Greenvoice 2014

Fighting for warm homes and clean energy

Defending the NHS

Greenvoice

Safer Streets for South East England

Spring 2014 A free newspaper from your Green Party MEP, Keith Taylor

www.keithtaylor.co.uk @GreenKeithMEP

Greens in Europe: Building an economy that works for everyone After floods drenched parts of South East England, Keith called public meetings to hear from his constituents about how the floods affected them. Keith is campaigning to ensure that the Government listens to those affected by the floods and does all that is necessary to protect people in the future.

In the European Parliament, Greens are leading the way in proposing new laws that will curb climate change and reduce the risk of extreme weather hitting the UK. Your Green MEP Keith Taylor has also been fighting to protect your area from the dangers of fracking and pushing for the roll out of insulation across the region to ensure people’s homes are warm and their bills are lowered.

From protecting your local green spaces, to campaigning for new jobs in your area Keith has been standing up for you. Greens in the European Parliament will always campaign against injustice and stand up for the common good.

t Keith Taylor, your Green Party MEP, is fighting for an economy that works for everyone, both now and for generations to come.

Since taking his seat in Brussels, your Green Party Member of the European Parliament, Keith Taylor, has been standing up for you.

The harsh effects of the economic crisis are still being felt across the South of England.

Wages still haven’t caught up with price rises.

Thousands of young people still can’t find work.

And the so-called ‘recovery’ of our economy is only really being felt by the very richest.

An economy that works for everyone, not just the richest Your MEP Keith Taylor and his Green colleagues in Brussels have been working to ensure

Protecting animals in the UK and abroad As part of his work as your Green MEP Keith Taylor has done all he can to protect animals. The European Union sets standards on animal welfare and Keith has voted to strengthen laws which protect animals from harm. 

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that Britain’s economy serves everyone, not just the super rich.

Greens in the European Parliament have introduced a cap on bankers’ bonuses. They’ve also campaigned for the creation of decent jobs for young people and voted to ensure that every worker has the right to sick pay and holidays.

Keith has also been standing up for the parts of our society that need protecting the most. He’s campaigned against NHS privatisation and the closure of local services.

Earlier this year, Keith authored a report on food banks in his constituency which found soaring demand for emergency food handouts across the region.

Keith said: “My mission in the European Parliament has been to stand up for my constituents. That’s why I’ve voted to ensure that everyone’s rights at work are protected and done all I can to hold the Government to account for the atrocious levels of poverty affecting this area.

I’ve been working to build an economy that works for the common good, not just the few at the top.”

Promoting local food

Taking action for cleaner air

Every year, the EU spends over 40% of its budget on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Greens believe that far too much money is spent subsidising rich landowners and too little is spent helping small scare, environmentally friendly farmers. 

Over 29,000 people die every year in the UK because of air pollution, with over 4,000 of these in the South East of England. Greens have been campaigning for clean air, so as to protect our health from the serious dangers associated with breathing in polluted air. 

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Protecting our Environment Greens have also been working to ensure that our shared environment is protected.

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Green Solutions Your MEP Keith Taylor and his fellow Greens in the European Parliament have: XX Fought for decent jobs and fair wages for everyone.

XX Campaigned against the privatisation of our NHS and the closure of local services.

XX Brought about a cap on bankers’ bonuses.

XX Fought against fracking and campaigned for warmer homes and lower energy bills.

“My vision for a Green Europe” Editorial by Keith Taylor, MEP for the South East

Since I took my seat in the European Parliament, I’ve been doing all I can to stand up for you, my constituents.

As an MEP I’ve spent much of my time voting on laws that many people have never heard of, but which make a real difference to all of our lives. I believe that Britain is better as part of the EU, having a say on what happens, rather than shouting from the sidelines.

But I also believe that we should have a referendum on our place in the EU. It’s only right that people have a say, and it’s time that pro-EU politicians have the guts to campaign for what they believe in.

My vision for the EU is one which puts people first. That means that the EU must become more accountable to the people it serves. It is vital that decisions are made as locally as possible, and that the EU only passes laws on issues which affect the whole of Europe.

