On Thursday 5 May, 57% of Islington voters said Yes to AV, making us, alongside neighbouring Camden, Hackney and Haringey, one of the six London boroughs and ten local areas in Britain voting for progressive change to our outdated electoral system. And that, despite both Islington’s Labout MPs publicy supporting the ‘No’ vote.
Islington Green Party, along with our colleagues in the Yes campaign, worked long and hard for fairer voting system, and despite our disappointed at the nationwide result, would like to thank all Islington residents who voted. The borough’s 35% turnout showed considerable public commitment to the democratic process on a day when we had no other election to encourage people to the polls. And while campaigning we were overwhelmed and encouraged by the warm support that people expressed to both electoral reform and the Green Party.
Despite the same archiac first past the post system being used for the Local Elections elsewhere across the country on the same day, the Green Party continues to grow and now, for the first time has become the biggest party on a city council – in Brighton and Hove, which last year elected the country’s first Green MP. Our policies and track record appeal to people, and voters are starting to trust the Green Party to represent them. Islington Green Party will contine campaigning for electoral reform, as well as our current priorities: air quality, road safety, affordable housing and against job losses and deep inequality in the borough.
We look forward to next year’s GLA and mayoral elections, when a fairer system means every vote will count.