“The Green Party pledges to make equal pay for men and women a reality”.

The latest figures on weekly wages in Wales from the National Statistical Office confirm Wales as the low pay capital of UK. It makes bleak reading for women here who are already earning 16.5% less than men for doing the same jobs. Another recent EOC report highlighted that they also have a 5% higher chance than men of being poor.

“Women’s pay is crucial for families as women often have to assume the role of family poverty manager. In the sixth richest country in the world poverty should have been eradicated by now, but the tragedy is that if you vote Labour, Tory or Lib Dem there will be even more austerity to come. Properly paid work for women will reduce children’s vulnerability to poverty too, which is why the Greens in Wales are giving it the priority it deserves” said Wales Green Party Leader and candidate for Newport West, Pippa Bartolotti

The impact of low pay goes deep. Income inequality has strong correlations with a range of problems among women of all ages particularly impacting on mental health and obesity

In the Gwent area the equal pay claims in the four local councils (Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Newport) have cost local authorities over £20 million to date according to a 2012 BBC survey. No figures were available for two of the biggest local councils Caerphilly and RCT.

Other authorities in North Wales have yet to settle.

At the other end of the employment ladder things aren’t much better with female representation of only 1 in 6 on the Boards across Welsh Government development zones. This compares poorly with the Government target of 25% representation on FTSE 100 companies by 2015. The two findings are related. More women in decision-making positions means more fairness in the work place. It can be done.

Locally Admiral Insurance, based in Newport, are bucking the trend. 62% of Admirals non-executive directors are women.

“All political parties to date have shunned enforcing the Equal Pay Act. Greens are adamant that it should be enforced and extended to cover all businesses in Wales. Greens will make equal pay and opportunity a reality.” added Bartolotti

Pippa Bartolotti, Wales Green Party Leader joins Greens in Haverfordwest for an afternoon of leafleting and talking to voters.

Frances Bryant, Preseli Pembs Candidate was there to meet her constituents. On Friday the 6th Feb, Pembrokeshire Green Party set up their stall outside one of the many closed shops in Haverfordwest. On this occasion outside the old Castle Square Chippy which now reads “Hippy”.

This did not escape Pippa Bartolotti’s notice, she said “Too many shops in Haverfordwest are closed. This once thriving market town is in desperate need of an end to austerity. The Greens would revitalize the area with a return to localisation. Support for local farmers, local shops and local energy supplies would replace the chronic problems we have with multinationals ruling our lives, taking money out of the local economy and dictating the price of milk.”

“Greens are the one UK wide political party fighting against austerity, fighting hard to increase equality, and the only political party with a serious set of strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change. Choosing the political party to take us through the very challenging times ahead has been a wake up call for voters everywhere. That’s why so very many have joined the Green surge which has seen membership in Wales quadruple in just 12 months.”

The sun was shining throughout the afternoon and over 15 members and volunteers came to support the event.

Jim Scott (Pembrokeshire Green Party Spokesperson) said; “It was an incredibly positive afternoon and we all had some very interesting conversations with voters on the street. It was the day after ‘national voter registration day’ so we adopted a light theme based around question of whether people were planning to vote in the General Election in May, we were also asking younger voters if they were actually registered to vote at all because the current Government has changed the way that many young people and students are registered to vote, meaning that up to 3 million young people in the UK are not automatically registered to vote where before they would have been. As a Green Party member who has been involved in setting up the local party here in Pembrokeshire Specifically so that people will have the opportunity to vote for Green Party Candidates here in pembs, It was very heartening to speak to so many people on the street including many young people who were actually engaged with the current political climate and were planning to vote in May because they finally feel that the apathy of the past and the days of ‘two party politics’ is over and now that parties like the Greens are growing so rapidly and gaining so much traction, that at last the time has come where people will no longer vote out of fear but feel that a vote for hope is not a wasted vote.”

Frances Bryant, Green Party candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire said “It was very good to meet so many people who were interested in hearing about the fresh approach to issues that the Greens have. Many who I spoke to had become very disillusioned with the way that austerity had been imposed on Wales from far away Westminster. Very many brought up local issues, from worries about proposed library and school funding to benefits changes and cuts to services at Withybush Hospital. Fracking also came up in many conversations as people were scared that our beautiful landscape would end up disfigured and polluted. It was heartening to see that far from being apathetic, as we are so often told, people really do care about these issues.

Whilst Pippa Bartolotti was in Pembrokeshire she also went with Frances Bryant and other local Greens for a presentation from the very successful Pembrokeshire-based digital democracy organization ‘VocalEyes Digital Democracy’ which is currently producing some very encouraging results within many educational settings including Pembrokeshire College, Milford Secondary School, University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Gower College Swansea. VocalEyes has developed an innovative digital platform where students, staff, groups and the wider public can suggest, rate and debate ideas within their organisations and communities in a way that every person’s voice is heard and popular ideas and solutions can be put into action, with feedback posted back to the users of the system. The Welsh Government's Wales We Want consultation also used VocalEyes (where it is currently in use) to involve young people in a 'Big Conversation' to help inform future legislation.

