Webchat with Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, Weds March 4th, at 1pm

[JustineMumsnet]

I'm very pleased to say that the leader of the Green Party England and Wales, Natalie Bennett, will be joining us for a webchat this Wednesday, March 4, at 1pm.

The Greens have been under the spotlight over the last few months, with a surge in membership, and controversy about whether they should be included in the pre-election TV debates.

Now's your chance to ask Natalie about leadership structures, the record of the Green council in Brighton and Hove and Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas, whether there's a long-term movement towards smaller parties in national politics, Green policies on housing, benefits, health, the economy and the environment - and what it's like to be at the eye of a media storm. Plus anything else that takes your fancy of course.

Natalie was born in Australia and worked as a journalist there and in Thailand before settling in the UK in 1999. She worked for The Guardian, among other UK newspapers, before becoming Green Party leader in 2012. She's standing for Parliament in the 2015 General Election in the constituency of Holborn and St Pancras.

Re sex work, you say you listened to the workers. How do you define workers? This usually includes pimps as they are included under the broad umbrella. Do you really mean you listened to the pimps? Did you listen to exited women who have first hand knowledge of the industry?

@chiliplant

Hi Natalie, I think you are doing a great job and will b voting for Adam van coevorden in chelt! He's a very intelligent and moral person. Anyway, t he question! I feel passionately about the ban on fox hunting. Would you try and strengthen it if in power? (Hope so!)

Hi chiliplant

Thanks!

Yes, we’d seek to strengthen the ban on hunting with dogs and extend this ban to all hunting of all animals for sport or pleasure.

AskBasil, Natalie's answered that one. With a link to her blog post greenparty.org.uk/leaders-blog/2014/11/01/pushing-prostitution-into-the-dark-is-no-way-to-keep-vulnerable-women-and-men-safe/ It is a complicated issue and one we all have different but equally valid views on (I liked that acknowledgement too).

If anyone's interested there's a video about basic income at deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/videozone_ENG/1.2253270 . Long but a reasonable summary.

Nice to know the 'terf' attitude is not set in stone, thanks.

I agree with the 50% target for Green candidates Natalie
Politics is sooo male dominated and I do think even the Greens have some way to go.
Also in being diverse and inclusive in other ways. Our policies should make us a natural home for diversity and full inclusivity for all

Loved the speech "You don't have to be black (to stand up for black community) you just have to be green" at a recent conference (sorry not good at remembering names) Best speech I've heard in a long time

babycham I would like to see commons filled with liberal, progressive socialists of either gender as a start!

Gender shouldn't matter, of course....but right now it does matter because right now society is sexist. Aiming to get more women into the commons is necessary because of sexism in society, not sexist in its own right.

@IceBeing

Thanks Natalie - I must just live in a statistical fluctuation. As usual I am getting on board to late to make a difference - but maybe I would be in a position to put myself forward in 5 years time!

Hi again IceBeing
Please do think about it - and before the next general election there'll be local council elections - perhaps think about standing for them?

Yes just gone back and RTFT.

I still don't see how validating misogynist's view of women as being there for men to dump into, furthers the cause of equality.

And I'd like to know how the Green Party came to the conclusions they did when they looked at international data.

And yeah, I'm another feminist who can't vote green purely and simply because of this issue.

Apologies for exceeding the 1 question quota Justine!

Hi Natalie,

The most important question for me is about the sale of the Eurostar today. Royal Mail has already been sold off cheaply and has hardly reduced the national debt, and NHS is hanging in the balance.

What are your thoughts on selling off our assets or privatising like this, will it help or harm the UK in the long-run?

Thanks again Natalie - I am going to a meeting of the local Green party this week - I might just mention that Natalie Bennett told me to put myself forward

@bedunkalilt

Hello Natalie,

What is the experience of the Green party when it comes to getting involved in national debate, and Parliamentary debate following Caroline Lucas' election as MP, being a party in the minority? Has the party felt that it has been able to have some influence or does it often feel shut out?

