Green Party Manifesto 2015 A Vision for Blyth Valley

Green Party Manifesto 2015
A Vision for Blyth Valley
DAWN FURNESS
Blyth Valley Green Party
Election Communication
Promoted by Melanie Hill on behalf of Dawn Furness, both at Flat 6, 4 St Marks Crescent, Sunderland, SR4 7BW
Printed by instantprint.co.uk, 2 Bessemmer Park, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 1EN

Contents Page
Introduction 04
About Dawn Furness 06
Frequently Asked Questions 08
Environment: 13
Regional Powers: 13
New Homes: 17
Tourism: 19
Regeneration: 21
Health & Food: 23
Fitness & Leisure: 25
Energy Poverty: 27
Nature & Wildlife: 29
Transport: 31
Europe: 33
Democracy Reform: 35
Public Services Announcements: 37
Keep our Towns Tidy! 39
Our national manifesto, membership details and further information can be found at
www.greenparty.org.uk
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Introduction
Imagine a political system that puts the public first? The Green Party have no
political donors or ‘special interests’ other than the wellbeing of our citizens and the
safety and security of the planet we live on.
I am passionate about the North East! I was born, bred and live here but for too
long we have been ignored by Westminster politicians. Londoners receive 24 times
the spending per person compared to the North East. This inequity is shameful. But
to rectify this imbalance we need a strong, powerful regional voice in Parliament to
lobby for our fair share of funds!
· The Green Party are committed to reversing damaging austerity cuts that
impacted on the most vulnerable. These policies have proved cruel and
unnecessary and restricted our economic recovery.
· The Green Party support an NHS free at the point of delivery with no
privatisation funded by a robin Hood tax on the banks. We will renegotiate the
terms of the crippling PFI legacy.
· The National Centre for renewable energy in Blyth must be leveraged
for greater investment in the manufacturing and research of renewable
technology in the region.
Although originally trained as a scientist, I have worked in a variety of sectors
from research and teaching to film production and the performing arts and have a
passion for learning and new technology. I am compassionate but forthright and will
champion our region’s political agenda on a national and international platform.
The following pages contain outlines of issues we believe are important to our
constituency and the people in it. Some of them are very progressive (Democracy
Reform: using mobiles to vote on national issues) and some of them are just
common sense (New Homes: building cheaper housing and using vacant properties
as accommodation). These ideas are practical and achieveable.
The Green Party want more people engaged in politics because it effects
everyone, regardless of background or beliefs, and it’s working! Today our national
membership passed 70,000 which is, astonishingly, double the figure of January!
So join us in the #GreenSurge that became a #GreenRoar. In reading this, you
have taken the time to find out more information and what we stand for. For too long
people have been disempowered and disenfranchised from a political system that
does not have our best interests at heart.
I believe we can make a difference and we can make a change!
Vote Green for Dawn Furness on May 7 th .
Created 28 April 2015.
We need locally devolved power. Many disastrous infrastructure decisions that
had such a devestating impact on people, such as local library closures and the
bedroom tax, happened at government level, and this needs to change.
We desperately need cheaper energy, good quality jobs and affordable housing to
which I propose the Construction 500 low-cost sustainable homes as well as
re-appropriating empty properties for housing.
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About Dawn Furness
Dawn was born, bred and lives in Cramlington. She has been active for many years
on the cultural scene as a performer, composer, and film producer. Trained as an
opera singer she has taught singing in several schools across the region.
Having studied Physics and Music Technology at Manchester and Newcastle
Universities she graduated from the prestigious EAVE producer training programme
with her screenplay ‘The Funeral Singer’, and has since produced four feature films
and two award winning UKFC shorts ‘Enemy Lines’ and Try Again’.
With active interests in solar technology, photovoltaic cells, and other forms of
renewable, clean energy, Dawn joined the Green Party after becoming increasingly
concerned with the rise of dangerous anti-immigration rhetoric that has divided
communities across the country. She believes these have overshadowed the real
issues facing the country, namely jobs, housing, and the imminent climate crisis, all of
which are a failure of government planning rather than that the fault of migrants.
She is passionate about regenerating the Blyth Valley region of South East
Northumberland, and strongly believes that with a strong Parliamentary voice
championing sustainable economic development, Blyth Valley, already home to the
National Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC), can create hundreds of jobs in the
manufacture and research of renewable technologies, in the insulation of people’s
homes, and in tourism.
Dawn is proud to be the first female candidate to stand in Blyth Valley for almost 20
years and is eager to bring a fresh, cooperative approach to the problems facing her
constituency.
