Frome county councillor, Martin Dimery, has been nominated as one of the Green Party candidates for the planned European Union elections at the end of May.
He was selected following a poll of members throughout the South West of England. In the EU elections, the UK is divided into large regional constituencies. The South West stretches from Gloucestershire through to Cornwall, including Wiltshire and Dorset on its eastern border, and elects 6 Members to the European Parliament. The last EU elections were in 2014 when the South West returned two UKIP candidates, two Conservatives, one Labour and one Green Party MEP.
“It looks like the European elections will now go ahead” confirmed cllr Dimery. “If so, I think it’s extremely important to have strong voices representing the UK in the European Parliament, whether it’s in the short term, or not. Simply standing on the side-lines complaining about it, won’t get things done. For as long as we have a voice in Europe, we should use it to our advantage.
“In the 2017 Somerset County Council elections, I stood on a platform of ensuring the concerns of people in Frome were properly reflected in Taunton. I feel similarly about the EU. We have a real opportunity to stand up for the farmers, fishermen, workers’ rights and green issues, but need to have elected MEPs who are prepared to work hard.”
The EU elections are decided by proportional representation. The six seats are divided up and ranked according to the number of votes they get. In 2014, Molly Scott Cato of the Green Party was elected in the South West and became one of many Green MEPs in the European Parliament. Molly is planning to visit Frome on Thursday 25th April as part of her campaign for re-election.
“So, we’re very much campaigning to get Molly re-elected, and perhaps get other candidates in too, from our short-list,” explained Martin Dimery. “That’s the great thing about these elections, everybody can vote for the party they most like, rather than voting against the party they least like. It gives smaller parties a real chance.”
The European Parliamentary elections are scheduled for Thursday 23rd May, unless a Brexit deal has been agreed before that date.
Above: Martin Dimery on the campaign trail. Photo: @JonCraig_Photos
