Dear Editor,
With the European elections due to take place in just a few months time it is important to make it clear that the Green Party is committed to staying in Europe. Leaving the EU would damage the UK economy and destroy jobs.
Britain’s Green MEPs have been working hard to put social justice and the environment at the heart of EU decision making. The Greens are the fourth largest group in the European Parliament and a significant force for change in Europe.
Since joining the Conservatives in coalition, the Liberal Democrats have compromised their principles. European Union attempts to set legally binding environmental regulations for the shale gas industry have been voted against and EU proposals for a financial transaction tax with the potential to raise billions has been opposed by the coalition.
The UK’s Green MEPs, Jean Lambert and Keith Taylor, have been fighting to make the European Union work better for all of us. They have played leading roles in many social and environmental campaigns, standing against fracking and privatisation of public services in the UK, and proposing urgent reform of the banking sector, including a cap on bankers’ bonuses. Jean Lambert recently hosted a conference in London with trade unions, European policymakers and leading industry figures, to discuss how investment in green technology could boost economic growth and create well paid, sustainable jobs.
What happens in the European Parliament matters to everyone living in Britain. Greens believe that some reform of the EU is necessary, but only by remaining an active member can the UK influence the European Union over the coming years. By voting for Green candidate Molly Scott Cato in the forthcoming elections you can ensure that it develops in a way that benefits us all.
Sincerely,
Anna Bonallack
Green Party candidate for Bisley