Jim scott said “Projects like VocalEyes Digital Democracy really show us where the future is going for our democracy. At present there are a wide range of factors which exclude vast sections of society from actively engaging in our democratic processes.

"If platforms like VocalEyes mean that everyone can feel empowered to get involved with decision making at all levels and really see the changed they want around them coming to fruition, then we at the Green Party are all for it. "The days of top down governments are numbered. People led politics is coming and that is exactly what we stand for in the Green Party.”

Peter Anderson, the founder of VocalEyes Digital Democracy said:"The purpose of VocalEyes Digital Democracy is to empower groups to debate, prioritise and come up with ideas; turning good ideas into actions and tangible projects. Local direct democracy is an important priority for parties like the Greens; VocalEyes can help facilitate this".

Pembrokeshire Green Party will be holding a public meeting to give the people of Pembrokeshire a chance to talk to the candidates in March and with UK membership rocketing and having recently passed the Lib-dems and Ukip, Jim Scott said “We are feeling very excited about our prospects in May”

Lack of focus on creating and sustaining local industry and jobs is changing the nature of our city

An unconnected programme of residential building and a lack of focus on creating and sustaining local industry and jobs is turning Newport into a ‘commuter town’, warns David Mclean, Wales Green Party candidate for Newport East. “Almost weekly we are hearing of new housing developments across our city,” says Mr Mclean. “But where is the focus on industry and jobs to support the city’s growing population?

“The latest proposed development for 251 homes to the south of Glan Usk Primary School in Herbert Road is the latest in a long line of new developments that show no regard for joined up thinking or sustainable communities. As well as the inevitable problems with increased congestion this new development will create, there are serious questions to be asked about building new homes next to a river that is likely to see increased incidents of flooding in the future.

“However, it is the clear lack of any guiding holistic strategy behind these random new developments that causes most concern. Yes we need housing, but equally we need industry and jobs, and we need to think about how people get around the city.”

The Centre for Cities ‘Cities Outlook 2015’ revealed the depth of the city’s problems, with Newport having one of the lowest levels of business growth and one of the lowest levels of private sector jobs growth of the 64 cities measured in the report. On top of this, Newport has one of the highest levels of Job Seekers’ Allowance claimants

. “This disappointing performance does not seem to be of concern to the Labour-led council or our MPs who continue to tell us that ‘things can only get better’.” continues Mr Mclean. “We already have one of the highest level of housing stock growth, and the second highest levels of CO2 emissions per capita, which suggests that an increasing number of people who live in the city are commuting elsewhere to work. This is evidenced in the rush hour congestion on the M4 and the overcrowded trains.

“As a city we need to stop simply building with little or no regard to issues such as effective and sustainable transport, and start thinking of how we can encourage and support local business and industry growth, and the ways in which people can get to work easier through cycling and public transport. The alternative is that our city becomes a ‘commuter town’ and none of us want that.”

David Mclean is Wales Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Newport East constituency. A PR consultant of 15 years, David has lived in Newport for 33 years and currently works from his home in the city. With a strong background in sustainable construction, David has a particular interest in ensuring the city recovers and develops in a sustainable way for the benefit of the local economy, people and environment.

Pippa Bartolotti will be a guest speaker for Compass Cymru on Monday 27th October. She will be speaking on “Towards a new Union” – the UK, democracy and making your voice heard.

The former businesswoman and leader of the Wales Greens since 2011 said, “The old 2 party system is breaking up, and that is good news for voters. Choices are opening up and the growth in Green membership shows that our message resonates with many. People are buying in to the fact that there is a real and healthy alternative to business as usual.”

The Greens have seen an unprecedented surge in membership this year, and in Wales membership has grown by a staggering 76%.

Pippa Bartolotti continued: “The success of the Greens and the SNP in the Scottish Independence vote has woken up a lot of people. They didn’t win of course, but in a way they achieved something much more precious – an inspiration and a political awakening. Obviously a fairer voting system helped – and a shake up of the voting system would be first on my list for the Democratically Reformed country in which I’d like to live.”

“The Tory, LibDem and Labour Little Britain has failed 99% of people. It has given us no more than political indifference and a downward spiral of poverty, disenchantment and degradation. Change is urgently needed, and the 2015 vote will provide us all with an excellent opportunity to show how we feel. Now is the time of the smaller parties to proudly voice the alternative to austerity, casino banking and poverty. ”

Steve Brooks, Director of Electoral Reform Society Wales will also be speaking at the event.

http://www.compassonline.org.uk/events/compass-cymru-south-wales-towards-a-new-union/ When: Monday October 27th 6pm-8pm Where: Suite 4, Unite Building, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9HA

The Wales Green Party is committed to introducing a Citizen's Income for every man, woman and child in the country by 2020. Is it affordable? The price tag at current rates is £272 billion.

