OLDHAM AND Saddleworth Green Party is not fielding a candidate in the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency in this General Election.
The Party claims the current unfair voting system could deliver another Conservative victory, with disastrous consequences for people in the country.
They say that in recent decades both Conservative and Labour have achieved parliamentary majorities without even approaching a majority of votes cast. In 2015, the Conservatives won 37 per cent of the votes but an overall majority in Parliament.
Miranda Meadowcroft, who stood for the Green Party in Oldham East and Saddleworth in 2015, said “The Green Party has consistently campaigned for fundamental reform to our voting system.
“The current ‘first past the post’ system means the winner takes all even where most people have voted against them and creates a Parliament where the views of millions are not represented.
“The upcoming election is set to reproduce a similar outcome with destructive results. Theresa May’s government is committed to an extreme Brexit that could have disastrous results for our environment, our jobs and our rights.”
For these reasons the Green Party has proposed a one-off electoral alliance with other opposition parties to help achieve electoral reform.
To further these objectives Oldham and Sadddleworth Green Party has decided not to stand in the Oldham East constituency and is urging its supporters to vote for the sitting MP Debbie Abrahams.
Ms Meadowcroft added: “We are asking the Labour Party nationally, and our MP personally, to commit to supporting democratic reform of our voting system.”
