The European Elections are the key electoral test of 2009, and, being ‘proportional representation’ elections, offer the Green Party its best chance for advancement. The Green Party’s two MEPs have transformed the party’s profile. It is now high time for our party to increase its representation in Brussels, which is why the Green Party is targeting two Regions for gains at this election. As we move towards the elections, Green World is profiling some of the candidates in the Euro-elections, including our two target candidates. Here we profile one of those two target candidates as well as one of the Green Party’s existing MEPs, Caroline Lucas.
Caroline
Lucas
The Green Party’s MEP for the South East of England
Caroline is recognisable to many as a highly
effective Member of the European Parliament and an
experienced campaigner on climate change, peace, animal
rights, social justice and fair trade. She regularly
represents the party in the UK press and, at a time when
Green issues have risen up the political agenda, her work
has not been ignored. Caroline has received a number of
accolades for her efforts to safeguard the environment
and animal rights and has featured in several prestigious
lists of top decision makers and influencers. She was
re-elected for the South East in 2004 to serve a second
term, demonstrating the high esteem in which she is held
among her constituents.
Political career
Caroline grew up in Worcestershire, near the Malvern Hills. Having been involved in the anti-nuclear, environment and women’s movements for some time, she was inspired to join the Green Party in 1986 by Jonathon Porritt’s book ‘Seeing Green’ and has since held many positions including National Press Officer, Co-Chair and Principal Speaker. She won the party’s second County Council seat in the UK (Oxfordshire County Council, 1993-97).
Elected the Leader of the Green Party in September 2008, Caroline is the party’s first ever Leader and currently the only female head of a UK political party. She was first elected to the European Parliament as one of the Green Party’s first MEPs in June 1999 to represent the South East of England region, and was re-elected with an increased vote share in 2004.
Environment, food and farming
Caroline is one of the UK’s most prominent speakers on environmental issues. As a member of the European Parliament’s Environment and Climate Change Committees, she works to strengthen laws on carbon emissions reduction, promoting healthy food and reducing our exposure to pesticides. She believes that the EU must take a lead on climate policy, and work towards a zero-carbon economy, a green energy revolution, and a relocalisation of food production. Caroline has actively campaigned against the cultivation of mass agrofuels and GM crops, and is well known for her work to improve the welfare of Europe’s farm animals.
Trade, energy and climate change
In her role as a member of the Parliament’s International Trade Committee, Caroline has sought radical reform of EU trade policy to ensure that it puts poverty eradication and environmental protection above corporate profit. She has taken a lead in efforts to stop the sale of illegally logged timber and has called for measures to stem the tide of privatisation and liberalisation which can damage industries, workers and the environment.
Caroline has played a key role in negotiations on the EU’s new climate and energy package, pressing for more ambitious targets and timetables. She has also been involved in preparations for the international negotiations on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. Caroline has warned of the impact that dwindling oil and gas supplies will have on food prices and availability, urging the European Commission to protect food and energy security by reducing dependence on oil.
A Green New Deal
Caroline is a member of the nine-strong UK Green New Deal Group and has called for a Green New Deal for Europe in order to tackle the ‘triple crunch’ of a credit-fuelled financial crisis, accelerating climate change and an encroaching peak in oil production. This involves policies to promote green energy alternatives and energy efficiency, leading to lower fuel bills and lower emissions, as well as the creation of hundreds of thousands of green jobs.
A Green New Deal would also re-regulate international finance, end subsidies for coal and nuclear, and impose a windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies. Caroline believes this would allow the EU to make the transition away from fossil fuels, avoid the worst of the economic downturn and take crucial steps towards the introduction of a steady state economy.
Looking forward to the Euro elections 2009 - a word from Caroline
“It’s been said that Green MEPs work harder and more effectively than any other politicians in Europe, and I’m proud of our achievements in greening EU legislation. If re-elected, I would hope to build on my successes in the Parliament, and strive to make the EU institutions more democratic, accountable and relevant to EU citizens.