"What's unique about the Citizens Income. is that it attacks poverty and inequality like nothing else on offer from the other parties" says Pippa Bartolotti, leader of Wales Green Party.

"What's more it gets rid of the benefit trap, provides a safety net and encourages work and study in a way the current system clearly fails to do. The nature of work available is also changing, and labour is becoming just another commodity, the value the working person brings to the job is lost. Labour is not a commodity. It is not a consumer. It is a human being."

"Wales has been in austerity for too long. The people have been neglected and allowed to languish in poverty and joblessness. We need a Citizens Income." Bartolotti continued. "We need to give people the right to work, the right to do well, and above all we need to provide a non-means tested safety net from where they can plan their life – and take a few risks - without interference from the state."

That's why Greens favour the Citizens Income. Everyone deserves the chance to work, everyone deserves the right to minimal security. The Citizens Income would be the biggest shake up since the welfare state.

Tax exempt and payable to everyone, even the better off, how can it make sense?

Just think for a minute if everyone could choose the job they did, could wait for something nearer to home, or a job, which actually matched their skills and experience. Mothers and fathers could choose to stay at home and bring up their children.

The Citizens Income is freedom and it is responsibility. There could be no fraud, and no one would get rich on it, but society would find a new balance, which doesn't punish the poor. Zero hours contracts could actually become desirable!

Few doubt that it can reduce fraud and administrative costs while ridding us of the current benefit maze. Some informed estimates say the cost would be no more than the current benefit payments and tax reliefs it would replace.

"We are promoting a debate about C.I. because it is an idea that can really make a difference in favour of equality and opportunity in our country. The Green Party is offering a radical choice to improve lives" concluded Bartolotti.

Building Of More Roads Not The Answer. Stronger Emphasis Needed On Public Transport

In a drafted response to the Welsh governments ‘Draft National Transport Plan’ – Wales Green Party Spokesperson – Elly Foster has issued this critical response:

 “The main concern Wales Green Party has with the Draft National Transport Plan is that its underlying premise is that economic growth is desirable. We know it is unachievable as we have only Earth’s resources.

It is stated at the outset that sustainable development links all the policies. In our opinion economic growth and sustainable development are opposing notions.

We need to return to a much more community based style of living that doesn’t require us to travel such great distances to reach our places of work or to obtain our daily food and living requirements.”

Her appraisal of the Draft goes even further questioning the validity and value of the timing of this policy release.

”It seems strange to me that with there being only a little over a year before the Welsh Assembly elections – that a national transport policy for Wales should be issued now. With the strong possibility of there being a Government change within the Assembly – there is a high chance that the next Government in power would completely disregard this policy anyway. Surely it would make more logical sense to wait until after the elections in 2015 before progressing any new ideas or strategies in relation to our transport planning!”

Wales Green Party Leader Pippa Bartolotti added her voice to the calls for a transportation policy rethink:

 “There is no longer any question that we have to leave all remaining fossil fuels in the ground. Transportation plays a huge part in global warming and individuals cannot be expected to reduce emissions if there is no viable public transport available. Privatisation has left our travelling communities bereft of sensible travel options, and the Welsh Government must step up to the mark and make public transport cleaner, cheaper, and more frequent.”

The Wales Green Party has a strong commitment to long term planning that places sustainable development at its core. Its pro-renewable energy stance is extended to its views on long term transportation planning where there is a recognition that we need to have a ‘radical rethink’ of how we will all move around in the future in a world where there will be no fossil fuels to power us.

Bartolotti continued: “ Building yet another major road will make the problem worse. Electric light rail systems and efficiently fuelled buses will be a win win. Let’s take polluting traffic off the roads and let’s give Wales a public transport system we can be proud to use. We can’t think climate change away. We have to act – now!”

International Women’s Day Gives Focus To The Plight Of Females in Wales

Saturday 8^th March was International Women’s Day and as such created a strong focus on the role of women in today’s world.

One thing is still abundantly clear though – despite all the changes we have seen in our modern world – women are still very much seen as 2^nd class citizens.

This becomes even clearer when we look at the situation in the workplace.

Wales Green Party Leader Pippa Bartolotti who will be speaking at a special event being organised by the University of South Wales tomorrow commented:

 “I have spent most of my life in a male dominated world, and I can tell you right now that not a lot has changed in 50 years. Women in Wales are still subject to the gender class system and currently receive 16.5% less in our pay packet than a man doing the same job. You don’t have to be a feminist to see that this is wrong on every level.”

The Wales Green Party is committed to redressing the balance and restoring gender equality across the board.

Highlighting this fact in a recent statement Bartolotti shared her original reasons for becoming a Wales Green Party member: 

“Fortunately almost every man belonging to the Green Party is a feminist, and that, along with a duty not to trash the environment on which we all depend, is why I joined up. Greens would abolish the gender pay gap for good. True equality is a long time coming, and it will not be handed to us on a plate. Until we resist this type of repression, we will never succeed in eliminating any other form of repression.”

