Q&A – Deputy leader candidate Alan Borgars: “The Greens need to strike out on our own”
In the latest of Bright Green’s coverage of the Green Party of England and Wales’ leadership election, we’ve interviewed the Deputy Leadership candidates.
Voting is now open (check your inbox for an email from Electoral Reform Services if you haven’t voted yet!) and closes on the 25th August.
Daniella Radice did not respond by the extended deadline, but if/when she responds we will publish her answers.
(Full Q&As with the leadership candidates are here)
Here’s deputy leadership candidate Alan Borgars:
I am running for Green Party Deputy Leader so that I can bring the Green message out to a wider variety of voters, to reach out to voters feeling alienated by modern British political discourse, and to bring the voice of young and disabled people to the forefront of the British political scene.
2. Could you give me some info on your background (e.g. education, class, employment etc.)
I am a 25 year old autistic man who has studied in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, where I graduated from in 2014, and at London Metropolitan University at postgraduate level. Politics of all colours runs in my family who can be considered firmly ‘middle-class’, and although there are no MPs in my family there are several former councillors. I am a disability support worker mostly working in the Greater London area.
3. What are your top priorities as Deputy Leader if elected?
Improving our local and national organisation, re-engaging with our less active members, improving candidate diversity at all levels, making sure the Green Party’s message can appeal to all sorts of voters, and making better use of our media opportunities and broadening our pool of spokespeople.
4. How do you see the Greens relating to the Labour Party and the wider left?
The problem is that the Labour Party will not really relate to us back due to a general sense of entitlement to progressive voters (when no one is entitled to have votes, they must earn them) and internal divisions within itself, and the wider left does not always get the environmental message. I believe we Greens should instead strike out on our own and maintain a distinct message.
5. How should the party respond to Brexit? What, if anything, should we be calling for now?
The Green Party should respect the Brexit result of the EU membership referendum as it was fair, democratic, and legitimate even if the winning margin was comparatively low at 3.8%. We should be calling for this referendum to be made legally binding with the trigger of Article 50 and for all groups from both sides to be at the negotiating table, and for Britain to have a green and sustainable future outside the EU.
6. What separates you from the other candidates?
The fact I am not only young and autistic but also passionate, honest, not afraid to speak my mind, and the fact I can conjure speeches just from the heart without having to rehearse.
7. If elected, would this be your full-time job?
Yes it would, for the post of Green Party Deputy Leader requires considerable dedication to not only motivate the grassroots but also to motivate the public to vote Green and spread the Green Party’s message out to all.
8. Any final thoughts or comments//closing statement
The Green Party is the party of tomorrow, here today, and I will make sure this is the case if you vote for me, Alan Borgars, #1 for Green Party Deputy Leader. The future’s bright, the future’s clean, and the future’s green.
Leave a Reply