7 November 2007
 

John Morris contests the Holy Trinity Ward Election for the Guildford Borough Council on 8th November 2007

To view his leaflet, click on the four sides here:

Frontpage
Inside left page
Inside right page
Back page
 

The Guildford Borough Council November 2007 Election Manifesto appears below:
 

The Peace Party – Nonviolence, Justice, Environment
Guildford Borough Council Election 2007 Manifesto
November By-election Supplement

 

Introduction to The Peace Party

 

The Peace Party owes its origin to revulsion and reaction against the futility, insanity, waste, inhumanity and horrors of the institution of War.  Of course, there are many secular and religious groups that campaign against war (such as the Peace Pledge Union or the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship) or certain aspects of it (such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) but when election time comes there needs to be a party to vote for that stands for those who want no more war.  (Major parties accept war as inevitable and an instrument of policy while minor ones all seem to be willing to fall back on war to some degree or other when the issues of “defence” or “security” are raised.)

 

But the Peace Party is certainly not a negative, single-issue one.  To be representative of those who abhor war, the Party draws its strength and energy from the deep reverence for life that humanity has at its core.  That compassion, of course, applies right across the whole spectrum of human life and activity including the recognition of the needs of others just as much as the recognition of their own.  So, the people who support the Peace Party know that this and future generations need:

 

• People co-operating peacefully with others all over the World
• Effective involvement in decision-making
• Appropriate health care (not just sickness care) and recreation
• Places to live for everyone; safe and peaceful homes
• Harmony with natural and man-made surroundings
• Justice for everyone
• The ability to learn and study, unfettered by the demands of outside control
• Meaningful work, under the control of those who do the work
• An assured income for all adults – no more poverty
• Quality food and water

 

Funding the Programme

 

Ridding the country of Trident and all nuclear weapons in the short term and the Military and all conventional armaments soon after would release £30 - £40 billion each year for spending on a new Marshall Plan to bring countries out of poverty and to spend on local services such as housing and the health service, as well as improving our local area.

 

Housing

 

The Peace Party, representing people who are caring and compassionate and who have concern and respect for all humanity, works to ensure that everyone has access to housing of the highest quality that they can afford, adapted for the needs of everyone (young people, single people, families, single parents with children, older and disabled people).  Young people especially are being driven away from this area by the extremely high cost of housing, while those wishing to come and live and work locally are unable to afford to do so.  The high cost in this area is due to a totally inadequate supply of homes.  We would bring down the cost of housing by supporting the building of thousands more homes for sale and for rent (including subsidised rent through the Council and housing associations) until housing costs are greatly reduced.  Once brown-field sites have all been used, then some extra land must be acquired and allocated to housing.  This should be carefully planned to ensure that local communities are created with proper infrastructures and facilities while ensuring that a balance is kept to preserve Surrey's downland, heathland, waterways and forest land.  Help for the homeless should be increased to ensure that there is adequate provision for all.

Global Warming and our Man-made and Natural Surroundings

 

It is only a small step from people being caring and compassionate to each other to their having concern for the whole of the natural world.  The warming of the air we breathe, that supports all life does, of course, help to reduce our heating bills and to keep our countryside, parks and gardens greener for longer.  But this warming may, in time, bring less acceptable changes to be endured by this and future generations.

 

So, the Peace Party wants to see greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for the warming, reduced within 30 years to close to the levels when warming began in the 19th Century.  To help achieve this objective, the Peace Party will encourage the Council to reduce further its own emissions of carbon dioxide by installing wall and roof space insulation, lighting that turns off when no movement is detected and solar water heating in its properties. Photovoltaic cells should also be installed on Council buildings to generate electricity from sunlight (as is already done in Woking).  Householders and other property owners will be encouraged to do the same by the Council easing planning restrictions and making subsidies available.

