As David Cameron began his speech to the Conservative conference in Brighton today, Green Party leader Caroline Lucas – the candidate tipped by bookmakers and pollsters to take the constituency where Cameron delivered his speech – warned that Britain would face a deteriorating future under a Conservative government.
The Green Party leader commented that Britain would get worse leadership than under Labour – but, ironically, that the "poisonous cocktail of Tory policies would come laced with a Blairite smile.”
Caroline Lucas said:
“Cameron’s brand of Conservatism means taking the worst of Labour and pulling it down to new depths.
“But instead of Gordon the Thug we have Nice Guy Dave to front it.
“Cameron won't be outdone in pampering the rich. That's why he's slashing inheritance tax for the richest.
“And he won't be outdone in savagely cutting services - even if he's a little quieter on it now, until after the election.
“Cameron might be able to airbrush his photograph for the billboards, but he can't airbrush our memories of the misery and waste of 18 years of Tory rule.”
Don’t make assumptions about marginal constituencies, Greens warn
The Greens warned against any assumptions about the Conservative lead in the national opinion polls. Matt Follett, chair of Brighton and Hove Green Party, commented:
“Just because the Conservatives are favourites to form the next government doesn’t mean they will win all the marginal seats. For instance, most recent opinion polls have shown Caroline Lucas winning the Brighton Pavilion seat for the Greens.
“In fact in Brighton and Hove, the most recent council by-election saw the Greens leapfrog both Labour and the Conservatives to win. In the Pavilion constituency, where the Conservatives are holding this conference, the Greens hold a majority of the local council seats. In fact the Greens have come first in every election in Brighton and Hove since 2005.
Matt Follett added: “This is the second consecutive Tory conference to be held in a city where the Conservatives were beaten by the Greens in last year’s elections (1).”
Notes:
1. The Conservatives held their 2009 autumn conference in Manchester, one of the cities where they finished behind Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens in the 2009 European Parliament elections. And in the same elections the Greens came first in the city of Brighton and Hove.
2. A poll by ICM* (December 2009) has predicted a Green Party win in Brighton Pavilion, with the Greens polling at 35%, the Conservatives at 27%, Labour at 25% and the Lib Dems at 11%. This follows a YouGov poll (October 2009) which predicted the Greens would take their first seat in Brighton Pavilion.
3. In the 2009 European election, in Brighton and Hove the Greens took 31% of the vote, ahead of the Conservatives (22%) and Labour (15%).
*ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 533 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 16-21st December 2009. Interviews were conducted across the political constituency of Brighton Pavilion and the results have been weighted to the profile of all Brighton Pavilion adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.