By voting Green in the Euro elections in June 2009, you can help to ensure that environmental sustainability and social justice are placed at the heart of decision-making. With more Green MEPs, we can make an even greater difference and create a better world for people and planet. If you support what I’m trying to achieve in Europe, please sign up to our South East Euro campaign! We’re hoping not only to re-elect me, but also to elect Keith Taylor as our second MEP for the South East.”
Caroline Lucas
Green MEP for the South East of England
The Green Party’s MEP for the South East of England
Political career
Caroline grew up in Worcestershire, near the Malvern Hills. Having been involved in the anti-nuclear, environment and women’s movements for some time, she was inspired to join the Green Party in 1986 by Jonathon Porritt’s book ‘Seeing Green’ and has since held many positions including National Press Officer, Co-Chair and Principal Speaker. She won the party’s second County Council seat in the UK (Oxfordshire County Council, 1993-97).
Elected the Leader of the Green Party in September 2008, Caroline is the party’s first ever Leader and currently the only female head of a UK political party. She was first elected to the European Parliament as one of the Green Party’s first MEPs in June 1999 to represent the South East of England region, and was re-elected with an increased vote share in 2004.
Environment, food and farming
Caroline is one of the UK’s most prominent speakers on environmental issues. As a member of the European Parliament’s Environment and Climate Change Committees, she works to strengthen laws on carbon emissions reduction, promoting healthy food and reducing our exposure to pesticides. She believes that the EU must take a lead on climate policy, and work towards a zero-carbon economy, a green energy revolution, and a relocalisation of food production. Caroline has actively campaigned against the cultivation of mass agrofuels and GM crops, and is well known for her work to improve the welfare of Europe’s farm animals.
Trade, energy and climate change
In her role as a member of the Parliament’s International Trade Committee, Caroline has sought radical reform of EU trade policy to ensure that it puts poverty eradication and environmental protection above corporate profit. She has taken a lead in efforts to stop the sale of illegally logged timber and has called for measures to stem the tide of privatisation and liberalisation which can damage industries, workers and the environment.
Caroline has played a key role in negotiations on the EU’s new climate and energy package, pressing for more ambitious targets and timetables. She has also been involved in preparations for the international negotiations on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. Caroline has warned of the impact that dwindling oil and gas supplies will have on food prices and availability, urging the European Commission to protect food and energy security by reducing dependence on oil.
A Green New Deal
Caroline is a member of the nine-strong UK Green New Deal Group and has called for a Green New Deal for Europe in order to tackle the ‘triple crunch’ of a credit-fuelled financial crisis, accelerating climate change and an encroaching peak in oil production. This involves policies to promote green energy alternatives and energy efficiency, leading to lower fuel bills and lower emissions, as well as the creation of hundreds of thousands of green jobs.
A Green New Deal would also re-regulate international finance, end subsidies for coal and nuclear, and impose a windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies. Caroline believes this would allow the EU to make the transition away from fossil fuels, avoid the worst of the economic downturn and take crucial steps towards the introduction of a steady state economy.
Looking forward to the Euro elections 2009 - a word from Caroline
“It’s been said that Green MEPs work harder and more effectively than any other politicians in Europe, and I’m proud of our achievements in greening EU legislation. If re-elected, I would hope to build on my successes in the Parliament, and strive to make the EU institutions more democratic, accountable and relevant to EU citizens.
By voting Green in the Euro elections in June 2009, you can help to ensure that environmental sustainability and social justice are placed at the heart of decision-making. With more Green MEPs, we can make an even greater difference and create a better world for people and planet. If you support what I’m trying to achieve in Europe, please sign up to our South East Euro campaign! We’re hoping not only to re-elect me, but also to elect Keith Taylor as our second MEP for the South East.”
Caroline Lucas
Green MEP for the South East of England
Rupert
Read
Lead candidate for the Eastern target region. If elected, Rupert wants to transform the EU into an Ecological Union
Our prospects in Eastern Region
Last time around, in Eastern Region, the Tories won three seats, UKIP two, Labour and the LibDems one each. UKIP will very likely lose one of their seats in June. And since 2004, the number of Green Party Councillors in Eastern Region has shot up from 7 to 27. So, the current state of the parties suggests that either the Tories or possibly the BNP gain in Eastern – or Rupert Read gets elected. In the battle for that final seat, Greens are the only progressive option capable of stopping the right-wing candidates at next June’s Euro-elections. Just 10% of the vote in Eastern would likely be enough to displace that second UKIP MEP with a Green, rather than a Tory (or a fascist).
