Farewell and thanks for all the votes!

Now as all the fuss dies down and Labour and Liberal Democrats sit and lick their war wounds, it is time for me to say goodbye. This Blog has served its purpose so I will add no more posts, although it will be still here in the internet for posterity. I am naturally sad that we have a Conservative government, not as sad as my 4 year old granddaughter who apparently burst into tears when she heard the news, saying to her mother "But I want the Greens to win" (It must be genetic!). However, the Green Party did far better that ever before and I am very pleased to add my 1216 votes to the million that we clocked up.

I may have come last, but I still claim Victory. I was interviewed three times by Radio Derby, once on air live from the count and finally at the Studio for the breakfast show (6.45 on Friday Morning). At that interview I was introduced as the loser who was still smiling. I was very pleased with the out come because I achieved what I set out to do. I gave choice to South Derbyshire voters, I conducted myself with dignity and put forward the policies of the Green Party and did not stoop to making spurious claims or personal attacks on politicians of the other Parties. I was a little hurt when scrutinising the spoilt ballot papers that a few people had written things like "I don't trust any of them" but then I did enter a world where people who are good at manipulation rise to the top.


Overall, it was a positive experience. I was overwhelmed by the good wishes and support of family, friends, work colleagues, friends in the Open Access, Library and Information world, acquaintances, random strangers and particularly; Green Party members of South Derbyshire, Derbyshire Green Party and my little Green Team who trudged miles posting thousands of leaflets and supported me with enthusiasm. I have to thank Kim Collis, Derbyshire Green Party Nominations officer for her faith in me as a candidate; David Foster, seasoned Green campaigner and candidate for Derby South; Ash Corbett-Collins, my election agent and social media promoter and my husband Roger who supported me and could easily have told me that I was being very foolish. Most of all, thank you to each and every single one of the 1215 people who voted for me (yes, I did vote for myself!). This is a foundation where we can build a Green resistance to the policies of unfairness and inequality that the Conservative government will try to impose. This is not the end, it is a beginning ...

Election Priorities: Why the Green Party is the right one for South Derbyshire

As the Election campaign is coming to a close and Party Leaders are winging their way to their constituencies it is time for me to sum up why I think that Green Party policies are right for South Derbyshire. First, I have had emails from voters wanting to know my views on such things as the NHS; arms funding; animal testing; nuclear missiles; overseas aid; fox hunting; badger culling; countryside and nature; assisted dying and fuel duty. These are the concerns of  people in South Derbyshire. I have answered some people personally and have written blogs about the common issues. All of the subjects are covered by Green Party policies.

We want to return the NHS to be fully publicly funded with patients being the priority. Arms sales will be strictly licensed, we will not spend billions of pounds on nuclear weapons but would spend more on co-operating with other countries. We are against fox hunting, badger culling and would keep or increase fuel duty, of course we would, oil is a fossil fuel and we want to use and invest in sustainable resources. We believe that humans have a symbiotic relationship with Nature and should spend time appreciating it for our mental and physical health. We believe in personal choice, not only of how to live but also of how to die. These are the things that constituents want, well apart from the fuel duty, we realise that, which is why the Green Party wants to invest in greener ways of transport and cleaner forms of fuel. We are motorists too.

Constituents fortunate enough to have received one of my leaflets (Sorry, we couldn't manage to cover the whole constituency) will see that I stated four election priorities. Education, Transport, Housing and Libraries. I could easily have added faster broadband. South Derbyshire has a number of good, small primary schools, but the provision for secondary education is not as good as constituents want, lacking in the right funding and needing one more school. The Green Party is committed to investing in local government schools and I would ensure that each child in the constituency would be able to have high quality education.

Transport does not only include better bus services, improvements to rural and urban roads but also better cycle tracks and cycle lanes. There are many people who cycle around the constituency through narrow country roads and alongside fast running traffic. The network of safer cycle ways and footpaths should be improved. The Green Party believe in a holistic approach, with subsides and planning giving the UK an accessible transport infrastructure and would divert funds from HS2, which it considers to be a vanity project, in order to pay for the improvements.

Affordable housing is an issue nationwide, not just in South Derbyshire. This covers rented accommodation as well as house purchase. The Green Party want to provide more council and housing association homes as well as encouraging small and medium building firms to create affordable houses where there is the need for them.

Finally, I have a wild card: public libraries. These are vital places, static or mobile, which are gateways to knowledge, lifelines to the lonely, conduits of information where self motivated learners discover new ideas. They are equalisers of opportunity, they offer a service to anyone no matter what age, income, socio-economic level, colour religion or sexual orientation. They are places where staff can: help children with their homework; help people who cannot cope with computers and the internet; spot whether someone has financial, mental health or physical problems and can refer people on to the correct service. Our library provision is diminishing and I would fight to bring back the mobile service and improve opening hours.

I started this blog by saying that I am a trail blazer, being the first Green Party candidate for South Derbyshire, and through this campaign I have discovered considerable support for Green Party policies and now I am sure that Green is here to stay.
   

Parliament is not Government: MPs not MGs

In my new state of political awareness I have realised the difference between Parliament and Government and the importance of getting people with a diverse range of opinions into Parliament as possible. There are 5 reasons for this:

• A varied and balanced Parliament means that every vote counts
• A varied and balanced Parliament is truly democratic
• In a general election the electorate are voting for Members of Parliament, NOT members of Government.  
• A Parliament made up of a spectrum of opinions and ideals provides enough debate and checks and balances to ensure that extremes of thought or behaviour do not happen
• An extreme Government will not be allowed to make damaging and extreme decisions

So, here is some explanation of the difference between Government and Parliament:

Government

This is the the set of people who Govern the country on a day to day basis in the name of the UK monarch: the Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers, and they only have power when there is majority of that political party in the House of Commons. The wining party select the Prime Minister and he or she chooses their cabinet. They are basically the UK's executive management committee.

Parliament

This is made up of the Monarch, the House of Commons (elected members) and House of Lords (non elected members) and these bodies are the ones that decide on the laws by which the Government Governs (and by which the population abide). The House of Commons has the greater power and the Monarch's rule is mainly formal, not active. The Government has to have the backing of Parliament because Parliament debates their ideas before ratifying their decisions. Parliament also supplies "Her Majesty's Opposition" with the Opposition leader and a shadow cabinet serving a function of making sure that the Government does not do anything too weird. Therefore whoever you vote for, whatever their beliefs, are the people who can control what is done in the country. Power is devolved through Parliament.

My point is, vote for who you want in your constituency, vote with your heart and your voice, vote for difference and your beliefs because in order to get the best for the country all opinions have to be aired and no-one will be able to take the UK into a extreme, all powerful, direction undermining the needs of the people of Britain. Just Vote.