This week's post will be a break from what I posted last week and as
it will be a by election special. This
is support of my fellow Young Green, Pete Kennedy (pictured) who is standing in the
Edenthorpe, Kirk Sandall and Barnby Dun by-election in Doncaster today!
The by-election has been recently called, following the recent local elections in May.
The recent May local elections results can be viewed in the link below:
The most noticeable thing is the fact that UKIP took the seat that
is contested today. UKIP won by 1304 to
Labour's 1267, or a majority of 37 votes. A slim majority! Now this personally
disturbs me, as I can freely admit that I am not a UKIP supporter. However this
doesn't surprise given that the local elections in Doncaster were held on the
same day as the European elections. Which for those of you remember UKIP came
top of the polls. On a regional level they also did well in other traditional
working class, Labour voting areas across Yorkshire and the Humber.
I would also like to point out though that the Greens did gain an extra MEP, Molly Scott Cato, and pushed the Lib Dems into 5th place!
Getting back to Doncaster, the Greens have a fantastic candidate in
Pete Kennedy. I can say so as I met Pete, last July, on the Young Greens Summer
Gathering in Gloucester. He is what I would call a sound Green, who stands up
for his principles of a fairer alternative from the Westminster Big 2.5 Parties
+ UKIP. Apart from having good principles, he has also been a driving force
behind developing the Green Party in Doncaster.
Doncaster is as previously mentioned, is a Labour Party bastion
with key Labour figures such as Ed Miliband and Caroline Flint (both pictured) standing in the local area.
Caroline Flint MP (Shadow Secretary of Energy and Climate Change) and Ed Miliband MP (Leader of the Opposition).
Despite this as can be clearly seen with the riseof the UKIP vote in recent elections, there is a dissatisfaction with the Labour Party in its traditional heartlands of the North. As previously mentioned being seen as "too metropolitan" by the Labour working class voters. As such these voters have begun to look for an alternative to Labour. Which I would say is a good thing. As coming from Chesterfield which has mostly been a staunch Labour area you get people who say:
"My parents voted Labour, so I'll vote Labour..."
Now they are perfectly entitled to do so. The UK is a democracy and
I respect their choice. However, I think voting for the same party repeatedly
makes democracy dull. My own voting history from 2010 has been:
2010 General election- Liberal Democrats
2011 York local elections- Green
2011 Chesterfield local elections- Labour *
2012 North Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner- Didn't vote
2013 Derbyshire local elections- Labour
2014 European elections- Green
*NB Students get to vote both in their university and home wards/ constituencies
in elections.
As you can see my voting patterns has varied over the last 4 years,
mainly to left or centre-left parties. Can I also just say that I only voted
Labour in the local elections in Chesterfield and Derbyshire due there being no
Green candidate on the ballot. Which I may change by standing as a paper
candidate in the local elections next year (watch this space!). What my voting
track record highlights is the power that the individual voter has at the
ballot box; especially with the 2012 Police and Crime Commissioner elections (I
wasn't alone in my apathy).
What I am trying to get to here is that voters have a real power to
shape the outcome of an election. So instead of voting for the same old party,
why not have a punt a choose something different?
Now I can't vouch for UKIP as being an alternative, they don't have
a full policy platform. Unlike the Greens dare I say!
So in closing my final appeal to the voters of Edenthorpe, Kirk
Sandall and Barnby Dun is if you want an REAL
alternative: Vote Pete Kennedy.
For more details of Pete Kennedy and his campaign, follow the links
below:
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