Pippa Bartolotti

Candidate Statement for Green Party Leader 2012

Many of you will know me as Conferences Committee Chair where I worked with a great team of people to bring you Cardiff, Sheffield and Liverpool . Others will know me as Deputy Leader in Wales, or more recently holding a position on GPEx as Wales Green Party Leader  - a job I have relished as it brings so many challenges. In Wales, as in England we are working to grow the membership and in spite of my position, I am pleased to say membership has doubled in the last 2 years.

Heightening the profile of the Green Party both locally and nationally is a continuous and demanding job. Getting our messaging right, applying a Green voice to the economic and political situations which daily come through the media, and getting us ahead of the game requires tenacity, a strong mind and an energetic demeanour. Above all it means bringing together a great team of people to ‘make things happen!’

I joined the Green Party because I fell in love with the philosophical basis, our uncompromising stance in upholding our values, our great strength in putting principle before politics, and if elected as Leader I would uphold hold those core values with all the vigour I possess. To me the Green Party is about more than politics. It is about facing reality, embracing the future and influencing those in power to wake up and do better. It is about engaging the human being everywhere – be it on the doorstep, in the street or in the corridors of corruption. I absolutely possess the will to do all this and more.

Whether backpacking in India, living in Cuba, running businesses in London, litter picking in Maplas or stringing chillies in my kitchen, my life experiences have taught me one great thing: Never Give Up. I believe the Green Party is the one great thing to work for in this country, and should you give me the chance, I will give my all.