Dear Members and Supporters,

I am writing to you ask you help the Green Party make up a shortfall of £104,000.

Donations are very urgently needed, please reply by 19th December, with a gift of whatever you can afford.

We are very grateful for everything you have done in the last year, but the situation is now serious. £104,000 must be raised to cover a the shortfall created by the costs of the successful campaign to get our first MP elected, alongside under-performing appeals earlier this year.

As you should know, the Green Party is funded purely by its members – not by millionaire corporate donors. That means it is much harder for us to raise money than for other parties, but it also means we are a truly independent voice – locally, nationally and in the EU.

It would be most unfortunate to have to cut our budget just at the time we should be attempting to grow it. It would seriously hamper our ability to support getting more Greens elected at all levels, as well as hampering the fight against the most dangerous and damaging Government since Thatcher’s.

We all share Caroline’s concern at the way the Tories are so openly looking after their powerful friends at the expense of the most vulnerable segments of our society – a society that they are making more unequal with every day.

And unsurprisingly it seems they’ve now discarded any pretence to be “the greenest Government ever”. They have:

• Encouraged the frackers
• Slashed marine renewable energy
• Caused chaos and dismay in the solar industry
• Promoted deep water oil drilling
• Refused to cut UK carbon emissions unless other European countries do
• Proposed to let developers carve up the countryside, including Green Belts

Add to this the deepest cuts to benefits and public services in peacetime, and attempts to privatise NHS services and schools, and the scale of the work we need to do becomes clear.

Caroline has been recognised as the most influential MP in Parliament (https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/gpmedianet-green-mp-named-biggest-influencer-in-UK-politics-thisyear/), yet she has to operate without our ability to fund policy research and other fundamental resources that other parties can put at the disposal of their MPs. Such resources would also be invaluable to our other elected representatives at all levels.

With vital elections next year, including here in Bridgend CBC, It is vital we clear this deficit now.

With the right response, we hope to be able to fulfill the following vital expenditure:

• The appointment of Regional Co-ordinators – to support candidates in all future elections
• Investment in policy research and development
• Campaign spends – to get our voice heard on key issues

Again, many thanks for all your support in all manner of ways. We hope we can continue to rely on this support in the future, irrespective of whether you are able to help with this appeal at this time of hardship for so many.

With best wishes and thanks,
      
Andy Chyba
Bridgend Green Party

Please send your donation via www.greenparty.org/urgent

Or post a Cheque payable to The Green Party to:
EMERGENCY SHORTFALL APPEAL
THE GREEN PARTY
FREEPOST RSLK-URKB-SRYL
LONDON
EC2A ALT