North Down DUP MLA Alex Easton has said the support given by the Green Party in Northern Ireland to the Party’s manifesto in England is a disturbing insight into the views of the party. Highlighting Steven Agnew’s support for policies which would decriminalise membership of a terrorist orgainsation yet ban the advertisement of summer holiday flights Mr Easton said it could be summed up as a desire to “Ban Thomas Cook but legalise Islamic State”.

Commenting he said, ‘When many people first heard of the policies included within the Green manifesto they assumed that it must be a joke. Others were quick to assume that the Green Party in Northern Ireland would stand separate from their sister organisation in England. Whilst they are separate organisations, the comments from Steven Agnew demonstrate clearly the common policy platform which exists.

Within a 15 page document from the Home Office all of the organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 are listed. Whilst in Northern Ireland we might focus on the fact that Steven Agnew and the Green Party are happy that people could join a dissident republican terrorist group with no threat of arrest, we cannot forget that this policy also covers Al Qaeda, Islamic State, other foreign terrorist groups and Al Ghurabba which operates in the UK under a range of pseudonyms including Sharia Project and Islamic Path.

It might be easy to laugh at the notion of the Green Party wanting to ban adverts on our televisions for summer holidays. It might be easy just to dismiss their economic fantasy land which desires long-term zero or negative growth (recession). However telling terrorist groups that they can recruit new members without fear of criminal prosecution must stand out amongst the most disturbing and dangerous.

Combined with “progressively reducing” border controls plus access to benefits and the right to vote for anyone living on British soil regardless of passport these policies are a worrying but very useful insight into the Green Party. However, all of these policies will no doubt be explained to us through the “compulsory educational programming” which they would force the BBC to broadcast during prime time.’