Getting Around in Guildford

Congestion can be eased and carbon dioxide emissions reduced by:

• Making local public transport free to all
• Developing further the park and ride schemes
• Improving the frequency of local bus and train services in Guildford town and its surrounding villages, not only during the day but at weekends, evenings and bank holidays
• Making the bus station safer at all times and more attractive (by ensuring its cleanliness, providing toilets and improving its state of decoration)
• Providing buses that are fully accessible
• Building new train stations (Park Barn/University, Stoughton and Merrow). 
• Introducing higher car park and “congestion” charges once the improved bus services have been provided
• Providing far more facilities for safer cycling including clearly-marked and signed routes  
• Encouraging walking by providing more and safer routes and walkways for pedestrians, more road crossings and the much stricter enforcement of no cycling on pavements

Shopping

 

Commercial rents are too high in the town centre probably due to too few units being available to those who want to lease them for shops and businesses.  Rents should be forced down by moving ahead on the expansion of the central shopping area (together with the provision of an upgraded central bus station).  This should allow for a greater variety of shops, including the return of more selling a variety of food at lower prices in the town centre.

 

Food shops in the area should be within easy walking distance for everyone.  This may be accomplished in the planning cycle with developers being encouraged to favour a closer network of food shops.

 

Leisure

 

The Peace Party is well aware of the problem of the anti-social behaviour of a tiny minority of people and of the insecurity some people, especially the elderly and vulnerable, feel especially in the town centre. 

Support needs to be provided to parents and carers to encourage the family to use local facilities.  Young people need space and facilities available during the day and evening.  Indoor and outdoor amenities should be upgraded.    We support the building of a local sports ground both for amateur football and a wider variety of other sports activities.  Transport to these facilities would, of course, be free by public transport.  More money should be available to local community groups to run activities encouraging people to meet and work together in building creative local communities.

 

Better Use of the Earth’s Resources

 

Having concern for the natural world means that we must make far better use of the earth’s resources, so the Peace Party will encourage the Council to help everyone to re-use more, reduce what they do use and to re-cycle.  Skips should be provided on the streets for bulky items to save wasteful car trips to the household recycling depot.

 

Roads and Streets

 The Borough needs to be cleaner and smarter, helped by more street re-cycling and litter bins, more litter patrols and general street cleaning with pavements and roads returned to a good state of repair.

  

More Pleasant Surroundings

The Peace Party applaudes the recent provision of more trees and plants along the Worplesdon Road and would press for more such developments.  The Peace Party is aware that there needs to be a better provision of allotment gardens in the Borough as well as more open spaces.

 

The Peace Party is a secular, non-sectarian political party,
welcoming people of all religions – and of none.

Peace Party’s Core Values and Principles

 

The Peace Party draws its strength from people who care about others and have concern, consideration and respect for them.  It draws its strength from people who are compassionate towards all others and who have reverence for life because it knows that Peace comes from these widely-held values.

 

Against the insanity of militarism and war

 

The Peace Party and its sympathisers realise that people who value life can never needlessly injure another, let alone wound or kill or allow anyone to so act in their name.  The Peace Party realises that people who have reverence for life do not support war and accept that there is no such thing as a “just” war.  The Peace Party realises that people who value life oppose the manufacture and sale of any weapon of mass destruction and profit, oppose injustice in all its forms, oppose cruelty, oppression and exploitation and can never waste the earth’s resources or despoil nature for the selfish gain of the rich and powerful.

 

FOR fulfilling our needs

 

The Peace Party represents those who know that the world today needs, and future generations need:

 

1. People co-operating peacefully with others all over the World
2. Effective involvement with decision-making
3. Appropriate health care (not just sickness care) and recreation
4. Places to live for everyone; safe and peaceful homes
5. Harmony with their natural and man-made surroundings
6. Justice for everyone
7. Provision for all to learn and study, unfettered by the demands of outside control
8. Meaningful work, under the control of those who do it
9. An assured income – no more poverty
10. Quality food and water

The Peace Party can deliver these with everyone’s co-operation.

 

Peace Party councillors and members of parliaments hold to the values that their electors have and, above all, they understand the world’s needs and value life.  Peace Party members elected to Parliaments have agreed to accept only the equivalent of the national average wage for skilled workers plus actual travelling and subsistence expenses incurred.

 

CONTACTING THE PEACE PARTY:

 

Phone: 0772 0965577; e-mail: john4peace@msn.com; Website: www.peaceparty.org.uk

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