Principles & Values
1. Social Justice
The Green Party NI fights for the rights of the most vulnerable and excluded groups across society. We want to tackle the high levels of deprivation and poverty through commitments such as the living wage.
We resolutely oppose racism, sectarianism, homophobia, misogyny and other forms of social injustice. We stand against so-called ‘austerity’ measures imposed on the least well-off, and the running down and privatisation of our public services.
We believe that today’s excessive wealth inequality is not only morally wrong but is also detrimental to the stability and well being of the whole of society. For us social justice does not begin and end at any border.
The Green Party NI is committed to fair trade and ethical foreign policies. We are committed to tackling climate change, not least because of the impact that it will have on the poorest and most vulnerable people.
The Green Party NI is committed to equal rights for all in our society.
2. Sustainability
The Green Party NI recognises that we need to end our obsession with economic growth, private wealth and over consumption.
For decades we've been told that we can't invest in our public services or in addressing climate breakdown because the markets wouldn't allow it or because we can't afford it. All the while, there has never been a serious attempt to address tax avoidance.
Our vision is for a Green New Deal which delivers a huge, positive programme of work to prevent climate breakdown and address the inequality which is rife across society.
3. Grassroots democracy
Democracy is not just a matter of casting a vote every few years; we want to see decisions in the interests of local, inclusive communities being taken by those communities.
This means supporting our democratic structures through public funding of political parties, transparency in party political donations, and decision making at the lowest effective level.
We believe in the need to raise the level of organised engagement in public life and to transform our democratic structures to make them more direct, participatory and legitimate.
The Green Party NI strongly opposes corruption and cronyism – we are the only party in the NI Assembly to publish all donations we receive over £500.
4. Non-violence & Peace
The Green Party NI is committed to the principle of non-violence. If we are to learn to live together in all our diversity we will need to work towards a fundamental change in the way we structure our institutions and relate to each other.
The promotion of politics of non-violence means not just bringing and end to this or that particular conflict, but dismantling the structures and conditions that lead to conflict.
This means implementing measures to eradicate poverty and inequality; respecting diverse cultures; examining the context of conflict from all sides; and a commitment to resolving political differences by exclusively nonviolent and democratic means.
Peace is not just the absence of violence; it is a willingness to resolve conflict in a constructive manner with a spirit of good will, generosity and respect.
Finally, the principle of nonviolence means living as nonviolently as possible towards our whole ecosystem, including other creatures capable of suffering.
In short, nonviolence underpins everything the Green Party in Northern Ireland stands for.