Pippa Bartolotti will be speaking at a special event at the University of South Wales, Trefforest Campus in the Student Union (Eclipse) on 12th March as part of a wider focus from International Womens Day

Swansea & Gower Green Party have re-selected Tony Young to stand for Swansea East in this year’s general election.

Tony joined the party in 2000 and has contested Swansea East for the last three consecutive general elections and the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Local council elections. He is a member of CND Wales and a leading force in the Steering Group to set up a Peace Institute in Wales.

Tony wishes to focus on cancelling the replacement for Trident Nuclear Weapons (saving £100 billion for the taxpayer) and engaging in a process of multilateral nuclear global disarmament. Tony stands alongside both Ashley Wakeling for Swansea West and Julia Marshall for Gower, meaning the party are now standing in every seat in Swansea County, the first time since 2005.

Tony said “This is a monumental chance for the people of Swansea to vote for change. We offer an alternative to the austerity rhetoric that plagues Westminster and South Wales in particular. A Green vote is one to redistribute wealth from the richest in our society through clamping down on tax avoidance and ensuring the most vulnerable in society are protected.” 

Situation Inexcusable Claims Wales Green Party Leader

Aberthaw coal-fired power station in Wales has come under criticism by the European Commission and has been referred the United Kingdom to Court due to the absence of a reduction in emissions as requested in 2008.

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) at the power station were found to exceed the permissible limits.

Under EU legislation on emissions from large combustion plants Member States had until 1 January 2008 to reduce emissions of a number of pollutants from power plants. The Aberthaw power plant does not meet the requirement of the Directive, as it currently operates under a permit which sets a NOx emission limit of 1200 mg/Nm3, as opposed to the legally applicable 500 mg/Nm3 limit set in the Directive. The Commission first raised its concerns in a letter of formal notice in June 2013, followed by a reasoned opinion in October 2014.

Wales Green Party Leader Pippa Bartolotti recently commented that:

 “The fact that Aberthaw has been allowed to emit high levels of the toxic gas NOx (Nitrogen Oxide) indefinitely is wrong on every level. They have had almost 8 years to sort this out, and whilst dithering, the impact of respiratory problems and lung disease to the local population has increased.”

“Frankly I find it embarrassing that the matter has got so bad that the European Commission is now taking the UK to court over the failure to cut emissions. This is little short of negligence. Inaction on air pollution is inexcusable, and follows a general trend from the establishment parties of side-lining issues such as climate change and air quality. We simply must recognise the fundamental link between our environment and our quality of life, and to start taking the health of Welsh citizens seriously.”

The Commission has also taken note of the fact that the UK has been working constructively on this issue, with the aim of finding a solution. In this context, the Commission welcomes more recent indications from the UK authorities that investments will be made to upgrade the plant,

However at present the plant continues to operate under a permit, which allows it to emit high levels of the toxic gas NOx. The Commission is therefore referring this case to Court.

We understand that the EC may at this stage ask Court of Justice to impose lump sum and/or penalty payment .

Situation A Massive Blow For Newport Claims Wales Green Party Leader

COLEG Gwent is set to lose 6,000 students because of the cuts, a teaching union said today. The University and College Union announced that the Further Education college would provide 50,000 fewer teaching hours as a direct result of the cuts. Around 60 lecturers face redundancy plus 70 support staff including technicians and caretakers, the union added.

The news was greeted by Wales Green Party leader Pippa Bartolotti with dismay:

 “I feel that the heart is being slowly drawn out of Newport, and that this is a massive blow for the city. The loss of 6000 students to Coleg Gwent makes an enormous hole in our capacity to deliver lifelong learning. Changing work demands opportunities to reskill and learn anew.  Cutting further education and adult education in this way is quite literally pulling the rug from under our feet.”

“The Welsh Government is happy enough to carry out Westminster dirty work, and let us not forget that these cuts are being made because the coalition does not want to raise funds through a Financial Transaction tax or a Wealth Tax. The privileged in society will always get the education they need. The rest of us are being cheated at every turn.”

“Greens stand for lifelong learning and the scrapping of tuition fees. How can we not afford to educate our young people. How can we not afford to upskill our more mature learners as the pace of change in the workplace increases. Cutting teaching hours at Coleg Gwent is a false economy. If we want to see more people in work, we must make sure they have the skills, otherwise what is saved in teaching hours will be spent on the welfare bill."

The news from Coleg Gwent appears to be part of a much wider and depressing picture of cutbacks within the Welsh education system.

Green candidate for Brecon & Radnorshire, Chris Carmichael, has also spoken out against the proposed cuts for schools in Powys. Responding to Powys County Council’s ‘radical overhaul’ of secondary education in Powys, which would result in the closure of Gwernyfed school, Chris said:

“We must stand up against yet another austerity led decision which will impact on the lives of our communities. This decision is purely financial, and does not take into account what is best for our children.”

