Poll of 300,000 puts Green Party top

I blogged about Vote for Policies during the general election but stumbled across the site again just now. Almost 300,000 people selected their favourite party based on policy alone and the Green Party came top with a massive 24% (Labour second then: Lib Dems, Tories and UKIP).

But our corrupt voting system, bizarre political alliances and antiquated and outdated parliament mean that the party who came in the bottom half of the survey are running the country.

AV will make very little difference to the political landscape in the future and may make it worse, but at least it means that the strangle hold make be starting to break.

I've never voted Tory before...

It looks like LibDems in Kent are unhappy with the coalition arrangements. They certainly like to position themselves as the opposition to the Conservatives in Maidstone so I can understand their frustration.

It is quite clear that their economic policies and principles are much closer than people think though. The deal was negotiated by Lib Dem Orange Bookers who according to the Torygraph will be quite at home in a Tory cabinet: "Judged on some of the stuff they were writing six years ago then they could find a long-term home in a Tory Cabinet. Whether it was Vince Cable’s desire to see trade barriers torn down and regulation torn up, or David Laws’ vision of an NHS provided in no small part by private companies and funded by a National Health Insurance Scheme, there’s plenty in it that would inspire confidence".

There are clearly some useful policies that aer likely to come out of the ConDem government: scrapping ID cards, no third runway at Heathrow (although both parties have appalling records on backing airport expansion elsewhere), right to protest (believe it when I see it). Let us hope these are sucessful!

I suspect that the coalition will be disasterous for the Lib Dem's vote, especially in Maidstone. 17,000 people voted against the Conservative and even if they had been sucessful, they would still be backing a Tory government. While I am quite aware that coalitions are good for politics, they are fraught under FPTP which encourages tactical voting and therefore voting against parties not for them.

The next 5 years will be interesting for the Lib Dems, if they survive that long.

Vote Yellow get Blue

With no details of the deal that has been struck, commenting on the new government is going to be difficult, but I wonder what voters here in Maidstone are thinking right now.

The campaign here was dominated by the Lib Dem call to vote for them to stop the Tories getting in. In fairness to Peter Carroll, his campaign was slick and hard fought, for which he deserves credit.

The result of the campaign in Maidstone meant a big squeeze on the Green vote and a collapse of the Labour vote (down from 10,814 to 4,769, i.e. a fall of 6,045). The Lib Dems rose from 10,808 to 17,602, i.e. rose by 6,794. The Conservative vote fell slightly from 25,670 to 23,491 and the total votes cast was almost the same as in 2005 (48,928). It is obvious that the mountain that the Lib Dems were trying to climb was simply too high.

As far as I can tell, Peter Carroll managed to persuade Labour voters that he was their best chance to oust the Tories from Maidstone and they gave him their support on that basis. Clearly Maidstone as a whole remains highly supportive of the Conservatives in parliament and even with the departure of Ann Widdecombe, they lost very few votes.

So I wonder what the 17,602 Lib Dems voters are thinking this morning after the announcement that it wouldn't have mattered how they had voted? The new LibCon agreement would have meant that they would had put the Conservatives into government anyway.

These 17,602 people were very clear that they did not want the Tories and I can only assume the defecting 6,000 from Labour to Lib Dem were even more clear. They have got want they voted against, delivered by the party they voted for. There will some angry souls out there today and I don't remember seeing "Voting Lib Dem will get the Conservatives elected" on the Lib Dem leaflets.

However, true voting reform would increase the likelihood of coalition governments and these are to be welcomed. Other countries are able to cope well with coalitions and in general better decisions are made when there is challenge rather than dictatorship. Rumour has it that Labour were not willing to make the compromises needed for a coalition which forced the Lib Dems hand. This is a clear failure on Labour's part and perhaps a hangover from their 13 years of command and control government.

I was hoping for a slightly less right wing coalition than we have got, but it was not to be. Let us just hope that the deal included proportional representation and not the ridiculous AV suggestion which is less proportional that FPTP. If the LibDems have failed to get true voting reform, it won't just be the voters who desert them at the next election.

Coalition of losers?

The rhetoric by the right wing press about a "coalition of losers" with a potential Lib/Lab pact to be expected, but perhaps they could remember that the Tories only achieved 36% of the vote, yet seem quite happy to go into government with the vast majority of people voting against them.

Obviously, this is not just a Tory approach. Labour had a vast majority in the commons with just 35% of the vote in 2005, so no mandate from the people then either.

This is the absurdity of our 19th century electoral system and why I am praying that the LibDems do not back down on electoral reform being a key part of the agreement.

Looking at the 2009 European results shows just how different support is under a proportional system:
 Con: 28%
 Lab: 16%
 UKIP:17%
 LibDem: 14%
 Green: 9%

Obviously, people have different views in different elections and UKIP's vote is very likely to be inflated due to the main issue their party camapigns on, but the results clearly show that many people do not vote for what they want under FPTP but against what they do not want. We just end up with an undemocratic mess.

