Phil Davies, a youth activist and campaigner from Cwmbrân, has been chosen as Wales Green Party’s new deputy leader.

Phil, aged 28, was raised in and still lives in Cwmbrân, and attended the former Llantarnam Comprehensive School and Coleg Gwent before attending Aberystwyth University to study psychology and international politics.

Locally he has campaigned with Climate Action Torfaen and Llarcs Community Group. He also helps lead the Young Greens in Wales and England as the Political Education Officer for the party’s youth movement.

Commenting on his selection, Phil said:
“I am delighted to become the deputy leader of Wales Green Party.  I promise to use this platform to champion people whose voices are often ignored in politics in Cymru. I’m proud to represent a party with a positive and inclusive vision for all of our futures.

“We offer a stark contrast to the business-as-usual parties that simply aren’t working for most people living in Cymru, or for the planet.

“As a young person, I’m immensely proud to be in a leadership position. Far too often our voices and experiences are ignored or belittled by politicians. Greens will always listen to the voices of all people, no matter their age. If you are a young person reading this and want a political party that will respect and listen to you, rather than patronise you, join the Greens today!

“I’m looking forward to helping us break through into the next Senedd where positive elected Green voices are so desperately needed.”

Anthony Slaughter, Wales Green Party leader, said:

“I'm really pleased to welcome Phil to the Wales Green Party leadership team. Phil is a dedicated and passionate campaigner for social and climate justice. I'm looking forward to working with him to ensure that Wales gets the elected Green representation at every level of government that our communities so desperately need. This starts with the Senedd election in 2026.

“As an active member of the Young Greens committee, Phil will also be a much-needed voice for young people who are so woefully underrepresented in Welsh politics.”

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Good morning conference. 

Greetings from Wales  

It’s ten years since I attended my first Green Party conference here in Brighton , which I think it’s fair to say proved a life changing experience. I can still remember clearly how enthused and excited I felt on my train back to Wales so I’d like to extend a special welcome to all those of you attending conference for the first time and I’m confident your experience this weekend will have been as positive as mine was. 

As we’re in Brighton, I’d like to start with a message on behalf of Wales Green Party to a very well-known and respected local party member and outgoing Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas. 

Caroline, your years of tireless service to our party, your constituents and progressive politics across the board has been truly inspirational and you have led the way in showing how to do politics differently and be the change we want to see. Your support for our party in Wales and your active engagement with our campaigns has been invaluable and always much appreciated, 

Diolch o galon Caroline. Thank you. 

Conference, looking back at the recent Conservative conference circus, where minister after minister proudly paraded their cruelty and incompetence, it is impossible to understate the scale and urgency of the crises facing us, a situation made all  the worse by a Labour Party that appears to stand for nothing and unquestioningly echoes Tory lies. These multiple crises, climate, energy and economic all impact most heavily on the most vulnerable in our communities, locally and across the globe. As Greens we have long understood the interconnection between these crises and are the only party to have the genuinely joined up policies to tackle these challenges and create a fairer, greener future, the only party willing to speak truth to power.  That is why it is so vitally important that we continue to build on previous successes and continue to get increasing numbers of Greens elected at every level of government, not incrementally, but with an acceleration of growth and ambition for our party. Because, if not now, when ? 

And now is the time. When this tired and cruel Tory government finally faces up to reality and calls the general election the UK so desperately needs we will be poised and ready to significantly increase Green representation at Westminster, quadrupling our number of MPs. Here in Brighton, those constituents who have been so well served by Caroline will be welcoming their new Green MP Sian Berry who will be joined at Westminster by Carla Denyer in Bristol, Adrian Ramsey in Waveny Valley and Ellie Chowns in North Herefordshire. Our four for Twenty Four. 

We have seen the difference one Green voice in parliament has made. We can only imagine the impact these four talented, dedicated and passionate Green MPs are going to make. This historic breakthrough will be a game changer for both our party and British politics. 

In Wales we will be running our biggest and boldest General Election campaign to date, standing candidates across the country and campaigning tirelessly to deliver our biggest ever vote share across Wales, all  in preparation for 2026 when we will make our own historic breakthrough and get our first elected Green representation in Senedd Cymru. Like Westminster, our Green voice is desperately needed in the Senedd, holding the government to account, delivering real scrutiny and helping to make Wales a truly fairer, greener country.   

The electoral reform planned for future Senedd elections is our opportunity, one that puts us within touching distance of real influence in the next Welsh Parliament. An opportunity that we are more than ready to seize. We can win Senedd seats and we will win Senedd seats.  

And our ambition doesn’t stop there, building on our Senedd success we will move into our 2027 Welsh Local Authority elections where we aim to get Greens elected onto all twenty two Welsh Councils joining those that made that historic breakthrough in  2022. Those Councillors elected last year are making a real difference in their communities. Their hard work and dedication is showing Welsh voters the true value of electing Greens. Heartfelt thanks to you all. 

