THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NORWICH NORTH CAMPAIGN - YOU HELPED THE GREEN PARTY ACHIEVE IT'S BEST EVER PERFORMANCE IN A WESTMINSTER BYELECTION.

GREENS TRIPLE VOTE IN NORWICH NORTH

9.7% is best ever by-election result for the Green Party

Green party campaigners were today celebrating their performance in the Norwich North by-election after more than tripling their vote, compared with the 2005 general election.

The result was by far the best performance ever for the Green Party in a Westminster by-election.

The Green Party received 9.7% of the vote, up from 1,252 in 2005 to 3,350 today.

In comparison to 2005, the votes of Conservative, Labour and LibDem parties all went down. The Labour and LibDem vote also fell as a proportion of the turnout.

Adrian Ramsay, opposition leader on Norwich council, and the Green Party's deputy leader, said: "This was our best by-election result ever. Our best previous result was 7.4% in the Haltemprice and Howden/David Davis by-election. We started from a low base (2.7% in the 2005 general election), and we trebled our vote. On the ground, we had roughly £12,000 to spend, compared to the £100,000 that the Tories have apparently spent."

"Rupert ran a positive campaign, on issues such as the NHS, renewable energy, transport and living wages, and we are very pleased with the level of interest we've generated. With new members and supporters, we can now concentrate on Norwich South for the general election."

On the issue of the coming general election, Ramsay said that: "Norwich South will be different from Norwich North, since two-thirds of Norwich North was outside of Norwich City. The Greens have led local election vote share in Norwich for the last three years running, and we are the official opposition within Norwich City."

Rupert Read, the by-election candidate, added that: "The Norwich North campaign was done on a fraction of the budget of the large parties, some of which deluged residents with countless leaflets. We are pleased to have done so well without that kind of overkill."

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Results, with % change from 2005:

Chloe Smith (C) 13,591 (39.54%, +6.29%)
Chris Ostrowski (Lab) 6,243 (18.16%, -26.70%)
April Pond (LD) 4,803 (13.97%, -2.22%)
Glenn Tingle (UKIP) 4,068 (11.83%, +9.45%)
Rupert Read (Green) 3,350 (9.74%, +7.08%)

2009 turnout: 45.76%, down -15.33% on 61.09% in 2005

ENDORSEMENTS FOR NORWICH NORTH CAMPAIGN::

Aubrey Meyer, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Nomine:
"I support Rupert Read's campaign to become the Green MP for Norwich North. He and his party project a version of the future that gives all our children the chance they need in the difficult times that now increasingly face us all."

Jonathon Porritt, Environmentalist, Former Director, FoE:
“I hope voters in Norwich North will seize the opportunity that this By-election provides them with: to draw a line in the sand between today’s tawdry, life-destroying politics, and the positive transformation that green politics now promises. In Rupert Read, the Green Party has a candidate who could achieve that breakthrough in Norwich North”.

Mark Lynas, environmental author and journalist:
"Action to save our kids' future is the great moral issue of our time. It's time to stand up for what's right, to stand up for what's needed to stop dangerous climate change. There's only one candidate standing up with the commitment to make that happen. That's why I'm backing Rupert Read and the Green Party in this all-important byelection."

Jean Lambert, Green Party MEP for London:
“As voters reject traditional parties in ever-growing numbers, it is exciting to have an opportunity like this byelection, taking place in what is becoming a Green stronghold. I am pleased to be able to visit the Norwich area at this time to support Rupert Read’s and Norwich Green Party's impressive campaign.”

Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner:
"As your MP, Rupert would be an intelligent, passionate, unshakeable defender of liberty, justice, peace and the environment. He knows a better world is possible and he will work with real commitment to achieve it. In these troubled times we need more politicians like Rupert. That's why I am supporting his campaign to be elected as Green MP for Norwich North."

Dave Hampton, The Carbon Coach:
"At a time when we urgently need big change, in terms of radical shifts towards sustainability, ‘no change’ or ‘slow change’ are simply not an option. This is a time for bold new green beginnings and Rupert Read is the only man taking this path.
Rupert is the only candidate in this byelection with ideas remotely on the same scale and on the same planet as the problems we face. Green is the only sane vote if we love the children, our own, and the world’s."

Darren Johnson,recently elected Chair of the London Assembly:
"There are no Green MPs yet in the House of Commons - and it shows! Greens have been a breathe of fresh air on Norwich City Council and now we need that Green voice in Westminster. That is why I am urging people to vote Green on July 23rd."

Patrick Harvie, Green Member of the Scottish Parliament:
Voters in Norwich North are the first in the country to have the opportunity to change Westminster's discredited politics for the better, and electing Rupert Read as the first Green MP would be a great way to start. Greens offer the kind of values which have been missing from UK politics for so long - a clear vision of a better and fairer world, and the ambition to respond to the environmental crisis in a way that supports real quality of life for people.


ENDORSEMENTS FOR MEP CAMPAIGN:

Martin Bell, Campaigner for Higher Standards in Public Life:
"I think Rupert has a very good chance of being elected in 2009. I wish him every good luck."

Craig Murray, Former British Ambassador
"I would vote for Rupert Read in the Eastern Region of England...He sees the need for a society not motivated solely by greed. He is that rare thing in modern politics - somebody who wants to serve, not to rule."

Peter Tatchell, Leading Human Rights Activist:
"In the European Parliament, he will be an intelligent, passionate, unshakeable defender of liberty, justice, peace and the environment. He knows a better world is possible and he will work with other Greens in Europe to achieve it. In such troubled times we need more politicians like Rupert. That's why I am supporting his campaign to be elected as a Green MEP for the East of England."

Aubrey Mayer, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee:
"I support Rupert Read's campaign to become a Green MEP. He and his party project a version of the future that gives all our children the chance they need in the difficult times that now increasingly face us all."

John Stewart, 'Most Influential Environmental Activist in Britain':
"Rupert Read would make a first-rate MEP. He has that rare mix of being a thoroughly practical politician who gets things done while retaining a vision of how to create a society that will last, a society for the future, a society that our children will be proud and happy to inherit."

Gary L. Francione, Internationally-renowned philosopher and legal activist for animals:
"I judge him to be an oustanding spokesperson for animal rights. I very much hope that Rupert Read prevails at the June 4th European Election, and becomes a Euro-MP."

Tony Juniper, former national head of Friends of the Earth:
"In Eastern Region, we have an excellent Lead candidate in Rupert Read, and he has an excellent chance of being elected."

[Here is an 'imprint', just in case:
Published by James Youd, 1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ, on behalf of Rupert Read, 17 Merton Road, Norwich, NR2 3TT] (read less)

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NORWICH NORTH CAMPAIGN - YOU HELPED THE GREEN PARTY ACHIEVE IT'S BEST EVER PERFORMANCE IN A WESTMINSTER BYELECTION.

GREENS TRIPLE VOTE IN NORWICH NORTH

9.7% is best ever by-election result for the Green Party

Green party campaigners were today celebrating their performance in the Norwich North by-election after more than tripling their vote, compared with the 2005 general election.

The result was by far the best performance ever for the Green... (read more)