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Greens attack 'casino capitalism' | Greens attack 'casino capitalism' |
(about 5 hours later) | |
The "excesses of casino capitalism" were attacked by Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Green Party. | |
At the party's weekend conference in Dumfries, the Glasgow MSP took aim at the four main parties. | |
He said global market failures, climate change and inequality means the world is changing and countries need to adopt green thinking to prosper. | |
Donald Trump's controversial plans for a new tourist and golf resort north of Aberdeen were also part of the agenda. | |
Mr Harvie urged delegates to work for a society which "values the wellbeing of all people more highly than the material wealth of the richest few". | |
He said: "For years Greens have argued that the market-dominated economic policy of the old parties could only end in failure." | |
And he added: "Over the course of this year we've seen that failure played out in appalling fashion. It has been a failure of the market, but also a failure of politicians who have supported, celebrated, and even courted the excesses of casino capitalism. | |
"Labour, Tory, SNP and Lib Dems alike have all spent years making speeches about supporting the risk takers - until those risks failed to pay off and the taxpayer was landed with a bill of historic proportions." | "Labour, Tory, SNP and Lib Dems alike have all spent years making speeches about supporting the risk takers - until those risks failed to pay off and the taxpayer was landed with a bill of historic proportions." |
'Mainstream issues' | 'Mainstream issues' |
Mr Harvie also said: "The Green movement stands as a challenge to all those parties, opposing the idea that vast sums of taxpayers' money must be committed to re-establish the same failed economic model, which left half the world in poverty and precious natural resources plundered or squandered." | |
The weekend-long conference - which has the theme Green - the Colour of Money - was also to hear from former Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Ford, who chaired the council committee that originally rejected US tycoon Donald Trump's plans for a golf resort in Aberdeenshire. | |
The application was later called in by the Scottish government and approved. | The application was later called in by the Scottish government and approved. |
Mr Ford has now joined the Green Party - which claims to have enjoyed a 7% increase in its membership in the last year, to give it more than 1,000 members. | Mr Ford has now joined the Green Party - which claims to have enjoyed a 7% increase in its membership in the last year, to give it more than 1,000 members. |
Mr Harvie said: "There has been a steady increase in interest in the Scottish Green Party, its work, and what it stands for in recent years, as well as a mainstreaming of green issues, and this is manifesting itself in a corresponding increase in the membership of our party." | Mr Harvie said: "There has been a steady increase in interest in the Scottish Green Party, its work, and what it stands for in recent years, as well as a mainstreaming of green issues, and this is manifesting itself in a corresponding increase in the membership of our party." |
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