THE GREEN PARTY: NOT LEFT, NOT RIGHT BUT FORWARD!
For more info & videos www.DawnFurness.co.uk
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does Blyth Valley Green Party have an online Manifesto and
not a printed one?
A: Well, we have a lot to say! By now you will have received our A6 flyer containing
a summary of our national and local manifesto points but we wanted to go into a bit
more detail about our plans for Blyth Valley in particular.
With 67,000 constituents, by the time we printed paper copies the amount of
paper required would be immense. Some people have very strong political ideas
and more information from us would not change that. So we kept the trees instead!
We assume anyone wishing to find out more about our policies will take the
trouble to ask us or go online to read our bang-up-to-date manifesto. Many footnote
references, like the US Geological Survey report on fracking, are cited only days
before online publication.
Q: I’d love to vote green but I’m afraid it will be a wasted vote?
A: A vote for what you believe in is never, ever wasted!
The status quo of the current political situation in Blyth Valley will not change
unless we pro-actively change it! We also need to reform the election process on
a national scale and have proportional representation to make ‘Every Vote Count’.
We need to end tactical voting as it only benefits the two main parties. People will
eventually realise this when we elect another dysfunctional coalition on May 7th…
Don’t forget we will be fighting Council Elections in 2017 and we’ll win!
Q: Why should I vote for you, what will you do for Blyth Valley?
A: We believe expanding work done by the National Centre for Renewable
Technology (formerly NaREC, now merged with Catapult), will provide viable and
long-term business opportunities to local small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Our regional manufacturing base needs to move towards the development
and fabrication of renewable technology. There are hundreds of thousands of jobs in
the massively expanding renewable energy industry. Yet, despite having the national
research centre in our own constituency, we currently outsource manufacturing to
countries with an advanced renewable technology infrastructure, like Germany.
Instead, we propose to develop the renewable manufacturing opportunities
providing skilled apprenticeships and employment. Blyth Valley, in particular, has a
history of skilled manufacturing. We want to develop Blyth Valley as the ‘go-to’ place
in the UK for renewable technology in Wind, Solar, and Tidal power manufacturing,
construction and installation.
Q: I thought the Green Party were yoghurt eating tree-huggers who
only cared about the environment?
A: Of course we care about the environment...and eat yoghurt! We need air to
breathe, food to eat and water to drink, but it’s always people first…
Q: Greens seem nice enough but surely we can’t afford to give money
overseas, and to immigrants, when we can’t even look after our own…
A: Firstly, we have enough money...and don’t call me Shirley! Did you know the UK
is the 6 th richest country on the planet? However, through targeted austerity cuts
the poor, vulnerable and disabled (particularly in the North East) are paying for
the mistakes of bankers who actually caused the financial crisis! One Old Etonian
banker even set up a party blaming immigrants rather than his banker friends for the
country’s financial difficulties. Austerity cuts are separate from Foreign Aid.
We are the sixth richest economy on the planet and are a nation with a
troubled imperialist past that saw wealth violently and unjustly stripped from a large
number of developing nations. We believe, therefore, that perhaps more than any
other nation we have a moral obligation to become a leading champion of social,
environmental and economic justice around the globe. Foreign aid is one part of
this humanitarian mission. Investment in education and food programs in some of
the most unstable regions of the world lowers political and religious extremism and
reduces mass migration and refugees to the UK, as does reducing the arms trade
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and tackling the imminent climate crisis.
We completely agree we need to look after our own! That’s why Greens are
the ONLY UK party against austerity and will stop the unfair Bedroom Tax!
Q: What exactly is Fracking and why should I care?
Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water
mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals
are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the
head of the well. As of 12 Feb 2015 with the ascension of the Infrastructure Bill, the
government no longer needs your permission to conduct ‘Fracking’ under your own
home. In fact Fracking under national parks was only just raised as an issue and
even then the government has not said it will prevent it in these areas.
Q: What about all those people coming over here and taking our jobs -
doesn’t immigration cause unemployment?
It’s an accusation consistently made by those pushing for tighter controls
on immigration – that ‘they’ (immigrants) are taking ‘our’ (indigenous/British/white
people’s) jobs. However, the evidence suggests there is no link between immigration
and unemployment. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the North East.
According to data from 2013 the North East as a region has the second lowest
share of ‘foreign-born’ UK residents (1.8%). Only Northern Ireland (1.5%) ranks
lower, and the North East provides a stark contrast to London (36.2%) and the
South East (13.73%) at the top of the list. If immigration results in unemployment
then surely the North East’s lack of foreign-born residents means that it has low
levels of unemployment?
