Climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity and it has been largely being ignored or sidelined by the bigger political parties. Yet last year was the hottest on record and those records are being beaten at an increasing rate. Huge cracks are emerging in the polar ice at the same time as Trump has tried to sink the Paris climate change deal. Labour has refused to oppose Heathrow expansion, which is the single most damaging policy/project for climate change and air pollution.
A Green vote sends a message that action on climate change is vital and puts pressure on all parties to take it seriously.
We need to address inequality, reduce the queues for food banks, and stop the NHS from collapsing, but both Labour and the Conservatives would waste billions of taxpayer pounds on Trident. Labour would also condemn the next generation to decades of paying huge energy bills for a new set of outdated and redundant nukes.
A Green vote sends a message that our money needs to be invested in renewable energy, emerging green industries and future technologies, not 1950s reboots.
We mustn’t reward Labour tribalism. We Greens have done our generous best in standing down in 30 constituencies where there is a close contest, but Labour doesn’t even support PR, a fairer voting system. Labour has even expelled activists who supported a progressive alliance attempt to unseat Jeremy Hunt by swinging behind a doctor standing as an NHS candidate. I admire the local Green parties who have made the sacrifice, but Corbyn’s Labour Party have failed to respond and engage.
A Green vote is a reminder that fair votes are an essential part of rebuilding our democracy.
Just like Caroline Lucas, I welcome the fact that so many of the Green Party ideas from our 2015 manifesto have become Labour Party policy under Corbyn. I spent 16 years on the London Assembly encouraging Ken Livingstone and even Boris Johnson, to ‘steal’ the Green Party’s ideas and put them into practice. The Living Wage Unit, Same Sex Partnerships, hire bikes and a lengthy list of other green proposals were implemented as we changed the world via proxy. That only happened because of the large numbers of Londoners who regularly voted Green.
A Green vote carries huge influence even when we aren’t in power.
We need more green voices in Parliament to ensure that positive changes happen. We need Green votes across the country to keep up the pressure on the main parties to take climate change, fair votes and social equality seriously.
A Green vote is for a healthier, happier, fairer and safer society
