Commenting on the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, Molly Scott Cato, South West MEP and Green Party national speaker on finance, said:
“I congratulate Jeremy Corbyn on his election which shows Labour rediscovering its soul. Corbyn has stood on a platform of alternative economics and social justice. It will be enormously refreshing to at last have an opposition that will make a stand against the savagery of austerity and seek to take back key strategic industries such as the railways into public ownership.
“However, Greens will continue to be the Party that offers a distinct and radical message on the environment; one that recognises the interconnection between social justice and environmental sustainability. Likewise Corbynomics still has a long way to go before it embraces the ideas of green economics; ideas such as a Citizens’ Income and a system of Land Value Taxation. In particular we need to ensure the economy does not exceed the limits of the planet.
“The image of Corbyn and Watson embracing after the announcement of the result reminds us that, unlike the Greens, Labour has only ever come close to gender equality by using quotas. Corbyn will have to work hard to demonstrate that Labour is a party where women as well as men can rise to the top.
“With Corbyn comes the prospect of a new energy being brought to our moribund political system. When combined with a fair electoral system it could mean the renewal of our democracy and crucially, a future of coalition politics rather than our current stale two-party sham.”
Molly Scott Cato