Again from 2013, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) lists the North East
as having the lowest employment rate (66.6%) of any region as well as the highest
unemployment rate (10.1%). The North East has both an extremely low immigrant
population and an extremely high unemployment rate. Importantly the South
East (the region with the second largest immigrant population) has the highest
employment rate, the lowest economic inactivity rate and the lowest benefit claimant
count.
Evidently, there is no connection between immigration and unemployment
(London School of Economics (LSE) data also shows no connection between
unemployment and wage deflation). Unemployment in the North East – aka
the ‘desolate’ North East if you’re a Tory peer – can be attributed to a long term
industrial decline, unequal government spending allocations and cuts to public
services that have consequently had a disproportionate impact on northern regions.
Figure 1: No relationship between changes in immigration and unemployment, 2004-2012. Source: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/
politicsandpolicy/fears-about-adverse-consequences-of-rising-immigration-have-not-materialised/
As the 2015 General Election looms - with its growing cross-party antiimmigration
rhetoric - it’s worth remembering that the evidence does not support
spurious claims of immigration as a cause of unemployment or wage deflation.
This might run contrary to Ukipper notions of ‘common sense’, but it points to
a single, undeniable truth: unemployment in the North East has not been caused
by immigration.
Source: http://stanneal.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-north-east-proves-immigration-does.html
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Environment:
Ban fracking & underground coal gasification off Blyth coastline
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those with friends and family killed, or
missing, in Nepal. Currently, major earthquakes are rare in our region and often
called an act of God.
However, recently released scientific evidence from the US Geological Survey 1
states many recent earthquakes in the United States have been directly linked to
underground fracking.
Similar events could happen here along with pollution of the water table and other
massive environmental impacts.
We will:
· Actively campaign against any fracking on the mainland UK and particularly
within the Blyth Valley Constituency at a local, regional and national level.
· Actively campaign against any underground coal gasification off the UK and
particularly off the Northumberland coast at a local, regional and national
level.
· Co-ordinate with other Green Party candidates across the region to campaign
jointly against fracking and make Northumberland a ‘Frack Free Zone’!
1 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/24/earthquakes-fracking-drilling-usgeological-survey
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Regional Powers:
Back regional devolution & restoration of pre-austerity Local Government
funding
London receives 24 times 2 the spending per person on infrastructure than the North
East. From Transport to the Arts, every sector is vastly more subsidised and we
need a strong voice in parliament to lobby for our fair share.
The North East cuts were 6 times 3 higher than wealthier areas in the UK and are
anticipated to get far worse after the election, unless there is significant change.
Equal funding will not be given to us; we need to fight for it!
We will:
· Fight for equity of regional funding in Parliament!
· Campaign for Regional Devolution - more power in the region!
· Campaign for strong Green representation at local council level and work
with other regions (including Manchester and Liverpool as well as Wales and
Scotland) to seek equity of funding.
2 http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/aug/07/london-gets-24-times-asmuch-infrastructure-north-east-england
3 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/report-reveals-north-eastamong-8819667
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New Homes:
Construct 500 low-cost sustainable homes & re-appropriate empty properties
for housing
We desperately need affordable housing as many struggle with increasing rents and
private landlords. With high unemployment, why not train those out of work to build
new, low-cost homes?
A UK skills shortage of 100,000 4 trades emphasises the need for local apprentices
whilst on the job training gives individuals both a valuable trade and somewhere to
live.
We will work to rehouse those without homes into vacant properties in Blyth,
Cramlington and Seaton Valley.
We will:
· Create trade apprenticeships in renewable materials housing construction
such as prefabricated homes, straw buildings and tiny homes, that are
environmentally friendly and far more cost effective.
· Construct 500 low-cost sustainable, community focussed homes out of
renewable materials constructed in 10 phases and funded from a centralised
Local government Loan.
· Create a media & arts hub on the Blyth Quay out of recycled shipping
containers.
4 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2948908/Britain-hit-worst-skills-shortage-30-
years-means-earn-100-000-year-plumber-aged-just-19-prepared-graft.html
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Tourism:
Develop Blyth beachfront as a prime visitors’ destination with an ‘Eco-Pod’
holiday park
Blyth used to have a vibrant tourist industry but the recession has badly impacted
this vital income stream for the town.
Many people already visit the Links (near the coastline fish & chip shop) but this can
be expanded, without impacting the environment, to increase visitors to the area.
