GREENACTION Taking your side in Europe A GREEN EUROPE:
Has clean, cheap and secure energy
Is accountable and transparent
Has decent food for everyone
.
Has an economy that works for the common good, narrowing the gap between rich & poor
Greens won the European Election 2009, in Brighton and Hove
If you want someone who takes your side Who puts YOU first, instead of big business Who campaigns for a decent quality of life for all
Vote Green on May 22nd
I´m Keith Taylor, your serving Green MEP and lead 2014 candidate. I’m asking you to vote Green to give a safe, prosperous and sustainable future for people in the UK. Greens were only 2% off a second seat in 2009. Vote Green for a Europe that stands up for people like you and me; for Green MEPs who fight for the common good.
Women’s rights
I have voted in favour of measures which protect women’s maternity rights and defend the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’. Measures promoted by Greens would see more women in boardrooms and ensure that violence against women is taken seriously across the continent.
Protecting your environment
I pressured the EU into banning bee-harming insecticies. Since November it’s been illegal to use them. But if Europe is going to stand up for the bees we need Greens in Brussels to ensure the EU doesn’t back down, creating disaster for our food supply.
Reining in the bankers At the height of the financial crisis I spoke in the European Parliament about the ‘Robin Hood’ Tax to urge MEPs to vote for the tax. The following day MEPs voted in favour of introducing a tax on financial transactions.
How to get in touch:
To find out more about the campaign or request a window poster: tel: 01273 766 670 email: info@brightonhovegreens.org www.facebook.com/ SouthEastGreenParty Twitter: @SEGreenParty www.segreenscom
Photos: jjwaller.com; Nigel Tart; OPT- Ricardo de la Riva
What Green Euro-MPs have been doing on your behalf...
02 | Election Special Spring 2014
European Elections
The right kind of change How the elections work: • The elections on May 22nd are for us to choose our Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to represent our interests in Europe. • In the European Elections you have just one
vote and you vote for a Party rather than a candidate • This is a proportional representation system called the D’Hondt method. This means that every single vote counts. • The deadline for registering for a postal vote is May 6th. Go to www.aboutmyvote. co.uk to find out more.
A Fair Europe The Europe we are aiming for is one that pushes for the common good, that takes a lead in meeting the challenges of the 21st Century and that works for real jobs – skilled jobs – that make the most of our talents.
A Democratic Europe There are some people who call for us to leave the EU, but Greens believe this would be a terrible mistake. 40% of our trade lies with Europe. If we leave we’ll still want to do business – but if we don’t have a say on EU legislation, then
that business will be on the EU’s terms.
photo: OPT - JP Remy
The European Election gives city residents a chance to vote for the right kind of change in Europe.
An Accountable Europe Rather than avoiding Europe, we just need to make it work better. We can be more effective as one nation in a group of 28, than a single nation on its own. We need a future where the vested interests of corporations aren´t adopted by a weak Commission - instead our policies should have people and planet at their centre. “I think we are better off in
Europe, because an alliance of countries is better than just one. Of course we have to change it so it can work better, but if we close the door on Europe we risk losing the advantages it has given us and our say as an important nation,” says Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East of England.
25 Reasons to vote Green this May
Greens will create an economy that supports you
Greens will stand up for your rights at home & work
Only Greens defend the environment
We will:
• Always defend fundamental workers’ rights, such as the right to join a trade union, the right to maternity and paternity leave, the right to paid sick leave and the right to holidays. • Stop government mass surveillance of citizens. • Ensure that women are paid equally for equal work and work in the home is properly valued. • Work to ensure that nobody endures harassment.
• Bring about stricter laws on air pollution, and ensure that EU rules keep our beaches, rivers and oceans clean. • Create a zero-waste Europe, by leading on re-use and recycling, and ending incineration.
• End tax evasion and invest in our communities and future. • Build an economy that works for the common good, narrowing the gap between rich and poor. • Ensure that corporations and the super rich have to pay their way. • Enforce a strict cap on bankers’ bonuses to end the culture of rewards for failure. • Invest in local economies to ensure that money stays within communities rather than flowing out to multinational corporations. • Protect our high streets.
Greens will create warmer, greener homes • Tackle the cost-of-living crisis by helping people insulate their homes and make their homes energy efficient. • Prioritise building affordable homes, and bring in a national plan to reduce housebuilding pressure in the South East.