It is even worse in Kent, 17 MPs, all Tory. If you live in Kent and did not vote Conservative your views are not represented by any of the MPs here.

Curate's Egg

After the marathon on Thursday and finally getting to sleep last night (remind me to take the day off work after an election next time!), I ought to begin to reflect on the highs and lows.

The real high came around 5.30am yesterday when we learnt the Caroline had been elected as the UK's first Green MP for Brighton Pavilion. Congratulations Caroline!

Locally, the general election squeeze came in harder than I expected. Our voting system means people can only vote against what they don't want, rather than positively for their first choice. First past the post means that a minority of voters usually elect an unpopular dictatorship every five years. The squeeze hit the Lib Dems nationally as well and FPTP must go. Let's hope the LibDems have the political will to bring FPTP down.

The high turn out also benefits the Westminster Three in local elections. The good news in Maidstone is that the number of Green votes in Fant Ward increased by 50% to 480. Our local election votes seem very stable and with the winning post in Fant usually around 700 (when there is no general election at the same time), it looks like we can win there soon.

One day to go!

I love the expression that candidates use: "I will work tirelessly". Well I won't, I will work flat out until I've done everything I can and I'm exhausted! That is how I expect to feel tomorrow evening, anything less and I won't have given it my all...

We have been out canvassing and leafleting as much as we can and speaking to people on the doorstep is a joy. People are rightly hacked off with the Westminster Three and are looking for a new politics based on ideals, ethics and forward thinking.

In this election I hope people vote positively for a party they believe in. That is what politics should be about.

Please vote Green Party tomorrow.

What would you do with £17m?

1. Insulate 40,000 homes, reducing fuel poverty to people in Maidstone while making homes warmer and reducing CO2 emissions?

2. Buy 100 new buses and reduce bus fares so that more people use public transport saving them money, reducing congestion on the roads and reducing CO2 emissions?

3. Move the library half a mile away from the town centre so that people without cars can't get there any more?

4. Put some new paving down in the High St so that more shops can open?


The Tories have opted for 3 and 4, while the Lib Dems just 3.

I suggest that 1 or 2 would be the right choice.

Tory Helen wants a second home

Wednesday's hustings run by the Kent Messenger were certainly interesting.

Helen Grant stated that she needs a second home in London. Clearly the journey from Marden to London must be longer than the 57 minutes that National Rail Enquiries claim which would suggest that everyone who lives in Maidstone and works in London might need a pad there.

She also stated that she wants to maintain a 'link' with her old job.

So two homes and two jobs. What next, two yachts?

I pushed her on her party's alliance in the EU despite them being homophobic, antisemitic and climate change deniers. She stated that she was happy with her allies in Europe and claimed that the media were distorting the truth. 

War Parties

Why Maidstone should not vote Lib Dem

Our corrupt and anti democratic voting system often leads people to consider negative / tactical voting to get the least worst party elected. I think this is wrong and that people should vote positively for a party and policies that they believe in.

The decision in Maidstone is easy: Peter Caroll led the opposition to the South East's biggest on-shore wind farm and the calls to reduce fuel duty a couple of years ago (to his credit I have not heard him even claim to be green). Also he has publicly backed corporal punishment for children.

The Lib Dems need a 15% swing to win in Maidstone, i.e. they start 30% behind the Tories in the second safest seat in the county. Even with his high profile campaign for the Gurkhas and the nation swing to LDs from Labour, it is highly unlikely that they can win here.

This press release from the Greens explains more:

A Green Party spokesperson today branded the Lib Dems “the biggest eco-charlatans on this part of the planet”:

“Objectively speaking, the Lib Dems are the least trustworthy party on the environment. They have proven themselves the party most likely to say one thing and do another. Their track record is spotty to say the least.

“They say they want a low-carbon economy with new green jobs. But last week they revealed a plan to put the pathetic sum of £3bn into this, promising only a few thousand new jobs. The Green Party, on the other hand, has started with science-based CO2 targets, done the arithmetic and shown how to pay for a £44bn green investment package, which would create over a million new jobs.

“The Lib Dems talk about stopping roadbuilding but they’ve supported practically every new road from the Newbury bypass to the M74, and they’re still supporting the Lancaster Northern Bypass. They opposed Heathrow’s third runway but they’ve supported Manchester’s second runway and airport expansions just about everywhere else. They talk about green waste management but they currently support incinerator projects in Exeter, Plymouth and Barnstaple. In Essex they’ve proclaimed support for a zero waste strategy, which means no incineration, but they’re still supporting incinerators in Essex.

“They say they want a zero carbon economy by 2050, but they’ve opposed windfarm proposals in Cornwall, Cumbria, Devon and Worcestershire. In Lewisham they recently voted against a Green Party budget package that would have insulated 25,000 homes for free.

“In their proposed ‘green tax switch’ the Lib Dems promised to ‘cut income tax and switch to green taxes on pollution instead’ – which means either we’d have less money for schools and hospitals as we reduce pollution, or else we have to keep polluting in order to keep the tax revenue coming in. Frankly, the Lib Dems are the biggest eco-charlatans on this part of the planet.”