If elected as MEP
Rupert would prioritise a new European ‘feet first’ and public transport policy, calling for far greater investment in walking, cycling and public transport, and directing the EU’s (substantial) budget away from outdated mega road-projects. He would therefore be keen to be the first British Green to join the ‘Transport and Tourism’ Standing Committee of the EuroParl. Aspiring to transform the Eastern Region - England’s capital of wind energy - into a renewable energy heartland, he would help create green jobs in solar, wave and tidal power. He would also pursue a more pro-active European attitude towards peace-making in the Middle East, by seeking to make trade agreements conditional on genuine moves to leave the occupied territories and support the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.
Background
Rupert was first inspired by Green politics when he met Petra Kelly, at the time a leading figure in the German Greens, while studying at Oxford University.
While at Rutgers University, USA, he was heavily involved in the Dukakis and Clinton Presidential campaigns and on a congressional run for a Ralph Nader ally. Upon being awarded his Ph.D he returned to the UK to become a University Lecturer.
Rupert specialises in Environmental and Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Language. Whilst he was teaching at the University of East Anglia (UEA), one of his students enlightened him with Green Party ideas. Rupert subsequently became a Councillor for Norwich’s Wensum ward, and is now the lead Green Party candidate for Eastern (one of the party’s two national Target Regions). The student in question is now his close friend, and the Green Party’s first ever Deputy Leader, Adrian Ramsay.
Political Achievements
Rupert has played an integral role in helping transform Norwich Green Party into perhaps one of the most successful in Britain. The Greens are now the official opposition on Norwich City Council. Hopes are high that Rupert will be elected as MEP for Eastern Region, which will greatly help Adrian to be elected as MP for Norwich South by 2010.
As Norwich Green Party’s Transport Spokesman, Rupert sits on the City and County Councils’ ‘Joint Highways Committee’ as a voting member. He played a critical role in initiating the vote to implement 20 mph speed limits across residential Norwich: his proudest political achievement, so far.
Rupert is a strong believer in appropriate direct action. He joined Caroline Lucas and Mark Thomas lying down in Whitehall in the build-up to the attack on Iraq, and has interrupted proceedings in the House of Commons chamber to speak out against the illegal use of cluster bombs. As an MEP, Rupert would continue to use a diverse range of methods to achieve Green Party aims.
The Euro-campaign in Eastern
The 12-person central campaign team in Eastern has been highly-organised for some time. It has monthly meetings in person and monthly phone conferences. Having taken a year’s unpaid leave from the university, Rupert, as lead candidate, is campaigning full time in the run-up to the Euro-elections. Between the middle of January and the end of February, for instance, he has been engaged in a gruelling but rewarding ‘listening tour’ of numerous destinations in Eastern Region, from Mid-Suffolk to Southend and from Watford to Colchester, in which the emphasis is on Rupert listening to the needs and concerns of constituents.
The Euro-campaign involves huge amounts of leafleting, doorknocking and press work, all of which Eastern Region Green Party could use assistance with.
Looking forward to the Euro elections 2009 - a word from Rupert
I love to promote the Green message, which is not hairshirts and sacrifice. We’re talking in fact about a better way to live. The convenient truth of the matter is that the very things we need to do in order to stop climate catastrophe are the very things we need to do in order to become happier. Happiness comes not from affluence, not from material goods, but from the recreation of community, security, and simple human kindness. As we relocalise our society, as we reverse the neo-liberal globalisation that has brought us to the edge of catastrophe, we will recreate the seeds of well-being that have been withering for the last 40 years.
