Green Party choose Mark Fletcher as their Devizes candidate for the general election

The Green Party have selected their candidate to contest the Devizes constituency at the General Election next May.  At a packed meeting last week, wildlife filmmaker Mark Fletcher was endorsed as the Green Party Parliamentary candidate.

It will be the second time that Mr Fletcher has stood as a candidate at a general election for this constituency. In 2010 he got 813 votes or 1.8 per cent of the votes cast and was in fifth place after the Conservative, LibDem, Labour and UKIP candidates.

Nationally the Green’s electoral fortunes are now on the up.  Mark Fletcher told Marlborough News Online: “In the recent Euro elections Greens beat the Lib Dems overall in the South West, and we were within two percentage points of Labour, and Green Party ratings have continued to rise in many areas. Caroline Lucas was voted MP of the Year, and our local membership is skyrocketing.”

“It is a fantastic opportunity to give the people of Wiltshire a voice, to defend our communities and to fight for a better future. I believe that keeping the Marlborough Downs and the Vale of Pewsey beautiful and sustainable is important, but our message doesn’t end there. All the mainstream choices need to be tackled by longer-term plans. Education, housing, and transport all face problems in Wiltshire, and we will campaign hard on these issues.”

Mark Fletcher has lived near Bromham for 18 years with his wife and two children. He is a biologist, and has worked with David Attenborough on many BBC films. Locally, he has helped to fend-off hazardous waste incinerators, cement batching plants and gravel pits, and helped to create a Wiltshire Wildlife Site and protect green spaces around Devizes.

He serves on the Devizes Community Area Partnership for Housing, was involved in formulating the Devizes Neighbourhood Plan, and took part in the consultation for the Wilshire Core Strategy.

“It will be my second time, and I’m looking forward to the election on May 7. It will be the most exciting election in a generation…Locally we are welcoming unprecedented numbers of new members. It is a thrilling time to be Green.”

“The Green Party is no longer a fringe conservation group. Your local Green MEP, Molly Scott-Cato, is an economics professor. Things are changing. We have grown up, and are ready to challenge the mainstream political system.”

“Most of what we say is common sense, and just looks towards the long term. We are all excited about being part of a better future. Anyone can help us. Sandals with socks are no longer compulsory.”

“The Green Party in Wiltshire is getting organised, with over a 100 local supporters and volunteers in Kennet and North Wilts, but we are looking for more people to help us with the campaign, and with fundraising. We need money and support if we are to change politics.”