Our next Prime Minister is chosen by 357 Conservative MPs, our last one was chosen by 172,000 members of the Conservative Party. It’s really high time the public had a say. If this government were a school or a hospital it would be in special measures by now, and would not have been allowed to even consider bringing back a previously disgraced chief executive, as Copeland MP Trudy Harrison would have had us do.
The Conservatives have trashed their reputation for economic responsibility, and they’ve trashed what little reputation they had on climate change. They are riven by internal strife.
Still in charge of the international COP on climate change (until next month when Egypt takes over) this government has opened up a new round of North Sea Oil and Gas exploration, looks set to allow a new coal mine here in West Cumbria, is planning to ban solar farms from most of England’s farmland and Workington MP played his part, as Assistant Government Whip, in the absolute chaos on a vote on fracking.
To sort out the chaos our new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has promised more cuts to vital public services and more suffering for people across the country. The Green Party believes the way out of this crisis is to do the opposite of what the government has done - to reduce inequality rather than making it worse, through progressive taxation, including a Wealth Tax, and windfall taxes on the companies making super profits during this cost-of-living crisis.
We would use the money to invest in a nationwide insulation programme to make sure people can afford to keep their homes warm, reduce inequality by ensuring that those with the deepest pockets help fund proper public services for all, and fund the beginnings of a just transition to a sustainable economy that protects the people and planet.
There is already so much to put right that twelve years of Conservative Government has done wrong, that it will take years and very determined action to achieve. But we have to start now to fix the climate and economic crisis at the same time, because fixing both will help everyone live a better life and the least well off really need that help now. Let’s have that General Election and get started!
Cllr. Jill Perry
Published in the Times and Star 27.10.22