Comments on: Why I resigned from the Green Party

By: Xanti

Xanti — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:20:30 +0000

This is an age old story with Green parties around the world. They typically (though not always) start off as pretty left-wing, becoming a big tent if you will for leftists of various stripes, but once they start entering the mainstream more and more, they quickly move to the “center” or liberal compass and seek desperately and as fast as possible to shed their leftist origins. This is primarily because Green politics resonate the most with upper middle class liberals and not working class stiffs, so it’s never an arrangement that can last forever. What you guys need is a genuine left-wing party, if you really want to promote leftist policies.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:41:02 +0000

Hi Joseph

I resigned from the Green Party some time ago for similar reasons.
I’ve decided to go with the Respect Party as I see them as the only credible eco-socilist party in the UK.
Respect needs more people like you!
By the way I have been talking with Malcolm Bailey of Green Left in Luton.

Best wishes

Peter Wakeham
Luton Respect
01582 512184

By: Lesley

Lesley — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:24:14 +0000

I agree what Joseph says but wish he hadn’t left the Green Party. There is still plenty to fight for and as many have said it is still the best option on the voting paper. Regarding the Brighton and Hove budget he omitted the fact that it was not a unanimous decision. There are still people there including a councillor, and Caroline Lucas, who were opposed to the decision. I am afraid there will be GP members who are glad Joseph resigned and I hope that one day he’ll be back to challenge them from the conference floor again. We are a democratic party unlike airbrushed Labour and a member who doesn’t agree with policy or actions of the party has a chance to say so.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:43:07 +0000

I am not sure why this was a resigning issue.

The Greens are not a socialist party. So socialists who join should not be surprised that as it becomes increasingly involved in electoral politics it will take positions that socialists oppose.

When it does so, the job of socialists is to argue against those positions, hopefully winning members and supporters to its side and strengthening the left within the organisation.

To resign because a non-socialist party behaves in a non-socialist manner only concedes ground to the right.

Between 1974 and 1979 the Labour government, and Labour councils, implemented savage cuts across the public sector. Socialists within the party did not walk away in disgust – and they were right not to.

By: Mathew

Mathew — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:48:58 +0000

I know how you fear the word pragmatic.

By: james?

james? — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:58:24 +0000

the tactical debate on whether to try and do the best you can or to let the government come in and make the cuts is not a simple one. but what should not be forgotten or forgiven is the cuts will be nearly 5million worse because the brighton and hove labour party would not let the green adminstration make a small increase in council tax. in other areas of the country labour have done the same taking a grant from the government not to raise council tax.
labour are not serious about making the best of it they are making the cuts worse and playing politics with peoples lives. moreover they dont even have a national plan to stop the cuts should they be returned to governement.

By: Rhydian Davies

Rhydian Davies — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:23:22 +0000

“My current view of the Green Party is that it is far from perfect but that it is currently the only viable political party in most parts of the country which can be used as an umbrella group by left wing radicals to take part in electoral politics whilst still holding on to their principles and remaining involved with other grassroots”

Ditto

By: Simon Hales

Simon Hales — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:00:24 +0000

Like a number of people on here, I joined the Green Party after many years on the radical left, starting with the Militant Tendancy and spending many years after that involved in various direct action movements that were not run by or affiliated with any particular political party or organisation. These campaigns included the Newbury Bypass protest and similar “treetop” camps.

Many of the people on these campaigns, including myself, could best be described as “anarchists”, “anarchist-socialist”, “independant socialists” and so on, i.e. holding a range of very left wing (often revolutionary) political views but not working within any political party.

My current view of the Green Party is that it is far from perfect but that it is currently the only viable political party in most parts of the country which can be used as an umbrella group by left wing radicals to take part in electoral politics whilst still holding on to their principles and remaining involved with other grassroots campaigning outside the party. It is possible that in the future the Green Party may insist on its members becoming more “on message” and resorting to mass expulsions as the Labour Party did with the Millitants but we have not yet reached this stage.

By: Doug Rouxel

Doug Rouxel — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:28:43 +0000

Rueben above states that the disagreement is purely tactical, this is nonsense – this assumes that both Brighton Green and Joseph are both proposing a position which entails a fightback against the government and it’s austerity agenda, but this is quite simply not the case.

The tactical effectiveness of setting an illegal budget is one thing, and there is a lot to be discussed around what an effective fightback by a council would look like in 2012, what I can assure you is that it wouldn’t look like the activities of the Green Group on B&H council – they are quite simply not taking part in the fight, there actions are not those of a body of people fighting back.

In light of this, this is not someone leaving over a tactical disagreement – indeed, if that was the case then he would have left last december, rather than waiting till now, this is someone leaving because the green group on B&H council refuses to fight, and the party conference is happy for this to be the case – and the person (or in fact people, as there are a number of others) leaving are keen for there to be a fight, and can’t be part of an organisation which is not prepared to fight.

By: Nick Foster

Nick Foster — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:58:08 +0000

I have been a Green Party member for 7 years, after spending my youth first in Militant (now Socialist Party, the SWP and briefly in Solidarity Federation. I have experienced the good and bad sides of being in a democratic centralist and a pluralist organisation.

Activists should be where they feel both comfortable and effective, this may vary – Dawud Islam the Green Candidate in the recent Bradford West Bye-election is now standing for Respect, whereas a number of ex Respect members in areas where they have had less impact have joined the Greens. (like here in Bristol)

The replacement of principle speakers by a leader, also was too much for a lot of great people in the Green Party (I voted against but it wasn’t enough to force me to leave.)

It isn’t easy being Green as Kermit says and it isn’t always easy being a Socialist in the Green Party.

Nick Foster Bristol Green Party