Green party manifesto in under 500 words

Last week the Green Party launched it's manifesto - see here - well that's some 50 pages to read and all very good stuff but folk have asked me when I've been out canvassing for a summary. Well here is it in under 500 words - it looses lots from the abbreviation but hopefully a taster of some of the key policy areas....

Photos: manifesto and below Independent on Sunday about Greens with quotes from various folks about Greens that were copied into a comment on my post about Lib Dems here

Fair is worth fighting for:

The banking system

The Green Party would not bail out bankers with taxpayers’ money, but fight for a fair financial deal, with community banks, credit unions and mutuals, providing realistic loans. We will fight to introduce a High Pay Commission to ensure bankers and highly paid executives are not rewarded for failure.

Health and the NHS

Over £1billion of public money is wasted on privatisation despite quality of care suffering when hospitals and surgeries are treated like profit-driven businesses rather than public services. Greens oppose cuts, closures and privatisation and demand a full programme of locally accessible services. We will provide free social care to the elderly, abolish prescription charges, re-introduce free eye tests and ensure widely available NHS chiropody. We will also fight to restore free dental care and provide everyone with an NHS dentist.

Pensions

Under The Green Party all pensioners would receive a non-means tested pension of £170 per week. We would also provide free care and support for those living independently. The Green Party would introduce free home insulation for all, with priority for pensioners and those living in fuel poverty.

Housing

Britain has a shortage of affordable, good quality housing to buy or rent. The Green Party will make it easier for people to get on the property ladder, to protect home-owners and to eradicate homelessness by: Building new council homes, supporting the development of housing co-ops, bringing back into use 300,000 long-term empty private sector homes, renovating 37,000 empty council homes to help cut waiting lists, giving social housing tenants greater control over the management of their homes and neighbourhoods, improving the quality of housing stock to help reduce household bills and helping people at risk of repossession keep their homes via a Right to Rent scheme.

Jobs and a living wage

Our priority is the creation of an extra million jobs and training places. A £44bn package of measures would include workforce training, investment in renewables, public transport, insulation, social housing and waste management. To reduce inequality The Green Party will fight for a National Minimum Wage of 60% of net national average earnings, currently £8.10 per hour.

Transport

Train fares in England are some of the highest in Europe. The Green Party would re-nationalise trains to improve service and lower fares. We would divert £30bn from road projects into public transport. We would spend £1.5bn subsidising public transport to reduce fares up to 10%. This would strengthen communities, reduce crime, improve health, reduce traffic fatalities and create 160,000 jobs.