A Green vote in the 2010 general election, and in local elections around the country, will be signal for a sea-change in UK politics. People are fed up with sleaze stories and are looking for something fresh. If people vote with their values, 2010 will be the year in which the Green Party shows that a smaller party can win in a general election despite the current electoral system. It can also be the start of restoring hope in politicians and the political system. What would that mean in practice?
Instead of a political and economic culture where bankers' bonuses are seen as fair play, we need real and lasting change. Labour is planning to waste billions on renewing Trident, introducing ID cards and building new roads. Greens want money spent creating vital new jobs in public transport, green energy, affordable housing and care for older people. This year, Greens will continue to push for a ‘Living Wage' - to ensure low-income workers earn enough to provide for themselves and their families. Greens in parish councils, in local authorities, at London City Hall, or in the European Parliament, will continue to challenge discrimination, celebrate diversity and uphold human rights.
One of the real dividing lines this year will be over public services. Greens want public services that are local and easy to access. Furthermore, the middle of a severe recession is not the time to be making cuts. We think it's unfair that public money is wasted on botched privatisation schemes, and that quality of care suffers when hospitals and surgeries are treated like businesses rather than public services. The Royal Mail needs to remain as a public service -- publicly owned and publicly accountable.
The failure of Copenhagen means that we need redoubled efforts in 2010 to reach a real agreement. World leaders produced an empty accord which was not fair, not ambitious and not legally binding. More than anything, we need to change the discourse around acting to prevent climate chaos, by highlighting the huge number of benefits which action will bring - the millions of new jobs in energy efficiency and renewables, the warmer homes and better transport.
In Brighton in 2010, which represents the Green Party's best opportunity for a Westminster breakthrough, the chances of finding a decent job are in severe decline. Under a Labour Government, with a Conservative-run council, the number of people on Job Seekers' Allowance in Brighton and Hove has risen 80% in the last 18 months. Brighton has been failed by the current political class.
I want to become an MP who will stand up for the city, not someone who talks the talk, but toes the party line when it comes to the vote. A proudly independent place deserves an independent voice.
There are signs that people are beginning to agree with us. A recent general election ICM poll in Brighton Pavilion showed that the Greens have 35% of the vote (with Labour in third place on 25%, the Tories second on 27%and LibDems on 11%). Nearly two thirds of Labour and Libdem supporters in the Brighton poll said they would be prepared to back the Greens to stop the Tories.
I hope that, by the middle of the year, we will see Green success in Brighton Pavilion, and in our other two target constituencies, Norwich South and Lewisham Deptford. Let's seize the moment of history and ensure we deliver the fresh Green approach our political system so badly needs.