Launching the Green Party manifesto, Leader of the Welsh Greens Pippa Bartolotti urged voters to back them in a “peaceful revolution” to break the dominance of a small political elite.
Membership of the Green Party has surged in recent years, with many disaffected ex Labour Party members and supporters now making their home in the Party. Whether this support could be translated into seats would be a big task, although with 35 candidates fielded across Wales, more people than ever before would have the opportunity to vote Green.
Key manifesto pledges included a Robin Hood Tax on financial transactions, which would help raise a target of over £700 billion, to be spent on improving public services and creating thousands of clean, green jobs. The Party would spend billions to give every adult a Citizens Income for all, worth more than £72.40 a week. This would reward work rather then wealth and ensure that no one lived in fear of losing their home or be unable to feed themselves. On immigration, the Greens pledged to progressively reduce UK immigration controls. Migrants illegally in the UK for over five years would be allowed to remain unless they posed a serious danger to public safety and they would grant more legal rights for asylum seekers. The minimum wage would become a living wage, and investment or “casino” banking would be split from high street banking.