About
About Bristol West
Boundary Changes Favour The Green Party in Bristol West in this General Election!
Vote Green in Bristol West in May 2010!
It is very difficult to categorise Bristol West voters: its electorate is a diverse, vibrant community, ranging from the leafy central suburbs of Redland and Clifton to the multicultural electorates of St Pauls, and now Easton. In the past two decades, Bristol West parliamentary constituency has had MPs from three different parties. It has long been regarded as a 'weather vane' 3-way marginal constituency, with the Greens making steady progress. With the boundary changes, the new constituency promises to be even more exciting!
In 1997, us Bristol West voters kicked out the Conservative MP William Waldegrave, who had won in 1992 with 6,000 votes more than the second-place Liberal Democrats, and handed Labour's Valerie Davey a 1,500 majority. Davey won again in 2001, this time over Stephen Williams of the Liberal Democrats, who then turned the Labour vote on its head and beat Davey in 2005.
However, at the forthcoming general election, the boundaries of Bristol West will be considerably different. The new boundary changes in Bristol West favour the Greens considerably: the traditionally Tory voting wards of Westbury-on-Trym, Henleaze and Stoke Bishop have been transferred to Bristol North West parliamentary constituency, while the strongly Green voting wards of Easton and Lawrence Hill have now become part of Bristol West for the first time. These new boundary changes mean that it is virtually impossible for the Conservatives ever to win Bristol West again - with or without 'cool Dave Cameron' in charge. But the strongly Green voting wards of Ashley, Bishopston, Cabot, Clifton, Cotham, and Redland in Bristol West all remain within the redrawn constituency, along with Clifton East. Therefore with Easton and Lawrence Hill also now in the constituency, the Green vote is likely to be high here!
The new reality for Bristol West is that it is likely to remain a 3-way marginal seat - only this time it will be between Labour, Liberal Democrats - and the Greens! So let's make the 2010 general election a Green election!
The Green vote has been rising steadily at every election. Less than a year ago, in the 2009 local elections, the Greens gained 22% of the vote in the wards that now make up Bristol West in 2010, second behind the Liberal Democrats, and we also beat both Labour and Conservatives in the constituency in last year's European election as well.
(In the city council elections this year, only two of the wards in Bristol West are being contested - but they are two of the 5 wards in the constituency where the Greens were in second place last year: Bishopston and Redland, so voting Green in these wards this May could mean two Greens on the city council in Bristol West - as well as a Green MP!)
The Green Party is the only party you can trust to deliver true social justice with respect for the environment we live in.
We will promote the green industries that will deliver jobs, including sustainable energy generation and waste management.
We will fight for an efficient, integrated and affordable public transport system.
We will continue to support full publicly funded services in health and education, and for example stop Labour's crazy policy, through the private finance initiative (PFI), of making us pay £63 billion for hospitals that should have cost only £11 billion if built directly with public money.
We will prioritise affordable housing as the cornerstone of communities and provide funds to make existing homes more energy efficient, including requirements for solar heating and other renewable energy sources in new build developments.
Ukpollingreport.uk estimate that the boundary changes mean that nearly 20% of Lib Dem voters and 60% of 2005 Conservative voters have been transferred out of Bristol West.
With these changes, the Greens have a real chance of making a breakthrough in this parliamentary constituency in 2010. Be part of it by voting Green in May!
The "Power Gap" report produced in December 2009 by think tank Demos (www.demos.co.uk), using eight different indicators of citizen's power, ranked Bristol West 10th most powerful of the 628 constituencies in the UK.
In 2010 use that power and don't be fooled again.
If you want green, vote Green.
VOTE RICKY KNIGHT!
About Bristol West Green Party
Bristol West Green Party is one of three Green Parties in Bristol that work together to promote Green politics. Our policies are generally agreed city-wide and we are collectively endeavouring to get Real Green representatives on the City Council.
Bristol West meets monthly and all Bristol Green Parties meet together monthly as well. We would love to see you at one of these - have a look at our Events Calendar for further information.
There is no separate Bristol North West Green Party; Bristol West Green Party covers both the Bristol West constituency and the revised Bristol North West constituency.