As your MEP, I’ve voted to protect your rights at work, and to ensure that the single market across Europe isn’t just a race to the bottom. With my Green colleagues in Brussels, I’ve also worked to ensure that those who caused the financial crises in 2008 are held to account, and that we learn from the mistakes that were made, rather than going back to business as usual.

As well as focusing on those at the very top, and campaigning for an end to the tax havens enjoyed by the super rich, I’ve also been doing all I can to work for those suffering because of the financial crises. I’ve investigated the increasing use of food banks across my region, met some amazing volunteers and heard stories of hardship from those forced to claim emergency food handouts to feed their families.

In the European Parliament, it is Greens who have voted to ensure that funding to fight poverty isn’t cut, and that everyone’s rights are protected in the face of austerity.

As part of my work as your MEP, I’ve also been fighting for an economy that works for everyone, both now and in the future.

That means I’ve voted for laws which shift our energy production towards clean, sustainable power generation.

It also means I’ve fought against the selling off of public services like our precious NHS and I’ve campaigned to bring our expensive and inefficient railways back into public hands.

It’s my privilege to work for you as your Green MEP as I fight for a Europe which serves the common good.

p Keith Taylor, your Green Party MEP, believes that people should be allowed a say on our place in Europe.

Your Green MEP: Standing up for you in Europe Every month, Keith receives hundreds of emails and letters from people across the South East concerned about EU issues that affect them.

Last year, Keith answered 11,385 constituent emails. Over 5,000 of these were on issues related to food production and farming, nearly 2,000 were on animal rights and a further 1,700 were about transport problems.

First and foremost, Keith works for you, his constituents. Since taking office, he has voted in 92% of the votes in Strasbourg—one of the highest participation rates in votes out of the 77 UK MEPs.

Food & Farming

Protecting animals in the UK and abroad  As part of his work on animal protection, Keith has been at the forefront of a campaign which aims to stop the EU subsidising bull fighting in Spain. He has also worked to protect stray dogs in Romania and to ensure that the EU’s ban on importing seal fur is maintained.

Keith and his Green colleagues in the European Parliament have also been working to end the cruel practice of keeping whales and dolphins in captivity.

Closer to home, Keith has campaigned for an end to cruel live exports in his constituency.

Animals such as calves and sheep are crammed into crowded trucks and sent across the continent on unnecessarily long journeys. Keith is demanding that this trade is stopped immediately.

Keith has also been campaigning against the government’s disastrous and inhumane badger cull. Alongside campaigners he has called on the EU to bring about a vaccine to protect cattle from Bovine Tuberculosis.

Keith said: “The European Union sets many of the animal protection standards in place across the continent. I’m proud that the Greens have always fought for animals to be protected.”

 This farming policy, which should help the EU to be self sufficient in its food production, currently pays rich landowners hundreds of thousands of pounds simply for owning land. It also lines the pockets of agribusiness and fails to offer adequate support to small-scale farmers.

In the European Parliament, Greens have been at the forefront of campaigns to make the CAP work for the common good, not just for millionaire landowners and mega-farms.

During last year’s debate on the CAP, Keith called for dramatic changes to farming policy, which include: XX A strict limit on the amount of money any single farm can get from the CAP, in order to distribute the available funds more widely and fairly.

XX Tough environmental rules to ensure our countryside is protected for generations to come.

XX More investment in small, sustainable farms, to help build up a network of small scale farms across South East England.

Keith’s also been campaigning on a number of other farming issues. He’s fought for stronger laws on food labelling following the horsemeat scandal and he’s voted for the suspension of pesticides which threaten Europe’s bees.

p Keith joins Green MP Caroline Lucas at a PDSA Pet Hosptial in Brighton.

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Promoting local food

Spring 2014 — Keith Taylor MEP

Environment & Health

Fighting for warm homes and clean energy Keith Taylor, your Green Party MEP, has been fighting against the threat of fracking in your area.

He’s argued against fracking because it won’t lower your energy bills and because it will contribute to climate change and cause huge disruption to local communities.

In his constituency, Keith’s helped people prevent extraction near their homes.

