Why I’m Voting Green…

06/05/2015
Dan Squire

Dan Squire wants you to vote Green and this is why.

*Obviously Rife magazine is apolitical and does not publicly endorse any political party. If you want to write a similar article about why you’re voting for a particular party, get in touch*

Politicians do not cater to people who don’t vote for them

Politicians do not cater to people who don’t vote for them, and that is a serious problem for young people because we have a bad record when it comes to voting. We can’t really complain that the country is run by out-of-touch politicians if we won’t vote for an alternative. I am a 21-year-old graduate, I want politicians to listen to young people, and that is why I will be voting for The Green Party.

We can’t really complain that the country is run by out-of-touch politicians if we won’t vote for an alternative.

The Green Party targets many of the issues that affect young people in a way that none of the other parties do: scrapping university tuition fees, letting teachers dictate the national curriculum instead of politicians and religious groups, nationalising the railways to bring down train fares, fighting for LGBT rights, drug law reform, lowering the voting age to 16, and taking vital action on climate change. By voting for the Greens, you are voting for a party that takes the concerns of young people seriously.

Climate change is something that has barely been mentioned in the election campaign so far.

Climate change is something that has barely been mentioned in the election campaign so far, and yet for our generation it is perhaps the most crucial issue for our future. We could just sit and wait for a global food crisis, water shortage, energy crisis, increasingly frequent natural disasters, or ecosystem collapse, as previous generations have done. On the other hand, we could get our priorities straight and take action on climate change now, so that our generation and our children’s generation don’t have to face a world destroyed by 150 years of industrial pollution.

…education, unemployment, the future of the NHS, inequality…

On other issues that affect young people – education, unemployment, the future of the NHS, inequality – the Greens are campaigning for real, positive change. Look around the area you live in, and consider the problems facing your family, friends and neighbours: hundreds of thousands more people are relying on food banks than ever before, people on the minimum wage are unable to support themselves, the NHS is being sold off piece-by-piece to private companies, education reforms are proving a nightmare for teachers and students, university tuition fees are sky-high, and all the while the rich are getting richer and the Conservatives tell us we should thank them for making things better. If you don’t see any improvement and want to see real change, not just another government blaming the last one for all the problems they inherited, then you have to vote for someone new, not just more of the same.

In Bristol we have the best chance in the UK of electing a new Green Party MP in Darren Hall.

In Bristol we have the best chance in the UK of electing a new Green Party MP in Darren Hall. The Greens are neck and neck with Thangam Debonnaire to win, and have the momentum behind them. Electing a Green MP to parliament sends a message that we won’t let our future be ignored by mainstream politicians. The media will tell you that voting for a minor party is a wasted vote, and they’ll tell you that we should just accept the unfairness and vote for the lesser of two evils, but it doesn’t need to be that way. A Green vote does count – in Bristol, perhaps more than anywhere in the country, a Green vote is the most important vote you could make.

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