Whenever I see the turnout for European and local elections, my heart sinks. It peaked at 38.5% in 2004. Last time in 2009 it was 34.7%. I find myself unable to reconcile so many people perpetually complaining about the EU and the democratic deficit which exists in its institutions, with two-thirds of the population failing to register their political preference. Mixed in with that is a cultural difference. Having been born in Greece, four years into a crushing junta, I grew up to perceive democracy as precious and voting as a civic responsibility, rather than an optional perk.

There is another important factor, however. These are the only elections in which I am allowed to vote. As a non-British European, I get no say in the general election, along with the many millions of Europeans (including 2 million Britons) who chose to make a life for themselves somewhere other than the country of their birth. So, the European and local elections have come to mean a great deal to me.

Immigration is foremost in my mind at the moment – albeit, perhaps, for different reasons than many. I hear results of straw polls showing that a majority of people in this country feel "uncomfortable" with immigration. That makes me insecure. The life that I and many others chose for ourselves is at stake. I got an email a few months ago after I wrote a piece on immigration from a woman who is British, her husband is Austrian and their children were born in France. What happens if the UK decides to withdraw from the EU, she asked? Are they supposed to pick another country in which to live? Are they supposed to go from broad horizons and genuinely multicultural identities to narrowly defined ones? Am I?

Nigel Farage rolled into the village, selling his snake oil ointment, guaranteed to cure all ills. Suspicious of foreigners? Vote Ukip. Financially insecure? Vote Ukip. Hate the smoking ban, HS2, Brussels, travellers, burqas, regulation, tax, Boris, debt, windfarms, quangos, foreign aid, crime, Abu Qatada, Muslims, tuition fees, lazy people, asylum seekers, the hunting ban? Vote Ukip. A hate list for the uncomfortable people. I am disappointed by both the Conservatives and Labour's stance on immigration. It seems to me they are trying to address multiple audiences; on the one hand they want to comfort the uncomfortable, on the other there seems to be a nudge-nudge, wink-wink message between the lines intended for people like me that says "don't worry". By doing that, they legitimise Ukip's highly dangerous message, because they allow Farage to point to imitators and boost the brand validity of his "original" snake oil.

I don't think I can bring myself to vote for the Liberal Democrats again. Tuition fees, austerity, bedroom tax, welfare cap, Atos, Royal Mail – the list goes on. This left me looking at the Green party, as the default remaining choice. The surprise was that the more I looked at them, the more I liked them. Their policies appear to me eminently sensible and unabashedly progressive, in most areas. They are the only party which has refused to be drawn into the immigrant-bashing competition with the others, and the only which proposes a vote in the general elections for EU citizens based on residency, rather than nationality. Their commitment to minority rights, including LGBT, is second to none. They alone seem to understand that discussion and collaboration, rather than confrontation, is the way to reform the EU. Their candidates seem passionate and compassionate. My scrutiny left me thinking: why wasn't I planning to vote for them in the first place, especially when there is proportional representation?

For too long, the only pressure being exerted on British politics has come from the right, leading to an inexorable shift towards neoliberal economics, environmental denial and Tea Party-light values. It may be the advisable for mainstream parties to understand that in the effort to become all things to all people, they are in danger of becoming nothing discernible at all. It may be healthy for Labour and politics in general to feel some pressure from the left. To feel that there is such a thing as "too far" and that the tepid paralysis of the middle ground is not good enough for many.

And so, on 22 May I will be voting for the Green party, for the first time. Not as a default choice, but as a positive one. Not as a wasted vote, but as a vote that may add to their already significant 45 MEPs and make a genuine difference. Not as a protest vote against the establishment, but as a strong voice of resistance against the politics of hate peddled by so many others.