In the European Parliament, he’s voted for measures which crack down on the dangers of fracking. And Keith has used his position to challenge the Government over their proposals to hand tax breaks to fracking firms and ‘bribes’ to local councils who accept shale gas extraction in their area.

Greens in the European Parliament have also campaigned for a nuclear-free Europe, saying that the technology is both extraordinarily expensive and potentially dangerous. Keith has campaigned against the UK government subsidising a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. But Greens aren’t just against fracking and nuclear. In the European Parliament, Keith has been promoting positive alternatives to burning dirty and expensive fossil fuels, and which would address fuel poverty and winter-related deaths.

He has voted for urgent action on climate change, and campaigned for investment in renewable technology and energy conservation to ensure that we have warm homes and affordable bills for years to come.

Keith said: “The floods that hit South East England earlier this year should have acted as a wake up call to our Government. It’s becoming

“ We want a secure energy future where everyone can live in warm, comfortable homes that they can heat at an affordable price.”

increasingly clear that climate change is a threat to all of us, yet many politicians in power couldn’t care less.

Greens are fighting for clean, sustainable energy production and the roll out of insulation across Europe.

We want a secure energy future where everyone can live in warm, comfortable homes that they heat at an affordable price.”

p Greens want to ensure that everyone can afford to heat their homes.

Insulating everyone’s homes would keep people warm and create thousands of jobs.

The EU/ US Free Trade Deal: A threat to our environment and our jobs A proposed trade deal between the EU and the USA could give big businesses the right to sue governments over legislation that protects our environment, but harm their profits.

The deal, called the Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is being negotiated in secret between officials from both the European Union and the United States.

Greens are standing against the deal because it threatens to remove some of the vital protections we hold dear in the UK. For example, the trade deal could see the ‘harmonisation’ of food safety regulations, which in reality means EU standards being lowered to match those in the USA. The proposed deal also threatens to undermine environmental laws in the UK as companies which cause pollution could sue our Government for passing legislation which clamps down on them.

At the centre of the EU Commission’s PR offensive around this deal is the claim that TTIP will somehow create jobs and bring prosperity to Europe. A University of Manchester study into the European Commission’s claims found them to be ‘vastly overblown’.

Keith said: “TTIP is a threat to our environment and our democracy. Greens are the only ones standing against it in the European Parliament.”

t Greens are standing up to the new EU/US trade deal because it threatens our environment and rights at work.

Spring 2014 — Keith Taylor MEP

Your Green MEP Keith Taylor has: XX Campaigned against fracking across the South East of England.

XX Proposed a huge investment in energy conservation to keep people warm in their homes.

XX Held the Government to account over their lack of action on climate change.

Defending the NHS As your Green MEP, Keith has been standing against the government’s attacks on our public services. With crucial local services, from fire stations to care for the elderly, being threatened by government cuts and privatisation, Keith has been on the side of people across the region who are making a stand.

In the European Parliament, Green MEPs have voted for laws which protect people in the face of privatisation and austerity.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the Government’s privatisation programme is the threat it poses to our NHS. With major changes taking place in the NHS, Keith has campaigned to keep local hospitals open. He’s also taken a stand against the Government’s plans to allow private companies to bid for NHS contracts and cream off profits from people being ill.

Keith said: “We need a National Health Service that serves patients, not profit. As a Green MEP I’ve been campaigning against the increasing privatisation of our NHS so as to protect people’s health, both now, and in the future. This Government is celebrating what it sees as a ‘recovery’ but I know from the people I’ve met in my constituency that these government cuts mean that vital services upon which people rely are being swept away.”

p Your Green MEP, Keith Taylor, has fought to defend our precious NHS from privatisation.

Your Green MEP Keith Taylor has: XX Campaigned against cuts to local services.

XX Fought against the privatisation of our NHS. XX Voted for laws which protect the most vulnerable people across Europe.

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Transport & Aviation

Safer Streets for South East England Public Ownership for Railways

As part of his work in the European Parliament, your Green Party MEP, Keith Taylor, has been working to improve local transport in South East England.

Keith’s been fighting for safer streets by promoting local transport options like walking, cycling or taking the bus and campaigning for sensible speed limits to protect children from the dangers of fast moving vehicles.