Greens will create jobs & resist austerity • Bring about a Living Wage to ensure that no workers live in poverty. • Abolish zero-hours contracts. • Create one million jobs to build stronger communities and a better future. • Bring an end to unpaid internships. • Develop Youth Guarantee jobs schemes across Europe. to ensure that every young person is offered a job or further training within four months of leaving permanent education.
Cllr Alexandra Phillips is the Green Party’s second candidate for the South East. We asked her what her priorities would be if she was elected to represent you in the European Parliament.
I’ll fight inequality Migrants contribute 34% more to the economy in taxes than they take out in benefits. The policies of the Conservatives and UKIP are so unfair: rich people can move and are welcomed, but the poor are not, even when they might be coming here to care for grandchildren while parents are working and supporting our economy. As I told Nigel Farage at a recent debate, UKIP are using migrants as a scapegoat for the problems we face in the UK. It is not them who are to blame for the crisis but the bankers, like Farage and his mates in the City of London.
If elected I’d fight all forms of discrimination from racism, to ageism and disability discrimination, sexism and homophobia.
I’ll oppose fracking Another area I’m keen to work in would be to protect us from fracking. I presented the ‘Notice of Motion’ to the city council in 2012 which led to Brighton and Hove becoming a frack-free city. .
I’ll protect animals Whilst working for Caroline Lucas in the European Parliament, I was involved in shaping animal rights legislation on a campaign around the EU’s position on animal experiments, and worked with NGOs and Canadian colleagues to ban the trade in seal products. The European Parliament is the perfect place to fight for issues that have no national boundaries, such as the live transport of animals.
Election Special Spring 2014 | 03
May 22nd 2014 Taking your side: Meet Keith Taylor MEP Green Action’s editor finds out more about Brighton and Hove’s Green Euro-MP. Keith Taylor is your Green Party Euro-MP for the South East region. He has been your MEP since 2010 and lives in Brighton when not in Brussels.
Keith Taylor MEP campaigning against pollution in Brighton and in the European Parliament
A former councillor in Brighton and Hove for 11 years, nine of which as group convenor/ leader, Keith is dedicated to fighting for social justice, peace and human rights, improved animal protection – and for a greener and more sustainable economy. Much of Keith’s work involves helping EU citizens challenge the EU on how laws are being implemented in their own countries.
photo: ruth@look-again.org
Keith is particularly active in EU Parliamentary work on extending equality for women and other groups such as the LGBT communities, as well as on animal protection.
Keith speaking against banker’s bonuses
Keith says his underlying motivation for his work is to fight for the common good, from defending workers’ rights to reining in the bankers who caused our economic problems, and to protecting our fisheries.
Our health “29,000 people die prematurely in the UK each year because of air pollution,” Keith points out, and he has long campaigned against this invisible killer, writing a report ‘Air Pollution: The Invisible Killer’, to raise awareness of air pollution and its health impacts.
Keith campaigning against fracking near Brighton last summer
Locally, Keith has campaigned in the Lewes Road area of
Keith Taylor, MEP with Cllr. Alex Phillips visiting an energy efficient eco school
Brighton where air pollution is particularly poor and has written to the Secretary of State for Health, the Secretary of State for Transport and the European Commission calling for urgent action to tackle air pollution.
over British quality of life. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership threatens to slash regulations that protect our environment and health and put the interests of multinationals before people.”
Keith explains, “I am putting pressure on the European Commission to make sure that it does not allow the UK government to shirk its responsibility. The Commission must take urgent action to address air pollution and its harmful effects in areas where the UK is breaching, or likely to breach, EU limits.”
Animal Welfare
Poverty and Austerity
Keith is angry at the resumption of live cattle exports from Ramsgate. He said: “Transporting live animals for hours on end just to be slaughtered upon arrival makes no sense, is cruel, unnecessary and must be stopped immediately.”
Keith recently produced a report entitled ‘Food Bank Britain: How thousands are going hungry in the sixth largest economy’, which showed a huge jump in the number of people relying on emergency food handouts in South East England.
Promoting LGBT rights Keith, a member of Parliament´s LGBT Intergroup on LGBT, said, “In February the European Parliament backed a report drafted by a fellow Green MEP calling for equality for LGBTI people. The whole Tory group, who always say they´re committed to equality, actually failed to support this measure and abstained, with only two exceptions.”
Putting people before corporations “I’ve exposed as undemocratic secret trade negotiations which favour global business
Fiercely committed to protecting the rights of animals, and to promoting higher standards of animal welfare across the EU, Keith has called for a ban on all fur imports, an end to cruel industrialised farming practices, and the phasing out of animal experimentation.
