Ashley Gunstock is the Green Party candidate standing for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency at this month’s General Election. Here’s why he thinks he deserves your vote on 12 December
The Green Party will be standing to promote solutions to the important matters of the day and through the eye of the climate emergency storm.
There may be doubters, deniers and downright liars who challenge the science that says we are, at the very least, causing the quickening of our own extinction. Yet, we will address all issues from an integrated environmental perspective, as follows.
Education: would be comprehensive in the truest sense of the word (no division of intakes on the grounds of religion, race, gender, disability or social status). University fees would be greatly reduced and Ofsted scrapped. Pupils, alongside the core subjects, will be taught an eco-curriculum, to encourage them to respect and protect all forms of life in the world about them.
Healthcare: provided by fully funded centres, would be holistic, being based on prevention, a good diet and regular exercise as well as cure. With guidance on how to take personal responsibility for ourselves, we would also ensure the need for medication is kept to a minimum and that the weight could be taken off the overburdened NHS.
Transport: public mobility and haulage need to be upgraded, better integrated and affordable to encourage usage. This needs to be quickened to hasten the uptake of a new generation of travel to drastically reduce our dependence on fossil-fuelled vehicles.
Waste: must be reduced. Goods to supply our needs, rather than our wants, will be packaged using minimal recycled materials, would be made to last longer for reuse and repair and be recyclable, in ‘the circular economy’.
Economy: the Green New Deal would see a rise in employment in the building of a renewable-friendly infrastructure to drastically reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. Businesses would be encouraged to unbiasedly invest in education.
Taxation: would be founded on land ownership, its size, location and usage as well as a ‘polluter pays’ principle and based on a person’s ability to pay.
Unfortunately, much of what needs to be urgently done continues to be delayed by the divisive distraction that is Brexit. Greens believe unity is the key: co-operation, not confrontation. In view of this, Greens feel that if we are to leave, we should come out of the EU with some dignity, on good terms with our present partners and a decent deal that does not leave us at the mercy of the unscrupulous leaders of this world.