We need to promote the constituency’s cultural and seasonal events like ‘The
Festival at the Seaside’ which takes place at the Mermaid car park from noon till
9pm on Saturday 27 June 2015.
We will:
· Develop Blyth quayside in a similar manner to Newcastle quay front with
restaurants and drinking establishments near the waterfront.
· Build a sustainable ‘Eco-Pod’ holiday park at the Blyth Links that blends with
the surrounding beach landscape an is nearly invisible from the beach vista.
· Apply for heritage grants to renovate the “High Light” lighthouse (originally
built in 1788) and incorporate it into a larger heritage trail across Blyth and the
Seaton Valley in collaboration with the National Trust.
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Regeneration:
Invest in Blyth High Street creating an indoor market for traders & selfemployed
craftspeople
We believe that Blyth has suffered economically in the last few years with many
locals choosing Manor Walks in Cramlington, Central Newcastle and the Metro
Centre as retail destinations.
because of this the heart of a once thriving market town is shadow of itsformer self,
with Betting Shops, Pound Shops and Charity Shops increasingly becoming the
main feature of the town’s retail sector.
We need to promote Blyth and revive the confidence of the town.
We will:
· Create an indoor market in in a vacant property on the High Street, as a
temporary measure, and create a feasibility study for a semi-permenant
structure to be errected in the market square.
· Reduce business rates for 6 months and encourage existing retailers to open
late on Thursdays and during summer months.
· Give a free market stall to self-employed under 30s & long-term unemployed
with additional business support including web design and video marketing.
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Health & Food:
Create food co-operatives providing lifestyle education, apprenticeships,
subsequent jobs & subsidised fruit & veg
To stay healthy we need to eat more fruit and veg. Money spent in supermarkets
goes out of the region to corporations based in the South East. Sustainable local
agriculture can serve the local community at a reduced cost.
Transporting fresh produce impacts the environment & reduces quality and
nutrition. Technological innovations allow indoor cultivation providing all year round
produce.
Vertical growing, aquaponics and solar powered LEDs are the future!
We will:
· Create a pilot ‘closed loop’ aquaponics agriculture system and develop
methods of good practice for vertical growing in semi-urban and domestic
gardens across Blyth Valley
· Distribute produce from community shops based in Blyth, Seaton Valley and
Cramlington.
· Create agricultural apprenticeships and both manufacturing and installation
jobs around the indoor aquaponics sector.
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Fitness & Leisure:
Support OAP activities inc. indoor bowls & expand current cycle path
networks
Prevention is better than cure. As annoying to some people as it is true, being more
active keeps us healthier so like it or not, it’s in our interests to get fitter. The trick is
to make it fun.
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
Separate bum from couch and go do something in the fresh air - you’ll feel better for
it!
We will:
· Promote walking and cycling to help reduce pollution and improve people’s
health.
· Create a dedicated cycle track along Laverock Road connecting the Links and
improved lighting and visibility of the existing cycle network.
· Support OAP activities including indoor & outdoor bowls at Cramlington, Blyth
and Seaton Delaval.
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Energy Poverty:
Expand subsidised solar panel & energy efficiency scheme, creating
installation jobs
People in the 21 st century should never have to choose between food and heating.
Energy companies have a monopoly and we need to develop and implement
effective alternatives to fossil fuels immediately.
An estimated 1 Million jobs in the renewable energy sector will be created over
the next 10 years and these should be given priority over alternative sector
developments.
Innovation + Renewable Energy = Jobs!
We will:
· Work towards ensuring all homes are made energy efficient with thermal
insulation.
· Facilitate 3 rd generation (OPV) solar cell manufacturing infrastructure and
establish apprenticeship installation programme of domestic solar panels
· Offer incentives to local SME’s to develop renewable technologies in
association with NaREC.
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Nature & Wildlife:
Protect the Greenbelt & develop a Wildlife Park & Visitor Centre at Isabella
Heap
We want rural nature reserves and parks aswell as green areas in our town
centres. Scientific Research 5 shows access to urban green areas “improves social
interaction and physical and mental health”!
We want to attract more wildlife into urban areas and support, and increase, the
local bee population. Bees are vital for many fruit & veg pollinations.
If we don’t protect our wildlife and local environment; nobody else will.
We will:
· Committ to the long-term cleaning up of our towns beginning with a ‘Tidy up
Isabella Heap’, Blyth 12 pm May 3 rd (meet at Isabella Bridge) and promote
‘Bee friendly’ residents.
· Prevent developers from building on Greenbelt land and encourage
reclamation of brownfield sites.
