Motions and election results - Autumn Conference 2008

Selected media coverage:

POLICY MOTIONS

Conference considered 21 policy motions. Among those passed were:

Support for the right of trade unions to establish workplace environmental representatives (a cause being supported by the TUC and many unions).
A call for an immediate end to the British opt-out of the European Working Time Directive, and for the national minimum wage to be increased to be in line with the Council of Europe Decency Threshold (60% of net national earnings). This would currently mean a minimum of £8.17 per hour.
A "right to rent" policy so that homeowners unable to meet mortgage payments and under threat of repossession could transfer ownership of the home, at less than market value, to the council, and then remain in the home as council tenants.
Policy to promote the universal provision of a free lunch in all state schools in England and Wales on every school day.
A call for a plan to licence and purchase the Afghan opium crop, to be processed into morphine and heroin for free or low-cost distribution in developing countries for the use of pain relief in palliative care and for other medically approved purposes.
A call for building regulations to be tightened, and additional training of architects and builders arranged, so that new buildings, extensions or conversions meet tougher standards than those now applicable, and so that all new dwellings are zero-carbon by 2012.
A motion was passed stating that "Members should at all times, including when proposing and implementing policy, be sensitive to the fact that the Green Party does not and will not endorse or tolerate antisemitism, or discrimination of any form."
A call for a new contract between service personnel and the state promising decent living standards to those injured, and to the dependants of those killed, while asking them to sign a pledge to follow international law, and to disobey any order requiring them to fire on unarmed civilians.
Policy committee was asked to develop a new crime policy, and to establish a crime and policing policy working group.

EMERGENCY MOTIONS

These are motions addressing issues that have arisen since the first agenda closed.

A call for Gurkhas and their families to be given fast track eligibility or either the right to remain or citizenship in the UK, given their exceptional service.
A call for Westminster MPs, who have control over the issue, to grant the same access to abortion in Northern Ireland (where it is now almost totally banned) as is available to women in England, Scotland and Wales.
A call for a full enquiry into the problems with policing the Climate Camp at Kingsnorth.
A call for extensive highly protected marine reserves around the coast of Britain to cover 30% of UK waters to 200 nautical miles by 2015.
Offering support for the Green New Deal (which was outlined in a panel session chaired by Caroline Lucas at which Tony Juniper, Jeremy Leggett, Colin Hines and Ann Pettifor spoke).
Condemning plans by the Home Office to launch a central database of all so-called "communications data" as a violation of civil liberties.

EXECUTIVE AND COMMITTEE ELECTION RESULTS

The new Green Party Executive (often known as GPEx) is:

Leader
Caroline Lucas

Deputy Leader
Adrian Ramsay

Chair
James Humphreys
chair@greenparty.org.uk

Equality and Diversity
Maya de Souza
contact internalcommunications@greenparty.org.uk

External Communications
Tracy Dighton-Brown
extcomms@greenparty.org.uk

Elections
Chris Haine
elections@greenparty.org.uk

Finance
Khalid Hussenbux and Joe Hulm (job-share)
finance@greenparty.org.uk

Internal Communications
Natalie Bennett
internalcommunications@greenparty.org.uk

International
Michael Coffey
international@greenparty.org.uk

Local Party Support
Jon Lucas
lps@greenparty.org.uk

Management
Tony Cooper
management@greenparty.org.uk

Publications
Polly Lane
publications@greenparty.org.uk

Campaigns
Sarah Mitchell
campaigns@greenparty.org.uk

Policy
Brian Heatley and Matt Follett
policy@greenparty.org.uk

(Where the coordinator is changing there is a two-week handover period – please understand if it takes a new coordinator a little time to get back to you.)