• Want to vote Green but worried about letting in the Tories?
• Not sure about the local electoral picture and want to know more?
• This briefing may give you reassurance to vote Green

1. The impact of a historic Green Party win in Brighton would be enormous

A Green voice in Westminster would force the three 'old' parties to address the environment and social justice issues seriously. The country needs a Green voice at Westminster.

One more or one fewer Labour or Tory MP is not going to make much difference, the first Green MP would make a massive difference.

So, if a few more disillusioned Labour voters had the courage of their convictions then they could make history by electing the UK's first Green MP.

Whatever happens nationally, voters in Brighton have a very real and unique opportunity to go Green.

2. Greens are already winning under the 'first past the post' system

This system discriminates against smaller parties but Greens are already winning in Brighton even with first past the post election system.

Greens already hold more than 10% of the Council and, last year, Greens beat Labour outright across the whole city in the Euro elections.

Most significantly Greens came first, i.e. we won Brighton Pavilion constituency outright, beating both the Tories and New Labour.

See this article in The Guardian

3. The Brighton election is attracting national media interest

The Pavilion constituency Green candidate Cllr Keith Taylor is receiving more national media interest than the local Labour MPs because he is the Greens' National Principal Speaker - the closest position to a national Green leader. This will help to increase the Green vote.

4. Don't believe New Labour's lies

Labour always plays the card about a Tory comeback when it knows the smaller parties are on the ascendancy. They try to frighten voters.

If you look closely, you will see that the even if the Tories were making a comeback nationally (which is not the case) - that is not the situation voters face in Brighton.

The paper majorities of the two Labour MPs in Brighton are not large (Pavilion has a larger majority than Kemp Town) yet the Tories are unlikely to win either seats. In Brighton Pavilion, it is a genuine contest between Greens, Labour and the Tories.

In the unlikely event of the Tories picking up one or more of the seats locally, it is generally accepted by independent commentators that Blair is still on course for a national win and certainly as the largest party in Parliament.

See The Independent's news story on voting for LibDems - but the same applies to the Greens who are much stronger than the LibDems in Brighton and Hove.

5. Why it doesn't matter if Blair loses one or two Brighton seats to opposition parties

There's a 'school of thought' among some that a smaller Blair majority or a 'hung Parliament' where no party has an overall majority is better for the country than the huge majority that Blair has now.

If the Prime Minister had a small majority he wouldn't have been able to unleash all his bombs on Iraq. A few more opposition MPs of whatever colour would, ironically, cut Tony Blair down to size.

6. Labour's broken promises on the election system

Before coming to power in 1997, Labour promised to reform the first past the post election system to make every vote count in a fairer system. However they have failed to honour their promise and introduce this democratic reform because they know it means they would have to share power.

Now Labour only have themselves to blame if they risk losing MPs because of the unfair undemocratic voting system they choose to maintain against their earlier manifesto promises.

7. The final point is: Vote for what you believe in, not for something that you no longer do

If all voters followed the 'least worst' formula then nobody would have the representation they really want. We would never have had Green councillors or LibDem - or even Labour MPs as they were a fledgling party in the 1900s.

There's always a risk in elections, but the biggest risk is not to take one at all.