Why the Greens are standing in Haltemprice and Howden

Well to me the issue was clear from the start and I applaud education and environment activist Shan Oakes for contesting the election. Shan has lived in East Riding since 1975, where she was an English teacher for many years and is one of the founders of Voice International, an organisation working to promote sustainability through education and is Chair of the Trustees of the Development Education Centre.

Leading Greens have been joining Shan on the campaign trial although as usual the national press seem reluctant to pick up on the real issue of human rights...heres what Principal Green party speaker Dr. Derek Wall said: "This by-election was supposed to be about civil liberties. But it's been called by a man - David Davis - who thinks it's okay for the government to lock you up for four weeks without even telling you what you're supposed to have done. David Davis also believes that you should have no right to criticise the government within a mile of Parliament. He believes that if a child is being bullied for being gay, his school should not have a policy to protect him. And he believes that a judge should be allowed to kill you if he thinks you've committed a serious crime. So the Green Party had to stand. Someone had to stand up for civil liberties."

Here is another Green view on the election from Aled Dilwyn Fisher - see here - he reminds us that Davis was also very much for the Iraq war - anyhow good luck to Shan - the real civil liberties candidate.