Shan Oakes - The real civil liberties candidate

The Green Party had to stand. Someone had to stand up for civil liberties

The Green Party have today launched their Haltemprice and Howden by-election campaign.

Green Party Principal Speaker Derek Wall has backed local education and environment activist Shan Oakes to contest the election. Shan has lived in East Riding since 1975, where she was an English teacher for many years and is one of the founders of Voice International, an organisation working to promote sustainability through education and is Chair of the Trustees of the Development Education Centre.

Leading Greens will be joining the Shan on the campaign trial in the next few weeks, including Dr. Wall, human rights spokesperson Peter Tatchell, target Parliamentary candidates Darren Johnson AM and Cllr. Adrian Ramsay, and prospective MEP candidates Peter Cranie and Cllr. Rupert Read.

Dr. Wall said

"This by-election was supposed to be about civil liberties.

"But it's been called by a man - David Davis - who thinks it's okay for the government to lock you up for four weeks without even telling you what you're supposed to have done.

"David Davis also believes that you should have no right to criticise the government within a mile of Parliament.

"He believes that if a child is being bullied for being gay, his school should not have a policy to protect him.

"And he believes that a judge should be allowed to kill you if he thinks you've committed a serious crime.

"So the Green Party had to stand. Someone had to stand up for civil liberties."
From: Shan Oakes blogspot