Comments on: Why I resigned from the Green Party

By: Adam Green

Adam Green — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:04:56 +0000

I’m a former long standing Green supporter at elections but now I’m campaigning for Labour in Norwich. I didn’t ‘leave’ the Greens because of anything they’d done but rather because I see that there is one almighty existential threat from the Coalition to practically every decent thing that progressive people stand for and I want be on the side of the only national alternative government. In a nutshell, times are too tough to muck about.

Here in Norwich, the Greens are Labour’s opponents and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt about the Green Party above everything else is that, despite it cornering the ‘brand’ it’s not “A Cause” or an alternative to “the machine” – it’s JUST ANOTHER POLITICAL PARTY. And, locally, one that campaigns in almost exactly the same way as the Lib Dems – the continual attacks on Labour Town Hall (at the same time as their own Council in Brighton is having to make the same cuts amd compromises), the almost complete lack of principle (see a bit further down) and the almost sociopathic idea that because what they stand for is so important that the ends always justify the means.

Here, where I campaign, we’ve had the absurd spectacle of the local Green Party whipping up local nimbyism to prevent vital social housing being built where there are currently garages (i.e in favour of cars) and in a Labour intiated anti-eviction campaign against private developers telling local residents that they weren’t evictions just “terminations of tenancies” (even when Shelter here were calling them evictions) and criticising Labour for being “political” for trying to prevent them.

Since then, the local Green Party have decided that evictions a) do exist and b) are bad – because the completely hypothetical prospect of evictions as a consequence of the bedroom tax gives the Green Party another opportunity to attack Labour Town Hall. A Labour Town Hall that is using some of its rent proceeds to eco-retrofit its stock saving tenants far more money than the Tax is taking from them and reducing carbon emissions at the same time.

There is more but it’s just too depressing to spend the time typing it out so here’s a reasonable summary of the situation here in Norwich by a former councillor of theirs who has had enough and left (and not come to Labour, btw): http://bit.ly/11wpHqS

In the last couple of months I’ve spoken to over 500 Green supporters and there is a such a disconnect between what they think they are voting for and the reality of the party that they are electing. If you were a Green supporter wouldn’t you expect that they’d be the party resisting evictions by a private developer or fighting for social housing or wanting to cut carbon emissions and reduce fuel poverty at the same time?

As I said, the Greens are just another party. And before anyone says “well, that’s politics, mate” that doesn’t cut it when we’re talking about a party that makes it corn by coming on like an alternative to what’s wrong with our political system. Their supporters think they’re voting for something better than that.

By: brianquinlan

brianquinlan — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:34:32 +0000

great stuff spot on,very intrested in eco -leftwing party,greens in Ireland soldedout, in Goverment shifted to the right.
After being part of rightwing neo con goverment got wipedout, a real green- socailist group
badly needed in Ireland.

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.