Jonathan Dixon, Scarborough & Whitby, Green Party

link / contact details for potential supporters

www.greenscarborough.org.uk

i.
what do you think is the most important issue in this election?

It's impossible to single out just one thing above all others. In general I believe it is the urgent need to change the global economy to eradicate
poverty, tackle climate change, and create a fairer world in which conflict is less likely.

ii.
why did you make the decision to stand in this constituency and for this party (as an independent)?

I find this an odd question. I live in this constituency (in which I was born) and have been a member of the Green Party for over 15 years. Why
would I want to stand in some other way?

iii.
what kind of vote are you expecting on May 5th?

It's difficult to tell. Many people are disillusioned with mainstream politics, and are looking for something new. At the same time, the
grossly unfair voting system may put many of them off voting Green if they believe that we won't win, so many will simply stay at home or could
vote 'tactically' - a truly wasted vote in my opinion, because it simply re-inforces the status quo rather than challenging it. In last year's
European elections we got 7% of the vote across this constituency. A similar vote wouldn't win us the seat, but would send a strong message to
those in power that many people want real change and lay the foundations for further advances in the future. 

iv.
aside from the vote what are you hoping to get out of this campaign?

We're wanting to ensure that a Green vision is included in the political debate - to widen the arguments away from simply an obsession with who
will promise to tax people the least. 30,000 children die every day across the world from extreme poverty and deprivation, but these are not
the sort of figures the other parties want to discuss. We're hoping to gain new supporters from those who now realise we need to change
direction.

v.
in your view what is the greatest threat to our civil liberties at the moment?

The greatest threats to civil liberties stem from the politics of fear, which is being peddled by the other parties. By making the public more
fearful, and talking up the threats of terrorist attack, they are laying the foundations for sweeping measures to infringe on our civil liberties.
Plans for ID cards need to be scrapped, and measures like detention orders shouldn't be used to over-ride the courts, the rule of law, and
the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

vi.
Blair has taken us to war three times since coming to power (not including the occasional ad hoc bombing raid) in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. Can war ever be justified?

Military action should only be taken as part of a genuine international effort, and only in those situations where other forms of conflict
resolution have become impossible. Waging war on other countries is not a sane instrument of policy, and such unilateral military actions rarely
solve problems and more often reinforce animosities. The current UK government's support for aggressive US foreign policy is a disgrace.

vii.
There is very little left to privatise in this country, if you had your way what would be brought into public hands.

I think the first priority would have to be transport - particularly the railways. Increased use of public transport has such a major role to play
in tackling climate change (a greater global threat than terrorism) that leaving it to struggle in the hands of private companies is irresponsible.

viii.
Some environmental campaigners have started talking about nuclear power as a way to bring down CO2 emissions - what do you think of this?

Nuclear power creates a legacy of dangerous waste which remains a threat for generations to come. It cannot be right to simply keep passing on such hazardous by-products to future generations not yet born. The only safe way to tackle CO2 emissions is through investment in renewables and energy conservation.

ix.
Asylum and immigration will be central issues in this election. What action on this issue would you like to see the next government push
through?

Policies need to ensure not only the fair and dignified treatment of new asylum seekers and migrant workers, and to prevent discrimination against them, but also to help create a more just global economy - where people from other countries don't feel forced to leave their homes and families behind in order to provide a decent living for themselves and their families. It is the policies of wealthier countries, such as ours, which
so often exploit the economies and resources of other countries for our own benefit and leave them in the poverty from which they are trying to
escape.

x.
What question do you wish was on this list but doesn't appear?

Perhaps something about animal rights. Our actions need to take account of the rest of the planet's inhabitants, and that doesn't just include
humans.
 

2005