If your local Green Party does not agree with what has happened following the Manchester Conference, you may want to consider passing this, of a policy similar to this at your local party. If you do do that. don’t forget to let us, and the national party know!
Following Green party Conference 2024 in Manchester [YOUR LOCAL] Green Party wishes to reaffirm opposition to the construction of HS2.
We regard HS2 as a figment of a politically corrupt and inept system that provides no valid oversight or regulation and is effectively a means to the end of perpetually increasing GDP (as evidenced by the government’s reference to HS2 as an “Engine for Growth1”).
Furthermore, we regard HS2 Ltd as a desperately mismanaged corporation, both financially and ecologically inept and wholly unaware of their responsibilities to the British public and tax payer, and wholly unaware of the rationale behind high speed rail.
We regard the HS2 project as a disastrous ecocidal rampage of an unchecked, unregulated and out of control construction industry. Their actions are mirrored in so many other areas such as: cladding of residential properties; crumbling schools and hospitals; and rampant road expansion amongst other things.
We are also seriously concerned that following the conference, statements were issued by the party in the press and social media claiming that the GPEW had reversed policy on HS2. We believe the original motion which attempted to change policy on HS2 was utterly unevidenced and created by a sad introduction of dishonesty that stains the Green Party.
However, the motion in question was amended, meaning that GPEW support for HS2 was contingent of the delivery of the project meeting Green values; specifically:
· Proper timely data releases relating to the ongoing impacts of HS2, using up to date biodiversity metrics and not excluding any habitats;
· Limiting adverse impacts on biodiversity and bioabundance, and, where adverse impacts are unavoidable, securing a 10% biodiversity net gain within the development site;
· Independent monitoring of impacts and remediation schemes; and
· Proper compensation for those affected by the scheme’s construction.”,
We believe that none of these contingent conditions have even been assessed, let alone met, and as such the Green Party remains in opposition to HS2, and that the GPEW leadership must immediately issue a clarification on this point, that E01 as passed as conference does not change the policy of GPEW to one of support for HS2, it merely sets down the criteria on which support for the project may be granted in the future. We simply do not understand why statements have been issued stating GPEW now supports HS2, when this is not what the policy says.
As such, until such time passes as these contingent conditions are verifiably passed and it is confirmed that HS2 aligns with Green Values, then the GPEW clearly remains opposed to HS2. We further believe that given the history of HS2, it is highly unlikely that these tests will ever be passed.
We believe, that this is in part due to the fact that the original GPEW policies of opposition to HS2 were extremely well evidenced, and that evidence provided by relevant NGOs aligns very closely with previous policies, and these NGOs provide the clearest evidence that the criteria in the tests set down by conference continue to be failed. We believe also that many members of the party have continued to collect and collate evidence since then which shows HS2 to be even further away from Green Values than we initially feared.
In closing, our opposition to HS2 remains undimmed. We will wholeheartedly continue to both resist the project and publicise its ineptitudes, mistakes and crimes against nature and people. We will demonstrate our opposition within the national party at every relevant opportunity, and we reiterate our call for the GPEW leadership, press office and any other relevant bodies to immediately issue a retraction regarding any and all statements that the Green Party now supports HS2, and clarify the actual policy, that HS2 will only be supported if it meets with Green Values.
Greens Against HS2 