Why Vote Green in May

In May 2015 you have the opportunity to shake things up.

You can show the incumbent Labour MP that he can’t take his seat for granted. Don’t let anybody tell you there is such a thing as a wasted vote.

Vote for the party you believe in

If everybody votes for the policies they believe in, I’ll win the seat hands down.

In a blind test, over 1,000 voters in Lewisham West & Penge have found they support the Green Party more than any other party.

Vote for a greener, safer neighbourhood

If you want an MP like Caroline Lucas, a tireless Green campaigner for her Brighton constituency who is unafraid even to get arrested to defend people and planet, vote Green.

I will continue to campaign on:

1. Saving our parks from development – I will keep fighting to stop rich developers from building on green spaces like Crystal Palace Park, and won’t sit on the fence until it’s too late.
2. Reducing danger on our roads – I will push for our road layouts to change in the wake of 23 deaths and serious injuries in the constituency last year alone.
3. Defending our NHS against privatisation – after several decades of privatisation by Labour and Conservative governments, I will push for a return to a publicly owned service.

Vote for the common good

The Green Party doesn’t just want to tweak with the status quo, which works in the narrow interests of big business. Unlike the traditional Westminster parties, we want to radically change our economy and politics so they work for the good of all, not just the privileged few.

As your MP, I will champion the common good.

1. Genuinely affordable housing – house prices and rents have rocketed beyond the reach of most people in the area. I will champion social housing and rent controls for half the residents in the constituency who rent, after the loss of thousands of council homes and rent inflation in recent decades. I will also campaign for an end to speculation on property so homes in the area can be bought by the average resident, not just wealthy investors.
2. Fair wages for all – one in five workers in this area earns less than a living wage, while top pay spirals up and bonuses carry on for a selfish few in big businesses. I will campaign for a wealth tax on the top 1%, a compulsory living wage so everybody earns enough to build a life on, and a more level playing field so eventually nobody earns more than 10 times their lowest paid colleague.
3. Bringing the railways back into public hands – public services should be run for the benefit of people who use them, not for the profit of the minority who own them. Privatisation has given us high fares and a poor service, but the London Overground shows that publicly owned services can give us a better deal. Only the Green Party would ensure that when the Southern and Southeastern franchises come up for renewal, they are brought back into public hands.
4. Cleaning up our polluted air – I led a study of air pollution around Crystal Palace was appalled to find pollution levels well above the legal limits. Successive governments and mayors have dithered and delayed, leaving us with serious health risks that cause more premature deaths in London than alcohol or obesity. As your MP, I would widen this campaign to the whole constituency, measuring pollution and campaigning for a reduction in traffic, cleaner buses and nicer roads for walking and cycling.
5. Real action on climate change – unlike the other parties who still back bigger airports and fracking, the Green Party will take responsibility for stopping dangerous climate change. This means warmer homes and clean energy that we can generate on our roofs, and it means safeguarding the things we care about like our parks, and wildlife, our homes and jobs, and – most importantly of all – our future.

If you agree with me that we need a major change in our system, which is fundamentally broken, then vote Green in May 2015.

Whatever you do on the 7th May 2015, vote for the candidate and the party you believe in.

Help me shake things up

Unlike the traditional Westminster parties, I’m not funded by huge donations from bankers. I need all the help I can get to shake this election up and get some fresh Green thinking into the debate.

If you’d like to give me some of your time or money, pledge it here.