsh economy, which could be invested by communities and local authorities in public services, but it would provide decent, sustainable jobs across Wales.”

ENDS

Notes:

[1] https://reclaimthepower.org.uk/

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