How Green are the parties in the Welsh Assembly election?

Julian Rosser, director of environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth Cymru, gives his verdict on each of the candidates.
How green are the parties in the Assembly election? ic Wales - Cardiff, I hope that the National Assembly will start to take seriously the responsibilities placed on it by the 1998 Government of Wales Act. We have the capacity ...

The results were
1.Green party 8/10
2.Plaid Cymru 7/10
3.Forward wales 7/10
4.Conservatives 4/10
5.Lib Dems 6.5/10
Worst :- at the bottom of the league 6.Labour 5/10

On Ann Were, Leader, Green Party Wales, Ann Were is absolutely right that voluntary action is not enough to combat climate change but although stronger laws are needed to reduce emissions, the pill can be sweetened by Government action to create more jobs in public transport, recycling and green energy. Score: 8/10

On Elin Jones AM, Plaid Cymru, Elin Jones seems to be setting a good example. It's great to see Plaid Cymru commit to a 3% cut in carbon emissions, although they are likely to miss this target if Plaid Cymru sticks to its plans to spend millions on upgrading roads in Wales. This money should be invested in public transport and other measures to help people reduce their emissions. Score 7/10
On Brynle Williams AM, Conservative Party, Despite Brynle Williams's good work supporting village shops and planting more hedges to help local wildlife, it's a pity that his party is failing to commit to a 3% cut in Welsh carbon emissions every year. The Tories are making the right sounds on climate change but are failing to deliver the strong policies to back it up. Score: 4/10
On Mick Bates AM, Liberal Democrats Environment spokesperson, As well as Mick Bates's lifestyle changes it's great that the Liberal Democrats have made a real effort to set ambitious environmental targets. The litmus test for the Lib-Dems is whether they will support plans for a massive motorway across the Gwent Levels which would trash precious wildlife sites and increase carbon emissions. Supporting the road would make a mockery of all their other commitments. Score: 6½/10

Carwyn Jones AM Labour,Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside, Although Carwyn Jones seems to have the right attitude, a Labour-led Assembly has seen carbon dioxide emissions rise in Wales when they should be falling. A refusal to set annual targets for carbon emission reduction means their woeful record on tackling climate change is likely to continue. Labour has transformed recycling in Wales and has helped keep our fields free of GM crops, but their support for big environmentally damaging schemes, like the Severn Barrage and the Gwent Levels motorway, lets them down in their attempts to be green. Score: 5/10

On Ron Davies, Forward Wales and independent candidate for Caerphilly Forward Wales have laid out some good policies to boost green energy and Ron Davies seems to be leading the way in taking action. Forward Wales was the only party in the Assembly to stand up for community involvement in the planning system. They should be more positive about wind farms though. Wales has a huge wind resource, the envy of many European countries, and it is being squandered. Score 7/10

In conclusion ... Green issues have never been so important. For the first time, we are seeing all the main parties jockeying for position on environmental issues. People are more concerned about climate change than ever before and they want to know what the politicians should do about it. Despite good intentions from all the parties, we need to make sure our new Assembly Government comes up with policies that are going to deal first hand with the problems caused by climate change. Friends of the Earth's Big Ask campaign is calling on politicians to set annual targets that will reduce Wales' carbon emissions by at least 3% every year.
Building a greener Wales doesn't mean harming our quality of life. We can build a stronger, more sustainable economy with more jobs in public transport, recycling and renewable energy. We can keep our fields free of genetically modified crops to protect Welsh agriculture. We can lead the way in a world which is grappling with the problems of climate change. The Welsh Assembly need to rise to that challenge!

Nuclear Power - does your party support it?

Assembly Election Manifestos


The Green Party in Wales is known to be staunchly anti nuclear.

New Labour
A section on Green Wales proclaims that Wales could become a world leader in renewable energy, and states that the key to tackling climate change is harnessing the enormous potential of micro-generation and energy efficiency. This is somewhat spoilt by "We recognise that nuclear power generation remains an option in the debate on reducing carbon emissions in any future mixed energy supply."

Plaid
Nuclear power is not mentioned.
The world cannot afford any delay in tackling climate change. Energy conservation and efficiency is the biggest, cheapest, quickest and most practical way of cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions.

Liberal Democrats
We say no to new nuclear power, an unsafe toxic treasure trove for the future. We want all new buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2015. Aim for renewable energy to supply 100% of Wales’ electricity by 2050. As a milestone target, our aim is 30% of our electricity supply coming from renewable energy by 2020.

Welsh Conservatives would provide every household in Wales with £20 worth of energy saving light bulbs financed by our investment fund.
We want to see all the green technologies come forward and play their part, but nuclear cannot be ruled out. Welsh Conservatives would be prepared to replace the Wylfa nuclear power station as part of a wide ranging policy to reduce reliance on carbon based energy.

RESPECT oppose nuclear power on principle,
Cons are pro nuclear in Wales. Labour is slippery, and Plaid are unable to say anything because their leader wants nuclear and the party overwhelmingly does not.

Only the Greens, Lib Dems and Respect are clearly anti nuclear.

Comments
1. The Leader of Plaid explains why there manifesto doesn't oppose nuclear power:"The reason there is no reference to nuclear energy in our manifesto is because it is a non-devolved issue, with decisions taken at Westminster."This was the same argument used by the leader of Welsh Labour to justify his lack of position on Iraq.It attracted ridicule then & it deserves ridicule now.It is also a little disingenuous.In both their 1999 and 2003 ASSEMBLY Manifesto's Plaid has previously taken a position on nuclear power - only in 2007 does it suddenly become a devolved issue that therefore doesn't require comment

2. I have always thought that you can't be a real green without being a red, (and conversely you can't be a real red without being a green)The trouble with the Green Party is in power at local government level they have often supported cuts in local services and neoliberal attacks on working conditions. In some places, like Leeds, they even form coalitions with the Tories! Like Labour their are some good socialists who are members but in power they probably would go down the same route. I read this critique recently:"In the London Borough of Lewisham, in March, the Greens voted with Labour for a budget that will result in £800,000 of cuts, threatening community education services. Darren Johnson, the leader of the Green group, and a prominent figure in the party nationally, called those opposing the cuts irresponsible.In Kirklees, West Yorkshire, the three Green councillors were previously part of a joint Lib-Dem/Green administration and allied themselves with the present Tory ruling group in recently pushing through, along with the Liberals, a budget that could result in the closure of three children's nurseries and an increase in home care charges. In return the Greens got a paltry pledge that cavity wall and loft insulation will be provided for homes in the area. The gap between the actions of Green councillors and their party's 'left' programme to oppose neo-liberalism, is widening all the time, although they have some way to go to match the opportunism of the German Greens. When they were part of the German government, the German Greens ended up backing a ferocious Thatcherite onslaught on the working class and sending troops for the imperialist intervention in Afghanistan."