The Green Party’s London Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones has told the party’s Spring Conference that they could finish in the top-three in the forthcoming election.
Reports over the last fortnight in both national and regional newspapers, including the Evening Standard, have stated that 2012 may be the year that the Greens overtake the Liberal Democrats in the ballot, which will see the election of a Mayor and 25 Assembly Members.
Speaking at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool on Saturday morning, Jones said: "The Green Party has now been long established as London’s fourth party.
"As the Mayoral election approaches. It’s time for us to be counted in the top three.
"It’s time for the political consensus of the outdated parties to be broken, for new answers to new questions to be provided and for London to finally find a prominent, new voice."
A gain of just one seat from the Liberal Democrats would see the Greens coming third.
Jones also said the Green Party rejected the personality politics of the campaign so far:
"Much of coverage of the campaign is focusing on personalities. It’s Ken against Boris, former Mayor against incumbent, Punch against Judy.
"For the London Green Party, this election is not about personalities or grudges, but policies. It’s about ideas and Londoners themselves.
"Rather than point scoring or mud slinging, this election is an opportunity for us to set out a green vision for London."
Jones set out the likely focus of the party’s forthcoming manifesto, which includes a pledge to save households up to £1,500, reduce pay inequality, support small businesses, reduce air pollution, reform the housing sector and reduce transport fares while investing in public transport with money from a pay-as-you-drive replacement for the congestion charge.
the full text of the speech can be found below.
Jenny Jones speech to Green Party Spring Conference
Adelphi Hotel Liverpool
1030am 25 February 2012
Hello conference and hello Liverpool.
Thank you to the National Green Party and to our wonderful conference organisers for giving me this chance to tell you about the London election campaign.
We are of course following in some pretty impressive footsteps staying here at the Adelphi. Roosevelt and Churchill both stayed here. And perhaps even more impressively so did Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger. I’m not sure how that worked exactly. It doesn’t say whether they shared a room or not.
This is a call to action.
I’m going to try to make it sound like fun, so that you will want to be part of it.
It’s true that we are making progress in London. The polls are good. The BBC is recognising our near parity with the Lib Dems. We’ve got a place on Question Time in their usual mayoral debate.
We are now in full swing, with candidates standing for the London Assembly in all 14 constituencies across London. There are also 11 candidates standing on the proportional list, as well as me going for Mayor.
You will have noticed that much of coverage of the campaign is focusing on personalities. It’s Ken against Boris, former Mayor against incumbent, Punch against Judy.
Ken is being generally friendly. He has already called for Labour to make their second mayoral vote Green.
He has also said he will make me ‘Supreme Commander of Walking and Cycling’. I’ve told him that I want a budget of £billions to go with the title. I think he agreed.
Of course, I’ve also promised him a job, if I’m elected as Mayor.
But for the London Green Party, this election is not about personalities or grudges, but policies.
It’s about ideas.
And it’s about Londoners.
Rather than point scoring or mud slinging, this election is an opportunity for us to set out a green vision for London. It’s about building on the hard work of hundreds of Green Party activists across the capital.
Hard work that has already ensured that we have had Green London Assembly members elected in every Assembly to date.
It’s ensured that City Hall has delivered Green policies that have benefited people across London.
When we pushed for the London Living Wage, which encourages companies to pay their staff fairly, we won for Londoners.
When we, alongside local communities, opposed the construction of the Thames Gateway Bridge, which would have had disastrous consequences for the environment, the Mayor was forced to listen.
And when we suggested a registration scheme for civil partnerships at the first ever Mayor’s Question Time back in 2000, our ideas were implemented then too.
The hard work of London Green Party activists has also made a difference at a local level, whether through our two current councillors or in community-focused campaigns across the capital.
Thanks to our members, 20mph limits are being introduced in many boroughs and councils are beginning to act more readily on issues like air pollution, waste and executive pay.
London is also of course blessed with a hard-working Green member of the European Parliament, Jean Lambert, who passionately makes the case for the Capital and for green policies in Europe and beyond.
The Green Party has now been long established as London’s fourth party.
As the Mayoral election approaches. It’s time for us to be counted in the top three.
It’s time for the political consensus of the outdated parties to be broken.
It’s time that new answers to new questions are provided.
And it’s time that London finally finds a prominent new voice.
A gain of just one seat at the Liberal Democrats’ expense would see the Green Party overtake them on the Assembly.
And the Evening Standard and other top commentators now say that I stand an excellent chance of finishing in the top three in the mayoral race. That may seem like a weak ambition, but it will radically alter the media coverage of the next election, plus we’d probably get our £10k deposit back.
But, more importantly than party politics or old rivalries, a more prominent Green voice at City Hall would help our party’s vision for London and the rest of Britain to be realised.
In this vision, there is quite simply a better way of getting things done.
We would run London in a way that brings about a cleaner, fairer and more affordable quality of life for everyone.
We would make all our streets safe and pleasant places to live, work, shop, walk and cycle along.
We start by cleaning up London’s filthy air.
We campaign for a radical shakeup of the private rented sector and build more affordable housing.
We refurbish more than a million homes to cut energy bills.
We cut fares so that it is always cheaper to use public transport than drive a car and use funds from a London-wide pay-as-you-drive replacement for the congestion charge.
We rebuild trust between the police and local communities, refocusing policing on key issues that affect Londoners such as road safety, rather than maintaining their obsession with stop and search that alienates communities.
We support the real economy, backing small businesses and investing in skills, not betting on banks and airports.
And we’ll make London more equal, a Fair Pay City, reducing the gap between rich and poor.
We’ll do this by introducing a Fair Pay Mark for companies that pick up our policy of a 10:1 pay ratio, paying their lowest earners at least a tenth that the top wage earner takes home.
As a package, our policies would save the average London household £1500 pounds over our 4 year term.
This Green dividend would reward people who shop locally, use public transport and insulate their homes.
But we won’t make promises about the cost of living in London at the expense of other crucial green issues.
Our manifesto will be uncompromising in its focus on the environment of London and beyond.
It will include bold policies on reducing air pollution, opposing airport expansion and investing in environmental industries.
Just like our colleagues in Green Parties across the country.
Our vision rejects the false idea that when the economy and ordinary families are struggling, green ideas are a luxury.
Because the truth is, when times are tough, the cost of neglecting our health and of further polluting the air we breathe, of wasting energy and of destroying the environment we inhabit, becomes higher than ever.
There’s still a long way to go on the campaign.
A lot could change between now and May.
But one thing is for sure: exciting times lie ahead for the Green Party in London and across the country.
And maybe for me too. Selfishly, with a decent turnout, and plenty of help, I can realise my aim of beating Darren’s vote in 2004!
I can’t finish without speaking about Brighton & Hove Greens. As an Assembly Member I know the sweat, pain and tears that go into Budget making. They have been incredible – creating something we can all learn from.
I’m really looking forward to hearing from our Deputy Leader, Adrian Ramsey.
And most of all I’m looking forward to talking to fellow party members during conference:
Sharing ideas, hearing stories, and most of all, feeling good about the Green future we are building together.
Conference, in 2012, let’s make a difference in London and let’s make a difference across the country.
Thank you.