1. Campaigning Party vs an Election Machine?
Within a flawed electoral system, are we not focusing too much on winning
elections with some success in local elections with a few seats gained (but no
gains in General Elections) while
the planet is burning instead of urgently building a mass movement? One bad
election could wipe out gains. Are we
running out of time? What is your strategy?
It's not an either/or. We absolutely agree that there is more to
politics than electoral politics, especially given the time we have left. But
electoral politics is what the Green Party was set up to do, and it’s our
unique strength compared to other parts of the environmental movement. Getting
Greens into Westminster, into the Senedd, and into more positions of real
influence in local government is vitally important so that we are in the room
shaping the decisions that will determine our economy and environment for
decades to come. You only have to look at Scotland to see that electoral
politics can be a vehicle for genuine power and influence.
But more than that, there is no either/or between building a
party and building a movement. The Green Party is now a permanent mass
membership organisation, even outside of election-period surges. And by
standing on a platform that represents a framework for a decarbonised economy
grounded in social justice, we provide a model for radical change to which
people can and will rally. With the party frequently third in the polls and
growing public concern about the climate and ecological emergency, we have the
opportunity to put powerful Green ideas at the centre of the debate. This is
about clear and prominent communications – challenging the other parties
in the media and being the political voice of the wider green movement - as
well as an ambitious and well resourced electoral strategy.
2. Removing toxicity and healing splits?
How can the Green Party be an
effective healthy political party, with transparent internal democracy and
accountability based on fairness and unity? Are members expected to sign up
100% to everything that the leader(s) or the Party is perceived to support at
any given time? Is it not the role of a leader to ensure that party members
rights to disagree are protected? Be it the rights of women, transrights, the IHRA or the failed holistic
review. What
will you do to heal division?
We want to improve the internal culture of the party. We can do
that by centering compassion in Green Politics - for each other and our communities.
We will work to encourage greater transparency in the party, and
accountability to the membership.
We’ll play an active role in discussion on party governance,
ensuring our structures and processes are fit for purpose for the current and
future size and ambitions of the party.
And we will create spaces where people can learn and engage in a
respectful way. We want to support the party’s liberation and policy groups to
facilitate workshops and training that help members understand each other,
party policy and our shared mission, engaging at a human level.
Jewish Greens have provided a model for how this can be done:
their online roadshow showed how we can frame constructive workshops, in which
there are no stupid questions and members can have the opportunity to learn and
heal.
Members are not expected to sign up 100% to every party policy
and there must be room for respectful discussion on policy.
However, we are clear: harassment, abuse and hate speech have no
place in our movement, in any context. We must properly resource our party’s
disciplinary process, ending the long delays in decision-making and providing
adequate training to those volunteering
for this incredibly important committee. The current complaints process seems
to be open to abuse via vexatious complaints. We need a fair, transparent and
consistent process that everyone can have confidence in.
3. A party that understands working-class communities
Many people still see the green
movement and GPEW as being well meaning but not relevant to the everyday
struggles of working people and working-class communities. How can we challenge
that idea?
The
Green Party has policies to raise living standards of working people across the
UK and globally. We are getting this message across effectively in the growing
number of working class communities where we are winning council seats, but we
acknowledge that the party is not managing to do this loudly and clearly enough
nationally.
We
want to see the Party work more closely with unions, especially those not
affiliated to Labour. This means cooperation at a leadership level and
supporting members to organise within unions – we are already having
discussions on this.
We
both have a track record of working with unions. Carla is a member of ACORN
community union, organising with them for campaigns on renters’ rights, and has
supported the Deliveroo riders strike, NHS Nurses Say NO and the UCU strike.
Adrian, as deputy leader and a Norwich councillor, campaigned alongside PCS on
opposing privatisation, and with a variety of unions on campaigns for climate
jobs.
We
must demonstrate how our policies benefit people here and now, whether it’s
retrofitting homes, better public transport or replacing Universal Credit with
a Universal Basic Income. To get people to vote for us, we have to show that we
address all the issues they’re concerned about.
Finally,
we want to see our membership diversify and thrive. The Greens of Colour ‘5
Demands’ campaign showed how the party can work with its special interest
groups to champion change and recruit members. Perhaps the next campaign is
around working class communities?
4. The Movement for Green Jobs and a Green Socialist future
What do you know of the Trade
Union backed Campaign Against Climate Change, Lucas Plan, The Million Green
Jobs campaign and the Greener Jobs Alliance of trade unions? How would you work
with these campaigns and ensure all parts of the party are engaging with these
groups? Do you understand Just
Transition and support it? Does
the Green Party have a distinct action plan for COP 26?
We totally agree with the need to prioritise a just transition
to sustainable and socially useful jobs in the context of energy transition and
nuclear disarmament. We must build an economy for tomorrow that has improved
quality of life at its heart, and leaves no-one behind.
Within the party we would support the GPTU Group & TU
Liaison Officer to move forward on cooperation with trade-union-led campaigns
for just transition, and as spokespeople for the party we would
enthusiastically promote these campaigns
One of our priorities in our first 100 days is to work with the
party’s COP26 working group to deliver a robust communications strategy around
COP26. We want to be on the ground in Glasgow working with a team to ensure our
plan for system change is heard clearly - taking the opportunity to put a Green
recovery and Green New Deal centre stage in the debate.
5. Are you an Eco-socialist?
What does eco-socialism mean to
you? What links do you see between climate change and the need for social,
economic and democratic change?
The climate crisis cannot be solved without social, economic and
democratic change. We need to radically reframe the nature of work and the
relationship between citizens, businesses and state.
Green
economic and social policies clearly position the party in the left. In terms of labels, however, we both think of ourselves first and foremost as Greens, which we see
as a distinct political philosophy that goes further than the traditional
socialist/Labour approach in several areas, e.g.:
●
we value grassroots
decentralisation rather than Labour’s top-down control
●
we challenge aspects of the
current economic model that Labour and the unions generally don’t challenge:
i.e. unlimited economic growth, and go further than many traditional socialists
on the transformation we want to see to the economy, e.g. UBI.
●
we think about justice in
global terms as well as in national terms,
●
we think about compassion for
other species and the natural world, as well as for all human beings.
But obviously the Green movement and socialists are aligned on
many issues, so we want to work together on our common causes including
workers’ rights, well-funded public services and a Green New Deal.
We see pushing for a Green New Deal as particularly promising
because it is an economic plan that works within capitalism but is a stepping
stone towards a fairer future.
6. Making campaigning for PR a Green Party priority
It’s clear the electoral system
is holding back Green Party advance at local and parliamentary elections. How
can we campaign to convince members of the Labour Party, Trade Unions and
Labour MPs to support this democratic change to bring English elections in line
with other parts of the UK? Do you see this as a priority for the Green Party
in the next period?
It is no secret that the systemic bias in favour of FPTP is
difficult to break because no party elected under it would be advantaged by
abolishing it.
Labour has yet to come to terms with the political realignment
of 2015. When they lost 40 seats in Scotland, the party’s already slim chance
of achieving a majority in Westminster became nearly impossible. However,
change may be on the horizon.
According to polling from immediately before the 2019 general
election, 76% of Labour members want the party
to back PR as policy, with just 12%
opposed. A Labour List survey found almost identical results in August 2020. Now, more than 38% of all Constituency Labour Parties have committed
to Proportional Representation. Over 96% of the CLPs that debated PR supported
it.
Make Votes Matter is backing a joint campaign to secure a
commitment to PR from Labour at this year’s Labour Party conference. As Make
Votes Matter supporters we fully support this campaign and will be watching the
Labour Party conference later this month with interest.