Armitage to stand as Green candidate at general election

Councillor Alex Armitage will stand as the Green Party’s candidate in the general election later this year.

Dr Armitage announced his election bid on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Zetland County Council act in 1974.

The 42-year old works part-time as a children’s doctor and is also the Greens first councillor in Shetland, representing Shetland South since 2022.

He said he would fight for a better deal for Orkney and Shetland, if elected to Westminster.

And he added he will push for a four-day working week as one of his core campaign tenets.

“Ordinary folk are struggling with the cost of housing, food and energy, our planet’s ecosystems are breaking, yet corporations, multimillionaires and billionaires keep getting richer,” he said.

“During the pandemic, our broken economy poured £150billion into the bank accounts of billionaires, whilst at the same time millions of ordinary people have become impoverished; fuel poverty, food poverty, mental illness, burnout. 

“All the while, we continue to tolerate politicians who advocate for more of the same.”

Dr Armitage said he would base his campaign on three “transformational economic policies” – wealth taxation, a universal basic income and a four day week.

And he pointed to the Zetland County Council act, signed 50 years ago today, as an example of what Shetland could achieve if it worked together with large industrial developments.

“Fifty years after the Zetland County Council Act, Shetland and Orkney are once again in the spotlight of energy development, this time with our vast renewable energy resources.

!As this industry develops around us, we risk being cut out of economic benefits which could be used to sustain our communities.

“In 2024, we need our political leadership to channel the spirit of 1974.

“If elected, I will use my voice in parliament to ensure that our communities can control the development of renewables, protect our valuable low-carbon seafood industry and gain a fair share of the value of our natural resources.”