Home > Press releases > 2001
31 May 2001
Labour and Conservatives are failing to take green issues seriously
during the election campaign Friends of the Earth said today. The claim
is backed by an analysis of party manifestos, which reveals an 'indifferent'
approach to green issues from labour, and a woeful one from the Conservatives.
However, the environment is at the heart of both the Liberal Democrats
and the Green party manifestos.
Friends of the Earth selected 10 areas of policy by which to judge
the 4 party manifestos.They are:
Following FOE's analysis the parties were awarded the following scores (out of 50).
|
Green Party |
42 |
|
Liberal Democrats |
37.5 |
|
Labour |
23 |
|
Conservatives |
6.5 |
Labour scored well on Agriculture and the countryside, and on
promises on green Taxation and public expenditure. Labour scored badly
on Transport (promising to build 100 new roads) , Waste management
(with the lowest recycling target of the three big parties),Pollution
and public health and Corporations and business. Labour has also dropped
its 1997 pledge to “put the environment at the heart of Government”.
The Conservatives managed to score a remarkable zero on Pollution and public health,Corporations and business, Greening government and international environmental issues.The Conservatives also infuriated environmentalists at the beginning of their campaign by promising a 6p cut in fuel duty. Perhaps the only area in which the Conservatives are more green than Labour is on waste and recycling, where the Party promises “doorstep recycling for all households, with new resources to councils to help fund such schemes”.
The Liberal Democrats scored well on most issues. Among the eye-catching
commitments in the Party's manifesto are a target of 60% of household
waste to be recycled by 2010, a ban on UK production and use of persistent
bio-accumulative chemicals, a new carbon tax,and new laws to ensure
corporate liability for environmental damage. The Liberal Democrats
are also the first mainstream UK party to integrate environmental policies
throughout their manifesto.
Charles Secrett, Director of Friends of the Earth said:
“Neither Labour nor the Tories are taking environmental issues
seriously in this Election. Labour's manifesto is full of bland phrases,
covering a fairly poor record in Government. The Tories seem to have
decided that no-one with an interest in the environment is worth asking
for a vote. Their manifesto is remarkable for being perhaps the least
green produced by a major UK party in living memory. Only the Liberals
and the Green Party are taking these issues seriously.”
FOE has also criticised the media for under-reporting green issues during
the Election campaign. Earlier this week Loughborough University published
a detailed analysis of neglected issues in the Guardian. Environmental
coverage has made up only 0.8 % of all stories.
Charles Secrett added:
“Environmental issues have been under-reported throughout this
Election campaign.But millions of voters rank these issues high up their
list of concerns. No wonder so many people are alienated from conventional
politics. The mainstream Parties have let the public down by ignoring
the environment. And too much of the media has collaborated with this
betrayal of the public interest.”
FOE's detailed analysis of the Party manifestos can be read at http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/4_party_manifesto_analysis.pdf
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
