Vote Green 1st May

It was wet canvassing this evening in Rodborough - despite waterproofs the rain seemed to still manage to get in - anyhow here's a last appeal to vote Green tomorrow - see more re the 17 Stroud District candidates here.

Photo: a drier moment - Phil Blomberg, candidate for Rodborough and Dr Carol Kambites, former Town Councillor earlier this evening

And see blog on 28th April about The Observer saying vote Green in the Mayoral elections and 20th March about the Livingstone-Berry pact in London.

Anyhow I'm not writing more here otherthan to quote part of a letter by Phil Blomberg to the local press last year - it seems appropriate to re-quote as Tories in Nailsworth send out another leaflet saying 'Vote Blue, Go Green'....can they really be serious????

Nationally Tories and Labour both support more road building, doubling airports, Trident, the war in Iraq, GM crops, nuclear power, blocking key EU Environmental legislation and the insanity of ever more economic growth. Scottish Friends of the Earth recently researched all the parties 'green' policies and found the Tories have the least firm commitment to environmental policies and that only Greens have policies to address the issues like Climate Change. Market bases policies that are so enthusiastically endorsed by the three main parties will continue to drive climate chaos: markets work when we consume more yet this is what we need to change.

The Green Party has long called for a return to more redistribution and greener taxes by simply replacing VAT with green taxes. We also need an end to road building and airports expansions. Local production for local need, a huge expansion of public transport and renewables, zero waste and the rest are possible. The most important part of change will be the demand that policy is governed not by the needs of more economic growth but on the basis of what is good for humanity and the rest of nature.

Phil Blomberg, Stroud District Green party