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Nick Palmer

Nick Palmer, another member of the 2020 group, has a special interest in the environment and works with the Jersey Conservation Volunteer organisation.

He strongly opposes plans for a new incinerator and would propose a cleaner and greener option if he were elected as Senator.

Manifesto

I am campaigning on an environmental platform. There are two types of environmentalist; conservationists, who look after green lizards and look after plants and habitats and things, and then there’s the nuts and bolts environmentalists, who look after and campaign for clean air, water, rain, food, the climate and pollution.

Now, on the campaign trail talking to sitting States members, I’ve realised that they don’t actually realise the situation we’re in.

Environmentalists are often accused of crying wolf; well I’m afraid the wolf is at the door now.

With climate change, peak oil, financial meltdown, and over-population, these big four will cause us big trouble. They are all connected and are linked by growth and consumption; these four together will make the current credit crunch and inflation in food and energy look like a tea-party.

Our current States as a whole is rather like an ostrich with its head in the sand. Not only do they not know their answers, they don’t even properly acknowledge the questions.

I think that they just believe if they ignore the four big threats to our future, or not give them enough weight, then they will solve themselves magically without them having to take any urgent or strong decisions.

Listen to the politicians up for election, anyone who drones on about economic growth being the answer, 2%, 3%, 4% a year, literally is a danger to our future.

Economics which takes the environment into account allows economic development, not growth, but can prove that indefinite growth as an idea is past its sell-by-date. Ecological economics puts the environment and people’s well being onto the accountant’s bottom-line.

Automatically the free market will make cleaner, greener sustainable business become more profitable than the inefficient, wasteful, polluting ones that exploit the workforce too in some cases.

It is the answer to the big four threats; and I am going to plug it in the States if you elect me. If elected I promise to hammer away until this solution is taken up.

Now a side effect of saving the world, is that our finance and legal industry will have a new and lucrative industry to move into, really ecological economics could be the next big thing for Jersey.

We’ve always had a special niche; ship-building, farming, tourism, finance – we need a new direction, and if elected I’ll do my best to steer us towards it.

Now I said the wolf is at the door, well I know how to make a wolf trap. Help me save you, your families, and your grandchildren.

Oh and by the way, I’m also for taking GST off food and basic living costs.

I’m for direct communication with the electorate via my website nickpalmer.org, and my blog.

Vote for my policies or someone like them, so we can all save our skins in the troubling times ahead.