30 May 2017
by Chas Spradbery
chas.spradbery@greenparty.org.uk
Text version below for visually impaired and anyone using screen readers.
We are blessed to live in this green and pleasant corner of Hampshire, the winner of many “best place to live in the UK” awards, and for good reason. But for how much longer?
London is chronically short of housing but continues to rapidly expand. We live in one of the many areas in the South East where housing quotas are imposed by the Government to help accommodate this growth, even though our roads can barely cope with current volumes of traffic. Another 10,000 new homes are planned in the next few years. Large tracts of the countryside will be destroyed, changing the very character of the area, threatening our health and overall quality of life.
To make matters worse, new tax-free enterprise zones are planned to encourage further industrial growth. This attracts more people from areas of high unemployment across the country, adding pressure for yet more houses here, while their home towns are stagnating.
Developers are the only people who enjoy the results of these plans, selling properties at prices they cannot obtain in the areas that actually need development.
If elected I will join with others of all parties to reverse this policy and campaign for a better, sustainable future.
The Green Party offers a very different future, where the economy of an area is focused on local businesses which can survive and prosper without needing to continually expand. This means a realignment of priorities. We will invest in green energy, remove tax breaks for polluting industries, and measure success in terms of the standard of living for all, not just the super-rich.
I have lived in NE Hampshire for over 15 years. I have a Ph.D. in Materials Science and my career is focused in the offshore energy industry designing world-leading renewable energy projects such as the Wave Hub test site in Cornwall.
Climate Change is the greatest threat that we have ever faced and the government’s approach of putting the economy before the environment is fundamentally flawed. I am standing for election as I cannot stand by and let the self interest and short-term policies of current decision makers jeopardise the future that your kids and mine are entitled to.
On June 8th you will vote for someone to stand up for what you believe in. The table below details how our last MP, Ranil Jayawardena, voted in parliamentary debates on various issues. I would vote very differently. Please take a look at this table and decide for yourself who would best represent your views and values.
Issue |
Ranil |
Chas |
|
Measures to prevent climate change |
Consistently voted against |
Would vote for |
|
Equality and Human Rights |
Consistently voted against |
Would vote for |
|
Replacement of Trident |
Consistently voted for |
Would vote against |
|
Reduction in welfare benefits |
Consistently voted for |
Would vote against |
|
Higher taxes on banks |
Consistently voted against |
Would vote for |
|
More regulation of Trade Unions |
Consistently voted for |
Would vote against |
|
Reducing corporation tax |
Consistently voted for |
Would vote against |
|
Proportional Representation |
Consistently voted against |
Would vote for |
|
Mass surveillance of communication |
Consistently voted for |
Would vote against |
|
Higher benefits for those with illness or disability |
Consistently voted against |
Would vote for |
Reference: www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25419/ranil_jayawardena/north_east_hampshire/votes
The global environment maintains all life on Earth - it provides the air we breathe, the 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 day will come when the planet is no longer capable of sustaining our civilisation. The evidence is all around us - extreme weather events, floods, droughts, forest fires, rising sea levels, vanishing wildlife, melting icecaps, dying oceans...
This is why the Green Party bases all of its policies around environmental protection, designed to create a society living in harmony with nature, where everyone can enjoy a high quality of life, free of conflict, exploitation and violence. Our policies redirect resources into the technologies of the future, leading the way towards a clean, safe and truly sustainable future.
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. 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.
