New Conference 2017.Indd

Edinburgh Napier University Sighthill Campus 21st-22nd October 2017 LEADING THE CHANGE 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 Contents electing more councillors than ever before! 3. Welcome to Edinburgh 24. Sunday timetable It is wonderful to see that Green Party policies have resonated with so many people across Scotland. We now have an 4. Welcome to Conference 26. Running order: Sunday opportunity to effect real change at a local level and make a tangible difference to 5. Guest speakers 28. Sunday events listings people’s lives. At our annual conference we are able to further develop and shape 6. How Conference works 32. Exhibitor information our policies and debate the important questions that form our Green Party 10. Running order: Saturday 36. Venue maps message. 12. Child protection 40. Get involved! On behalf of the Edinburgh Greens, welcome to the Edinburgh 13. Saturday events listings 41. Conference song Conference. Evelyn Weston, Co-convenor 22. Saturday timetable 42. Exhibitor information Edinburgh Greens 3 Welcome to our 2017 Autumn Guest Speakers CLARE BAILEY Conference! We warmly welcome Clare Bailey to conference this year. She was deputy leader Welcome! We had of the Green Party in Northern Ireland from a lot to celebrate 2014-17 and was elected as an MLA for at last year’s South Belfast in May 2016 and March 2017. conference, She was the driving force behind Green with our best Party NI becoming the first pro-choice Holyrood election party in the Assembly, and previously in more than worked for Nexus, a charity supporting a decade. This those who have experienced sexual year we’ve gone abuse and violence. even further, Growing up during the conflict has with the best given her a commitment to human council election rights and equality. She remains an in our party’s active campaigner on a range of history. More equality issues. councillors than pushing for a ban on fracking, ever, on more councils than better support for young carers PER BOLUND ever, and a real opportunity to and protection from sanctions, We’re also delighted that Per shape politics both locally and and more attention than ever Bolund, Swedish minister for nationally. for Green ideas like net-zero Financial Markets and Consumer It’s also a time of challenge, carbon emissions, safer streets, Affairs will be joining us. Minister with the urgent environmental and universal basic income. Bolund has been at the forefront and social crises we face of designing Sweden’s economic That change begins with you, being met with complacency; path away from fossil fuels, gathering together to debate and a chaotic and destructive delivering significant social and the issues, learn from one Brexit process threatening infrastructural improvements another, and decide the way to fundamentally undermine along the way. Come and forward. Scotland’s right to govern itself. hear him speak about being Thanks so much for being here, a Green in government But Greens in Scotland and and have a great weekend. and how we can learn around the world are showing from Sweden’s innovative the ability to inspire change. Maggie Chapman and Patrick approach to low-carbon Harvie, Scottish Greens We’re already making progress, economics. Co-convenors 4 5 HOW Emergency Motions are DEBATES AND VOTING proposed amendment from the intended to allow conference to Motions are debated and voted floor, as this has not proved to CONFERENCE debate issues that have arisen on as follows: be an effective way of deciding WORKS since then, and should be sent • There is a short debate on the party policy. to [email protected]. motion itself. The Party’s Constitution and org.uk seven days before the • Each amendment is then As a member you may vote at Policy Reference Document start of conference, signed by debated and voted on in Yes conference providing that you (PRD) have been voted in, and two members. turn. You have the choice have the red, green and white amended, by a succession of An Emergency Motion relating of voting for, against or voting cards you were given at Party conferences on the basis to events that have arisen abstain. registration. Please don’t lose of one member, one vote. The since then can be submitted • The final stage is a vote them! They are colour-coded, Standing Orders Committee to SOC any time up until noon on the full motion, like traffic lights. (SOC) is responsible for ensuring on the first day of conference as amended (or not conference rules are upheld, (also signed by two members). amended), and again the Any member who can’t attend and for guaranteeing its smooth Emergency Motions will be choice is between for, Conference may delegate and democratic running. rejected if they could have been against or abstain. another member to vote on their If you have an issue relating submitted in time for the first behalf. This is called a proxy to conference procedures, agenda, or are not concise and At any point in the debate a No vote. No member may have please raise it with a member focused. member may ask (from the more than eight proxy votes. of SOC. SOC reports directly floor) to vote on referring a to conference, and its annual OFFICE BEARER REPORTS motion back to the relevant SPEAKING report – given during the There is a folder containing committee. That member Any member may speak during AGM – must be approved by reference copies of office- would have to explain a debate. If you think in advance conference. SOC has a table in bearers’ reports and accounts their reasons and another that you’d like to speak, please front of the stage throughout at the registration desk. Digital member would have to fill in a speaking slip and hand it conference should you have copies are also available. second that proposal. The in to the SOC table as soon as any queries. chair may refuse that proposal possible, giving a note of any LANYARDS / VOTING CARDS or may put it to a vote, at expertise or special interest MOTIONS Please keep close watch over their discretion. Abstain you have in the topic. Motions have to be submitted your voting cards. Please also This will allow the chair 11 weeks before conference, wear your lanyard at all times Amendments will not be to ensure an equal number of amendments five weeks before. and remember to hand them accepted from the floor if speeches for and against, and The intention is that branches back at the end of conference. more than ten members to give priority to those with can debate them and, if wished, object, or if the chair background knowledge of the agree proxy votes or branch refuses to allow them. subject, rather than just those amendments. It is unusual for all other who are better at catching the members to agree to hear a chair’s eye. 6 7 If you wish to respond to a your workshop leader that you Please speak to the conference FURTHER INFORMATION point made during the debate, would like to hear when the organiser if you would like BSL For any further information raise your hand and you will be alert for your motion comes interpretation in any of the about conference, please ask at called if there’s time. Please do up. We think this will give breakout sessions, as this may the registration desk. not speak unless called upon conference attendees more be possible to arrange. Room and you have the microphone. options and a better experience 3D12 is a quiet room. Because of the size of the of conference. You can let us auditorium and the number of know whether it worked in FIRST TIME AT CONFERENCE? people attending, there will be the post-conference feedback There is a special session for very little time for speakers who form – or the feedback session people new to Conference, have not filled in a request- (Sunday 2-3pm, Room 2D07). which will be held at 9am on to-speak slip. You may ask a Saturday in Room 2D04. short question of the motion FRINGES proposer – but this must be Conference is not just the just that – a short question. The main sessions organised by chair is there to ensure fair and the SGP. It is also the fringe smooth running of the session meetings and stalls organised – please respect their authority. by outside groups, where new ideas flourish and where PARALLEL SESSIONS party members listen to the This year council agreed to concerns of campaigning and experiment with running representative groups. Please GOING workshops during the voting take part in them. They are as FOR sessions. If you would like to much a part of conference as attend a workshop but are the main sessions. also waiting for a specific motion to come up, please VENUE ACCESSIBILITY GROWTH check #SGPConf on Twitter There are lifts and accessible or the whatsapp group can be toilets on all levels of the venue. joined by sending CONF as a The main and lower entrances FRINGE EVENT: The importance of funding higher whatsapp message to 07999 both have accessible doors. education in Scotland 496 980, as there will be alerts The main entrance is accessed a couple of minutes in advance by a long, shallow shallow ramp 12.15 - 1.15pm on Saturday, 21 October in Room 2.D.05 of each motion being called.

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