On that note... as a follow up, what does the Green party feel about Parliamentary reform or do you think that the current system works well for minority parties?

That may look like several questions but it really is meant as one overall question I want to know more about how easy or hard it is when you're not one of the big parties.

Hi bedunkalilt

Our first Green MP has been widely recognised as hugely effective, winning a slew of awards (greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/11/06/caroline-lucas-named-mp-of-the-year/ - including from sources you wouldn’t describe as our natural friends - www.carolinelucas.com/latest/caroline-scoops-prize-for-best-parliamentary-newcomer-in-spectator-awards).

She’s recently made huge impact with her PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education Bill - www.sec-ed.co.uk/news/bills-call-for-statutory-pshe-and-sre-within-the-national-curriculum), with her bill to bring the railways back into public hands, and her 2011 Tax and Financial
Transparency Bill, to name just a few. Her petition-backed call for a review of the drug laws was also notable: www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2014-10-30/brighton-pavilion-mps-debate-on-drug-laws-on-agenda/

Re electoral reform, we’ve long been strong supporters of an elected House of Lords, proportional representation and votes at 16, but rather than us prescribing what should happen we think we should have a People’s Constitutional Convention, starting with a blank sheet of paper, with a representative sample of voters having the chance (with appropriate expert support and time) to say what they think a new constitutional settlement should look like.

Excellent IceBeing Go for it!

@ChazzerChaser

Re sex work, you say you listened to the workers. How do you define workers? This usually includes pimps as they are included under the broad umbrella. Do you really mean you listened to the pimps? Did you listen to exited women who have first hand knowledge of the industry?

We've had many current and former sex workers speaking at conference - a couple of years back I remember vividly a sessions with very powerful testimony from a Manchester street worker about the way she felt the law encouraged discrimination and made her less safe. And one of our 2010 general election candidates was a former prostitute - she was strongly in favour of the New Zealand model.

@Sedgepeat

Hi Natalie,

Do you appreciate that without drivers, especially of cars which provide the link to all other transport as well as to caring, nursing, water and food supply etc, our society would collapse? That without drivers, we would now die in large numbers and that life expectancy with them has risen instead?

Can you explain why, other than walkers and drivers to keep society running, we must have other road users imposed on a vital infrastructure?

As 99% of the population don't cycle and have no interest in cycling, just like jogging, isn't it because that, as a transport mode, it isn't really viable?

Wishes

Keith Peat

Hi Keith,

We’re not opposed to driving – as was recently reported on Top Gear! I belong to a car club and use it when necessary – of course it is essential.

But if we can cut the number of car journeys, encourage walking and cycling, and provide affordable, reliable, convenient public transport, that will free up the roads for essential journeys, tackle the pressing issue of air pollution, and make our villages, towns and cities far more pleasant places.

@TickyTacky

Hi Natalie, I will be proud to vote Green in May but I'm being warned that the Green Party aren't confident with managing the finances for this Country, would you say that's just a rumour? I'd just like to add that your welfare and nhs policies are fantastic. Good luck

Hi TickyTacky,

Glad you like our NHS and welfare policies and on financial management, our fully costed manifesto to be released soon will be freely open for full inspection.

And I would invite you to consider what kind of job our current Tory-Lib Dem and former Labour government have made of managing our economy… when one in five workers is paid less than a living wage as company profits are at soaring levels while the “recovery” is built on rising consumer debt.

Thanks for answering the sex work question Natalie. I don't agree with you or your policy but I appreciate your acknowledgement that people can have different views

I am so deeply glad to see you say that you find TERF offensive because recent behaviour by Green Party officers had me convinced that as a party you didn't understand this issue at all. I hope those officers will be making grovelling public apologies (as Rupert Read did).

Anyway good luck in May. Despite the (IMO) nasty misogynist and libertarian underwear some of your activists are showing, I hope you do well. And I really hope that the long-term future of the Green party isn't left entirely in the hands of people who don't have any understanding of what feminism is, or why women are fully human people who actually matter.