Eleven Green candidates in Kent

News just in that Penny Kemp is standing in Folkestone and Hythe is very welcome. Penny is a staunch Green Party campaigner and former national chair of the party. She has fought the nukes at dungeoness for over 25 years.

That makes 11 candidates across the county - sorry if you are in an area where there is no candidate...

Also this is out from Penny on the 24th anniversary of Chernobyl:

Penny Kemp, Green Party Candidate for Folkestone and Hythe, on behalf of all 11 Green Party General Election Candidates in Kent and Medway asks voters to remember Chernobyl, before voting for the two major parties who both favour building new nuclear power stations. Monday 26th April 1986 was the date of the Chernobyl disaster. Penny obtained a special commendation from the UK Ambassador for Belarus for promoting awareness of Chernobyl, which had serious environmental on human effects upon that country. Penny says:
“It is important to remember the Chernobyl disaster. No other industry has the capacity to create catastrophic accidents that blight entire regions. At the time of the accident, 50 people died and 4000 more are forecast to do so out of 600,000 who were significantly exposed to radiation. In forgetting Chernobyl, and forgetting the Windscale (now Sellafield) accident of 1957, our two major political parties are ignoring the chequered history of nuclear power.
“But the main reasons for rejecting nuclear are economic. Nuclear power is more expensive than any other energy technology since it requires the storage of nuclear waste for up to 250,000 years. By 2006, the total liabilities of the UK nuclear industry had reached about £160 billion. Continuing a nuclear industry will just add to this.
“Energy efficiency and safe, renewable energy sources can meet all our energy needs. So we do not need Dungeness C, or a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth. Useful, long-term employment can be spread throughout Kent and Medway by focusing on the delivery of energy efficiency to all buildings coupled with solar water heating and solar panels.”

My first victory in this election

Apparently I have an A type personality which was why I was very cross not to have scored 10/10 on the Kent Messenger's quiz to candidates. I suppose I have to be content with 9.75 even if they did only score it as 9, the only silver lining being that I was well ahead of the other candidates, but then I had a bit of an advantage... I know the area.

My apologies to the Broadway Shopping centre for forgetting your name (I got the place but couldn't remember what it was called). Interestingly none of the other candidates knew where Maidstone United play or where the park and rides are.

Also another poor show by Helen Grant (Conservative) who, like the hustings at Cranbrook and the meeting with carers, was too busy to answer questions.

They agree with Nick

Having sat through 90 minutes listening to the copy cat parties, I struggled to spot the differences despite their attempts to highlight them. Watching three right wing parties trying to claim they are different is not a debate.

They all want to cause mass unemployment across the country, none of them mentioned the need to invest in reducing our dependency on oil. None of them want to get out of Afghanistan.

The catchphrase of the night was: "We agree with Nick". That's because they all have the same ideologies and policies.

Every 5 years the country elects a dictatorship. There is nothing new about this election, but there can be.
Vote Green instead!

Campaign notes

Just a short note to say thank you to the people I have spoken to on the doorstep so far. The response has been fantastic and very encouraging. People are tired of the main three parties and cannot see any difference between them. With just three weeks left, the campaign is hotting up (if that's possible) and I'll be out and about talking to real people and listening to your concerns.

The hustings at the FSB went well on Tuesday (even if a 7am start was above and beyond the call of duty). It was clear to me that the Tories and Lib Dems had very little actual policy to back their claims that they are good for small businesses.

Poll of 74,388 puts Greens in first place.

74,388 people have voted for policies not parties or personalities and the result is an astounding victory for Green policy:

Palestine Solidarity in the General Election

As people are aware, I am a keen supporter of Palestinian rights and helped organise the vigil in Maidstone during last year's attrocities in Gaza (and I was the only parliamentary candidate to attend this despite direct invitations to the Libs, Tories and Labour candidates). I have signed up to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign's election pledges:

* Call on Israel to end its violations of international law, including ending its illegal occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza
* Oppose any attacks on universal jurisdiction and support bringing those responsible for Israeli war crimes to justice
* Work to end the siege on Gaza
* Call on the government to ban the import of settlement goods
* Call on the government to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement
* Call for an end to Britain’s arms trade with Israel

Debate at Cranbrook School

Disappointingly, Helen Grant has pulled out of the debate on 29th March at Cranbrook School citing a busy schedule. The date, venue and chair have been carefully negotiated over the past couple of months and I was really looking forward to challenging her so it really is frustrating not to have her there. I suppose we will have to just guess her views!

The other three candidates are still in and Chris Garland (leader of the council) will be standing in for Helen.

Date/Time: 29th March 7.30pm
Chair: BBC's Paul Sigert (SE Politics Show)
Venue: Cranbrook School, Cranbrook
Tickets: Free from electionquestiontime@cranbrook.kent.sch.uk