I've been selected as the Green candidate for Chipping Barnet. Why? you might ask.

A new energy has been building in the Barnet Green Party over the last month. A fast trickle of new members has contributed to the fastest ever growth in Green politics. This month the Greens in England and Wales topped 20,000 members for the first time.

What’s going on?

I think that we’re experiencing a paradoxical blowback from the Scottish referendum. We all got a glimpse into the prospect of having a real say in how we’re governed. The pervasive disconnect between the people and power cracked.

And what did we see through that crack?

A vision of maybe building a better country. The Scots were saying: we could take control of our own affairs, and reorder them along the lines of social justice. 

I can’t have been the only one who found that incredibly inspiring!

I know I wasn’t because 45% of the Scottish voters were ready accept the rotten deal on offer because it held more promise than the status quo.

We in England want that opportunity too. It’s a large part of what is driving UKIP as well. And the pundits are calling this election a five-horse race.

But the Greens are unique among the five. We get that the problems besetting us stem from a short-sighted focus on short-term gains for the few – the swing voters in marginal constituencies; and the big corporates who are busy buying up our democracy.

Their great coup de grace is TTIP, which is like a hostile takeover where the shareholders – us – aren’t even told about it. But the corporates know what they are doing. They are smoothing the way to make politics irrelevant while they break down the barriers to their profit-seeking.

Those things that they want to break down are the things that we will fight to preserve:

In terms of social justice:

  • we will stand up for people’s rights in the workplace;
  • we will fight for people’s voice to be heard - We believe in participative democracy; and
  • we will advocate economic policies that reverse the inequality that has been funnelling all the benefits of economic growth to the very rich.

In terms of environmental justice:

  • we will stand for sustainable economics,
  • energy, and
  • transport.

What will that look like?

  • It means more jobs for real people in energy saving and renewable energy generation;
  • It means building for people and the future – not for the property investment market; and focusing on providing housing people can afford
  • And it means transport to move people around easily and cheaply, making the car culture obsolete.

Alone of the five parties we offer you a hopeful vision.

Our vision says we can open our hearts to each other and share in the bounty of nature and of our advanced technological society.

Being Green says we’re not mean minded, not driven by hate; but that we are ready to take a new turn towards hope.