The political landscape in Wales is shifting. While devolution has undoubtedly enabled Welsh government to sometimes be bolder and more forward looking than their Westminster counterparts, the introduction of the Well-being of Future Generations Act being one example, the implementation so often fails to live up to the ambition. In many ways devolution can be seen to have failed the people of Wales. After twenty four years of a Labour government the levels of regional inequality are beyond unacceptable. We have the highest levels of poverty in the UK with one in three children living in poverty. The housing crisis is acute impacting communities across the country. As winter approaches we again see a vast portion of the population facing fuel poverty. On the environmental front the recent State of Nature report showed Wales to be one of the most nature depleted nations on these islands. 

Wales deserves better. 

And those gains that have been made under devolution are increasingly under threat from a centralising Westminster government intent on clawing back powers from the devolved nations. The post Brexit power grab is most clearly seen in the In the Internal Markets Bill and the Shared Prosperity Fund undermining any attempts to protect environmental standards and worker’s rights. 

And again, we see no indication of things being any different under a Keir Starmer government. 

Westminster is holding Wales back. 

This is why Wales Green Party believe that an independent Wales is vital towards creating a fairer, greener society and we are proud to be an integral part of  the movement in Wales working towards this goal. 

As Greens our vision of independence goes beyond flag waving and anthems. Though to be fair, as far as flags go, Wales does have one of the best. We believe that independence is a vital step towards devolving power to the lowest possible level and empowering communities across the country. An independence that simply shifts the Westminster power base to Cardiff Bay is not an independence that I would campaign for. 

Independence is meaningless if people can’t afford safe, secure and warm homes. 

Independence is meaningless without radical reform of institutionally racist public bodies. 

Independence is meaningless  if society continues to tolerate transphobia, homophobia and all forms of bigotry. 

As Greens we know that independence is meaningless without climate justice, social justice, economic justice and racial justice. 

Our vision is of an independent Wales working together with other nations, including our nearest neighbours, to build a truly, equal sustainable future. A nation committed to a zero carbon future, in control of its abundant sources of clean , renewable energy. An independent, diverse, welcoming cosmopolitan nation committed to equality. 

The Welsh writer and thinker Raymond William famously said, 

‘To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing.’    

And that is what we do as Greens. Our radical vision of a better future offers real hope to communities at a time when other major parties are most comfortable tinkering around the edges of a broken status quo. 

That is why it is so important for us to achieve the electoral success that we are capable of at every level of government across our two nation, starting with next year’s General Election breakthrough of our fantastic four for twenty four. 

Working together, I believe we can, we must and we will continue to grow and achieve the success our communities so desperately need. 

Diolch.

The post Green Party Autumn Conference 2023: Anthony Slaughter Speech appeared first on Wales Green Party.

With 2023 now well underway, and spring threatening to arrive, I am increasingly excited and inspired by the levels of activity and campaigning I am seeing in our  local parties across Wales. Following our historic breakthrough last May in getting Greens elected across the country in the Local Authority elections, members can see the potential for even more electoral success in the future and are working hard in their communities and getting our Green message heard. In particular, the tireless work of our elected Green councillors is showing the very real difference elected Greens can make, speaking up for their residents and helping deliver real change. Going forward I am confident we will continue to build on this success and achieve even greater elected representation across Wales for all our communities. 

I am also very excited by the very real prospects for Wales Green Party to achieve electoral success at a national level, breaking through and  getting Green elected representation at the Senedd, our national parliament, in 2026. Having come frustratingly close to achieving this in 2021 our chances have never been better. 

The election in 2026 will be held using a different voting system from previous Senedd elections. The size of the Senedd will increase from 60 to 96 members and there will be no element of ‘First past the post’ voting. Instead the proposed new 32 Welsh parliamentary constituencies will be paired to create sixteen Senedd constituencies. Each of these constituencies will elect a list of six Senedd members using the D’Hondt method. This is the voting system that was used to elect the regional seats in previous elections. 

These changes greatly increase our chance of success. Campaigning across these new Senedd constituencies, geographically much smaller than the previous electoral regions, we will be able to target and focus our resources much more effectively, increase our vote share across Wales and get the Green representation in the Senedd that Wales so desperately needs. In some constituencies an increase of as little as 2.4% of the vote share would enable us to make this historic breakthrough. 

Getting Greens elected to the Senedd will be a game changer for our party and Wales. We can see the difference our sister party in Scotland is making, having gone from electing their first parliamentarian several years ago to now being a party of government delivering radical and much needed change. Wales deserves no less. 

