News / Politics
Green national local election campaign launch
After the excitement of the Green Party’s new election broadcast featuring squabbling primary schoolchildren which has now been watched more than five million times and even trended globally on YouTube, a showpiece national event in At-Bristol on Friday had a distinct lack of kids bickering.
What it did have was Natalie Bennett, the Green Party leader who has visited Bristol three times in almost as many weeks – a sure sign that the party’s national resources are being concentrated on the city.
is needed now More than ever
Bennett’s visit this time was to launch the Greens’ nationwide local election campaign. But of course it was also an opportunity to lend her support to mayoral candidate and former Bristol24/7 columnist Tony Dyer.
Dyer and Bennett were introduced and joined at the top table by Daniella Radice, the Green candidate at the 2012 mayoral election who has since then become a councillor and named assistant mayor for neighbourhoods.
Bennett called Bristol a “Green heartland”, although one was never sure if this should be the colour with a capital ‘G’ or a small ‘g’, with the campaign launch taking place within a building with dozens of solar panels on the roof and a green tourism plaque on one wall.
She said: “Here we have a great opportunity to elect the Green Party’s biggest ever Green group in Bristol City Council, being a different voice, a voice for the community.”
If there was a soundbite, it was that the Green Party could be “a green broom sweeping through”, closely followed by “turning a green surge into green seats”.
Dyer also used the “grown-up politics” line that the viral video introduced, with his promise of bringing public transport back into public hands getting the biggest cheer of the day from the party faithful, now newly invigorated to take to Bristol’s streets to secure the Green Party vote.
Read more: Meet the mayor candidate: Tony Dyer