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The idea that the peripheral countries were the authors of their own destruction continues to exist at European level. However a closer examination of the facts shows this is not the case, and an urgent reprioritisation of EU policies is needed.

In Autumn 2013 the Green Party of England and Wales voted to adopt a motion that would remove the power of banks to create money, and return that power to a democratically accountable part of the state. But what is money?

The ongoing crisis, caused by excessive global debt, saw only financial institutions being protected. For life to come before debt we need to build an alternative to this out-of-control financial system.

An interview with David Graeber, who was in Brussels last October at the invitation of the Committee for the Cancellation of Third World Debt to present the translation of his latest book: Debt, The First 5,000 Years.

In the dismal reality of the deepening financial crisis in the European Union, exploiting the natural environment is seen by troubled member states as a quick-fix solution for rapid economic recovery. Following decades of massive spending on an unsustainable economic and development model, the EU’s policy response is essentially a recipe for a much deeper and longer-term environmental crisis.

Over the past decades, markets have invested in damaging industries such as fossil fuels and financial speculation. This has contributed to unsustainable development, and may well be creating an enormous ‘carbon bubble’. However, there are steps we can take to stop this bubble turning into another subprime-style crisis.

The topic of greening the economic and financial system is broad and daunting. However breaking it down into a few key questions can highlight the steps that we as Greens must urgently take to reign in the financial industry.

The lessons of the last crisis always seem to be forgotten, and the financial world continues to grow and pose a risk to economy and planet. We Greens must marshal all our energy and ideas to reign it in.

Nelson Mandela personified the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and became a worldwide symbol of hope in the face of discrimination. Although apartheid was ended, racism and discrimination still remain present in our society, and that needs to be remembered.

Despite being only a small part of their manifesto, the German Greens’ policy of ‘veggie days’ gave them the unfortunate appearance of being the party that ‘wants to ban things’.