Wow, only just seen this. The questions I wanted to ask have already been answered, but welcome to MN Natalie! You're doing a great job so far!

please advise the full figures behind:

a) your housing policy; you didn't know the figures last week (as clearly your ideas of the cost of land and house building in the UK were not realistic) but you must do by now.

b) your energy policy: given that windfarms are not reliable (as it is not always windy so backup is needed), how do you propose to meet UK energy demands if you will not use nuclear or fossil fuels? How will you avoid the UK hitting the problems that are now happening in Germany due to Green policies?

taking all VAT off insulation, new boilers and similar energy-SAVING measures would be great. We need to use less, not generate more.

Yes, surely votes at 16 is a big win-win for all.
My dd is on our local Youth Council (hence hoping to join her - though rather unlikely in this ward - on the oldie's bench)
But so many young people not interested in politics, or at least not in voting.
Much disillusionment in the process amongst the young I think.
Giving the vote at 16 would enable young people to vote in sixth form where schools could offer input in form of debates and citizenship education
Once engaged in process/ in habit of voting they may go on to be life-long voters and get further involved too

Apologies for exceeding the 1 question quota Justine!

Hi Natalie,

The most important question for me is about the sale of the Eurostar today.

Royal Mail has already been sold off cheaply and has hardly reduced the national debt, and NHS is hanging in the balance.

What are your thoughts on selling off our assets or privatising like this, will it help or harm the UK in the long-run?

@JaneHersey1953

Hello Natalie, Could you explain why Green Party Councillors in Brighton who were elected on an anti cuts agenda have passed on £50 million worth of cuts in the city? Thereby continuing a vicious Tory agenda.

Hi JaneHersey1953,

We are a minority administration in Brighton, which means we can only get a budget or other measures through with the support of councillors from other parties. Brighton and Hove council has been particularly hard hit by the huge cuts in central funding seen by councils around the country.

We have tried to get a referendum on a council tax rise that would have partially mitigated the national government cuts, but Labour has voted with the Tories to prevent voters even being given the choice.

Only a complete change in direction at national level and abandoning the austerity cuts will resolve the crisis facing all local councils. (In 2009 the central government funding for the council was £164 million, in 2014 it was £117 million and under current plans it will be £65 million in 2020.)

We are standing for a very clear alternative to austerity cuts in this General Election.

I hope you'll answer my question Natalie! There really do seem to be mixed messages coming out the Green Party about who is actually running the show.

Why is the party suggesting that Caroline Lucas share the leaders' debates with you (if the Greens participate)? Don't you think this undermines your position as leader?

Thanks for answering my question on the Universal Basic Income.

I'll look out for the details when you release them, as I'm not sure how it differs from the Universal Credit.

@pand0raslunchb0x

Apologies for exceeding the 1 question quota Justine!

Hi Natalie,

The most important question for me is about the sale of the Eurostar today. Royal Mail has already been sold off cheaply and has hardly reduced the national debt, and NHS is hanging in the balance.

What are your thoughts on selling off our assets or privatising like this, will it help or harm the UK in the long-run?

Hi pand0raslunchb0x

We were entirely opposed to the sell off of Royal Mail, and of course Caroline Lucas has a private members' bill setting out how we should bring the railways back into public hands (and Green Party members up and down the country were campaigning right up to the wire against the return of the East Coast Mainline to public hands.).

And we are campaigning hard against the privatisation of the NHS - we say the profit motive has no place in healthcare.

This is one area in which our political establishment is entirely detached from public opinion: I think it is now widely understood that privatisation means cutting the pay and condition of workers, cutting the quality of services and pumping public money into private hands, but still it goes on.

(And the privatisation of the coercive power of the state - prisons, courts, policing etc - is particularly pernicious. This is a major threat to democratic accountability.)

Tis a very good webchat performance i think (and I'm a connoisseur ) but please address the questions about leadership and so on. woeface's one is good?

I think it's fair to say that Universal Basic Income is much more far reaching and radical than Universal Credit.
I like UBI though, simplicity and positivity are both under rated!