U.S. should heed EU Greens’ progressive “Manifesto”

Excerpt, minor editing by Carolyn Bennett from “A Green New Deal for Europe”

PROVIDE SAFE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
Uranium is a finite fuel source and the EU is overwhelmingly dependent on imports from unstable countries, so nuclear is clearly not the answer to our long-term energy security. On top of this, the associated risks of nuclear are as real now as they have always been, whether in terms of operation, fuel production or managing nuclear waste. This is not to mention the possibility of terrorist attacks and nuclear proliferation to questionable regimes and even rogue groups.

Revolutionizing how we use energy and ending our damaging dependence on oil means we must also move green. Transport is the fastest growing source of manmade greenhouse gas emissions. The EU needs to actively work to create a sustainable transport system.
PROVIDE AND SECURE, ACCESSIBLE, SAFE FOOD FOR ALL
Farming and food policies should promote local markets for agricultural products, eliminating unnecessary transportation. They must encourage more sustainable production methods that aim to conserve biodiversity and water resources, and enhance soil fertility, reducing the use of toxic and polluting pesticides and fertilizers. This approach will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from intensive agriculture. It will also reduce the risks to public health caused by industrial farming. Animals must be treated ethically, in agriculture as in all other contexts.
REGULATE BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL MARKETS
The system needs change. The Greens want to end the careless deregulation that has enabled big business to dictate its own terms regardless of the real impact on the economy and society at large. This approach encouraged the risky speculation and overexploitation that has trapped us in a damaging boom to bust cycle. We want to take this opportunity to develop a new economy driven by long-term prosperity, not short-term profiteering. We want a responsible and stable Europe, which invests ethically and where prosperity is defined by the wellbeing of all its people.

Financial markets must be put on a leash, so they cease to be casinos in which people’s homes and livelihoods are the chips on the table. Their transnational nature demands a coordinated European response that leads and links in to international efforts. We need an EU-level watchdog with teeth – a body to scrutinize and regulate financial markets and services. EU regulations must rule out any kind of tax evasion and prevent harmful tax competition for corporate revenues and savings, which undermines social justice.
ENSURE FAIRER SOCIETY
A truly prosperous, innovative, stable and sustainable economy requires a fairer society guaranteeing fair working conditions, equal opportunities and a decent standard of living for all.
ERADICATE POVERTY
Nobody should suffer the indignity of living in poverty. The Green New Deal aims to reverse the widening gap between rich and poor and guarantee a decent minimum living standard for all Europeans. Governments should introduce minimum wages by law or collective agreements and a minimum income above the poverty line, guaranteed by social security, for all in need. The EU should be guided by the principle of equal pay for equal work and not be a battleground for the lowest wage.

Europe must offer greater stability to people of all ages. Senior citizens must be guaranteed a voice in society, enabling them to actively participate in economic, social and civic life. This implies guaranteeing sound pensions. Community-based services must exist to address the individual needs of the frail and vulnerable. Young people must have access to more secure jobs and better access to education, training and housing.

Europe must also play its part in building fairer societies and eliminating poverty in other parts of the world.
DECRIMINALIZE IMMIGRATION, ASYLUM SEEKERS
Immigration is an opportunity, not a threat. We need positive-minded policies that will allow people to come here legally and efficiently. Immigrants who work in the EU deserve equal rights and equal pay, as well as the opportunity of European citizenship and the right to participate in the political process.

People who seek asylum deserve to be treated better.

The Greens have opposed repressive laws on returning unauthorized migrants and will continue to fight inhumane or xenophobic legislation. Europe has a duty to provide shelter and protection to those who need it. Europe should be a bridge that will allow people to come and live here in a legal way. It will only be able to do this effectively when all EU countries share the effort instead of leaving border countries to take the strain. Europe must also do more to fight the despicable trafficking of men, women and children across its borders.
ENACT NEW STYLE FOREIGN POLICY
The European Union must lead by example in its engagement with the rest of the world: this implies a new style of foreign policy. It must devote its energy to solving root causes of international tensions and not just fighting their manifestations.

The EU should strengthen multilateral bodies and international law, focus on civilian foreign policy instruments and follow the principle of maximum fairness in all of its external policies, including trade. European policies must champion peace, democracy and human rights in the world and do so consistently and coherently. The EU should also devote more energy and resources to support the international community (particularly the UN) in addressing conflicts that have been long overlooked.

