Green Party conference begins

Thursday, 11 September 2003 12:00 AM

The Green party is gathering in Lancaster today for its annual conference and to celebrate the party's thirtieth birthday.

The Green Party began as the 'People Party' in 1973 and then became the 'Ecology Party. In the 1980s it followed other European environmental parties by becoming the Green Party.

The Greens currently have 53 elected councillors and won 11% of the vote in London last year. The party also has seven members in the Scottish Parliament.

It does not currently have an overall leader, but has leaders for areas such as Wales and the North West. Darren Johnson is the party's candidate for next year's London mayoral elections. He will open the conference today.

In an interview with the BBC he said that he expected to see be a Green MP at Westminster within the next decade. Lord Beaumont of Whitley already sits in the House of Lords.

'Green pressure groups do an important job, but the best way to get politicians to really sit up and take note is actually to stand against them and take votes off them,' he explained.

The party is currently engaged in campaigns on animal rights, objecting to water fluoridisation, expansion of the arms trade and nuclear waste.

Measures being discussed at the conference as part of that quest include the idea of an air traffic congestion charge and plans for a national railcard to encourage people out of their cars.

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