29th January 2009

Press Officer Liz Hillary responds to letters in the SNJ arguing that 'vote Green and you will get Blue'

It is great to see all the letters in the SNJ from people engaging in the political debate with the forthcoming general election in sight.  But, if I can presume to give my opinion, it is a mistake to vote tactically because the end result is cynicism and a growing disappointment in the democratic process.
 
In the past, the Labour Party has appeared to have the interests of the majority of British people at heart and has been the party of social justice and equality of opportunity.  However, the Labour Government have moved so far away from these basic tenets that their policies have done anything but close the gap between people in Britain (the Hills report, An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK, notes that the UK now has one of the biggest gaps between rich and poor of any developed nation).
 
I joined the Green Party and became an active member because this is the party for social justice that also has well thought-out policies on the economy and, vitally, the environment.
 
A vote for Martin Whiteside, Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Stroud, is by no means a wasted vote.  It will add to the growing support for the Greens nationally, showing that people are interested in social justice, they do want to see an end to our country's aggressive actions overseas and they are serious about the environment.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Liz Hillary
Press Officer, Stroud District Green Party