International cooperation and humanitarian aid must be a priority. Establishing a European Civil Peace Corps ready to make non-military interventions for humanitarian purposes would play an important part of this.

“The Green New Deal sets out a new direction for Europe. As economic, social and environmental crises converge, it is time to shift our course from destructive short-term profiteering towards sustainable, long-term prosperity.”

In Britain's latest national election, the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Caroline Lucas, became the first Green Member elected to the UK Parliament at Westminster. Currently a Member of the European Parliament, Lucas was elected MP in the constituency of Brighton Pavillion with a majority of 1,252 votes over the incumbent Labour MP.

Sources
“A Green New Deal for Europe,” 2009, http://europeangreens.eu/fileadmin/logos/pdf/manifesto_EUROPEAN_GREENS.pdf
http://europeangreens.eu/menu/egp-manifesto/
http://europeangreens.eu/menu/egp-manifesto/
“European greens congratulate Caroline Lucas on becoming first green mp in UK parliament… Historic achievement for Green Party of England and Wales means Greens now have a voice in Westminster,” May 7, 2010, http://europeangreens.eu/menu/news/news-single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1959&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=13&cHash=f1bee17c30

PROGRESSIVE LEFT Framing Fairer Future ─ Lucas

Caroline Lucas’s Good Society, Social Democracy article excerpt, minor editing By Carolyn Bennett for Today’s Insight News
“A positive future for social democracy depends upon a genuine political commitment to social and environmental justice”

Lucas is talking to Europe, but think USA, too
Increasing numbers of reports underline that happiness and well-being do not depend on endless economic growth and material wealth; but rather on contented families, strong communities, meaningful work and personal freedom. So it becomes clearer that the policies we need to live good lives are precisely the policies we need to tackle the environmental and social challenges we face today.

In order to reassert the values of social democracy and unite the left to protect the well-being of people and planet, we therefore need explicit policies designed to reduce inequality and reduce climate emissions. We must pull lower incomes up ─ in the short term through a living wage, in the longer term via Citizens Income ─ and, crucially, levy proportionate taxation on the highest incomes. Research by Compass has found considerable public support for a fairer tax system to redistribute wealth, with 78 per cent in a recent poll saying they would support a tax system whereby the richest 10 per cent pay at least the same percentage of their income in tax as the poorest 10 per cent. Fair policies to cut emissions through a system of individual carbon rationing will also play a key role in this new social democracy.

“What’s clear is that right-of-centre political ideology, with its fondness for free market deregulation, privatization and public spending cuts, does not hold the solutions to the challenges that we face. It is the responsibility of social democracy to combat the continued rise of the right by staying true to the values of its socialist roots and placing fairness at the heart of the political economy. We need a social democracy founded on ecological sustainability, wealth redistribution, cultural innovation and human well-being.

“The progressive left must provide a positive and hopeful vision for a greener, fairer future – anything less will amount to a political and a moral failure that Europe [Think USA too] simply cannot afford.”

Caroline Lucas is Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and a Member of the European Parliament for the South East of England. Lucas is a leading authority on green politics, climate change, international trade, animal welfare and peace issues. She is standing in Brighton Pavilion as the Green PPC [Prospective Parliamentary Candidate] for the upcoming general election.


Sources and notes
“Where now for Social Democracy in Europe? (A positive future for social democracy depends upon a genuine political commitment to social and environmental justice),” by Caroline Lucas, January 15, 2010, http://www.social-europe.eu/2010/01/where-now-for-social-democracy-in-europe/
The United Kingdom’s “most influential ideas and action-based political pressure group with over 30,000 members and supporters enabling people to go out, take action and make real change happen,” Compass was launched in 2003 with publication of its Vision for the Democratic Left.
Compass is building the ideas and organization for a new progressive consensus based around its “core values of democracy, equality and sustainability ─ instead of silos, we know you cannot have one without the other two. As the planet gets hotter and the poor get poorer,” Compass campaigns “collaboratively with progressive politicians of all parties, pressure groups, trade unions, think tanks, NGOs, academics, activists, campaigners and across civil society. We’re building a coalition for a radical 21st century politics the country [UK] needs now.” Direction for the Democratic Left, http://www.compassonline.org.uk/index.asp; http://www.compassonline.org.uk/about/index.asp