[From our post-Conference press release:]
The Green Party Autumn Conference concluded yesterday after a highly successful 4 days at the University Of London. Dr. Caroline Lucas MEP was elected as the first ever Green Party Leader and addressed a packed conference hall on Saturday which responded with loud and prolonged applause to her speach. Dr. Lucas set out the huge opportunities for the Greens in the years ahead - and the stark failure of the other parties to tackle the gathering environmental crisis and the growing gap between rich and poor. She also specifically praised the successes of Adrian Ramsay and of Norwich, and said of Rupert Read: "I can't think of a better people to be our new Green MEPs than Peter Cranie and Rupert Read, in our target regions of NorthWest and Eastern."
On Monday, Cllr. Adrian Ramsay, the newly elected Deputy Leader of the party gave his first address in that role. He launched an attack on privatisation and patient charging in the health service. The 27-year-old Norwich City Council opposition leader is aiming to unseat Charles Clarke in Norwich South and challenged the vocally pro-privatisation Blairite Labour MP to fight the election on public services.
In the closing keynote speech of the conference, Cllr Ramsay celebrated the work of Green councillors across the country in defending local economies, tackling homelessness and repossessions, and cutting energy bills and fuel poverty. He also reinforced Caroline Lucas' call for an energy windfall tax to kickstart a Green New Deal to tackle recession and the fuel crisis.
Cllr Ramsay said
"The Government is now being offered advice on public services by Charles Clarke, and if they were to take his advice we would see even
more social exclusion and even more privatisation.
"In July, Clarke called for more user-charging in the health service and the education system. He claims it would be for what he calls non-core
services - but I don't regard education for under 5s and over 16s or out of hours GP visits as optional or unimportant. And I challenge
Charles Clarke to tell any parent in Norwich South that childcare and healthcare are not core services.
"Charles Clarke has been in the news in recent days for his comments that the Labour Party is facing disaster at the next General Election.
He says the Labour Party needs to change direction. Well, the Government does need to change direction but not in the direction he
has in mind.
"Journalists have been asking me why I think Mr Clarke is so personally concerned about the next General Election. It could be because the Green Party finished in first place by some 3,000 votes across his Norwich South constituency in the May 2008 elections - and if Mr. Clarke wants to fight the election on the future of public services, that's fine with me."
In the closing keynote speech of the conference, Cllr Ramsay celebrated the work of Green councillors across the country in defending local economies, tackling homelessness and repossessions, and cutting energy bills and fuel poverty. He also reinforced Caroline Lucas' call for an energy windfall tax to kickstart a Green New Deal to tackle recession and the fuel crisis.
Cllr Ramsay said
"The Government is now being offered advice on public services by Charles Clarke, and if they were to take his advice we would see even
more social exclusion and even more privatisation.
"In July, Clarke called for more user-charging in the health service and the education system. He claims it would be for what he calls non-core
services - but I don't regard education for under 5s and over 16s or out of hours GP visits as optional or unimportant. And I challenge
Charles Clarke to tell any parent in Norwich South that childcare and healthcare are not core services.
"Charles Clarke has been in the news in recent days for his comments that the Labour Party is facing disaster at the next General Election.
He says the Labour Party needs to change direction. Well, the Government does need to change direction but not in the direction he
has in mind.
"Journalists have been asking me why I think Mr Clarke is so personally concerned about the next General Election. It could be because the Green Party finished in first place by some 3,000 votes across his Norwich South constituency in the May 2008 elections - and if Mr. Clarke wants to fight the election on the future of public services, that's fine with me."
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