General Election 2017 – THANK YOU TEAM NFE!
Dear members of the New Forest Green Party and everyone who made the choice to vote for the Green Party in New Forest East……my most sincere thanks to each and every one of you.
My particular thanks to John Pemberton, coordinator of the New Forest Green Party, Tim Roe my Election Agent, and Anna, my wife for all her advice and support. Also to Nicola for helping to answer many many emails, to Kat and Sam for all the video clips, to all those who contributed the excellent video clips, to Vineeta and Tom for our website as well as our excellent campaign leaflet, to Adrian, Dan, Mike and others for all your sage advice and support.
I hope I did not let you down but you need to know that whatever I was able to achieve on your behalf as the Green Party candidate, simply could not have happened without your support. I think it has all been very well worth while and I deeply appreciate the warmth of your company and encouragement.
The result of the election was unexpected and, in my opinion, a step change for left wing politics leaving the country feeling, albeit it a little hamstrung, more like a democracy. The Green party was down 2% nationally on the 4% of the total votes polled countrywide in 2014. That was reflected in the votes polled in New Forest East and West, so no shame. My analysis is that potential Green Party votes were syphoned off to the Labour Party or the Liberal Democrat Party and if that is the case I do not think we should be discouraged in any way whatsoever. If 20 votes swung it for the Labour Party in Kensington and Chelsea it was was well worth the Green Party being down 3% in that constituency.
Heads up!…we may be faced with another general election in the coming months and we need to build on our hard won experience to be ready for the fray next time. I would like to see a discussion about the possibility of our younger members putting themselves forward as a candidate. Even if it be a ‘one-off’, the cash of knowledge and experience is well worthwhile for the future, either here or elsewhere in the country. Onwards and upwards dear friends!
We are a wonderful team so let us take heart and look forward to our next meeting. Adrian will email you to suggest the time and date on a Wednesday evening at Brockenhurst Village Hall.
Love and Peace
Henry
Thank you, Henry, for offering voters the alternative vision of the Green Party and the opportunity to vote for it. It’s OK if progressive alliance in the form of tactical voting reduced our share of the vote; we want to see decent social policies being valued wherever they are put forward. And look at Caroline Lucas’ majority – it nearly doubled! That’s voters not only backing the common good but endorsing it in spades!