FTadviser seeking views on Green Manifesto

The Green Party have put about as much thought into this manifesto as the people responsible for the queuing system at Birmingham Airport. They’ve given a few sound bites that will excite their loyal followers like, taxing the super rich, insulating homes and stopping all fossil fuels projects. But without showing a clear funded plan to support it, it feels like little more than white noise.

Rents are going up because of basic economics, namely supply and demand, so it's hard to see how 'controlling rents' will fix things. If anything, it'll just push landlords to sell. Once again, like other parties, this is just a move to win votes from renters. In the long run, it won't help the folks they say it will. On a brighter note, sprucing up older housing and ditching the 'Right to Buy' scheme will help those in need of social housing a lot faster than building from scratch.

The Green Manifesto has echoes of back-of-a-fag-pack maths. Their Making Work Fair pledge, all done on a 4-day working week, and of at least £15 per hour, piggy backing on the small businesses which they hope can pay for it by reducing, not eliminating N.I payments. Death to the independent retailers by the sound of it. Of the businesses who do make it work, the real incentive is to take all the risk, stress and responsibility and only be rewarded at 10 times the rate of the lowest paid worker. The idea of fairer greener homes sounds great until you look at the costs which would ultimately fall on the shoulders of the home owner and or tax payer. £42bn over the next 5 years in upgrades, who overseas this, who completes the work and who profits from it?