24th November 2008
Government accused of returning to the same debt and over-consumption that caused the economic crisis in the first place - alternative to be launched in Stroud on Thursday
Responding to Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget report this afternoon, Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, Leader of the Green Party said: “The Chancellor’s plan to cut taxes to promote a consumer-spending boom is short- term thinking in the extreme. Even if it works, it will simply ship money abroad, as most consumer goods are imported, rather than supporting jobs here in the UK. More seriously, it also represents a return to the vicious cycles of debt and over-consumption that caused the crisis in the first place. Not only is this economically unsustainable, it is environmentally unsustainable as well, driving a major depletion of natural resources and growth in climate emissions”.
Martin Whiteside, Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Stroud said: “The paltry number of green jobs anticipated in Darling’s report is put to shame, by comparison to the Green Party’s package, which would stablilise the economy by investing in new green infrastructure, creating over half a million new jobs in the next 12 months. The government’s plans are incoherent and unsustainable. By putting capital spending into increasing motorway capacity, diluting the incentive to buy more efficient vehicles, and encouraging more aviation, Gordon Brown has shown his environmental incompetence, as well as his economic recklessness."
Martin Whiteside adds " if people in Stroud District really want to discuss the financial changes needed to get our economy working they should come to the launch of the 'Green New Deal' at the subscription rooms in Stroud at 7.30pm this Thursday 27 November at 7.30pm.
Note to Editors:
'Defying the Recession - A Green New Deal' will be launched in the Subscription in Stroud with Colin Hines, former head of Greenpeace Economics Unit; Dr Simon Pickering from Ecotricity; Molly Scott Cato, Economist and European Parliamentary Candidate; Councillor Martin Whiteside, International Development Worker and Parliamentary Candidate. 7.30pm Thursday 27 November. Carole Garfield of Stroud Chamber of Commerce will be in the Chair
For a summary and copy of the Green Party PBR report, see:
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/mediacentre/releases/2008-11-21-budget.htm