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?
Both, especially as we are running out of time. However, we must negotiate progressive alliances to rid us of this Tory government and campaign alongside Make Votes Matter for Proportional Representation. We need a local party targeting strategy, which makes better use of our activists, funds and resources when choosing where and when to stand at elections, i.e. cut our suit according to our cloth. At the same time, we should be seeking investment from ecologically and socially ethical companies to better fund our campaigns be they election or otherwise.
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?
For The Green Party to remain an effective, healthy political party – with transparent internal democracy and accountability based on fairness and unity – members should not be expected to sign up 100% to everything that the leader/s or the Party is perceived to support at any given time. It is the role of a leader to ensure that party members rights to disagree are protected. However, it is also incumbent upon a leader to help resolve differences and heal division with meaningful, considered and compassionate dialogue. Therefore, if I were leader, I would wish to meet with a representative from each group between which there is conflict and, because not all issues dovetail neatly together and empathetically talk through the issues to reach a healthy compromise as I already am doing with regard to the trans-rights issue.
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?
It is true to say that the Greens are perceived as being well meaning but irrelevant to the everyday struggles of working people and working-class communities. However, although we are largely white, middle-class and often middle-aged, we have always campaigned on behalf of working people and working-class communities. What we need is an injection of more members from that demographic which I believe will come if we heavily campaign for the Green New Deal which would create more employment as well as addressing the problems caused by climate change and for a Universal Basic Income which will greatly help to take people out of the poverty trap.
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?
I am aware that the Trade Union backed Campaign Against Climate Change, The Million Green Jobs campaign, the Greener Jobs Alliance of trade unions and Greener Jobs Alliance of trade unions are striving to shift work which is carbon fuelled to that which will have a positive impact on the environment. The Lucas Plan, first proposed in the mid-1970s, effectively offers the possibility of fulfilling the age old wish to ‘turn swords into ploughshares’. I fully support these measures along with the essential Just Transition to ensure that people are not financially disadvantaged by the changeover. These initiatives, along with the Green New Deal, should be integrated and co-ordinated and form the basis of a distinct Green Party action plan for COP 26. Unfortunately, I feel that it doesn’t fully enough and that it would be the job of the Green Party Leader to ensure that it does.
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?
I am not an Eco-socialist. I am an Environmentalist as I believe that environmentalism is the all-encompassing ideology which strives for the desperately needed ecological, social, economic and political justice we seek. What we have to offer is not the preserve of the Left which is what eco-socialism suggests to me. As well as disaffected Labour, other socialist and swinging Lib Dem voters we should be looking farther and wider for support. We need to be speaking with small ‘c’ / cultural conservatives as well, many of whom are horrified by Johnson’s government. They may be unable to bring themselves to support Labour but, as we are the only party that’s focusing on conserving things, they find in conversations that they have more in common with us than they or even we imagine! In view of that, a quote which backs it up is as follows:
“There are many attractive aspects to the (Marxist) theory but, as the leader of a national liberation struggle, I need to transcend any one political ideology to build the greatest possible unity.” Nelson Mandela
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?
Please see my response to question 1. It is imperative that we campaign to achieve PR and there is evidence to suggest that there is much more of a desire for it. When you consider that around 84% of Labour members are in support of PR, they and the unions should be putting pressure on their MPs and the national party to support this fairest way of conducting our electoral processes. After all, Labour is and has not long been, other than the Blair years, the governing party of this nation.