Green Lib Dem Challenge –  Internal Elections  

Please cast your votes for....

Graham Neale >>> 1^st Pref for Federal Board;

Keith Melton >>> 1^st Pref for FCC & FPC

Let`s "walk the walk" as well as "talk the talk".

We believe we are living through a defining moment in politics. The absolute threat of the climate crisis will change the way politics works. We need to fully embrace the Environment, for our planet, and for the electoral advantage it will bring. Liberal Democrats stand out from the crowd because we have taken it seriously for many years now.

We believe our party needs to be a "Do what we DO" party not just a "Do what we SAY Party". It's time to make some changes in the party's ethos. Let's get on-board with the environment, from our grass roots up. We need to take up the challenge of getting Liberal Democrats to put the Environment "Front and Centre" in its campaigning AND in its own internal management and behaviours.

We present below our Manifesto for Change: Greening the Liberal Democrats from within.

Councillor Graham Neale, Chair GLD and Keith Melton, Vice Chair (Campaigns) GLD

Graham is running for election to the Federal Board and Keith is running for election to the Federal Conference Committee or the Federal Policy Committee. Both would like your First Preference votes for their positions in the 2019 Internal Elections…"We bring extensive experience to our campaigns"

Graham was first elected as a Southwark councillor in 2002. He has represented three Labour facing wards, some of the most diverse in the UK. His involvement with GLD spans many years, serving as chair since 2016, when we have seen a rise in profile, along with a massive increase in membership.

He is a trustee, and former chair of the Vegan Society, as well as the treasurer of a Domestic Violence Charity. He trains activists in campaigning techniques and is keen to promote the electoral value of sustainability to candidates.

Keith first became involved with Liberalism as a candidate in a mock election at school in 1964. He has fought four General elections as candidate and two European elections. Best result - 2^nd place with 25% of vote in Broxtowe 1973. Missed out in this year`s local elections by 8 votes, not for want of trying!

Keith was Chair of the Liberal Ecology Group, becoming founding Chair of the Green Liberal Democrats when the parties merged in 1988. He "retired" from party politics to be the founding Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development in Business in 1998 (organising many conferences!) He re-joined the Lib Dems in 2017. He is currently Vice Chair (Campaigns) of GLD.

Manifesto for Change:

Greening the Liberal Democrats from within

Party - we should

• be bold and brave about our environmental credentials.
• encourage our elected members to seek to minimise their carbon footprint, in particular their transport footprints, as an example to all - and to win political advantage.
• get MPs and MEPs to publish their carbon footprints and their Climate Change mitigation plans.
• undertake environmental audits of our HQ and conference venues for Spring and Autumn conferences.
• offset our CO2 emissions and…
• establish a Liberal Democrat endorsed "offset scheme"
• take sustainability to the heart of the Party`s management practices and event management.

Conferences - we should

• ensure there is full recycling capacity at national AND regional conferences.
• encourage venue partners to avoid single use plastics.
• require venue partners to provide more low-impact food (GLD conferences have been vegan apart from cow`s milk for tea/coffee!)

Campaigns - we should

• offset CO2 for leaflets and letters.
• ensure voters KNOW that we offset our campaigning work
• provide environmental audits for by-elections

Please use your votes wisely for our Green Liberal Democrat colleagues...

Federal Board >>> First Preference >>> Graham Neale

Federal Conference Committee >>> First Preference >>> Keith Melton

Federal Policy Committee >>> First Preference >>> Keith Melton

(Candidates can only be members of ONE committee, but may stand for more than one - so if elected to one committee their candidature lapses for the other one)