The Greens are the only party calling for an immediate end to austerity-led economics and a rebalancing of the economy so that it works for the common good. In Wales, Greens would encourage rural authorities to protect small schools and develop them as community resources.

A recent independent research by Miller Research, commissioned by the Welsh Government has suggested that a brand new nuclear power station at Wylfa – could hand Welsh businesses a £5.7 billion economic boon.

The Wales Green Party believes that this is a dangerous route to venture down when there are many much cleaner safer renewable energy alternatives.

Wales Green Party Leader, Pippa Bartolotti has urged that:

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to say no to nuclear, a once in a lifetime opportunity to stop any more toxic waste being manufactured, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to stop yet another foreign company making money out of a poisonous energy system which should by rights be consigned to the dustbin of history.”

Bartolotti pointed out that:

“Wales can create all of the energy it needs from clean renewables, with plenty left over to gain income from exports. What are 875 jobs at Wylfa B compared to the thousands, which would be created from harnessing our own renewable energy?

Scotland already has more than 11,000 people employed in its own energy revolution. Wales could do even better.

Now is the time to stand up for the next generation and say no, we do not want to leave you with this foul waste which will contaminate your future for years to come.”

Decommissioning of the first generation of nuclear power stations at sites including Trawsfynydd in Snowdonia will take an estimated 90 years to complete. The toxic waste is difficult and dangerous to get at, and still has nowhere safe to go. Some of the decommissioning work is considered too dangerous or uneconomic to carry out.

Pippa Bartolotti concluded:

“ Wylfa B is said to create an improvement in the economy of Wales, but we can only be sure it will improve the economy of Hitachi. With electricity prices hitting ordinary people at twice the going rate, no insurance available for accidents, and decommissioning costs paid for by the taxpayer you can be sure the people of Wales will not be getting any benefit. We also have to ask ourselves why Hitachi is not building reactors in Japan.”

It has just been announced that Mark Pond will replace Joseph Champion as the Green Party Candidate for Blaenau Gwent. Joseph has had to stand down as a result of his position within the RAF Reserves as it renders him ineligible to stand for election

The leader of the Wales Green Party said, “We are saddened that Joseph has not be able to stand for election as originally planned, but we are delighted that Mark has stepped up to the plate to ensure that the residents of Blaenau Gwent have the opportunity to vote for a more just and sustainable future. Mark will make a great candidate who is well known and is a respected tradesman in the area.”

Mark has said "I am delighted to be given this chance to represent my community and to offer them a real alternative to the austerity measures that Labour and the Conservatives are offering, and the fear based policies of UKIP. We stand for the people of Bleanau Gwent, who I meet everyday while out and about working and living in Blaenau Gwent".

The Wales Green Party is buoyant after gaining popularity with the public on policies such as renationalising the railways, raising the minimum wage to £10 an hour, and putting a wealth tax on the richest 1% of Britain's who own over £3million in assets.

Growth in the Wales Green Party has recently soared by 76.39% since January this year.

Pippa Bartolotti, leader of the Wales Greens explained, "Only the Green Party offers a way forward for our country without austerity. It is time that the rich started paying their fair share of tax, that banks repay us for the bailouts given to them by the Labour Government, and that we stop letting the interests of Big Business trample over the needs of people.

“It is only the Green Party who have the guts to stand up and say these things - that's why people are getting behind us and going Green. The Vote for Policies website puts the Greens well ahead on matters which have deep meaning for ordinary people – like renationalisation of the railways and keeping the NHS in public hands."

The Wales Green Party has just announced it will stand 36 candidates in Wales for the General Election in May 2015.

Wales Green Party Look To Reform The Economy, Bring Social Equality & Tackle Climate Change

Focus On Ensuring £717b of New Income Is Distributed To Improve Public Services & Create New Jobs In A Sustainable World

The Wales Green Party launched its 2015 General Election Manifesto today with a rejection of other parties growth objective and a commitment to a 'One Planet Economy'. The Greens' priority would be to address the challenge of climate change and unacceptable growing levels of inequality.

WGP Leader Pippa Bartolotti lays out Green Vision for the future " This manifesto is about re-forming the economy in such a way that we can overcome the twin injustices of our time - climate change and widening social inequality.

"With the £717b of new income from tax avoidance, a Robin Hood Tax and aviation fuel duty we can start to put right the damage the coalition has imposed on our schools, our homes and our NHS.

"The economy can and should support the needs of everyone, whilst at the same time helping us to get much closer to living a one planet life. Only Greens have the iron will to see this through”

Greens will enable decent, secure jobs and make the minimum wage a living wage. We would increase investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency creating clean, green jobs, which will last for generations. The financial sector, whose greed and recklessness has been the major cause of our economic difficulties, would be stabilised and tightly regulated.