· Apply for environmental support grants toward the conversion of the Isabella
Heap in Blyth into a Wildlife Reserve, complete with Visitor’s centre and
coffee shop.
5 http://www.arup.com/Homepage_Cities_Alive.aspx
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Transport:
Re-open Blyth Railway line, expand Sunday bus/rail timetables & renovate
bus-stops
We believe strong transport networks will re-invigorate Blyth Valley with subsequent
inward investment supporting local businesses, creating further employment in the
area
Re-commissioning the Blyth-Newcastle freight line for passengers will improve
access to jobs at Cobalt and Silverlink business parks and connect the national rail
network at York, Leeds, Birmingham and London, to Blyth.
Green Party policy does not support highway expansion but the North East should
have had greater road investment 30 years ago!
We will:
· Campaign with SENRUG and RailFuture.org.uk for the re-introduction of
heavy rail passenger services from Northumberland Park, Seghill, Seaton
Delaval, Newsham and Bebside, with additional extensions to Bedlington,
Ashington and Woodhorn.
· Expand Sunday bus timetables and renovate local bus stops, ensuring up-todate
timetables and solar lighting panels.
· Support the duelling of the A1 to Scotland and will work to have the Green
Party commit and find the funds for the expansion!
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Europe:
An EU Referendum
We believe there is strength in numbers. Worker’s rights are protected by union
membership. The EU represents collective bargaining power on a global scale.
The UK’s withdrawal from Europe would be disastrous for the North East. Large
employers like Nissan would leave the UK, taking more than 25,000 jobs with them.
The EU is not perfect but needs to be fixed rather than discarded!
We will:
· Fight against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and
it’s undermining of our democratic process and stealth privatisation of the
NHS
· Campaign to reduce the influence of corporate lobbyists and vested interests
around the EU.
· Hold a referendum on UK withdrawal from the EU (but we would strongly urge
the country to remain).
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Democracy Reform:
Smartphone Voting
More people voted for Britain’s Got Talent than in the last General Election. Why
can’t we be as engaged about things that really matter and directly effect us?
One vote every five years does not constitute democracy, the exact opposite. It
highlights how much power people do not have. True democracy is voting on ALL
issues concerning the management and law-making of the country.
We seek to engage constituents with a smartphone voting app.
We will:
· Develop a pilot scheme allowing consistent voting on important governmental
issues, representative of the constituency.
· Randomly select participants from volunteers across the full demographic
spectrum of Blyth Valley constituents.
· Ensure security of voting through the development of facial recognition
technology.
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Public Services Announcements:
‘CAB TV’/Blyth Valley News
Citizen’s Advice Bureau has been decimated by local government cuts, yet still
provides vital services to constituents through networks of trained advisors and
volunteers.
Many other local organisations offer similar help but have insufficient funds to
promote their services to users who may have literacy issues or not speak English
as a first language.
We propose creating online videos of local charities and public services.
We will:
· Create 60 sec promos on regional charities and local issues
· Screen the portfolio in libraries and at CABs in Cramlington, blyth and Seaton
Valley as ‘Blyth Valley News’
· Campaign to have Public Service Announcements brought back to local/
regional TV broadcasting.
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Keep our Towns Tidy:
Clean It Up & Bin It!
Dog fouling is dangerous and hazardous to health. It is the blight of many areas and
a constant nuisance to the general public. Despite many campaigns this continues
to be a problem
The many responsible dog owners vastly outweighing the selfish and irresponsible
minority who make everyone else’s lives a misery by failing to clear up after their
animals. A disturbing trend is the collection of dog mess into plastic bags, then
flinging the package into the nearest tree for someone else to collect!
We want to encourage personal responsibility and a desire to keep our environment
clean and tidy!
We will:
· Evaluate the practicalities of a regional DNA database of dogs affiliated
to the current licencing scheme. Any dog mess found lying around can be
analysed & immediately traced to an owner incurring a statutory fine. Owning
unlicensed dogs will remain a prosecutable offence.
· Promote animal welfare & good animal husbandry including education on
proper diet and exercise, neutering/spaying and micro-chipping.
· Designate small cordoned off areas as ‘Dog Parks’ for public exercise of
dogs away from children’s parks and main recreational areas. Support Dog
Exclusion Zones in areas such as Cemeteries.
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Thank you for taking the time to read our Manifesto.
We can make a positive change in Blyth Valley but we can’t do it alone
We need you to vote for something you believe in!
Help us and be part of the #GreenRevolution!
Vote Green on May 7th 2015
Vote for DAWN FURNESS
© Dawn Furness 28 April 2015 all rights reserved.