New General Election Candidate for Poole

14 November 2019

Unfortunately, John Tutton, Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Poole, has written to members in Poole letting them know that he has withdrawn from contesting the General Election, following an untimely personal loss.

Johnny has the very best wishes of everyone in BCP Green Party at a difficult time, and we warmly pay tribute to him for the considerable positive impact he had on our movement during his time as Poole candidate.

The regional and national Green Party of England and Wales authorised an emergency reselection of a Poole candidate with accelerated deadlines and members in this constituency were offered the opportunity to vote for a candidate to fill the vacancy.

Barry Harding-RathboneIt is therefore with great pleasure that we are able to announce that the new candidate for Poole will be Barry Harding-Rathbone.

He says “Hi, my name is Barry Harding-Rathbone, the prospective parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Poole for the Green Party.

“I would like to firstly pay tribute to my predecessor, Johnny Tutton, who has had to sadly stand down for personal reasons, for all his hard work and effort.

“Also a huge thanks to those local Green Party members who supported my adoption today, and I cannot wait to take on Robert Syms and use this General Election campaign to fight the REAL issues that are facing us as a local town community and a wider nation.

“We urgently need a progressive new political mandate to focus on the disaster that is the global climate emergency, and a push for a better way ahead for ALL the citizens of this country both sustainably, socially & economically, not just continuing the same old failed rhetoric of the past few years. It's time for change, it's time to #VOTEGREEN on Dec 12th!”

Barry has set out his election pledges:

I strongly believe in making sustainable improvements to the sea defences in the harbour/Poole Pk, Baiter and Holes Bay especially, given the increasing risk to flooding given the global environmental crisis we all face.

I am strongly opposed to the ongoing push by BP and co in drilling for oil in Poole Bay and on the harbour islands/Wytch farm, together with the proposed fracking 'test' sites around the area.
I want to fight for an altered Environment Bill to be presented in the 1st 12 weeks of the new Parliament (crushed by Johnson's damaging faux prorogation) with an amendment calling for a sustainable development of Nature Reserves/grasslands (such as Canford Heath) in line with the global need for more CO2/CH4 absorbing trees and other indigenous plants, with court tariffs appropriate for creating fires by deliberate and even casual action.

ALL local authority properties to be retro fitted with good quality insulation and effective fire detection/prevention systems in my first term.

A national incentive scheme on cost of renewable energy provision for all domestic properties (solar) with a reduction in C Tax for those who do go greener.

A diesel 'charge' on any vehicle entering Poole town centre shopping conurbations, with the money raised to go to more eco sustainable developments in the constituency specifically.

No new developments on green belt full stop, any developments must be eco sustainable and MUST offer genuine socially affordable housing, like for like with every commercially available property.

As a former A and E nurse at Poole Hospital I will challenge the hospital's downgrading and the proposed closure of the maternity unit to my dying day. It makes absolutely zero sense to shove everything over to Bournemouth, the money 'saved' will be peanuts in comparison to the risk to life presented by the extra journey time incurred. Attached to that South West Ambulance is now such a mammoth organisation that it is unfit for purpose and I will fight to have it either split up, or more national resources provided so its fleet and staff can respond more effectively and timely.

I also want to see a more robust provision of 1st tier (GP, CMHT and community care) facilities in order to a. Reduce waiting times to see your GP/Dentist and associated services, b. Make mental health support a priority and c.Take the pressure off some practices by making the role of a GP more attractive to potential candidates, possibly including GP specific medical schools.

Mandatory education from year 4 on the importance of the environmental and socio-moral ethics of being human beings, with a return to providing an inclusive, student focused study regime, tailored to the child's personal needs.

Wherever possible, the repurposing of empty commercial properties into social housing and/or pop up enterprise opportunities for the long term unemployed or socially disadvantaged prepared to look into self employment opportunities under a revamped national/local New Deal Opportunity funded programme for those who feel it will work for them, as it sort of has for me, and make state benefits way simpler to access from day 1 by scrapping Universal Credit.

Voting for ALL from aged 16 (you can marry, work, claim benefits, marry and offer your own life in military service but not vote - ludicrous) and campaign for our retiring service personnel, veterans and their dependents, along with all seniors/disabled as well, to get a decent state pension, mortality rights etc.

I also guarantee (unless a national emergency requiring attendance in the house) a weekly surgery, 1 each week in a different area of the constituency, to make it easier for residents local to that site able to access me easier as THEIR representative, irrespective of their political persuasion as I am only there to serve THE PEOPLE. I won't have a physical constituency office persay, repurposing that particular 'allowance' into locally sustainable projects for the people of Poole, and my staff will all be volunteers bar 1 full time paid secretary/agent position, hopefully job share role.

I will abstain at the very least in any parliamentary vote to line my pockets with a pay rise at the cost of public services, fight for the living wage, not the national minimum wage (under 25) or national living wage (25+), for ALL.

Above all, being elected by local people who have put their trust in ME having been one of the greatest honours of my life, I will commit myself to being the representative of the entire population of this ancient place and work for THEIR needs at all time.

You can follow Barry on https://twitter.com/barrythegreen






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