Lead candidate for the Eastern target region. If elected, Rupert wants to transform the EU into an Ecological Union
Last time around, in Eastern Region, the Tories won three seats, UKIP two, Labour and the LibDems one each. UKIP will very likely lose one of their seats in June. And since 2004, the number of Green Party Councillors in Eastern Region has shot up from 7 to 27. So, the current state of the parties suggests that either the Tories or possibly the BNP gain in Eastern – or Rupert Read gets elected. In the battle for that final seat, Greens are the only progressive option capable of stopping the right-wing candidates at next June’s Euro-elections. Just 10% of the vote in Eastern would likely be enough to displace that second UKIP MEP with a Green, rather than a Tory (or a fascist).
If elected as MEP
Rupert would prioritise a new European ‘feet first’ and public transport policy, calling for far greater investment in walking, cycling and public transport, and directing the EU’s (substantial) budget away from outdated mega road-projects. He would therefore be keen to be the first British Green to join the ‘Transport and Tourism’ Standing Committee of the EuroParl. Aspiring to transform the Eastern Region - England’s capital of wind energy - into a renewable energy heartland, he would help create green jobs in solar, wave and tidal power. He would also pursue a more pro-active European attitude towards peace-making in the Middle East, by seeking to make trade agreements conditional on genuine moves to leave the occupied territories and support the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.
Background
Rupert was first inspired by Green politics when he met Petra Kelly, at the time a leading figure in the German Greens, while studying at Oxford University.
While at Rutgers University, USA, he was heavily involved in the Dukakis and Clinton Presidential campaigns and on a congressional run for a Ralph Nader ally. Upon being awarded his Ph.D he returned to the UK to become a University Lecturer.
Rupert specialises in Environmental and Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Language. Whilst he was teaching at the University of East Anglia (UEA), one of his students enlightened him with Green Party ideas. Rupert subsequently became a Councillor for Norwich’s Wensum ward, and is now the lead Green Party candidate for Eastern (one of the party’s two national Target Regions). The student in question is now his close friend, and the Green Party’s first ever Deputy Leader, Adrian Ramsay.
Political Achievements
Rupert has played an integral role in helping transform Norwich Green Party into perhaps one of the most successful in Britain. The Greens are now the official opposition on Norwich City Council. Hopes are high that Rupert will be elected as MEP for Eastern Region, which will greatly help Adrian to be elected as MP for Norwich South by 2010.
As Norwich Green Party’s Transport Spokesman, Rupert sits on the City and County Councils’ ‘Joint Highways Committee’ as a voting member. He played a critical role in initiating the vote to implement 20 mph speed limits across residential Norwich: his proudest political achievement, so far.
Rupert is a strong believer in appropriate direct action. He joined Caroline Lucas and Mark Thomas lying down in Whitehall in the build-up to the attack on Iraq, and has interrupted proceedings in the House of Commons chamber to speak out against the illegal use of cluster bombs. As an MEP, Rupert would continue to use a diverse range of methods to achieve Green Party aims.
The Euro-campaign in Eastern
The 12-person central campaign team in Eastern has been highly-organised for some time. It has monthly meetings in person and monthly phone conferences. Having taken a year’s unpaid leave from the university, Rupert, as lead candidate, is campaigning full time in the run-up to the Euro-elections. Between the middle of January and the end of February, for instance, he has been engaged in a gruelling but rewarding ‘listening tour’ of numerous destinations in Eastern Region, from Mid-Suffolk to Southend and from Watford to Colchester, in which the emphasis is on Rupert listening to the needs and concerns of constituents.
The Euro-campaign involves huge amounts of leafleting, doorknocking and press work, all of which Eastern Region Green Party could use assistance with.
Looking forward to the Euro elections 2009 - a word from Rupert
I love to promote the Green message, which is not hairshirts and sacrifice. We’re talking in fact about a better way to live. The convenient truth of the matter is that the very things we need to do in order to stop climate catastrophe are the very things we need to do in order to become happier. Happiness comes not from affluence, not from material goods, but from the recreation of community, security, and simple human kindness. As we relocalise our society, as we reverse the neo-liberal globalisation that has brought us to the edge of catastrophe, we will recreate the seeds of well-being that have been withering for the last 40 years.
