Green's looking at new direction

THE season of political party conferences gets underway today with the Green Party starting its annual roundup.

During the course of its four day conference party stalwarts are expected to signal a change of direction from its previous focus on environmental issues. Instead leader, and former Guardian journalist, Natalie Bennett aims to position the party to the left of Labour as an effective alternative to current parties.

Speaking at the People's march this week she said: "We marched from Bedford to Luton, there was massive support. We don't believe there is any place for the profit motive in the NHS, the internal market with NHS services competing is a failed policy - we would keep it public owned and free.

"We are really the only opposition to three parties who all back the same political and economic system, which is not working. We are proposing real change," she added.

As part of its new agenda there is expected to be more discussion about plans for a £10 minimum wage to be imposed across the board, regardless of age or circumstances.

Bennett told the Guardian: "We need to offer people hope for the future – a living wage, secure employment and no more zero-hours contracts.

"Under our plan no one would be paid less than £10 an hour in 2020," she said. "It is a scandal that under the coalition government the number of workers earning less than the living wage has risen by a staggering 50%. It makes a mockery of David Cameron's 2010 statement that a living wage is 'an idea whose time has come'."

The change of direction reflects the impact which the coverage received by the United Kingdom Independence Party during the European Elections had on the party.

At the time Green members, who have long stated that they are the fourth political party, complained that the UKIP media exposure was unwarranted and damaging to its own campaign.

"A difference between the Greens and UKIP is that we are not a one-person party, we are team and we have three women - Caroline Lucas in the House of Commons and Jenny Jones in the House of Lords and myself - all happy to work together, not competing," said Bennett.

Separately adding: "We got 6.6 per cent of the vote in May and I would be very happy if we got the same percentage of political coverage in the national media - but we are seeing our figures going up anyway,"

It is a change which poses risks for the party, which is polling below the Liberal Democrats, as they may alienate core voters with drastic and seemingly ill conceived policies.

Promising to impose a wealth tax of 1% on top earners will appeal to some voters, however, it seems unlikely to provide the necessary capital injection needed to fulfil additional plans for benefits and the health service. Meanwhile as the three main parties have already discovered raising the minimum wage dramatically would have detrimental impact on small business owners unable to meet the higher outlay, thereby driving up prices, the living wage and creating a potential inflationary spiral.

Re-branding themselves as a left wing party may seem like a good idea in an increasingly politically apathetic era. Without clear solutions though they could find that they have moved too far away from the policies which have brought voters to them in the past.