Keith opposes the development of the use of GM technology in producing food and crops, and uses his role in the European Parliament to ensure the agri-business sector is kept in check. Keith has also been working to curb the power of the big supermarkets to drive down prices and give farmers a better deal. “Well, that’s certainly a lot of achievements,” says Green Action’s Editor. “It’s all part of the service,” Keith says with a smile, “and I would be honoured if Brighton and Hove people help send me to Brussels for a second term”. More info on Keith’s campaign at www.segreens.com
Your Green candidates for the European Elections on May 22nd 1. Keith Taylor, MEP 2. Cllr Alexandra Phillips 3. Dr. Derek Wall 4. Cllr. Jason Kitcat 5. Miriam Kennet 6. Beverly Golden 7. Cllr. Jonathan Essex 8. Jonathan Kent 9. Stuart Jeffrey 10. Dr. Ray Cunningham
04 | Election Special Spring 2014
Why we need Greens to stand up for us in Europe photo: charlottemacpherson.co.uk
by Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion of the problem and, as your MEP, he has shown he’s willing to speak out on the threats to our environment and our health that people across the South East are telling him they care about. Having worked as a teacher, Alex knows the importance of education and training opportunities, and she has been a passionate champion for giving young people in particular a voice in the EU.
I
t’s critically important to have strong Green voices in the European Parliament - now more than ever before. The UN warns that climate change is already happening, and its latest report makes clear that we need urgent action now. The EU plays a key role in setting targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for switching from fossil fuels like oil and gas to renewable power. So the decisions taken in Europe can help build a better, more secure future and create new green jobs - if you elect Greens like Keith Taylor and Alex Phillips, with the experience, commitment and skills to make a powerful case for action to tackle climate change.
I’ve been an MEP and I know from my own experience that Above left: Caroline Lucas MP and Keith Taylor MEP at the Children’s Parade in Brighton. it’s an opportunity to make a Above right: Keith Taylor in Brighton where he was a councillor for 11 years. real difference on human rights issues too, such as women’s and LGBTi rights. Keith and Alex have a strong track record of campaigning for equality and would continue to work hard to represent you in Europe. They have both shown their dedication to animal protection too, fighting for important EU laws that will promote the welfare of our farm animals and to end animal testing. A strong Green vote in the European elections is a vote for putting people and our environment first.
Keith’s work on tackling air pollution has raised awareness A final word from Alexandra Phillips...
es lands up in the pockets of shareholders. And shamefully, politics where people are dependent on food banks.But Europe also offers ways of solving some of the problems that are too big for any one country to tackle alone.
This election is a great opportunity to stand up against politics as usual. Politics where all the traditional parties back bail-outs for bankers while pursuing a cruel and counterproductive agenda of ‘austerity’ that hits the most vulnerable the hardest. Politics where ministers give tax breaks to fracking companies when we urgently need to move to a clean energy future. Politics where money that should be invested into public servic-
Above Left: Keith Taylor MEP visiting a super insulated home in the constituency. Above right: Caroline Lucas MP and Keith Taylor MEP discussing animal welfare with PDSA vets. Below: Keith Taylor MEP and Cllr Alexandra Philips campaigning against the dangers of fracking
Below: Cllr Phillips and Caroline Lucas MP meeting Brighton and Hove residents
Yes I’m going to vote Green Name ........................................................................................................................................................... Email .......................................................................................................................................... Mobile ........................................................................................................................................................... I can display a poster Size: A3
or A4
(we will drop it round to you.)
I’d like to join the campaign to re-elect Keith Taylor MEP & Caroline Lucas MP Local Green Party office tel: 01273 766 670 email: info@brightonhovegreens.org
Return to The Green Party, Freepost RTGZ-AZKG-AZBH, 39-41 Surrey Street, Brighton BN1 3PB Promoted by Leo Littman on behalf of the Southeast Green Euro Candidate List, all of 56-64 Leonard Street London EC2A 4LT. Printed by Iliffe Press, Winship Rd, Milton, Cambridge CB24 6PP on sustainably sourced paper
photo: jjwaller.com
It can help us stand up to big corporations that are chipping away at our pay and our rights as employees and consumers. It can help us end the wars that drive people to seek refuge in other countries. If we are going to have a Europe that works for everyone, we need to send more Greens to Brussels.