On with the news!
Election: the deadline to register to vote is 11:59pm tonight.
Finances/services: Greens Co-leader Adrian Ramsay joined Trevor Phillips on ITV and spoke about our tax and spend plans. He said: “We can't expect to have European levels or Scandinavian levels of public services based on the US level of taxes. And the Green Party is... the only party that's being honest in this election and is saying that we are going to have to ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay modestly more, and that includes the multimillionaires and billionaires, those with over 10 million in assets.” Full clip on Twitter here.
Environment: in the Guardian, four environmental experts analyse the election manifestos of Labour, the Tories, Lib Dems and Greens. Mikaela Loach, author and climate justice activist, declares, ‘the Green party have got the most right.’ She says: Labour focuses on false climate solutions favoured most by fossil fuel giants: risky and unproven carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and sticking with the Tories’ too-distant 2050 net zero goal.” In contrast, she says the Greens have “the bravery to stand not just for the climate and environmental policies we need, but also to fund them through a wealth tax on the richest in our society and a carbon tax on the biggest polluters.”
Wealth & War: “In our make-believe politics, the strings pulled by the super-rich are all too visible”
NHS: Labour and the Conservatives would both leave the NHS with lower spending increases than during the years of Tory austerity, according to independent analysis by the Nuffield Trust which looked at the costed NHS policies of both parties.
Environment: Hikers may be inadvertently damaging the environment and risking their own health by wearing clothes made waterproof with “forever chemicals”, according to research by Ethical Consumer.
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War: Global spending on nuclear weapons is estimated to have increased by 13% to a record $91.4bn during 2023, according to calculations from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) pressure group.
Arts and culture: The Green Party has today pledged an extra £5bn over five years for local government spending to keep local museums, theatres, music venues, libraries and art galleries open and thriving. Green MPs will push for VAT to be axed on local theatre and cultural events and for hospitality. Greens are also calling for musicians to have access to visa-free travel to the EU. Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: “Greens are pulling back the curtain to reveal our offer for arts, heritage and culture. We want to give local authorities a £5bn boost over five years to help keep local museums, theatres, small music venues, libraries and art galleries open and thriving." Read our full Press Release here.
Promoted by Harriet King on behalf of the Green Party both at The Gate, Keppoch Street, Cardiff CF24 3JW