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.

@woeface

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?

Hi Woeface and Fiddlybulb,

Sorry I hadn't got to your question before.

The Green Party leadership is a team - that's something we've always made clear, and one of the thing that is different about the Green Party. So we - and I - are perfectly comfortable with different people representing us in different forums, indeed we like to be able to share opportunities around.

That helps make it clear that unlike another party I think you could identify, we're not a one-man band!

Sometimes you might see me on the TV, sometimes Jenny Jones as our member of the House of Lords, sometimes Caroline, and sometimes one of our brilliant Young Green candidates.

@Sybille

Can you explain your housing policy and how you're going to fund it? (Have you got to grips with the numbers yet?)

Hi Sybille,

The numbers are engraved on my brain! :-)

But rather than type them all out here, since I don't think that would be a good use of time, I'm delighted to send you to the full details: greenparty.org.uk/files/Housing-Policy-Briefing.pdf

And I think it is important to restate the principle that lies behind this: the lack of genuinely affordable homes is at the heart of our current housing crisis. And currently rather than building new social rent homes, we're pumping cash into the pockets of private landlords.

BTW: the costings for each home are the same as used by Labour's Housing Group

Thanks for answering, but you haven't really addressed the key issue. The TV debates are 'Leaders Debates'. Don't you think your own party is undermining your position by suggesting that you share the platform with Caroline Lucas?

@stomp

I think the Green party talk a lot of sense on education, especially children starting school later. Can I ask for your support for all the hard working Independent Registered Childminders in this country who feel as if we are being side-lined & not listened to. There is very little support for childminding agencies within the Childminding world, so why do the politicians continue to see them as a good thing?

Hi Stomp

Childminders do an incredibly important job and we think this should be recognised. We support a national register of childminders, and for all childminders to receive proper training and pay.

I think it is incredible and horrific that car mechanics are generally paid far more than those working in childcare! It is a skilled job that's absolutely essential for society.

Pompoms were for the housing policy post!

Sorry to exceed one follow-up, but yy basic income is a whole different ball game from universal credit!! Have a look at that video or start reading through this website or google it. It's actually a very old idea, one whose time has come. There have been interesting experiments to try it out.

Tories are talking about putting sanctions on universal credit as well btw. Basic income is un-means-tested, absolutely no strings attached, for everyone.

or (following on from woeface again) to put it another way, is the Green Party challenging a masculine hegemonist leadership paradigm by showcasing a more consensual, group-based approach

I don't even know if hegemonist is a word but I'm gonna go with it anyway

Thanks for your reply to stomp Natalie. I've worked in early years throughout my working life and it's clearly a valuable job that deserves better pay and more respect!

@woeface

Thanks for answering, but you haven't really addressed the key issue. The TV debates are 'Leaders Debates'. Don't you think your own party is undermining your position by suggesting that you share the platform with Caroline Lucas?

Just to be clear: that was an idea that was suggested that is no longer on the table.

But I didn't find it a problem - it comes back to the different culture of the Green Party and the way we are a team.

To give another example, when I was first elected as leader and a lot of journalists kept asking "what new policies are you going to introduce?" and I kept having to explain "no, policies in the Green Party are made by members democratically at conference, not by me".

That democratic, team structure, is I think an important strength of the party, and a guarantee for voters that our principles will be maintained.

You made me smile too fiddlybulb

@fiddlybulb

or (following on from woeface again) to put it another way, is the Green Party challenging a masculine hegemonist leadership paradigm by showcasing a more consensual, group-based approach

I don't even know if hegemonist is a word but I'm gonna go with it anyway

Hi fiddlybulb
I don't know either (if hegemonist is a word!) but I think you've put it rather well! :-)

I dont want to be whiny, but please could you anser my question above about the Statutory Assessment programme for children with SEN, and special schools vs SRU. Its an important issue for many parents and personally, my only barrier to voting Green in May.

@Hedgehoghunny

Being the father of an 11 year old girl, I would like to know how a future Green government would make sure that the sexual abuse scandals of Rochdale, Rotherham and Oxfordshire never happen again.

Both conservative and labour administrations have failed in their basic duty to protect the most vulnerable members in society.

Every child has a right to a happy childhood, as leader of the green party and future member of parliament for Holborn and St.Pancras what will you do to ensure that this happens.

Hi Hedgehoghunny,
Thank you for your concern, which I'm sure it is shared by people around the country. Listening to the Today programme this morning, an account of how a teenage girl arrived at a police station bleeding and obviously injured and was told to go away made horrifying listening.

And I think that lies at the core of these issues: that frontline officials in all kind of areas need to be trained to, and to understand, that it is their absolute responsibility, to listen to children, and take action if they say they are being abused.

I think we thought we'd made progress on this since the Seventies and Eighties, but it is clear we still have a long way to go, particularly with the most vulnerable children.

I believe that the New Zealand model (full decriminalisation) is far better in keeping vulnerable women and men safe than the Nordic model of criminalising clients.

