Wales Green Party leader, Pippa Bartolotti, spoke out in Newport about the Budget and its effects on the people of Wales.
"Climate change is here to stay, and we should morally and practically be doing our bit to stop its worst effects. But Money is God, ethics and morality have become unaffordable."
Full speech
If the budget was about working people, it was only about rich working people. Those on low incomes are going to lose billions from tax credits. Some of those tax credits will be halved.
You never want to be poor under a Tory government, or young, or disabled.
The National Living Wage (new national minimum wage by another name)– sounds good, but not if you are under 25. Let’s remember the Living Wage Commission included Tax Credits in their calculation, so this is not the gift it seems at first sight. In fact it could make some families up to £3000 a year worse off.
Welfare spending cuts will hit Wales hard, Climate Levy abolition and more road building will make it almost impossible to cut carbon emissions. It certainly won’t help the 50 coastal communities in Wales already earmarked by the WG to be abandoned to the rising sea.
This was an awful budget for the Under 25's. No wonder the Tories don’t want to lower the voting age. The scrapping of student maintenance grants on top of exorbitant tuition fees, will bring a depressing new level of debt. Young people courageous enough to invest in their own education will be paying too much for an education from which society will ultimately benefit.
This was a budget for rich people running rich companies. Nothing for carers who save the Health Service billions a year; nothing to give us good public transport and help us lower our carbon emissions.
It was a definite heads up to roadbuilding, yet the £1b to be spent on the M4 in Newport is just creating more emissions and devastating the Gwent levels. The money should be diverted to the SE Wales Light Rail network where it will help us all, and the climate.
If the budget was about security, it failed on every count. Pouring more money into warfare and weapons of mass destruction has a horrible habit of backfiring into violence on our doorstep. Pouring no money into climate change measures will increase the tide of immigration from war zones as other countries become inhabitable.
Climate change is here to stay, and we should morally and practically be doing our bit to stop its worst effects. But Money is God, ethics and morality have become unaffordable.
The Greens stood up to be counted, and costed a manifesto which not only mitigated the effects of Climate Change , not only put in place a £10 Living wage, not only decreased the deficit, but kept our precious welfare system intact whilst improving and expanding our Health Services.
Wales is a poor country. £1m Inheritance tax thresholds are not going to affect us, but we are not going to let the poor take the pain again. Where is the opposition? Where is Welsh Labour when it’s not busily doling out the Tory cuts?
There is an election next year. Look at our manifesto. Next time vote for a party with a bit of spine, and Vote Green.