2010 Elections in Guildford Constituency

“”Posted By: peacepartyjohn | Respond to this CommentThe following article appeared in the May edition of "Spirit and Destiny", the magazine "for women who want the best possilble future".

"As another general election looms it’s useful to know there’s a party with an alternative point of view and the man to keep your eye on is John Morris, running for Parliament in Guildford, Surrey. He’s representing the Peace Party, which stands for non-violence, justice and protecting the environment.

Since the beginning of January, John has been out on the streets of Guildford for an hour every day, handing out leaflets and answering questions. ‘I plan to do this right up until the election,’ he says. ‘There have only been a few times when I was driven inside the snow!

‘I tried putting leaflets through doors but I think they just end up going straight into the recycling unread. This way I get a response, and it’s been more positive than negative.
‘We have members from all denominations, including Quaker and atheists. The candidate we want to stand in Rotherham is a Muslim.’

John and two friends formed the Pacifist Campaign in 1996, with the aim of putting forward an election candidate who was committed to peace. In 2003 the name changed to the Peace Party, under the slogan ‘Non-Violence, Justice, Environment’. In 2004, the party contested the South East England region in the European elections, winning more than 12,500 votes.

This year the party hopes to put up four candidates. As well as John in Guildford, they’re running in Working, Surrey, Horsham, West Sussex, and Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

The Peace Party’s manifesto say: ‘Peace is the touchstone for everyone’s humanity.
Political leaders like to divide the world into friends and enemies because this can be an effective way of getting public support. But in reality, the ordinary people of, say Iran, and those of, say, the USA have a great deal in common.

We need to recognise our similarities, the aspirations and concerns we have in common – to reject the divisive tactics of politicians and look for common ground. Then we can begin to work together for the common good, as equal citizens of one world.’

While you might not agree with everything in the party’s manifesto (for example, setting an maximum salary could be a controversial one), there’s plenty worth thinking about."