I'm so sorry to hear this. You were the one truly socialist party left to vote for, but because you refuse to protect women, I can't in good conscience vote for you now. It's a shame you haven't looked at what decriminalisation has done in Germany and The Netherlands, which is a far better comparison than NZ. I wish you the best of luck, and will try to find a party that doesn't centre the needs of pimps and punters over the safety of women.

Thanks for the response to my concerns on privatisation and selling of assets Natalie - glad to hear you are campaigning hard to save the NHS and bring back Rail.

My follow up question is whether you think you would make a good Prime Minister, following Nigel Farage's statement that he would not.
He said Ed, David and Nick are all Vanilla, whilst he is marmite. What flavour would you be? Perhaps Mint choc chip? :-)

Just wanted t quickly say that I like your ideas on private schools paying proper tax. ??

I am finding it difficult to correlate "free, voluntary childcare" (see my previous question) with your comments that childcarers deserve to be paid more.

While your support of childminders is very welcome, we have become rather used to the pat on the head that precedes the kick in the teeth from our political masters!

Can someone tweet this to Harriet Harman on how you do a webchat

Although PuffinsAreFictitious does raise a valid point!
Would Germany and Netherlands would be a better act to follow in that regard?

PuffinsAreFictitious and pand0raslunchb0x, is that the same Germany and the Netherlands that have lower rates of sexual crimes, greater sex equality, greater social mobility, fewer teen pregnancies, lower abortion rates, lower STI rates and an all-round healthier attitude to human sexuality?

@IsabellaofFrance

Dear Natalie,

I am a floating voter and have considered voting Green in May, mainly because you will scrap SATS and rethink the whole academy system.

One thing I would like to discuss is children with SEN. Your policy states 'Every disabled learner will have an entitlement to an assessment of his / her learning needs'. How will you do this differently to the current system, where SENDIST appeals have increased by 20% in the last year because so many LA's are refusing to assess.

In a similar vein, your policies talk about Special Resource Units. Is this in addition to the current special schools an area may have, or instead of?

Hi isabellaofFrance and Senvet

Sorry it has taken me time to get you.

I'd want to consult the experts and parents on how to make sure local authorities are meeting their responsibilities - not sure fines are the answer since that would be taking away money that could be spent on services. Anyone who wants to share thoughts on this is welcome to write to [email protected].

The Special Resource Units are additional. We believe that all children benefit from inclusive education where people with different needs, backgrounds and abilities learn together: that's truly comprehensive education. But the extra services some children might need should be close at hand.

PandOraslunchbOx ..... Re the Royal Mail sell off, yes it was sold too cheap as difficult to price in very volatile equity markets at the time of launch, but I'd suggest that the taxpayer and workers were better of DUE to the sale - as it was the coalition that saved the pensions of the workers the previous government would NOT - that technically made the State owned company insolvent.

"Peter Mandelson abandons plan for part-privatisation of Royal Mail"
• Business secretary blames poor market conditions
• Trouble looms over £10bn pension deficit
www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/jul/01/royal-mail-mandelson-part-privatisation?guni=Article:in%20body%20link

“As part of the deal, the government had been planning to take on the £10bn pension fund deficit, as well as to change regulation.”

“But now Mandelson has put himself on a collision course with Royal Mail, its pension trustees and unions by refusing to bail out the postal company's estimated pension deficit.”

“The trustees are expected to revise their estimate of the shortfall from the current figure of £3.3bn to at least £10bn in the next few weeks. This would require Royal Mail to more than double its annual payments to plug the deficit, which would bankrupt the company.”

And the last I heard, the workers were better off; better the shareholders foot that bill than the taxpayer, eh?

“Royal Mail staff accept 'ground-breaking' pay deal”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26069867

“Postal workers have voted overwhelmingly to accept what their trade union called "a ground-breaking" pay deal.”

Babycham... yes. It's also the Germany and The Netherlands that has vastly higher rates of sex trafficking, because it's so easy and decriminalised, no one can do anything about. But hey, don't worry about those women, eh?

Anyhow, this is derailing a productive webchat.

@pand0raslunchb0x

Thanks for the response to my concerns on privatisation and selling of assets Natalie - glad to hear you are campaigning hard to save the NHS and bring back Rail.

My follow up question is whether you think you would make a good Prime Minister, following Nigel Farage's statement that he would not.
He said Ed, David and Nick are all Vanilla, whilst he is marmite. What flavour would you be? Perhaps Mint choc chip? :-)

Thanks pand0raslunchb0x for an interesting final question! :-)

After there was a poll last November showing 26% of people would vote Green if they thought we could win, I did give some thought to this question (only some - my ego is not that big).

I think I would, because what I'd be aiming to do is greatly improve the quality of governance in Britain - to make good longterm decisions that give industries and individuals security and certainty as they plan their investments and their lives

We have to stop "initiativitis", with a minister having a brainwave that he or she writes on the back of an envelope, which then ends up on the front page of a newspaper the next morning, then his or her civil servants try to make it look like it is going to happen.

And what flavour? Rum and raisin!