Greens would make changes Wales will be proud of. A Citizens Income for all will reward work rather than wealth, and replace the outdated Welfare State. Properly planned investment in public transport would help us leave fossil fuels in the ground and allow us to manage the sorry state of our carbon emissions -which are the worst in Europe.

Climate Change is the ‘elephant in the room’ that none of the other parties are addressing. Its clear to us that basing our so called ‘growth economy’ on finite resources and a banking sector that exploits investment into those industries, is leading this country down a road from which it will not be able to return

Pippa Bartolotti declared that "With one in four children living in poverty, almost a million people relying on food banks, increasing household debt levels and a society so unequal that the top 1% are worth as much as the bottom 55%, a drastic change in economic policy must be our priority."

Key policies announced at the launch were:

-       to increase investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency creating thousands of clean, green jobs.

-       to make the minimum wage a living wage.

-       to change taxation by instigating a Robin Hood tax on financial transactions.

-       to split investment (casino) banking from high street banking.

-       to work towards introducing a Citizens Income for all, to reward work rather than wealth.

Bartolotti announced that she is proud that the Greens growth economic forecasts are lower than the Governments, at 6.7% compared to the Coalition's assumption of 12%. She said: "The other parties insist that the economy must grow at all costs, even if those costs include ruining our climate and environment, tolerating ever increasing inequality and the insecurity of zero hours contracts and massive underemployment. We wholeheartedly reject this approach and believe that the economy must work for us all."

Wales Green Party are standing in 35 out of 40 constituencies in Wales, so more people than ever can vote Green in Wales. The Party's membership has grown by more than 100% this year and local parties cover the whole of Wales.

Ends.

Full Candidate List :

ABERAVON: Jonathan Tier

ABERCONWY: Petra Haig

ALYN AND DEESIDE: Alasdair Ibbotson

BLAENAU GWENT: Mark Pond

BRECON AND RADNOR: Chris Carmichael

BRIDGEND: Anthony White

CAERPHILLY: Katy Beddoe

CARDIFF CENTRAL: Chris von Ruhland

CARDIFF NORTH: Ruth Osner

CARDIFF SOUTH AND PENARTH: Anthony Slaughter

CARDIFF WEST: Ken Barker

CARMARTHEN EAST & DINEFWR: Ben Rice

CARMARTHEN WEST & SOUTH PEMBROKESHIRE: Gary Tapley

CEREDIGION: Daniel Thompson

CLWYD SOUTH: Duncan Rees

CYNON VALLEY: John Matthews

DELYN: Kay Roney

DWYFOR MEIRIONNYDD: Marc Fothergill

GOWER: Julia Marshall

ISLWYN: Peter Varley

LLANELLI: Guy Martin Smith

MERTHYR TYDFIL & RHYMNEY: Elspeth Parris

MONMOUTH: Chris Were

MONTGOMERYSHIRE: Richard Chaloner

NEATH: Catrin Brock

NEWPORT EAST: David Mclean

NEWPORT WEST: Pippa Bartolotti

OGMORE: Laurie Brophy

PONTYPRIDD: Katy Clay

PRESELI PEMBROKESHIRE: Frances Bryant

RHONDDA: Lisa Rapado

SWANSEA WEST: Ashley Wakeling

TORFAEN: Matt Cooke

VALE OF GLAMORGAN: Alan Armstrong

WREXHAM: David Munnerley

The Green Party fundraising gig headlined by Pembrokeshire’s own ska-punk band Beneath the Reef last Saturday evening was a sell-out success. Many more people were turned away from the doors once Ffwrn in Fishguard reached maximum capacity. Music from Beneath the Reef, Baked Goods, Uncle Funk, Scene Red and DJ Baz kept the audience on their feet all night.

A raffle during the interval helped raise much needed funding for the party which does not accept donations from big businesses or corporations. Game of Thrones actor Jerome Flynn kindly donated signed photographs from the HBO hit television series and Ripper Street to the cause.

Jerome said: “I am happy to support the Greens because I want to see them do well. I’m pleased to be able to help Pembrokeshire Green Party raise their profile.”

With exceptional feedback from both audience and venue alike, Pembrokeshire Green Party intends to host more live music nights at Ffwrn in Fishguard, and at other venues around the county. Green Party Development Officer Jim Scott said: “What other political party is there that holds events like this? The support we received from so many talented people in Pembrokeshire is incredible. This shows just how much support the Green Party has from real people with real lives, both young and old.”

Pembrokeshire Green Party Website

Pembrokeshire Green Party on Facebook

WGP Leader to speak at evening event on the issue

The Wales Green Party Leader, Pippa Bartolotti will be speaking at a special event being held this Thursday at the Large Shandon Lecture Theatre at Cardiff University entitled ‘Medical Cannabis: Update 2015’.

