29 May 2017
by Donna Wallace
donna.wallace@greenparty.org.uk
Text version below for visually impaired and anyone using screen readers.
I have lived in Farnborough for 32 years and witnessed a general decline in the quality of life for local residents resulting from policies in which the interests of developers and big business have been put before local businesses and communities.
We’ve lost numerous heritage buildings and open spaces in exchange for crumbling, congested roads, declining air quality, noise and hazardous conditions. New flats rather than family houses take precedence to serve a growing population of commuters.
For 20 years our Conservative MP has failed this constituency, and is now stepping down, to be replaced by another non-local Tory who lives in Wantage.
I ask you to support me as someone who is an active member of the local community, for many years campaigning for the needs of local residents.
The greatest beneficiaries of development around here has been the developers, and look at what they have done to the area!
If elected I will join with others of all parties to reverse this trend and campaign for a greener, more sustainable future, growing a local economy where local businesses can thrive and prosper. I will vigorously oppose the new cuts planned to further decimate our social care, education, health, transport and other vital services.
The environmental crisis is the greatest threat faced by humanity. All reputable scientists know this, and so do most politicians, which makes it incredible that the biggest issue of all is virtually ignored by the media and all parties except the Greens. The natural environment maintains all life on Earth, providing the air we breathe, the fresh water we drink and the food we eat. Every year we take more from the planet than it is capable of regenerating and produce more waste than it can absorb. Unless we reverse this process the planet will no longer be able to sustain us. The evidence all around us: extreme weather events, floods, droughts, forest fires, rising sea levels, vanishing wildlife, melting icecaps and dying oceans. Everything is going downhill, but slowly enough that some people don’t believe, while others assume there’s time to fix things later.
The Green Party bases all its policies around environmental protection, designed to create a society in harmony with nature, where everyone can enjoy a high quality of life, free of conflict, exploitation and violence. We redirect resources into the technologies of the future, leading the way towards a clean, safe and truly sustainable economy. Building a successful economy is not at odds with protecting our environment, it is impossible without it. A prosperous, thriving future will be green - or not at all.
Many of our policies have already been successfully adopted, in Britain and abroad. There are well over 100 Green Parties across the world promoting and implementing our shared values, ideas and policies
A vote for the Green Party is a vote for the future – for this country, its wildlife and landscape, for present and future generations and for our unique and precious world.
“HALF of the wildlife across the world has vanished in the past 40 years”
"Sand for building is becoming so scarce and expensive in some parts of the world, that beaches are being stripped"
We are a small party who punches well above our weight but we could achieve so much more with your help.
As you can see from this leaflet, we cannot afford glossy colour brochures. All our funding comes from members and supporters and we politely decline large donations from sources that are contrary to our beliefs and values, including tax evasion. How can we expect the public to trust and believe in us if we did otherwise? But it does mean we need every penny we can get. Better still, come and join us. We need help delivering leaflets, canvassing, social media, IT and design skills, press/media, admin, events organising etc. Meet some amazing people. We have fun too!
