We're raising funds to field candidates in the up-coming City Council Elections & the General Election in May this year. Please help us get our message to Gloucester residents! You can make a difference to our city by pledging your support to continue the 'Green Surge' in Gloucester. Money raised will be used for paying for leaflets and other promotional material.
Here's a message from Jonathan Ingleby (pictured above and Gloucester Green Party Parliamentary Candidate)...
I am hoping that 2015 – an election year – will be a time when we can take a hard look at the important issues that will affect Gloucester at a national level. I feel that there are decisions to be made which we simply cannot ignore. The privatisation of the NHS, the continued cutting of benefits and services, the withdrawal of funds from local government, the failure to provide affordable housing, the sad state of our education system, and the failure to legislate for a living wage are just some of the things that urgently need our attention if people are going to flourish.
It is clear, too, that we need to look ahead to the changes which we can expect in our climate. We tend to put off this particular debate, but it would seem wise, in 2015, to listen again to the warnings that scientists are issuing, and to ask ourselves what we can do about them. Are we taking the risk of flooding seriously? Do we have a good plan for reducing carbon emissions? Are we disposing of our waste in the right way – perhaps by a renewed effort to recycle rather than by building huge incinerators.
In some ways Gloucester seems a little confused about its future. It is a city with a fascinating history – just think of the Cathedral and the docks for a start – and an ideal situation, with the River Severn, beautiful surrounding countryside and good road and rail connections. It is a friendly city, with good-natured tradesmen and shopkeepers, polite drivers and good-will towards newcomers and visitors. It is a pleasure to live here. Yet it is not an entirely healthy and beautiful city in the way that it could be. A regenerated Gloucester might be less about roads, shops, car parks and ugly blocks of flats and more about green spaces, pleasant pedestrian areas, imaginative buildings and thriving community centres.
Clearly this is not just a matter of spending more money. If Gloucester were prepared for and confident in the future it would find a way to promote ‘a beautiful and healthy city’. The key is local enterprise which would lead to a reinvigorated local economy. Too many of the city’s initiatives come from outside. For example, we do not need more so-called investment in supermarkets and chain stores. (I say ‘so-called’ because the profits from these shops do not remain in Gloucester.) We need local businesses and markets. Local people care about Gloucester and are willing to defend it, because it is their home and people defend what they love.
Jonathan Ingleby

Image credited to Bob Embleton [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Some final notes:
The Green Party is very careful about accepting large donations from corporations, preferring to be accountable only to the electorate. Money in politics is the root of so many problems, from MPs with vested interests in private healthcare, to governments in the pocket of fossil fuel conglomerates. This integrity does mean that we have less money to spend on campaigns than parties who don't care where their money comes from, and this is why we are asking for your help.
By raising £1000 this will help us the design, printing & distribution costs of delivering leaflets to ALL Gloucester residents. It's really important to us that the Gloucester electorate knows that there is a viable alternative available to them.
You'll need to be on the electoral register to donate - this is a requirement of donating to a political party. If you pledge £500 or over you'll need to provide your contact details and address.
Promoted by Dominic Marsh on Behalf of Gloucester Green Party at 15 Blaby Close, Gloucester. Gl4 5SL.