Our democracy has never been so fragile and we need more politicians who want to give the rest of us a greater voice.

That is at the heart of how Greens do politics and it is why we saw a 273 per cent increase in Greens elected to local councils this month, taking votes from all parties, and in both Leave and Remain voting areas.

• A vote for the Green Party on May 23rd is a vote to:
• Remain in the EU, by putting the question of Brexit back to a better-informed people and mobilising a positive, pro-European movement to win the People’s Vote for Remain.
• Build a movement for a European-wide Green New Deal for a equitable and just transition to a low-carbon economy, by electing MEPs who know we need to act now to save our wildlife, our environment, and ultimately us and our planet from catastrophe.
• Rebuild our communities through dedicated work in the UK and across borders to restore opportunities and address inequality.

No need for tactical voting

The European Elections use a proportional voting system, so you don’t have to vote for what you see as the ‘least bad option’ as many of us do under the first-past-the-post system used for General Elections in the UK. Tactical voting is just as likely to backfire in any case. If Liberal Democrats take votes from people who would previously have voted Green it could allow Brexit to take the last seat.

It’s better to vote for what you believe in

In the South-East we have ten members of the European parliament (MEPs). In 2014 we needed only seven per cent of the vote to gain one Green MEP.  Greens are currently polling at 11 per cent above the Conservatives for the first time in history.

Vote your own values, and persuade others to do the same!

Greens acknowledge there is much work to do to unite our divided country.  The one clear message from all areas is that people do not feel listened to. This is why Greens were elected across the country in the recent local elections – because they recognise we need a different type of politics. Caroline Lucas recently undertook a ‘Dear Leavers’ tour, listening to people across the country express their grievances after more than ten years of austerity.

Greens want people to have a more powerful voice through citizens’ assemblies, where people come together from all walks of life and, through a deliberative and thoughtful process, are enabled to arrive at solutions to intractable problems like Brexit that are dividing our communities. This method has recently been used to resolve such momentous issues as whether to legalise abortion in Ireland, and has an impressive track record in thoughtful decision-making.

Green MEP’s track record

As the largest group of UK Remain MEPs in the 2014-2019 Parliament, Green MEPs have delivered huge wins for the areas they represent, from reclaiming public money lost to tax avoidance to protecting our countryside and wildlife by banning toxic pesticides.

Greens have been consistently serious about fighting the climate crisis while Lib Dems sit with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). The graph below, prepared by Climate Action Network Europe, shows where the political groups stand on fighting climate change.  ALDE, the Liberal and Democrat group are on a very unimpressive 38.1% group score.

Green MEPs elected in 2019 will continue this work. They won’t just strive to stop Brexit, they will tackle the causes of the vote for Brexit in their various communities to help ensure the current state of chaos never happens again.

If you want to know more about what Green MEPs could do for us, then head down to Hastings seafront on Sunday May 19th between 3 – 5pm to meet our lead candidate, Alex Phillips. Look out for the big green electric bus which will be by St Leonard’s Warrior Square Gardens from 3 – 4pm and by the boating lake from 4 – 5pm.