Launch of election campaign

Stroud District Greens have launched our campaign - here is the press release we sent out at the beginning of the week - see my last blog re those Greens standing down - oh but first let me publicise this event in Gloucester - Green Parties in the county have jointly arranged a meeting on Thursday 14th April, at which Jean Lambert, Green MEP, and our own Sarah Lunnon, Green County Councillor, will be speaking on 'Cuts: there is an alternative'. Molly Scott-Cato will be chairing. The meeting will be at the Oxstalls campus of the University, which is on the 94 bus route and about 20 minutes walk from the railway station, starting at 7.30pm - now to that launch news release:

Stroud District Green Party launched its election campaign at the weekend with a pledge to fight the injustice of government cuts to council budgets. “The coalition has imposed swingeing cuts of 28% on Stroud District Council,” said Councillor Philip Booth.

“We believe these cuts are unjust and unnecessary and we will fight them all the way.

“Already we know about cuts to our library, youth and bus services, to our firefighters, police force and post offices, while the General Hospital slides into private hands. The people of Stroud managed to save the Maternity Hospital five years ago, and we can fight to save our services now.”

While the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all say we need to have cuts, the Green Party stands alone in saying we should invest our way out of this recession. Click read more to see more.
"The Green Party recognises the need to tackle the deficit but stands with those economists who consider we should invest our way out of this recession; the Green New Deal would provide 1 million green jobs nationally," added Booth, whose seat is not up for election this year.

He pointed out that income generated from a windfall tax on bankers’ bonuses, a Robin Hood tax on financial transactions, enough tax inspectors to chase tax dodgers and the scrapping of Trident would more than fund the country’s public services and the Green New Deal to revitalise Britain and prepare it for the coming post-oil age.

“This government has made an ideological choice to cut services from the most vulnerable rather than making those that have caused the current crisis pay. We say there is an alternative to the cuts and that alternative is a Green one,” Booth said.

Locally we are looking at ways of generating clean, green energy that could provide much-needed funds for Stroud, he added.

“We oppose the expansion of atomic power just 16 miles from Stroud in Shepperdine/Oldbury and demand that the billions the government will use to underwrite the discredited nuclear industry be spent on green energy projects in our district: it’s the cheaper, safer, more sustainable and more immediate option,” he concluded.

Notes for editors
1) The Green Party is standing 13 of the 18 Stroud District Council
wards. The candidates are:
Cainscross, Chris Owen
Chalford, Richard Dean
Dursley, Miriam Yagud
Minchinhampton, Bill Heaney
Nailsworth, Catherine Farrell and Norman Kay
Rodborough, Phil Blomberg
Slade, Simon Pickering
Stonehouse, Clare Sheridan
Thrupp, Martin Whiteside
Trinity, John Marjoram
Uplands, Rachel Lyons
Valley, Molly Scott Cato

2) The Green Party is standing in 4 Cotswold District Council wards.
The candidates are:
Fairford, Xanthe Messenger
Tetbury, Brecon Quaddy
Kempsford-Lechlade, Neil Voller
Stratton-Whiteway (Cirencester), Bob Irving

3) The Green Party is fielding 12 candidates for Stroud Town Council,
2 for Stonehouse Parish Council and 1 for Nailsworth Parish Council.