Co-leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas MP, is full of optimism about the prospects for the Green Party on the Isle of Wight following a 2-day visit, in which she spoke to hundreds of Islanders in a variety of locations and vowed to return as soon as she can.
Starting with a tour of St Mary’s Emergency Department and Integrated Care Hub, Ms Lucas spoke with consultants and call operators about the huge pressures the NHS is under, particularly on an Island with stretched resources. She was particularly impressed with the Hub and believes that other Trusts could learn much from this model.
On Friday evening, an audience of over 200 people crammed into the Riverside Centre, Newport to hear Caroline give a passionate speech about Brexit, Trump, electoral reform and the urgent need to tackle climate change.
Ms Lucas was also impressed by the hard work of a wide variety of Island campaign groups. In Ryde these included Isle Access, the Ice Rink, the Food Bank, Ryde Inshore Rescue and Inspiring Women. In the West Wight, a large group of Green Party members accompanied Caroline on a tour of the Rapanui premises, where ethically sourced cotton t-shirts are printed on the island on behalf of a range of businesses and campaigns, including the national Green Party.
Caroline and Isle of Wight Green Party prospective Parliamentary candidate, Vix Lowthion, also canvassed residents on the streets in the lead up to the Council elections in May this year.
Caroline said:
“I really do believe the Isle of Wight has an incredible amount of potential for the Green Party. “There’s a fantastic sense of energy all around. We need to continue to support our excellent candidates, and get some essential Green voices on the Council in 2017.”
Frack Free Isle of Wight met the Green Party co-leader at Brook, where a large group of concerned residents demonstrated against the renewed licences to drill for oil off Compton beach. Ms Lucas addressed the crowd by saying:
“It’s well known that 80% of our fossil fuels must remain in the ground if we are to limit the effects of climate change. This is why we must say no to fracking, no to drilling, and invest in renewable energy resources which are clean, create jobs and protect our land for years to come.”
Vix Lowthion added:
“It was fantastic to accompany Caroline on her trip, and show her around a number of projects which local Green Party members have supported over the years. It’s uplifting to meet a politician who enjoys listening and learning from residents, and the local party has grown in membership this week solely due to her high profile visit.”
