Spring Conference 2015 FINAL1 AGENDA 2 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 This is an interactive document please click on content headings, urls and Contents emails to connect Page 5 SECTION A Reports from party committees and bodies required to report to Spring Conference. Page 14 SECTION B Voting papers – revisions of complete chapters of Green Party Policy. Page 27 SECTION C Policy Motions - changes to party policy and statements on contemporary political situations. Page 47 SECTION D Organizational and Other motions – proposals about the way in which the party operates. Page 55 SECTION E Draft voting papers – these are included for discussion, and will appear for discussion and voting at a future conference. Page 74 OUT OF ORDER MOTIONS Motions which have been submitted, but do not meet the requirements for being included in the agenda. Page 80 PROPOSERS CONTACT DETAILS Page 81 APPENDIX 1 Proposed Disciplinary Standing Orders – associated with motion D4. Page 84 APPENDIX 2 The full original text of composited motions. 3 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 SPREAD THE WORD! These policy memes, and many other approved memes for sharing on social media, are available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyMemes and Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreenPartyMemes 4 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 SECTION A 18 passes, then amendment 19 will Adjustments to the agenda order of C automatically fall as they amend the motions. A01 Standing Orders same section and contain conflicting Motion C12 came 30th in the prioriti- Committee (SOC) Report clauses. zation ballot, but has been moved to Doug Rouxel, Convener of SOC Amendments 21 – 29 in Section B 12th on the agenda on the basis of have been placed in a single basket Section E, Subsection 3, part e clause iv Content of the Final Agenda of reorganizations. All of these of the Standing Orders for the Conduct amendments propose changes to the of Conference – “having regard to There is 1 fast track Voting Paper locations of the particular clauses of the previous Conference history of (Section B) which has 29 amendments policy without actually changing the motions and papers, including whether and 1 Draft Voting Paper (Section policies themselves and as such can all they have been submitted for debate E) at this conference. There are 36 be taken as a single block. The chair of previously.” policy motions (section C) with 7 the session should formally move that amendments and 15 organizational This will be the third time this motion conference accept these amendments and other motions (section D) with 7 has appeared on the agenda, and it as a basket, and then vote on the basket amendments. has consistently appeared very near itself. the bottom and never been discussed. 9 motions, or parts thereof and 2 Ordering of motions There are no other motions on the amendments have been ruled out of agenda where the same motion has order, and are listed at the end of the SOC has attempted to ensure that been proposed 3 times. SOC made the agenda. 6 motions were submitted the agenda and discussion that takes decision to move the motion to C12 to with insufficient signatures and are not place this conference is as streamlined ensure that due regard was given to included in the agenda. as possible whilst maintaining the the democratic mandate of the prioriti- democratic process which the party Composites, Baskets and zation ballot, but giving it a reasonable operates. SOC undertook discussions Consequentials chance of being heard as part of the with policy committee and conferences motions actually debated at confer- There are two composites on the committee about ways in which we can ence. agenda, these have been brought do this, and a number of suggestions together as they address similar parts have been implemented. The results of Adjustments to the agenda order of D of the Policies for a Sustainable Society this can be seen below. motions. (PfSS). They are C10, Gender Rights The Standing Orders for the conduct Motions D4 and D5 came 10th and Composite and C13, Democratic Reform of Conference state that SOC must 12th respectively in the prioritization Composite. The full text of the original conduct a ballot to assist in the prioriti- ballot, SOC has moved these higher up motions can be found in appendix 2 of zation of the motions; the precise the agenda on the basis of Section E, this agenda. format is not laid out. This conference Subsection 3, part e clause iii – “to give There are a small number of consequen- SOC undertook a ballot via the Borda special priority to any motion in section tial amendments, and a basket to the Count Method to produce an ordered d) which SOC considers to be urgent for Section B Fast Track Voting Paper. These list of motions in sections C and D. the resolution of controversy or for the are: The number of points which each continuing functioning of the Party or motion attracted in the ballot is shown any part thereof.” Amendments 7 and 8 – if amendment underneath the title in the agenda. 7 passes, then amendment 8 will With respect to D4, the proposal to Where motions were on the exact same automatically fall as they amend the implement a new disciplinary process number of points, the number of first same section and contain conflicting was proposed and passed at the spring preferences was taken into account to clauses. conference of 2013, where there was order motions. an instruction for GPRC to bring revised Amendments 9 and 11 of the Section 473 people took part in the online processes to the spring conference of B voting paper were proposed as a ballot, a significant increase from the 2014, as such, SOC felt that there was single amendment, but have been last conference where 173 people took sufficient reason to move this motion split to ensure that they appear in the part. up the agenda to ensure the continuing voting paper at the point where the functioning of the party in this regard. amendment takes place. These two SOC has taken due notice of the order amendments will be taken as a single of motions as identified by the prioriti- With respect to D5, there has been proposal, debate and vote. zation ballot, and used this order significant pressure on the Governance as the starting point for setting the Review Working Group to address the Amendments 13 and 14 – If amendment order of motions on the agenda. There question of delegate conferences, and a 13 passes, then amendment 14 will have however been a small number significant amount of energetic debate automatically fall as they amend the of situations where motions will now on the topic on and off the members same section and contain conflicting appear on the agenda out of their website. The structure and govern- clauses. prioritization ballot order. The details ance review is not able to address the Amendment 18 and 19 – if amendment of this are outlined below. question of delegate conferences as 5 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 Green Party of England & Wales Agenda Spring Conference 2015 per the requirements of the motion potentially slotted into the remaining Errors in the Agenda that set it up, however the party has business time for section A, B and D If you notice any errors in the final recently gone over the 25,000 member motions. agenda please notify SOC by emailing limit described – by almost 100%. In If there is any remaining business in - [email protected] light of this, SOC felt that the motion any section A, B or D plenary session, should be advanced up the agenda as Summaries and Synopses then the following motions will be the question needs to be addressed taken in the order they appear in the Conference Standing Orders state that fairly urgently. final agenda: all motions must be accompanied by a synopsis of not more than 50 words Assigning motions to specific plenaries C3 Providing free universal childcare in the timetable (300 for policy papers). If your synopsis C21 Proposed addition to Workers’ is more than 50 words (300 words for Section E, subsection 3, part a of the Rights and Employment Policy; policy papers), it will be cut by SOC. Any standing orders for the conduct of section on International Action instances in this agenda are identified conference outline that SOC, in consul- C22 Abolition of Employers’ National by the words “[excessive length, cut by tation with conferences committee, Insurance SOC]” after the truncated synopsis. can create specific subsections of the C27 ED030 Youth School agenda to be taken in specific plenary Original Text of documents proposed sessions. SOC has undertaken this in C34 Additional Policy on Producer for amendment Responsibility two ways. Based on feedback from members The motions that came first and second Fast Tracking at conference, SOC has attempted to in the prioritization ballot have been The following motions have been ensure that where a policy does not assigned the first slots in the two selected by SOC for fast tracking: appear in the motion in its original specifically identified C motion plenary format that the original text is included These will not appear for discussion sessions. This means that it will be as a note alongside it, or in an appendix, in a plenary, there is no workshop clear exactly which of the most popular depending on the length.