Greens promise ‘real’ change
The Green Party today said every vote it gained in the upcoming election would be a message that a shake-up of the whole business of Westminster politics was needed.
In a keynote speech to the party’s spring conference, Principal Speaker Keith Taylor said a vote for the Greens would re-empower people who had voted for Labour but felt betrayed over Iraq and the failure to do more on climate change.
Launching their election slogan, ‘Real Choice for Real Change’, he said: “We want to re-value those votes because every single vote is precious.
“Labour will still win this election but every single green vote sends a message that the business as usual politics of Westminster is no longer good enough, it needs a thorough sorting out.”
The Greens do not have any MPs, but believe Mr Taylor has a good chance of winning the Brighton Pavilion seat, an area where the Greens topped the vote in the European elections.
Mr Taylor said the party would have three main messages for the election. First, more than “simple rhetoric” was needed on climate change and road-building and aviation must not be allowed to undermine efforts to fight global warming.
Second, public services should be brought back into public ownership, properly funded and not reliant on private finance initiatives.
Third, the war in Iraq and anti-terrorism laws were creating a drift away from the rule of law and civil liberties.
He added: “We need a strong Green voice at Westminster to effectively champion these values because no other party will do it.”
