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I am standing as the Green Party candidate in Crawley, in the 2019 General Election.

So, why should you vote for me?

I joined the Green Party about 30 years ago because I wanted to make a difference and that difference was to put the environment and people before money making and profit as the main priority in everything we do. The Green Party offered that opportunity to me to try and bring that difference about.

Even when I joined the Greens, scientists for many years had been telling and informing UK governments amongst others around the world that a Climate Crisis is coming if we do not make serious changes. We needed to cut carbon emissions, stop using fossil fuels and replace them with renewable sources, use electric transport, change our agricultural and industrial practices and methods, think about how we dispose of the waste and pollution we create – plastic being just one example amongst many other things.

I am also appalled by the inequalities and injustices in our society and economy. In the 5th richest country in the world, why do we have 14 million people in poverty, homelessness, food banks, low wages, a huge gap between rich and poor?

Why is it we can’t afford money for the NHS, schools, social housing, police, decent wages but we can afford tax cuts for the rich and big business, wasteful projects like HS2, Trident, Hinkley Point nuclear power station and other such things.

We need to change this by ending austerity, paying people a living wage, ending zero hour contracts, properly fund vital services like the NHS, schools, social housing, etc.

A vote for me, is a vote to change this, a vote to massively alter our political system and to make you and the future generations the heart of our decision making.

Tens and hundreds of thousands in the UK and maybe millions of young people and others, around the world in groups such as Extinction Rebellion, are already becoming very aware that changes have to be made.

Businesses are now falling over themselves to announce how environmentally friendly they are – supermarkets are saying they are getting rid of plastic packaging, car manufacturers switching to electric car manufacture and so on.

It is within our reach, to make changes. We have the resources, technology and money. All we lack is the political will to bring this about. Capitalism and consumerism are not set in stone, they can be un-invented or better still adapted, so that it actually puts the needs of people and the environment first, before profits.

As your Green MP, I’ll add political will alongside other Green MPs to bring about these changes. I will ensure that we push for a green revolution where all new policies have the environment at the heart of their conception and implementation.

A vote for the Green Party is a vote for our future generations and those that cannot vote.

Vote Green 2019.

Iain Dickson
Crawley Green Party

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