Green Party MEP candidates visit Southampton

7 May 2019

Alex Phillips and Vix Lowthion, Green Party candidates for European Parliament, visited members in St Denys on Saturday (4th May) to discuss key issues in their European campaigns as well as local matters around Southampton.

Alex is ranked as the number one Green candidate for the South East and holds a seat on Brighton & Hove City Council. There is a strong chance she will be elected to serve if the elections are held. She was accompanied by fellow Green candidate, Isle of Wight's Vix Lowthion who currently acts as the party's spokesperson for education.

During their visit, we discussed the key issues in Europe that will become the focus for Alex's campaign. These were:

• remain in the EU
• deal with the climate emergency
• end poverty and inequality

EU elections are due to take place on Thursday, 23rd May when voters in Southampton will once again have the option to let their voices be heard - this time by voting for MEPs for the South East region.

Speaking to South East Greens when she was selected, Alex said, "Greens are clear - our priorities are the really big issues; equality for all, climate change and building a Europe that puts us, the people, first."

She added, "Greens have always fought for real, positive change - and that's what electing Green MEPs like me will achieve."

MEP candidate Vix Lowthion with Ron Meldrum and Jack Stapleton

Alex and Vix also took the time to speak to the residents of Quay 2000, an apartment building in St Denys, where the management committee has recently blocked off public access to the waterfront.

The closure of the walkway follows a series of incidents, described by residents to include prostitution, drug misuse, fighting, anti-social drinking and vandalism.

The committee now seeks planning consent to keep this access closed for at least a year. We heard concerns from the residents of Adelaide Road who had previously been told it was to be kept open throughout.

There is no easy resolution to this issue. Unless policing can be increased to a level where a response can go out quickly to the location to disperse individuals, these issues will persist. It may be that having the walkway open during daylight hours and closed at night could be a reasonable compromise between the demands. 

Find out more about Alex, Vix and other South East Green Party candidates by visiting the South East Green Party website.

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