Bartolotti will be joining a strong line-up of experts including: Nicolas R. Wagener - a former Police Inspector, Farid Ghehioueche -  a Senior Drug Policy Advocate at UN & EU Level, Dr Beth Fisher - an educator in Senior Medical Cannabis, Sarah Godfrey – a terminal Crohns disease survivor and trustee for Hemp Works Charity UK & Prof Val Curran – Pyschopharmacology – UCL.

The WGP has long been an advocate of a responsible approach to the legalisation of Cannabis, and believes that the recent attitude of successive UK Governments has been archaic  almost medieval in its stance towards a medicinal plant that has been scientifically and clinically proven to have numerous and impressive health benefits.

With countries like Portugal recently decriminalizing many formerly illegal substances of both natural plant origin and some more synthetic based as well – there is now a change of approach from many countries in how to tackle both the so-called ‘war on drugs’, and also allowing important and valuable research work to be done into those substances – like Cannabis, LSD and MDMA which are known to have therapeutic and healing qualities if administered in the right dosages and setting by qualified therapists and doctors.

Pippa Bartolotti, Wales Green party Leader said, “It is time to separate out the use of cannabis from hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. No one has yet died from using Cannabis, in fact the health benefits of cannabis in the treatment of epilepsy and cancer are already well documented. Commercial organisations in the UK are already allowed to patent and sell cannabis extracts, whilst the population as a whole is criminalised for using it – even if it saves their life. This simply has to be changed.”

Cannabis has been legalised for recreational use in 4 states in the US with a further twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia having either legalised medical marijuana or decriminalized marijuana possession - or both. 

This change in approach would seemingly acknowledge that the USA’s long-standing approach to drug enforcement laws was both ill thought out and ultimately not working.

The WGP believes that we should be looking to countries like Portugal and the USA and following their example in taking a much more informed and responsible attitude to the legalisation of Cannabis.

Bartolotti concluded that “Cannabis has been wrongly labelled as a gateway drug. It is not. It is the criminalisation of it which is the gateway to harder drugs. If we remove cannabis from the black market there will be many benefits for society – not least in taxation. 

In Colorado, one of the sates where the commercial sale of cannabis is now legal, the state collected $700 million in taxes in 2014 alone. In a time of austerity and in a country like the UK where a recent survey showed that nearly 1 in 3 adults has taken some kind of illegal substance it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the legalisation of Cannabis in the right framework would benefit the country hugely financially.

It would also allow the possibility of much greater research into all its effects to be done more effectively so that the public in general can then make informed decisions about whether this is a plant they want to use without fear of legal recriminations.” 

Katy Beddoe writes below in support of the Votes@16 campaign, and for greater youth participation.

Youth Voice Wales! Where were the voices of dissent?

Wales Green Party leader, Pippa Bartolotti, has called for a rethink of foreign ownership of public transport in Wales. Bartolotti has stated:  “Whilst our public transport is in private hands, we must make sure that it benefits the Welsh economy and is not sucking profits out of the system.”

The Green Party have already announced policies to renationalise the railways, but in Wales they want to see a transfer of bus ownership to local businesses. Wales Green Party point to the example of Arriva which is owned by Deutsche-Bahn. This means that Welsh public transport users are effectively subsidising public transport in Germany. Arriva's profits rose by 9.9 per cent to £373million in 2013 for its bus and train operations in 14 countries.

Wales Green Party recognise the importance of local private businesses which support careers for local people. A transfer of transport operations to Welsh businesses would mean a huge boost to the economy and potentially the provision of more jobs.
 
Bartolotti explained how this fits with the Party's broader view of local procurement. “One reason that multinationals are finding it so easy to dominate is because local governments are not being strong in defending local business, and instead are actually working for the multinationals. Greens would support local procurement policies if elected, and ensure that contracts can be awarded to local businesses as a preference over price”.
 
Wales Green Party are also demanding more control over public transport for the Welsh Assembly.
Bartolotti added: “Wales, not Westminster, should be able to decide whether or not we bring our bus services back into public ownership in the future.”

Austerity Is Not Inevitable Or Necessary Claims WGP Deputy Leader

As Trade unionists, socialists, youth and activists gathered at yesterday’s May Day rally in Swansea Wales Green Party Deputy Leader Anthony Slaughter said,

“This May Day rally is taking place in very unsettled times, at a time of rampant rising inequality and with the threat of even greater cuts to social spending to come from all of the mainstream Westminster parties, it is crucial that those of us who believe in a better, fairer future stand together and resist the ongoing assault on worker’s rights and the continued demonization and exploitation of the weakest and most vulnerable in our society.”

Wales Green Party are commited to reversing austerity and ending inequality. They would support workers rights by increasing the minimum wage to a living wage for all with a target ot £10 per hour by 2020; insisting that the highest wage in any organisation is no more than 10 times the lowest; and ending exploitative zero hours contracts.

Slaughter continued:

“Austerity is not inevitable. It is the result of deliberate political decisions. We do not accept that our poorest should be paying the cost of a crisis caused by a reckless, out of control financial sector that successive governments continue to indulge and bail out with vast amounts of tax payer’s money.”

