4th Feb 2010

A message from Caroline Lucas

Watching Tony Blair and others give 'evidence' during the Iraq inquiry was yet another powerful reminder of just how badly out of touch the Labour Party are with what people think is important.

They continue to get it wrong, not just on the war in Iraq - and in Afghanistan - but on their self declared core issues like promoting equality too. In fact, this week government commisioned research highlighted just how spectacularly they have failed to close the gap between rich and poor over the last 13 years. The report illustrates just how bad things are in one stark statistic - the richest 10% of people in the UK are now 100 times better off than poorest.

Of course, we know that neither the Tories nor the Lib Dems have either the policies or genuine commitment to doing things any better. So, as we continue to build up to the forthcoming general election, I am confident that more and more voters will be receptive to the Green Party's messages. We are the only viable alternative to business as usual. So, let's make sure as many voters as possible get to hear what we have to say!

The dismal failure of talks in Copenhagen was not the way I hoped 2009 would end. World leaders produced an empty accord which was not fair, not ambitious and not legally binding. More than anything, we need to change the discourse around acting to prevent climate chaos, by highlighting the huge number of benefits which action will bring - the millions of new jobs in energy efficiency and renewables, the warmer homes and better transport. I look forward to us seizing this moment in history and making it ours.