With a new leadership, what next for the Greens?
This article was first published by Novara Wire.
So. Caroline Lucas MP and Jonathan Bartley are the new leaders of the Greens. Things could be about to get interesting – and potentially exciting – for the party.
I say this because the turmoil of the British left at the moment should, in theory, provide fertile ground for a resurgence in the grassroots, democratic, proudly progressive politics that the Greens have come to represent. But fertile ground doesn’t create lush gardens by itself – it requires work.
The scale of Lucas’ and Bartley’s victory – alongside the re-election of the young and left-wing Amelia Womack as Deputy Leader – provides a good basis for the start of that work. With 87% of votes, on the highest turnout in Green Party history, it will be seen as a huge mandate for making headway on a central theme of their campaign – building a progressive alliance.
It’s an idea that is not without controversy in Green circles – and that’s before we discuss Labour and the Lib Dems. Almost everyone in the party agrees with the idea in principle – ‘of course we support working together, who doesn’t?’ But when it comes to the nitty-gritty, that’s when things get difficult.
I can think of a clear example of this. At last year’s Autumn Conference, Compass chair Neal Lawson made a remark to huge applause: ‘Labour shouldn’t have stood against the Greens in Brighton Pavilion in 2015’. All well and good.
Then came a remark that was met with near-total silence: ‘…And the Greens shouldn’t have stood against Labour in Brighton Kemptown’. Caroline was one of the only ones who recognised the validity of his point.
But it’s reflective of a mentality – a tribally understandable one – that sees progressive alliances as one-way streets. Greens give up nothing, Labour give up seats – and vice-versa. That’s a mentality that must be broken down. There’s a brutal fact: any progressive alliance would have to involve the Greens standing down in, essentially, all marginals. If the result is extensive democratic reform, then surely that is worth it. But that is an argument that will have to be won in every individual Green Party branch involved.
Lucas and Bartley have a fairly pragmatic approach to all this, writing: “As Co-Leaders we therefore want our Party to fully explore the idea of a one-off, general election only progressive alliance in 2020 in England & Wales, with other political parties of the left. The purpose of such an alliance would be to secure a deal on proportional representation and allow the Green Party’s growing support to translate into a fair number of seats in Westminster and on councils up and down the country.” So it’s a means to a clear end.
Yet a progressive alliance isn’t incompatible with having a distinctive identity – in fact, quite the opposite. Greens have to prove the relevance and that a pact would actually be worthwhile. With Labour still tearing chunks out of each other – potentially for some time to come – now should be an ideal time for the Greens to pitch themselves as the ‘real opposition’, as ‘the only united left-wing party of England and Wales’. One that takes pride in being left-wing. Because while Natalie Bennett has been an outstanding organiser and recruiter for the party – the Greens have failed to carve a niche or vision over the past year. The response to the rise of Corbynism was marked by its absence.
So Lucas and Bartley’s leadership, operating in the context of an expected re-election for Corbyn, will have to put more thought into the distinctions between the parties. It is no contradiction to support a progressive alliance to realise that the Greens have to prove why we deserve to exist. This could be a time of ideological renewal for the Greens – a chance to reassert what exactly is the raison d’être.
The easy way, the ‘comfort zone’, is to retreat to a centrist, purely environmentalist position – a ‘back to basics’ approach. I think that would be a mistake. Firstly, the members would not support it – 80% of the current membership have joined since the ‘Green surge’. They are young, radical and of a ‘new new left’. Their politics are not purely environmental – they are intersectional, semi-socialist and nothing like the ‘deep green’ (population-limiting, degrowthist, life-style focused and often quasi-spiritual) ecologism of the party’s roots. In recent years, the party has come to realise that social justice and environmental protection must go hand in hand. That is where the vote is, and that is where the values are.
Some Labour/Green distinctions are already very clear, or becoming more-so. Where Corbyn wants to renationalise, we want to co-operatise. Where Corbyn’s MPs will vote for Trident, the Greens’ new leader will vote against – this time, in Parliament. Where Corbyn and the PLP back the Snoopers’ Charter, Greens stand for a left libertarianism of individual and collective rights. Where Labour vacillate on Hinkley Point and their response to Brexit, the Greens can stand for community owned energy and citizens’ involvement in what comes next.
