SCOTTISH GREENS AUTUMN CONFERENCE 2017 CONFERENCE LEADING THE CHANGE 21-22 October 2017 Contents 3. Welcome to Edinburgh 24. Sunday timetable 4. Welcome to Conference 26. Running order: Sunday 5. Guest speakers 28. Sunday events listings 6. How Conference works 32. Exhibitor information 10. Running order: Saturday 36. Venue maps 12. Child protection 40. Get involved! 13. Saturday events listings 41. Conference song 22. Saturday timetable 42. Exhibitor information Welcome to Edinburgh! I am pleased to be able to welcome you to the beautiful City of Edinburgh for the Scottish Green Party Autumn Conference. It’s been a challenging and busy year: firstly the very successful Local Council Elections, and then the snap General Election to test us even further. A big thank you to everyone involved. And congratulations – we have made record gains across the country electing more councillors than ever before! It is wonderful to see that Green Party policies have resonated with so many people across Scotland. We now have an opportunity to effect real change at a local level and make a tangible difference to people’s lives. At our annual conference we are able to further develop and shape our policies and debate the important questions that form our Green Party message. On behalf of the Edinburgh Greens, welcome to the Edinburgh Conference. Evelyn Weston, Co-convenor Edinburgh Greens 3 Welcome to our 2017 Autumn Conference! Welcome! We had a lot to celebrate at last year’s conference, with our best Holyrood election in more than a decade. This year we’ve gone even further, with the best council election in our party’s history. More councillors than with a ban on fracking, better ever, on more councils than support for young carers and ever, and a real opportunity to protection from sanctions, shape politics both locally and and more attention than ever nationally. for Green ideas like net-zero It’s also a time of challenge, carbon emissions, safer streets, with the urgent environmental and universal basic income. and social crises we face That change begins with you, being met with complacency; gathering together to debate and a chaotic and destructive the issues, learn from one Brexit process threatening another, and decide the way to fundamentally undermine forward. Scotland’s right to govern itself. Thanks so much for being here, But Greens in Scotland and and have a great weekend. around the world are showing the ability to inspire change. Maggie Chapman and Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens We’re already making progress, co-convenors 4 Guest Speakers CLAIRE BAILEY We warmly welcome Clare Bailey to conference this year. She was deputy leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland from 2014-17 and was elected as an MLA for South Belfast in May 2016 and March 2017. She was the driving force behind Green Party NI becoming the first pro-choice party in the Assembly, and previously worked for Nexus, a charity supporting those who have experienced sexual abuse and violence. Growing up during the conflict has given her a commitment to human rights and equality. She remains an active campaigner on a range of equality issues. PER BOLUND We’re also delighted that Per Bolund, Swedish minister for Financial Markets and Consumer Affairs will be joining us. Minister Bolund has been at the forefront of designing Sweden’s economic path away from fossil fuels, delivering significant social and infrastructural improvements along the way. Come and hear him speak about being a Green in government and how we can learn from Sweden’s innovative approach to low-carbon economics. 5 HOW Emergency Motions are intended to allow conference to CONFERENCE debate issues that have arisen WORKS since then, and should be sent to [email protected]. The Party’s Constitution and org.uk seven days before the Policy Reference Document start of conference, signed by (PRD) have been voted in, and two people who have been amended, by a succession of members for at least a year. Party conferences on the basis An Emergency Motion relating of one member, one vote. The to events that have arisen since Standing Orders Committee then can be submitted to SOC (SOC) is responsible for ensuring any time up until noon on the conference rules are upheld, first day of conference (also and for guaranteeing its smooth signed by two people who have and democratic running. been members for at least a If you have an issue relating year). Emergency Motions will to conference procedures, be rejected if they could have please raise it with a member been submitted in time for the of SOC. SOC reports directly first agenda, or are not concise to conference, and its annual and focused. report – given during the AGM – must be approved by OFFICE BEARER REPORTS conference. SOC has a table in There is a folder containing front of the stage throughout reference copies of office- conference should you have bearers’ reports and accounts any queries. at the registration desk. Digital copies are also available. MOTIONS Motions have to be submitted LANYARDS / VOTING CARDS 11 weeks before conference, Please keep close watch over amendments five weeks before. your voting cards. Please also The intention is that branches wear your lanyard at all times can debate them and, if wished, and remember to hand them agree proxy votes or branch back at the end of conference. amendments. 6 DEBATES AND VOTING proposed amendment from the Motions are debated and voted floor, as this has not proved to on as follows: be an effective way of deciding • There is a short debate on the party policy. motion itself. • Each amendment is then As a member you may vote at debated and voted on in Yes conference providing that you turn. You have the choice have the red, green and white of voting for, against or voting cards you were given at abstain. registration. Please don’t lose • The final stage is a vote them! They are colour-coded, on the full motion, like traffic lights. as amended (or not amended), and again the Any member who can’t attend choice is between for, Conference may delegate against or abstain. another member to vote on their behalf. This is called a proxy At any point in the debate a No vote. No member may have member may ask (from the more than eight proxy votes. floor) to vote on referring a motion back to the relevant SPEAKING committee. That member Any member may speak during would have to explain a debate. If you think in advance their reasons and another that you’d like to speak, please member would have to fill in a speaking slip and hand it second that proposal. The in to the SOC table as soon as chair may refuse that proposal possible, giving a note of any or may put it to a vote, at expertise or special interest their discretion. Abstain you have in the topic. This will allow the chair Amendments will not be to ensure an equal number of accepted from the floor if speeches for and against, and more than ten members to give priority to those with object, or if the chair background knowledge of the refuses to allow them. subject, rather than just those It is unusual for all other who are better at catching the members to agree to hear a chair’s eye. 7 If you wish to respond to a access to either of these on point being made during the your phone, please ask another debate, raise your hand and member to help, or flag up to you will be called if there’s time. your workshop leader that you Please do not speak unless would like to hear when the called upon and you have the alert for your motion comes microphone. Because of the up. We think this will give size of the auditorium and the conference attendees more number of people attending options and a better experience this year, there will be very little of conference. You can let us time for speakers who have not know whether it worked in filled in a request-to-speak slip. the post-conference feedback You may ask a short question form – or the feedback session of the motion proposer – but (Sunday 2-3pm, Room 3D04). this must be just that – a short question. FRINGES The chair is there to ensure Conference is not just the fair and smooth running of the main sessions organised by session – please respect their the SGP. It is also the fringe authority. meetings and stalls organised by outside groups, where PARALLEL SESSIONS new ideas flourish and where GOING This year council agreed to party members listen to the FOR experiment with running concerns of campaigning and workshops during the voting representative groups. Please sessions. If you would like to take part in them. They are as attend one of the workshops, much a part of conference as GROWTH but are also waiting for a the main sessions. specific motion to come up, please check #SGPConf on VENUE ACCESSIBILITY FRINGE EVENT: The importance of funding higher Twitter or the whatsapp group There are lifts and accessible education in Scotland can be joined by sending CONF toilets on all levels of the venue. as a whatsapp message to The main and lower entrances 12.15 - 1.15pm on Saturday, 21 October in Room 2.D.05 07999 496 980, as there will both have accessible doors. The be alerts a couple of minutes main entrance is accessed by a Join Universities Scotland to find out why it’s crucial in advance of each motion long, shallow shallow ramp and that both teaching and research at Scotland’s 19 higher being called.