Green Party -- Fair is worth fighting for!

This was printed in today's Evening Post.

Everyone knows that the Green Party has sound policies on the environment. But what we find it harder to communicate being a smaller party are our equally good policies in other areas.

This year we will be fighting the general and local elections under the slogan "Fair is worth fighting for". This will help us to get across our policies on creating jobs, alternatives to spending cuts and plans to protect and improve the NHS.

But before I get into all that I wanted to take the opportunity to plug our European election result. We finished in second place overall in east Reading wards! This shows what is possible under a fairer electoral system. It is also part of the building of the Green Party in Reading and another second place for my collection -- at the last local elections I finished in second place in Park Ward and came within 20 votes of becoming Reading's first Green councillor.

But back to policy. You can’t cut your way out of a recession. That’s why we need government investment in things that will create jobs and keep the economy turning. So, we are fighting for an immediate £44bn investment package, to create over a million new jobs that will start building the 21st century infrastructure Britain needs, with public transport that works and with warm, cheap to run homes.

We think it's unfair that irresponsible bankers go on earning extortionate salaries while 330,000 people still earn below the minimum wage. Greens in Parliament will fight for a fair ‘Living Wage' for everyone, and a High Pay Commission to make sure millionaire bankers and other highly paid executives in the private and public sectors are not rewarded for failure.

Westminster Greens will also fight for a fair deal for those needing health care, by opposing cuts, closures and privatisation and demanding a full programme of locally accessible services. As an MP I would fight to restore free dental care, to provide everyone with the choice of an NHS dentist, and to put an end to the scandal that nearly one in two children under the age of five is showing signs of tooth decay.

I hope that has given you a more rounded picture of the Green Party? Remember fair is worth fighting for! And the only wasted vote is one you don't believe in.

ENDS

For more information please contact Rob white on: 07985 923938