WITH the general election around the corner, The Bolton News is running a series of features with candidates vying for your vote. Here, politics reporter Elaine O'Flynn speaks to the Green candidate for Bolton South East Alan Johnson.

A STAUNCH Bolton campaigner is hoping to ride the green wave to become elected as the next MP for Bolton South East.

Alan Johnson is standing again for the Green Party in the Labour "safe" constituency, having won just 1.6 per cent of the vote at the last election.

But the 66-year-old told The Bolton News that membership of his party has exploded in Bolton in recent months, helped in part by the TV debates debacle in which they were initially told they would not be included in the hustings.

Now union activist Mr Johnson, who lives in Daubhill with his wife of 37 years Gladys, said he hopes the party’s anti-austerity, environmentally friendly and left-leaning political agenda will speak to the voters of Bolton.

“The Green Party is the only party that is anti-austerity — we don’t think it works or is working, and we believe it is a failed method”, he said.

“We don’t think the least well-off, the disabled or the young should pay for the crisis that they didn’t create, that was created by the bankers.

“The way to fund that is by having a fairer society — that the people with the broadest shoulders be expected to pay more tax, because they are able to pay.”

The party, if it came into power, would introduce a new "Robin Hood" tax on the banks, as well as a new wealth tax on the top one per cent, and would close overseas tax loopholes, which would be used to "restore" the public services that have been cut under the coalition government.

Mr Johnson added: “We believe that the people of Bolton believe in fairness, so why should the richest in society get away with paying little or no tax? They should pay their fair share.

“In addition the party would increase the minimum wage to the living wage — £7.65-an-hour — rising to £10-an-hour by 2020.

“The Green Party was one of the first to support a living wage, because no one should be expected to live in a country where they can’t afford to put food on the table.”

A raft of other reforms would be implemented should a Green government be elected, he adds, including the scrapping of Trident, renationalisation of the railways and a complete end to any attempts to privatise the NHS and health care.

Locally, Mr Johnson says he believes more needs to be done to support the town centre and promote a greener, more environmentally friendly way of living for Bolton households.

And on the issue of EU membership, he says has changed his mind since the issue was put to a vote back in 1975 — but he does want to see the institution reformed.

“I was part of the local campaign in Bolton for a no vote, but since then I have been converted”, he said.

“But what we say is that we want a referendum on EU membership not in 2017, but now.

“People like UKIP and the Eurosceptics who say the three million jobs created by the European Union in Britain are taken by people coming into Britain and taking the jobs — we don’t buy it.

“If it became more democratic, it would become more responsive to people’s needs.”

Asked about his chances this May, Mr Johnson said: “The next election is so unpredictable.

“To overtake the Liberal Democrats in Bolton South East would be significant.

“There is a green surge, and to people who say it is a wasted vote — if you don’t vote then there is no chance you will elect someone who does what you believe in.”