Robin Hood and the Just Greens

Something  that has resonance with our region is the policy of the financial transaction tax, also called the Robin Hood tax.  In Green Party’s  fighting austerity and public service cuts they are for tax reform to avoid the farce of the richest of the rich and big corporations avoiding tax under both main parties and the coalition. This effects the most vulnerable, workers and small and medium sized businesses who do have to pay tax. It is not fair for people to have to bale out banks who have speculated widely and yet not have benefits passed on to them. Green Party propose the financial transaction (Robin Hood) tax on speculation in financial institutions so that risks taken are more calculated and the consequences of mistakes are absorbed more by those financial institutions than by tax payers who at present have the risks but very few of the benefits.

Politics for All People :

For those moving away from the dilemma the UK has in place of democracy, Green Party values and policies make sense. I feel the Green Party is a party for equalists; for so many who believe in and want equality and fairness because it is a party that has these values at its core, not as a vote winning after thought. Women particularly have apparently become statistically less likely to become involved in mainstream politics, even to vote.  The people supposedly representing them are nearly all white, middle class men. Women often have battles to be valued within their parties as well as in broader political spheres. It is different for Greens. A woman heads the Green Party. Our first Green MP a woman. A fair proportion of our representatives in local and European politics are wonderful women as well as marvelous  men. It is a party that supports and responds to women as much as men from a wide range of backgrounds. Our knowledgeable people and speakers come from so many areas of work and experience including teachers and educational professionals, ethical entrepreneurs and workers, scientists, people of many faiths and none in a collaborative society. Green policies are integrated, whole and relevant to people across social and economic spectrum. Our members are heard. So in this way we are part of bringing the relevant and the fair back into politics. Sometimes I hear a description of our party members as ‘just greens’, but that has two meanings. We’re Just Greens and this does not mean we’re only green, it means we are Greens for Justice!

Antonia Sara Zenkevitch

Social Media Coordination, EM Green Party