Re-evaluating the Green Party
Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 | Religion & Politics
It is always good to really challenge your beliefs when you can, so last night I tried to put aside any biases I hold and read through the Green Party manifesto.
I had previously written them off as sexists who support homoeopathy. Taking a look at their manifesto they talk a lot of sense though.
Here is what I like:
- They make the case that inequality is bad for everyone (I have a blog post coming on this)
- They want to reduce government borrowing
- They aim for a 35 hour working week
- Not increasing the rate of corporation tax for small businesses
- Ensuring the NHS is entirely publicly run
- Get rid of academies and free schools
- Treat drug abuse as a health issue rather than a crime
- Ending religious opt-outs of equality legislation
- Reformation of the House of Lords
Here is what I do not like:
- Their plan to pay for their pension plan is based on removing the tax incentives for people to pay into private pensions
- Increased tax on fuels including its introduction on aviation fuel
- Significant restrictions on air travel
- Supporting the Post Office which is an appallingly-run and non-essential organisation that we can afford to and should let fail
- So-called “business protection zones” to stop supermarkets
- Removing the internal market from the NHS
- Decentralise the NHS – they claim they can do it without it becoming a postcode lottery, but I am not convinced
- Complementary therapies being available on the NHS
- End mixed-sex accommodation in hospitals – why? Surely the Greens should be gender progressive?
- Provide funding for women’s refuges (but not men)
- Provide funding to tackle violence against women (but not men)
- Forcing companies to hire women onto their boards
- Reducing the voting age to 16
- Move towards a written bill of rights
- Oppose nuclear power
- Reduce motorway speed limits to 55mph
- Support organic food and oppose GM food
I was originally going to end this blog post with something like this:
There is certainly plenty in their I dislike. But the question is, do they talk less nonsense than the other political parties? I think it is quite possible that they actually do.
However, on reading through the list I have just made, there really is some unscientific stuff in there. So I don’t really know where to go with this ending now…
It is always good to really challenge your beliefs when you can, so last night I tried to put aside any biases I hold and read through the Green Party manifesto.
I had previously written them off as sexists who support homoeopathy. Taking a look at their manifesto they talk a lot of sense though.
Here is what I like:
- They make the case that inequality is bad for everyone (I have a blog post coming on this)
- They want to reduce government borrowing
- They aim for a 35 hour working week
- Not increasing the rate of corporation tax for small businesses
- Ensuring the NHS is entirely publicly run
- Get rid of academies and free schools
- Treat drug abuse as a health issue rather than a crime
- Ending religious opt-outs of equality legislation
- Reformation of the House of Lords
Here is what I do not like:
- Their plan to pay for their pension plan is based on removing the tax incentives for people to pay into private pensions
- Increased tax on fuels including its introduction on aviation fuel
- Significant restrictions on air travel
- Supporting the Post Office which is an appallingly-run and non-essential organisation that we can afford to and should let fail
- So-called “business protection zones” to stop supermarkets
- Removing the internal market from the NHS
- Decentralise the NHS – they claim they can do it without it becoming a postcode lottery, but I am not convinced
- Complementary therapies being available on the NHS
- End mixed-sex accommodation in hospitals – why? Surely the Greens should be gender progressive?
- Provide funding for women’s refuges (but not men)
- Provide funding to tackle violence against women (but not men)
- Forcing companies to hire women onto their boards
- Reducing the voting age to 16
- Move towards a written bill of rights
- Oppose nuclear power
- Reduce motorway speed limits to 55mph
- Support organic food and oppose GM food
I was originally going to end this blog post with something like this:
There is certainly plenty in their I dislike. But the question is, do they talk less nonsense than the other political parties? I think it is quite possible that they actually do.
However, on reading through the list I have just made, there really is some unscientific stuff in there. So I don’t really know where to go with this ending now…