View source for Document:Who should hold the next prime minister to account? Our best hope lies with the Green party

{{Document
|title=Who should hold the next prime minister to account? Our best hope lies with the Green party
|type=Article
|source_name=The Guardian
|source_URL=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/12/green-party-manifesto-labour-wealth-tax-public-services-keir-starmer
|publication_date=12 June 2024
|authors=George Monbiot
|subjects=UK/General election/2024, Green Party of England and Wales, Caroline Lucas, Siân Berry, Jo Bird, Ellie Chowns, Carla Denyer, Natasha Osben, Adrian Ramsay 
|image=Green_Manifesto.webp
|image_width=300px
|image_caption=Co-leaders [[Carla Denyer]] & [[Adrian Ramsay]]
|description=The [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green party]] has a chance of winning six seats in this election – [[Siân Berry|Brighton Pavilion]], where former party leader [[Caroline Lucas]] is standing down, [[Jo Bird|Birkenhead]], [[Carla Denyer|Bristol Central]], [[Natasha Osben|Clacton]], [[Ellie Chowns|North Herefordshire]], and [[Adrian Ramsay|Waveney Valley]]. If you live in one of these constituencies and wish to evict the [[Tories]], this is the most effective way to use your vote.
}}
All governments betray the hopes of their supporters. But [[Labour]] is getting its betrayal in early. By ruling out a wealth tax<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/aug/27/rachel-reeves-rules-out-wealth-tax-if-labour-wins-next-election "Rachel Reeves rules out wealth tax if Labour wins next election"]''</ref> and other measures that could fund our collapsing public services and our increasingly desperate care and welfare needs;<ref>''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-69063581 "Labour's Rachel Reeves rules out increasing income tax or NI"]''</ref> by failing to denounce the unfolding [[genocide]] in [[Gaza]]; by remaining silent about the curtailment of our rights to protest;<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/13/how-will-recent-and-future-legislation-affect-the-right-to-protest-in-the-uk "How will recent and future legislation affect the right to protest in the UK?"]''</ref> by breaking its promises on everything from a national care service<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/03/labour-ditches-radical-reforms-as-it-prepares-bombproof-election-manifesto "Labour ditches radical reforms as it prepares ‘bombproof’ election manifesto"]''</ref> to the abolition of the [[House of Lords]] and a right to roam,<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/25/labour-u-turns-on-promise-of-scottish-style-right-to-roam-in-england "Labour U-turns on promise of Scottish-style right to roam in England"]''</ref> [[Keir Starmer]]’s party appears to wear betrayal as a badge of honour. This country is desperate for change, but while [[Starmer]] mumbles the word in every sentence, he offers as little as he can get away with.

Why? [[Labour]]’s anticipatory betrayal is motivated by anticipatory compliance.<ref>''[https://www.monbiot.com/2008/04/22/anticipatory-compliance/ "Anticipatory Compliance"]''</ref> This means avoiding conflict with billionaire-owned media, the financial, property and [[fossil fuel]] sectors, by giving them what they want before they ask. You could call this approach “political realism”. But the “realistic” result is a politics dominated by the sinister rich. Dysfunction and misrule are baked in.

So, whatever the size of [[Labour]]’s likely majority, we will need countervailing forces in parliament. Though I have never been a member of any party, I believe our best hope lies with the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green party]]. It is the only one that has a chance of winning seats in this election that is not beholden to oligarchic power. Its new manifesto offers us everything a genuine [[Labour party]], fit for the 21st century, should be promising.<ref>''[https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/ "Green Party 2024 Manifesto"]''</ref>

The [[Greens]] propose immediately to bring the railways, water companies and the “big five” energy companies back into public ownership. They would guarantee access to an [[NHS]] dentist for everyone. They would greatly increase [[NHS]] funding, to reduce waiting times, build hospitals, improve primary care and restore pay levels for junior doctors and other staff. They would also greatly expand the provision of mental healthcare, and ensure that children and adolescents no longer need to wait years for an assessment. They’d ensure that all elderly people and people with disabilities have access to free personal care.

They want to address the shocking failures of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_state welfare state,] increasing universal credit by £40 a week, restoring the value of disability benefits, abolishing the iniquitous two-child benefit cap and scrapping the bedroom tax. They seek to end tuition fees and bring back grants for higher education, pour an extra £8bn of investment into schools and £5bn for special needs provision within mainstream education. They would increase public subsidies for rail and bus transport by £10bn a year.

They also intend to repeal anti-union legislation and introduce a charter of workers’ rights, to press for a maximum pay ratio within any organisation of 10:1, and to ensure all workers have full employment rights and protections. How did we end up with a situation in which none of this is [[Labour]] policy?

The [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green party]] would also radically reform the housing sector, providing 150,000 new social homes a year, ensuring that social homes can no longer be sold off, and enabling local authorities to introduce rent controls. It would invest £29bn over five years to insulate and improve housing, and give tenants the right to demand energy efficiency improvements from their landlords.

The [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green]] manifesto proposes replacing the [[House of Lords]] with an elected chamber, introducing a fairer voting and party funding system, restoring the right to protest, ensuring no one can own more than 20% of the media and introducing a digital bill of rights to regulate [[social media]] providers.

Most importantly, the [[Greens]] would confront the greatest predicament humankind has ever faced, by transforming our relationship with the natural world. This would include ending all new and recent oil and gas licences, introducing an escalating carbon tax and ensuring 70% of electricity comes from wind by 2030. Manufacturers of household white goods would have to offer 10-year warranties, there would be a comprehensive right to repair, and new green duties on all company directors. A right to roam would be accompanied by large-scale ecological protections, on land and at sea.

All this and more would be funded with a combination of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_tax wealth tax,] set at 1% a year for those with assets worth over £10m, and 2% for those with assets above £1bn; a reformed capital gains tax, bringing it into line with income tax levels; much fairer taxation of homes and property; and higher windfall taxes on oil and gas production, and on banks when excessive profits are made. It’s everything the [[Labour party]] should be doing, in other words, but is too frightened to propose. No one expects the [[Greens]] to form the new government but we need them to hold [[Labour]] to account and press it to raise its level of ambition.

The [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green party]] has a good chance of winning two seats in this election – [[Siân Berry|Brighton Pavilion]], where former party leader [[Caroline Lucas]] is standing down, and [[Carla Denyer|Bristol Central]] – and a smaller chance of winning a further two, [[Adrian Ramsay|Waveney Valley]]<ref>''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3gg7q8g545o "Greens 'aiming to make history' in East Anglia"]''</ref> and [[Ellie Chowns|North Herefordshire]].<ref>''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx007xnyw40o "Greens challenge 'timid' Labour at election launch"]''</ref> If you live in one of these constituencies and wish to evict the [[Tories]], this is the most effective way to use your vote. That’s because, unlike most of us, you have a realistic chance of electing an MP who can speak for the people against plutocratic power. Don’t waste it.

==References==
<references/>