Today the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the General Election will take place on the 4th of July.
This came as a surprise to many, including candidates such as myself. The assumption was that the government would hold an election in the autumn, and this was based on the almost universal prediction that they know they will lose and want to retain power for as long as possible. If nothing else they could have hoped that Labour would suffer some sort of disaster or appalling gaff and played for time.
However, here we are - in six weeks the nation will go to the polls.
It would take a brave commentator, even in the Tory press, to publicly state that the Tories will win. They almost certainly will not. The only real question is how badly they will lose and how large the Labour majority will be (if indeed they achieve a majority).
I’m not going to pretend that the Greens are going to form the next government, but I do think that the best possible outcome of the election is a Labour minority government that depends on the support of other progressive parties such as the Greens to stay in power. This isn’t just because I want power for the sake of it, but because while a Labour majority government will almost certainly be better than a Tory one, it is still a poor outcome for the country.
Over the coming weeks I will discuss why this is. I’ll also talk about national issues, policy, the situation in Bath where I am standing, and anything else that you might want to hear about! Please let me know if there’s any subject you want me to cover.
In the meantime I’d like to finish by saying that I very much look forward to giving the people of Bath the choice of a fairer, greener country and the chance to vote for real change. The campaign might feel long but it will feel short for us candidates!
Subscribe to my newsletter on Substack, have a look at my campaign Web site, follow me on social media (I’m on pretty much all of it - you can find the links on my Web site). Even better, help in my campaign! I won’t lie to you - the Greens have much, much less money than the other parties. Every volunteer is very much appreciated.
I look forward to making the Green case in hustings and events. Let me know if you want me to come to yours! I hope to see many of you who are in and around Bath.
Real change is possible. We can do this. Together.
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