It's a curious thing : Green policies on Economy, Education, Defence, Taxation, Transport, Energy, Animal Rights etc (see http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/policypointers/index.html) are immediately recognisable and distinctive. But the other parties are so keen to claim the climate change vote that to hear them speak you'd think they were there first.
In all the hot air, don't be fooled! Whereas, for the main parties, the carbon agenda has been bolted on to the side of the manifesto (inevitable, since their political philosophies evolved between 100 and 300 years ago - and are now fossilised) the Green manifesto arose out of concern for humanity's relationship with its environment. Our short climate change policy document contains 23 links to other Green policy areas, it's so thoroughly stitched-in.
The other parties are still saddled with an addiction to a debased model of economic growth that has lost touch with the reality of people's lives. They have turned us from citizens into consumers until (we're told) we've got to shop to save the nation. (Was Napoleon right to call us a 'nation of shopkeepers'?)
What this means is that all the talk of 'green jobs' means little more to the grey parties than shopping for green technology - a fad that will quickly be ditched if it doesn't make massive profits for investment bankers. Indeed, we recently had a Conservative Party glossy brochure round that seemed to think green energy meant helping customers find the cheapest energy supplier! For the Greens it's a far more fundamental shift than that. The difference is, we mean it.
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