GW68 Feature
Why Vote
Green?
It’s a question
that we may find ourselves answering daily over the
election period. Here Shahrar
Ali puts forward
the case for Green representation in UK politics
and what is at the heart of the Green Party’s
political struggle
The Green Party
puts environmental sustainability and social
justice at the heart of its political agenda
– and it does this with zeal. In our
Philosophical Basis we say, ‘The Green Party
isn’t just another political party. Green
politics is a new and radical kind of
politics.’ This ambition is informed by a
sense that conventional politics has failed
to address the pressing issues of the day and
that in order to overcome them we must act
together with renewed vigour.
The motivation for radical politics comes not as a free-floating ideology, but as a response to the depth, scale and urgency of the problem. Once we collectively understand our situation: the contribution made by humans to the degradation of the environment and extinction of other species, or the impact consumers in the rich West have had, and continue to have, on the impoverishment of producers in the poorer developing countries, our proper response is to want to change things – and to change them radically.
In pronouncing our radicalism, we express our optimism in the possibility of a democratic politics worthy of the name. In spite of the current disproportional first-past-the-post electoral system, making it more difficult for Greens to get into Westminster, we enter the next general election with a real chance of electing Caroline Lucas as our first Member of Parliament. There is a tangible sense of excitement, but not complacency, in the party that we are within a whisker of gaining our first MP in Brighton Pavilion constituency. The Greens gained 22 per cent of the vote there at the 2005 general election, with candidate Keith Taylor, a Brighton councillor. A win in 2010 with Lucas will give us the heightened credibility we crave, with Westminster still dominating the UK political focus.
Greens think long term, both in political outlook and electoral strategy. A win in Brighton would be important not simply for its own sake, but as a means of helping us to gain additional MPs in future elections. By gaining our first MP, we would have demonstrated that we are electable at all levels of government. This would pave the way for other potential MPs and give the party as a whole a boost for the future.
The motivation for radical politics comes not as a free-floating ideology, but as a response to the depth, scale and urgency of the problem. Once we collectively understand our situation: the contribution made by humans to the degradation of the environment and extinction of other species, or the impact consumers in the rich West have had, and continue to have, on the impoverishment of producers in the poorer developing countries, our proper response is to want to change things – and to change them radically.
In pronouncing our radicalism, we express our optimism in the possibility of a democratic politics worthy of the name. In spite of the current disproportional first-past-the-post electoral system, making it more difficult for Greens to get into Westminster, we enter the next general election with a real chance of electing Caroline Lucas as our first Member of Parliament. There is a tangible sense of excitement, but not complacency, in the party that we are within a whisker of gaining our first MP in Brighton Pavilion constituency. The Greens gained 22 per cent of the vote there at the 2005 general election, with candidate Keith Taylor, a Brighton councillor. A win in 2010 with Lucas will give us the heightened credibility we crave, with Westminster still dominating the UK political focus.
Greens think long term, both in political outlook and electoral strategy. A win in Brighton would be important not simply for its own sake, but as a means of helping us to gain additional MPs in future elections. By gaining our first MP, we would have demonstrated that we are electable at all levels of government. This would pave the way for other potential MPs and give the party as a whole a boost for the future.
Flanking Lucas
on both sides are Adrian Ramsay in Norwich
South and Darren Johnson in Lewisham
Deptford. We have significant councillor
representation in Brighton, Kirklees,
Lancaster, Lewisham, Norwich and Oxford; and
this grassroots support has shown itself in
other elections too. We have over one hundred
councillors nationally and received 1.2
million votes in the European elections in
2009.
We have an inside joke about the long haul which says that if you wanted to get elected quickly you wouldn’t necessarily join the Greens! However, with that commitment to radical politics comes a determination to punch above our weight when we do get elected. Since every win is hard fought, the effort of political engagement is all the greater.
When Greens are elected, people like what they see and generally come back for more. Take the 2006 local elections in London. Overnight, we went from one councillor in Lewisham to twelve across London. The increase in elected councillors in Lewisham was nothing short of dramatic, growing from one to six.
Darren Johnson maintains his profile as a leading Green politician and is also a consummate electioneer. When training and advising fellow activists about the importance of reinforcing deliveries of political literature to the electorate, he will often end his pitch with an obvious truth, accompanied by a wry smile: “The idea is to get more votes than the other political parties.”
The intended irony is a reminder to activists that the raison d’être of a political party is to stand in order to win. But how one does justice to that win, once elected, is still up for grabs. For sure, we seek to advance our political agenda through responsible use of the office and intelligent use of the media to advertise our successes and publicise our campaigns. But the role of the Green politician is generally split between using the formal powers invested in us by office and using the political capital informally associated with the office to advance green politics. These aims demonstrate what is best about green political activism, as a means of empowering ourselves and others to improve the quality of our lives.
We have an inside joke about the long haul which says that if you wanted to get elected quickly you wouldn’t necessarily join the Greens! However, with that commitment to radical politics comes a determination to punch above our weight when we do get elected. Since every win is hard fought, the effort of political engagement is all the greater.
When Greens are elected, people like what they see and generally come back for more. Take the 2006 local elections in London. Overnight, we went from one councillor in Lewisham to twelve across London. The increase in elected councillors in Lewisham was nothing short of dramatic, growing from one to six.
Darren Johnson maintains his profile as a leading Green politician and is also a consummate electioneer. When training and advising fellow activists about the importance of reinforcing deliveries of political literature to the electorate, he will often end his pitch with an obvious truth, accompanied by a wry smile: “The idea is to get more votes than the other political parties.”
The intended irony is a reminder to activists that the raison d’être of a political party is to stand in order to win. But how one does justice to that win, once elected, is still up for grabs. For sure, we seek to advance our political agenda through responsible use of the office and intelligent use of the media to advertise our successes and publicise our campaigns. But the role of the Green politician is generally split between using the formal powers invested in us by office and using the political capital informally associated with the office to advance green politics. These aims demonstrate what is best about green political activism, as a means of empowering ourselves and others to improve the quality of our lives.
This is
an edited extract from Why Vote Green by
Shahrar Ali, Green parliamentary candidate
for Brent Central
brentandharrow.greenparty.org.uk
brentandharrow.greenparty.org.uk
▾
▾