SGP Conference
Sun., September 21, 2008. 22:11.
Emotional tributes paid to Robin Harper at SGP conference
At the first day of the Scottish Green Party Conference, a motion was passed to mark Robin Harper's unique and long-standing contribution to the party and to Scottish politics. Emotional tributes were followed by a standing ovation by the whole conference.
Proposed by former MSP Mark Ruskell and seconded by Alison Johnstone, co-convenor of the party alongside Robin Harper, the motion stated:
"Conference warmly celebrates the extraordinary leadership given to the green movement and to Scottish politics over the last two decades by Robin Harper, thanks Robin for his tireless and ongoing work on behalf of the people of the Lothians, and looks forward to the next chapter in his political career as both a people's representative and a key ambassador for the Scottish Green Party."
Speaking after the discussion, Robin Harper MSP said:
"I'm extremely touched and grateful for all the tributes I've received, but I'm no deid yet - I'm at least ten years away from actually retiring! I shall be working flat out for the people of the Lothians, especially on children's issues and the built environment, and I will continue this work in the fresh air outside Parliament after 2011.
"Tony Benn left Parliament in order to get more engaged in political issues, and I hope the same kind of opportunities will present themselves to me."
The party also passed two other emergency motions, the first on the urgent need for action to tackle climate change, and the second covering the collapse of HBOS. (1)
Notes
1. The two other emergency motions read as follows:
a) Title: 99 months to save the planet
The Scottish Green Party calls for an urgent inter-party conference which will hear evidence from climate change experts, with the aim of developing policy unity among the parties on climate change. There needs to be a strong public information campaign following this conference, with input from climate change experts.
b) Title: The collapse of Halifax Bank of Scotland and the wider economic crisis
Conference meets at the end of an unprecedented week for the Scottish economy, a week which has seen the collapse of HBOS, one of the country's largest financial institutions, an event which threatens to cause substantial job losses and which will surely worsen the wider Scottish economic situation. Under these circumstances, Conference:
- Regrets the human suffering caused by the collapse of HBOS and its predecessor the Bank of Scotland, a historic institution which Scotland will be poorer without;
- Notes that the institutions which are best-placed to survive this crisis are those which have retained prudent links between their deposits and their lending, not those which have sought to maximise short-term profit through ever-increasing and irresponsible reliance on speculation, hedging, the resale of debt, derivatives and other arcane financial instruments;
- Believes that the culture and values of two of the original organisations involved - Halifax and the Trustee Savings Bank - should have been maintained, noting that the former was set up "for the mutual benefit of local working people", and the latter was to be run along "democratic and philanthropic guidelines";
- Opposes moves to make taxpayers, bank staff and depositors pay for the mistakes made by employers and by shareholders, and does not share the view that those who profited during the good times should now be rewarded for failure;
- Supports moves to better regulation, but also believes that regulators and the other parties should urgently look at increased support for existing good practice across the financial sector, including within building societies, credit unions, and the more responsible elements of the banking sector; and
- Calls on Government at all levels to work to rebuild a secure financial sector, one which prioritises social objectives and sustainability, and which follows the sensible principles of self-reliance, sustainability, thrift and prudence, not just to attempt to refloat the existing failed model.
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.