Why the Greens?

I openly describe myself as a socialist, so I'm often assumed to be a supporter of the Labour Party, whilst others assume that because of my young age I'm not in a political party at all. Most also presume that my views will become much less radical as I grow older, and perhaps they're right, although I have good reason to doubt it, Despite these assumptions, I am in the Green Party of England and Wales, and have every intention of staying there regardless who leads the Labour Party.

The Green Party is in my view the most radical of the major parties in the UK, whether that's proposing ideas like a national basic income or calling for a complete ban on the harmful practise of fracking. Climate change has been described as the single most dangerous threat to the global economy in terms of impact by the World Economic Forum. The Conservatives blatantly disregard the environment in their policies, with David Cameron's pledge to lead the greenest government ever thrown out of the window when he presided over cuts in funding for renewables and other environmental measures. Labour on the other hand has not been all that much better, and whilst their rhetoric of being a party that cares about both the economy and the environment, their policies have been half-hearted at best, with doing little more than calling for greater regulation on fracking whilst also supporting the creation of HS2 which will damage local communities and the environment. It seems clear therefore that there is only one party taking the environment seriously, and that is the Green Party.

However it would be foolish of me to join the Greens on economic policies alone. Although I care passionately about the environment, it is far from the only issue I care about, and the living standards of ordinary people is just as if not more important. Fortunately the Greens once again provide fantastic ideas on how we can combat social and economic injustice, and in some cases are actually further ahead than even the left of Labour. Policies such as a national basic income must be campaigned for now more than ever, as increasing automisation means that workers are losing out to the machine, and as a result are forced into low-pay jobs, self-employment, zero-hours contracts, or simply into unemployment. A report released today shows that UK wages in real terms have fallen by 10.4% since 2007, which is a fall matched only by Greece in Europe, and whilst there are a number of factors including the crushing austerity imposed by right wing governments, it proves that we cannot rely on wages to forever increase, and that we must find an alternative source of income for our citizens. The national basic income provides that, as it is an untaxed monthly income that will go to every citizen regardless of economic status, whilst any additional income will then be taxed progressively. This means everyone can have enough to survive, whilst helping to reduce levels of inequality, and helping to eradicate both absolute and relative poverty in the UK. It is encouraging to see that Labour is considering the policy themselves, and that Finland and the Netherlands are piloting the policy next year. However if we want to eradicate poverty sooner than later the UK should take an active role in becoming one of the first countries to implement the policy, not just because it will help reduce poverty, but also because it removes the need for endless bureaucracy that arises from the complicated welfare system we have at the moment in regard to tax credits and various benefits such as housing benefit and Job Seekers' Allowance. This policy should therefore be at the forefront of the Green economic platform, whilst the many other ideas the Greens have should be campaigned on as well. I am in the Green Party because I believe our economic policies are unmatched by other parties, and by bringing finance and economics back under democratic control we can achieve something truly radical and successful.

The Green Party is the only party that campaigns for social and economic justice, in conjunction with a sound environmental platform that recognises the issues facing not just the UK but the globe, and aims to deal with these issues. It is the Green Party that is the best option for a sustainable and fair society, economy, and environment. We have the largest youth party in the UK as of April 2015 and more members than both the Lib Dems and UKIP, if we utilised these activists we could truly make a great difference in UK politics. Implementing proportional representation is the key to this, but the future lies with the Green Party, and not with the two old giants that bicker amongst themselves and care for little more than power.