“Wales Green Party believe that there is a better way to order our society and we will continue to work with trade unions, workers and like minded progressive groups in the fight for Trade Union rights; a minimum wage that is a Living Wage and for public services not private profiteering.

Together we are stronger; together we can create a society fair for all, for the Common Good.”

The Swansea & Gower branch of the Wales Green Party was in attendance at this rally with WGP Parliamentary Candidates Ashley Wakeling of Swansea West and Julia Marshall of the Gower constituency hopeful of garnering local support in the upcoming General Election where the Wales Green Party is standing a record 35 candidates out of the 40 seats across Wales.

The Wales Green Party is committed to giving Green voters the opportunity to vote for them in as many areas as possible and plan to stand candidates in all 40 seats in the upcoming Assembly Elections in Wales in 2016.

Follows Hot On Heels Of Impassioned Statements On Televised Leaders Debate.

A Vote For The Greens Is A Vote For Gender Equality

Wales Green Party Leader Pippa Bartolotti is passionate about bringing equality to women in Wales and it showed during last Friday’s televised leaders debate on BBC live from Cardiff.

The only one of the 6 representatives to highlight the terrible inequality in pay between the genders Bartolotti appealed to the woman of Wales to make the sensible choice in the upcoming elections by supporting the only party that is on record as wanting to support them.

“It is shocking to me that women in Wales are still subjected to a gender pay gap which denies them equal pay. Women managers get on average £4000 less than men for doing the same job. Austerity hits women hardest. It is they who so often have to manage the household poverty purse, who have to buy cheap unhealthy food for their children, and who often do more than one job just to make ends meet” said Bartolotti following on her from her televised comments.

“The Equal Pay Act has not been enforced voluntarily, so more legislation needs to be made so that companies, by law, have to publish their full pay data. We have to stamp out this gross injustice forced on half the workforce in our country.”

The Wales Green Party is committed to redressing the balance and restoring gender equality across the board.

Highlighting this fact Bartolotti shared her original reasons for becoming a Wales Green Party member: 

“Fortunately almost every man belonging to the Green Party is a feminist, and that, along with a duty not to trash the environment on which we all depend, is why I joined up. Greens would abolish the gender pay gap for good. True equality is a long time coming, and it will not be handed to us on a plate. Until we resist this type of repression, we will never succeed in eliminating any other form of repression.”

Public Needs To Be Aware Of The Environmental Consequences Of Voting For Pro-Fracking Parties

With so many issues being debated in the run up to the general election it appears as though the pending decision to authorise the use of ‘Fracking’ across the UK and Wales has been pushed to the back of the political agenda, or possibly even worse – it has been deliberately buried by the major parties.

Warranting barely even a mention during any of the televised debates or indeed seemingly getting no air time at all during this election run-up, this important and ecologically disastrous political answer to diminishing fossil fuel reserves needs to be brought back into the political spotlight and urgently says Wales Green Party Leader, Pippa Bartolotti.

“We only have a moratorium on fracking in Wales, and that could be lifted at any time. 64% of the UK is under licence for shale gas drilling, and experts say it would take 2,400 wells to replace the gas we currently extract from the North Sea. The countryside would be well and truly fracked.”

This  state of affairs will leave a beautiful island with deep scars all across its countryside, and with the knock on effects of water poisoning and land pollution to it doesn’t bode well for the environmental future of this country at all.

In Wales we can already see the long lasting effects of ‘smash & grab’ attitudes to energy extraction methods in the Valleys where the landscape has been stripped of all its tree and fauna, leading to upland farming issues with soil erosion and subsequent low-land flooding causing much misery and expansive destruction to homes and livelihoods.

Areas such as Merthyr Tydffil & Ebbw Vale are still recovering from the collapse of the mining and quarrying industries of the past and are amongst the poorest in the whole of Europe.

Many millions in restoration costs of open cast will end up being met by the taxpayer.

“This idea that social inequality and the environment are not linked is a total fallacy, perpetrated by successive governments in Westminster who are only interested in lining their own pockets and those of their corporate friends” warned Bartolotti.

“Selling people on the idea of jobs in industries that capitalize on finite energy resources has been proven to be a long term disaster as the deprived communities of South Wales has proven.

It might provide jobs in the short term, but the money never stays in those communities and the health and livelihoods of our children and grandchildren will be adversely affected.”

There is another way though and the Wales Green Party is committed to this approach as Bartolotti outlines:

“The fight to leave all fossil fuels in the ground has to be stepped up. The outdated business models of the fossil fuel companies should stay in the past where they belong. Greens propose the pollution free alternative of secure clean energy from renewables, which will bring us thousands of jobs. Wales has more than twice the renewable energy it can use. We need to harness this energy and start exporting it as soon as possible. Finally Wales can have a viable and lasting income stream.”