Leader: Natalie Bennett who was elected in September 2012.
The general party ideology: Centres upon policies that promote ecological sustainability. In addition, the Green Party focus upon economic policies that connect individuals with their communities. These included well-funded, locally controlled public services under a steady-state economy.
For the 2015 election, their key policies include creating a safer climate, building more secure, affordable housing and increasing the minimum wage to £10 an hour by 2020.
What will they do for students? If elected, the Green Party could mean big things for students. First of all, university fees would be scrapped. Hopefully, the public sector would be restored and minimum wage would have risen dramatically. Thus, by the time new students graduate, the working classes would be earning far more. The incentive of secure and affordable housing is also appealing to graduates who will be looking to relocate cheaply.
The Green Party aim to end the increasing privatisation of the NHS. They oppose the way in which Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Conservatives propose the introduction of market forces and competition within NHS services. The Green Party are also keen to make mental health a much higher priority in order to source sufficient resources.
The Green Party are keen to end austerity, which is created by government measures to reduce public expenditure. The party aim to restore the public sector and increase living standards for our working classes. In order to do so, they propose a new ‘wealth tax’ which will be imposed on those earning salaries in the top 1%.
The party are opposed to the government’s privatisation and commercialisation of schools, colleges and universities. According to their website, this is simply making ‘access to good education dependent on financial privilege’.