Keith has worked across the region in campaigning for 20mph zones where people live. In the European Parliament he helped persuade EU officials to adopt 20mph zones as ‘best practice’. He has stood against local bus cuts and pressed local councils to invest in decent infrastructure for cyclists.

As part of his work on public transport, Keith published a report on road building in South East England. The report calls for money allocated for road building to be spent instead on cleaner, safer and affordable transport.

The cost of rail travel is skyrocketing and many trains in South East England are overcrowded during rush hour. To lower fares and improve services Keith is calling for the railways to be brought back into public ownership.

With HS2 threatening to carve up parts of his constituency, and swallowing billions of pounds, Keith is also taking a stand against this expensive infrastructure project. Rather than supporting large projects which only link major cities, Keith is calling for better local transport links which benefit everyone in South East England.

Keith said: “Transport isn’t working well for people in South East England. The roads are congested, the buses are expensive and the trains are crowded.

We need to see a transport revolution that promotes affordable and sustainable travel options.

We also desperately need safer streets in which our children and grandchildren can be safe.” p Keith has campaigned for 20mph zones near schools and better public transport across the South East.

Taking action for cleaner air  Bad air quality particularly affects those who live and work in major cities or next to busy roads. It’s also linked with damaging the health of children who go to schools near major roads.

Your Green Party MEP, Keith Taylor, has been a leading campaigner for clean air since he took his seat in the European Parliament in 2010.

Keith said: “With children and the elderly most vulnerable to air pollution, it’s particularly deplorable that so little has been done in the UK to tackle this serious public health issue.

Without the EU pushing the UK into action on air pollution who knows what the situation would be now? What we do know is that urgent action is needed, both to save people’s lives in the UK and to avoid EU fines for failing to meet air quality standards.”

Despite repeated calls from the EU for action on air pollution the UK Government has failed to clean up the air of our towns and cities. The situation has become so severe that the EU is threatening to take the UK Government to court unless it does more to protect people’s health.

Action on air pollution Your Green MEP Keith Taylor has: XX Pressed the government and local councils into taking urgent action on air pollution to protect people’s health.

XX Investigated the dangers of children going to school near polluted roads.

XX Promoted public transport options to lower levels of air pollution.

XX Fought for the use of cleaner fuel in transport across the EU. XX Raised public awareness of the air pollution threat.

“ With children and the elderly most vulnerable from air pollution it’s particularly deplorable that so little action has been done in the UK to tackle this serious public health issue.”

t Your Green MEP has campaigned to clean up the air we breathe.

Contact Keith Taylor MEP

Working across the South East

The South East's Green voice in Europe

To keep in touch with his constituents Keith has a team of staff based in the UK:

XX www.keithtaylormep.org.uk

XX Constituency Co-ordinator & Kent and Buckinghamshire — Krysia Williams: keithtaylor@greenmeps.org.uk

XX keithtaylor@greenmeps.org.uk

XX Sussex and Surrey — Sarah Finch: sarah@greenmeps.org.uk

XX Twitter: @GreenKeithMEP

XX Hampshire and the Isle of Wight — Eloise Shavelar: eloiseshavelar@greenmeps.org.uk

XX 020 7250 8415

XX Oxfordshire and Berkshire — Elise Benjamin: elise@greenmeps.org.uk

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No to new Runways Keith is opposed to airport expansion in South East England.

With new runways looking likely at both Heathrow and Gatwick (as well as a number of smaller airports in the region), Keith has been making a case against airport expansion.

Keith argues that new runways are incompatible with the UK’s climate change emission targets and a serious threat to the greenbelt.

Greens also oppose airport expansion because of the negative effects for local communities. The residents around Gatwick and Heathrow already have to put up with high levels of noise and pollution despite the risk to their health. Greens are saying ‘enough is enough’.

Keith said: “We don’t need new airports in South East England. Indeed, as the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases we need to be cutting back on aviation emissions.

Airport bosses would have us believe that laying down tarmac and increasing landings is the only way to bring prosperity to the South East but this simply isn’t true. I’m proud to have stood with people across my constituency in opposing unnecessary, expensive airport expansion projects.”

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