Tuesday 1 September 2009

Rob White for Reading East -- election bonds

I am the Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Reading East. I want to put fairness, integrity and the environment back into our politics and make Reading a better place to live.

Tax on our democracy

To stand in the general election every candidate has to pay a £500 deposit. This is returnable if we get over 5 percent of the vote. This barrier is designed to stop extremists from standing but it does not work, it just makes it harder for smaller progressive parties like the Green Party to get going. It is a tax on our democracy. A fairer system, which would be more effective at stopping the extremists, would be to scrap the deposit and to increase the number of signatures needed.

In the meantime we need to raise the £500 deposit and are selling election bonds for £20 each. You will get your money back if we get over 5 percent of the vote.

Predictions for the general election

At the last general election when the local party was a lot smaller we still managed to increase the number of Green votes by 50 percent polling 3.5 percent of the total vote. Since then we have been more active and got more done. At the recent European Elections we got 18 percent of the vote in the east Reading wards finishing in second place -- this does not include the Woodley wards for which no data was available.

How to buy a bond

If you want to buy a bond, please make cheques payable to Reading Green Party and send them along with your details -- name, address and phone number -- to Rob White at:

22 Cumberland Rd, Reading, RG1 3LB.

Feel free to club together with friends and family to buy a bond or make a donation for a lesser amount.

If you would like more information please get in touch:

rob@readinggreenparty.org.uk
9667183 or 07985 923938

*All donations over £200 must be declared to the Electoral Commission. If you are thinking of donating this amount please get in contact first.

** If you would like to make an electronic bank transfer then get in contact and I will supply you with our bank details.

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