I am confident that we can, and will, achieve this ambitious breakthrough . To do this we will need to continue to build on our recent successes, growing our party across Wales, increasing membership and building up resources. We are in a stronger position than ever before and I would like to thank you all for everything that you are doing in your local parties and communities to ensure our Green voice is heard, but also to thank you in advance for all we are going to do working together in the coming years to deliver the change Wales needs with Green representation in the Senedd. 

Diolch.

The post Breakthrough and Beyond – Our Path to the Senedd appeared first on Wales Green Party.

“There can’t be any room for slippage and misunderstanding. It’s not so much about what’s not in it – it’s about the need for it to be strengthened. We need a really strong focus on biodiversity and the nature crisis.”

The Agriculture (Wales) Bill is about working in partnership with the agriculture community, he added.

Mr Slaughter said: “We need to take the agricultural sector along with us. I speak with farmers all the time, and people at the NFU (National Farmer’s Union) and they are very much on board. They want to be doing the right thing as regards land management.

“So, I think that using this Bill to ensure that doing the right thing is the easiest thing to do.

“Food production is vital and at the same time everything has to enhance the landscape and the natural world.”

Read the full article in Nation.Cymru

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Anthony said: “This moment is a crucial time for Welsh democracy. The entire devolution settlement is at risk, threatened by a UK government intent on clawing back powers from the devolved nations. The most recent and blatant example of this is Westminster’s use of Section 35 to block Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill, a disgraceful attack on democracy and human rights. Westminster isn’t working. Wales deserves better.

“Wales Green Party believes that an independent Wales is a vital and necessary step towards building a fairer, greener society. An independent nation working together with others to build a truly equal, sustainable future. A nation in control of its ample sources of clean, renewable energy moving towards a zero-carbon future. Our vision of an independent Wales is that of a diverse, cosmopolitan and internationalist nation, committed to equality.

“A better future for Wales is possible, free from the chaos and cruelty of Westminster. Coming together at this summit to share ideas is a vital step towards building a truly progressive, inclusive and independent Wales.”

Read the full article in Nation.Cymru

The post Anthony Slaughter to speak at Wales’ first independence summit appeared first on Wales Green Party.

Cllr. Ian Chandler said: “I am delighted to be the Council’s Champion for the LGBTQ+ community in Monmouthshire. Despite the great progress that I have seen in my lifetime, LGBTQ+ people in the UK still face discrimination when accessing public services, at work and in education. Shockingly, two-thirds have experienced verbal, physical or sexual abuse, and nine in ten secondary school teachers say that pupils in their schools have suffered homophobic bullying. This has to change and I want to support LGBTQ+ people in Monmouthshire to have their voices heard.

“Like many LGBTQ+ people, I was nervous about finally ‘coming out’ publicly. I was fortunate that my family and friends are very accepting of me being non-binary and have given me lots of support in my journey. I want everyone, whatever their sexuality or gender identity, to feel able to live as their authentic selves with pride and without fear.”

Read the full article on the Monmouthshire County Council website.

The post Green Councillor announced as Monmouthshire’s first LGBTQ+ champion appeared first on Wales Green Party.

Only 18 months ago the people of Scotland voted for a pro independence majority with both Scottish Greens and SNP manifestos pledging to deliver a referendum. For Westminster to ignore and override that mandate undermines our democracy and the devolution of power.

Scotland’s future should be a decision for the people of Scotland. Wales’ future should be a decision for the people of Wales. That is what a truly voluntary Union would look like.’

The post Wales Green Party react to Supreme Court ruling on Scottish independence referendum appeared first on Wales Green Party.

The conference comes following an exciting year for the Party in Wales. In May’s Local Authority elections Wales Green Party made an historic breakthrough getting Councillors elected across the country, eight Green Party Councillors around Wales plus two in Cardiff under the Common Ground joint ticket. This has resulted in a growing awareness of the Party and it’s policies and a steady increase in membership throughout the year.

On the eve of the critically important CoP 27 Climate Summit in Egypt Wales Green Party will use this conference to highlight their wide ranging policies to tackle the Climate Emergency and the multiple crises facing communities in Wales.

Anthony Slaughter, Leader of Wales Green Party, said, ‘ At a time of Climate Emergency, economic and energy crises, communities across Wales are being let down by both governments in Westminster and Wales. The failure at every level of government to take the urgent and radical action needed in the face of the climate crisis is already impacting on communities across Wales with ever increasing extreme weather events causing devastation and disruption in cities and towns throughout the nation. The ongoing failure to meet existing, arguably inadequate, climate targets displays an embarrassing lack of leadership on the global stage and is a betrayal of future generations.

Following our election successes earlier this year, and the increased exposure, people can see that Greens have the joined up policies to tackle the many interconnected challenges that face our society. That is why I am confident that moving forward we will continue to build on our success and get elected Green representation at every level of government in Wales. Elected Greens are delivering the change needed across Europe, including the Scottish Greens in government in Scotland. Wales deserves no less. ‘

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