And on a big question, democratic reform, it’s not because I campaign for the Electoral Reform Society that I say this: where Labour fail to address the elephant in the room – the need for a proportional voting system – the Greens must push harder for this than ever. Lucas and Bartley have already set this out as their goal.
Natalie Bennett has left Lucas and Bartley with a positive legacy – and she will leave the helm with high regard from members (if not from the likes of LBC). A larger membership than ever – at around 50,000. The highest vote share ever in 2015. A higher party profile than before, securing a place on the General Election debates. And a solidification of the Greens’ place on the ideological spectrum – one which is unapologetically left.
The joint leadership model is a unique one, which will have both benefits and difficulties in terms of media management and the division of roles. But if anyone is going to be able to pull it off, Lucas and Bartley stand a better chance than most.
The question is whether they can bring not just the Labour Party, but Green Party members, onboard. An 87% victory suggests they may be able to pull the latter off. As for the former, well that’s anyone’s guess.
It is very much the time to fully understand that joining forces with Labour in a one off pact will deliver us precisely nothing. While this article is well written and researched it fails to address 3 major points effectively.
Firstly, the history of the GPEW working with Labour has resulted in our keeping our side while Labour did not. Secondly, the fact is that the general position within Labour and particularly of Corbyn is to not support reform so describing this as a one off with the delivery of PR as the endgame is remarkably mis-leading. The Labour Party favour 2 party politics as it is not really that progressive. The final point is that, time and again, Corbyn has arrogantly ruled out working with us together with the SNP, Lib Dems and in point of fact, with everyone who offers them any assistance.
I would always support a genuine progressive alliance of equals with a true desire for reform but this does not describe Labour.
This article assumes a number of things that I’m not convinced are true:
1. That supporters of the new leaders support an electoral pact
2. That there are enough Green votes in marginal seats to help Labour win
3. That Labour’s vote will hold up or increase in those seats
4. That Labour can be trusted to deliver PR should they win
5. That voters will follow us if we do strike a deal
6. That we should define ourselves as ‘anti-Tory’
I personally think it’s a bad idea to jump aboard the sinking ship that is the Labour Party, risking our own identity and message to voters. There is a danger that we will disappear in the polarised debate this would create.
It is also, to some degree, an admission of defeat that the Greens cannot fill the void left by the disintegrating Labour Party. I think we can and that should be our goal, not this vague string of wishful thoughts.
Who says that Green Voters will vote for the Non-Tory candidate in marginal seats? Who says that they don’t mind their preferred party being left off the ballot paper?
We under-estimate the mischievousness of voters. How else do we account for the electorate making a eurosceptic party the biggest winners in European Elections? Let’s not forget either the football mascot, H’Angus the Monkey, who became mayor of Hartlepool on a wave of protest against the candidates?
Take voters for granted at our peril.
Has anyone done any research into the feelings of voters in marginal seats? How do they like the idea of voting tactically for a party that promises to deliver proportional representation? Is proportional representation so central to their principles that they would be prepared to vote tactically?
If voters aren’t onside, then we’re stuck in a polling booth without a pencil.
A good article. It definitely seems a good time to really push on PR.
However, I do wish we could nip this myth about new members in the bud. The most recent survey of new members shows no significant difference with existing members in terms of their political views and interests. They are not all young and of an eco socialist persuasion. The myth is part of a damaging “us and them” culture that sets members against each other in an unhelpful internal struggle.
Conference had some good sessions on political strategy and messaging, which follow a lot of detailed analysis of voter data, opinion polls, etc. Some emerging conclusions will be tested in focus groups. Quality of life and energy are certainly in the mix. If that results in an evidence-based strategy that partly focuses on what you describe as a core ecologism message, what then?
I can not understand why more people do not make comments!!!
What I see here is very good however I have to say I am not so left wing as some but do care about others I often say I am extreme middle of the road but more against the Selfservatives & ultra left than anything.
As ever I am optimistic for the future with great changes towards alternative/sustainable energy production. I think people must realise that The Green Party cares for most/all people of the country.