Keeping the faith

For many of those who followed the UK’s general election in May 2010, the historic election of Green party leader Caroline Lucas to Westminster was the most positive and uplifting story to emerge from a political event otherwise tainted by extraordinary distrust and negativity.

The fact that the party secured its first MP in the face of a non representative electoral system, which has long prevented smaller parties from breaking through to the uninspired centre ground of British politics, is testament to the tireless work of our politicians and supporters – and shows just how far Green politics has come.

Caroline’s landmark victory marks the end of her 11-year term as the south east region’s member of the European parliament. In the European parliamentary system of proportional representation, the regulations state that a post left vacant mid-term is offered to the next in line on the outgoing member’s party list for that region, without the need for a by-election. So as number two on the regional list for the south east – agreed by the Greens at the last election – the opportunity to serve in Europe falls to me.

It is a humbling one. I’ve spent the past 11 years as a Green councillor in Brighton & Hove, striving for improvements in the everyday quality of life for local people. Now I’m taking all I’ve learnt to Europe in order to work hard for a better deal for the whole south east region. This is an opportunity that I take extremely seriously, and for the next four years until the 2014 elections, I’ll be promoting sustainability and strong communities, fighting for fairness and equality for the people of the south east, and trying to protect our natural world from exploitation – spurred on by the knowledge that I have an extraordinary pair of shoes to fill.

In Brighton, I campaigned alongside fellow Greens and activists for much-needed improvements in the local transport network, for affordable bus and train fares, and for a revolution in green tourism to put Sussex and the south east on the map for sustainable living. As a new member of parliament’s transport and tourism committee, I’ll work on a range of issues surrounding public transport at EU level, ethical planning and regeneration, and the future of green tourism – thereby bringing some of my local knowledge and experience to EU policy making.

On the international trade committee, I’ll be able to focus on fair trade and the need to create a more equitable development framework for poorer countries. Measures to boost localised economies and usher in a fairer system of global finance will be a high priority. I’ll resist further efforts to increase trade liberalisation and will demand far greater regulations on the banking sector to ensure that those who indulge in irresponsible trading and reckless gambling are properly held to account.

As a full member of parliament’s delegation to Afghanistan, and a substitute member of the Iran and Palestine delegations, I will work alongside other Green MEPs to encourage the EU to take a genuinely responsible position on human rights abuses and disproportionate foreign policy endeavours. I will also co-chair an intergroup on opposing supermarket domination, picking up Caroline’s calls for a European commission investigation into damaging supermarket practices, and work for improved rights for Roma people – as well as calling for better services to cope with mental health issues.
On an international level, there are crucial challenges ahead. Following the failure to reach a binding agreement on emissions reduction at the Copenhagen summit last year, we must urgently renew the momentum towards a global deal on climate change at the COP16 in Mexico this November.

At a time of severe government austerity measures, we must maintain functioning state apparatuses and continue to fight for equality. We must promote good governance at European level in order to render the EU institutions genuinely accountable, and curb the power of the corporate lobby over our legislature. I’ll also be continuing the good work of Caroline and my Green colleague Jean Lambert on the campaign to end parliament’s hugely wasteful and completely pointless two-seat system in Brussels and Strasbourg.

I take up my new post with the same intentions with which I entered Brighton & Hove council as a rookie councillor 11 years ago. I want to make a positive contribution to people’s lives, bring citizens closer to their elected representatives, and challenge the assumption that society cannot change for the better. Green politics is about doing things differently; it’s about recognising that social and environmental justice are two sides of the same coin, that happy and sustainable communities are more important than endless economic growth – and that there is still a place for passion and idealism in politics.