Voting Green Party in Somerton and Frome
There are many excellent reasons to vote Green in the forthcoming by-election, and the Green Party policy site summarises them nicely. But why should you vote Green in Somerton and Frome particularly?
Sea level rise will hit Somerset hard
Many parts of Somerset are very low lying, with some below high tide level. Unless we do something about climate change right now, many parts of Somerset will be underwater, hit by a combination of higher sea levels and more extreme rainfall.Voting Green is a matter of self-preservation here.
Somerset has a wonderful biodiversity, but it’s disappearing
From the internationally important birdlife of its wet meadows in the west to the Mendip Hills in the east, the Somerton and Frome constituency boasts a stunning diversity of life and landscape. But this is being lost; just speak to anyone who remembers what Somerset was like in the 1970s to get the stories behind all those downward-leading graphs. Only a vote for the Green Party expresses our sadness and anger over this loss, and leads the way to restoring the glory of our county.
The Green Party can win here
The first-past-the-post system for elections in the United Kingdom is a big limitation of our democratic system. In the past, voting for a small party could feel like a “wasted vote”. But this time, it’s different. Local government elections have shown a surge in the Green Vote in this area. This is particularly true in Frome, which has always had a green-thinking population, but it is also happening in the more rural south-west of the constituency, around Langport and Somerton. Our area does not have the industrial base that the Labour Party thrives in, and many people are becoming frustrated with the Conservatives.
The Green Party has an outstanding candidate in Somerton and Frome
Martin is a trusted local councillor, who has done much good for the region.
A real vote with a real chance of winning
The Greens are picking up support from all sides: from the supporters of the left, who can’t see Labour winning here, from the centre-left, who are still angry about Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats propping up David Cameron’s government and their austerity measures, and from “small-c” conservatives who are distraught at the state of the land that we are leaving to our descendants and the scandal after scandal that has rocked the Conservative party. So with voters changing Green, and Conservative support at rock bottom, this time you really can vote with both your head and your heart.
Vote to Remain
Aside from climate change, the other defining issue of this election is Brexit. The Green Party has always been firmly in favour of the United Kingdom remaining in the European Union. One of the main reasons for the hyper-rich buying support for Brexit from newspapers, politicians and social media is that they don’t want EU regulations stopping them trashing nature and people’s rights.
Somerton and Frome was supposed to be part of the Unite to Remain deal between Greens, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru: the Lib Dems were supposed to stand down in return for the Greens standing down elsewhere. But despite the Greens not contesting other seats in Somerset, the Lib Dems have reneged on the deal, and are standing anyway. But never mind; by splitting the centre-right vote, they can even help us to win in Somerton and Frome.
Frequently-asked questions
Still not sure? Here are some of the questions that people ask us.
Q1: Isn’t a vote for the Green Party a wasted vote?
A1: A Green vote in Somerton and Frome in this election is not at all wasted. As we have explained above, the Greens have a very real chance of winning. And even if luck is not with us this year, you will have made a very clear statement about your fears for the climate and biodiversity, which will be picked up loud and clear by politicians near and far. And every Green vote now helps to grow the Green Party for the future. Back to questions.
A2: Voting tactically makes sense when there is an almost even split of likely votes between two candidates, and you care more about one of them losing than you do about the other winning. That isn’t the case any more: support for the Conservative party is now at rock bottom here, because of the scandals around the previous MP and the whole Conservative government.
And even then you need to choose the party that is most likely to win. Other parties have come second in previous elections, but that doesn’t mean that they can win this time. In this Green surge, the “tactical” vote may well be Green. And you also need to consider the terrible urgency of stopping climate change before it’s too late. This is discussed in more detail here. Back to questions.
A3: The Green Party is passionate about social justice and the happiness and prosperity of people, not just the natural world. A Green vote upholds your basic principles as well as being a strong statement on climate change and biodiversity. Back to questions.
A4: If the world continues as it is now, and climate change continues to escalate, then not only will your grandchildren suffer ecological disaster, but also societal breakdown and economic collapse. Yet, behind the right leaders, we can avert catastrophe. The British people showed that they could beat seemingly insurmountable odds in two World Wars. Vote Green to start the fight against the defining challenge of this century . Back to questions.
A5: The Green Party does not stand for the block power of the Unions, but nor will it tolerate the cruelty of austerity. It is a genuinely new voice of hope in an increasingly stale and desperate political world. And only a Green vote is an unequivocal stand against climate change and loss of biodiversity. The other parties may “greenwash” their manifestoes, but experience shows that nature is swept aside as soon as they get power. Back to questions.