My name is Luke Balnave. I grew up in Edmonton and Winchmore Hill and now continue to live and work here. I work in education by day and run a community bike hire shop in Enfield Town in my spare time. I am immensely passionate about this community, its deep sense of kinship, purpose, fortitude and family. This set across a quite unique landscape of urban dwelling with precious access to green spaces and parks. I am determined to preserve the richness of opportunities, whether this be in education, work, health and leisure, that I had the fortune of, for the next generation here in Enfield.
Two-party politics continues to fail this country. And it continues to blame the other side at each and every turn. The main parties are now two sides of the same coin and have both been rendered inert and rudderless. It is clear that time spent in Westminster and creating genuine solutions on the ground are no longer compatible bedfellows. Perpetual short-term decision making and culture war pandering each and every electoral cycle is wreaking havoc with the average citizen. As a result the faith in our democracy has been plundered and there is nothing left. This is unforgiveable.
We desperately need more independent voices inside Westminster to hold the system to account, who aren't afraid to speak their minds and who do not have to pander to backbenches or lobbying interests or donors. The sham of handing party-buddies lifelong peerages and stuffing an already bursting House of Lords with yet more unelected cronies has no place in a 21st century Britain.
We need a fresh approach. Greens offer just this.
With the Green Party, all our policy is designed to provide solutions for genuine problems, nothing more or less. There is no political grandstanding or cheap point scoring. We do not attempt to leverage any culture wars for our own advantage. We do not offer token gestures in an attempt to lure votes. We make policy for the long-term good of purely people and planet. Nothing else will do.
Whether it is the housing crisis, NHS crisis or the climate crisis that continue to stalk ordinary living standards on a daily basis, our policy at the Green Party is solution-designed to ensure we make a step change with these issues: not just tinkering at the edges. We do not backtrack on policy, we stand firm when only a high level of commitment and ambition will solve the problem. If we need to raise extra money to do this, we won't pretend otherwise. We will ask those with the broadest shoulders to contribute more.
On local issues, if elected, I will vehemently oppose the Labour-backed plans for an irreversible desecration of the greenbelt and public park lease-off to private entities, both of which imminently threatens a core public health asset and something that makes Enfield a special place to live.
The scourge of unscrupulous and unfit landlords must also be addressed. At the Green Party we will ensure those renting are on a level playing field and are treated with dignity and fairness they deserve so that the are not in an unending cycle of stress every month. The ban on no fault evictions must be passed into law without any further delay.
The incinerator rebuild is something I have opposed in a personal capacity for a number of years and would be a massive area of focus for making sure any new unit is held to the highest possible emission and environmental standards. I believe that we can do so much better than simply setting fire to our excesses and hoping things will be OK.
The climate crisis continues to worsen, and will only become starker on the ground in impending years if recent backtracking is allowed to continue. New oil licences with the false alibi of energy security when the majority of output will be exported is yet more evidence of taking the public for fools and the most irresponsible act of environmental harm. Bold action is needed right now to secure a fair and prosperous future of opportunity for the next generation on a liveable planet.
We need decisive action. Greens will deliver this. Vote Green on the 4th of July to deliver the change we all need to see.
