Caroline Lucas: Forget the BNP. What about the planet?
The real success story of the European and local elections belongs to the Greens, who forge the way on environmental issues
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Independent Minds
There have been two big media stories of the 2009 elections: the demise of Labour and the rise of the BNP. Both were trailed heavily throughout the six weeks of the campaign. Both have received a good deal of attention since. But behind the headlines there's another story, a story that I would suggest offers Britain rather more hope than the other two: the rise of the Green Party.
In the European elections the Green Party increased its vote by 44 per cent compared with 2004. In both the South-east and the South- west, the Greens finished ahead of Labour. In Liverpool and Manchester the Greens finished ahead of the Conservatives. In the county elections fought on the same day, Green councillors broke through on to four more county councils. We won five more seats in Norfolk and another one in Lancashire. We out-polled all comers in Norwich and Oxford.
For the first time, the Greens are now within sight of winning seats at Westminster under first-past-the-post. Not many seats, but some. In the European elections we beat all the other parties across the three parliamentary constituencies of Brighton and Hove. In Brighton Pavilion, the seat I shall be contesting in the general election, we already hold a majority of the city council seats. I shall fight Brighton Pavilion to win.
We came first in Norwich in both the European and county elections. We hold a majority of seats in Norwich South, the seat to be contested by Green Party deputy leader Adrian Ramsay. Meanwhile, in Lewisham Deptford we came a close second to Labour. Lewisham Deptford will be contested for the Greens by Darren Johnson, the current chair of the London Assembly.
That we are on the brink of getting MPs into Westminster is good news, and not just for the Green Party. We are facing a triple crisis that the other parties still haven't quite got their heads round: the economic crisis, the climate crisis and the looming peak oil problem. According to a new report from a UN think tank, climate change is now reckoned to be killing 300,000 people, and damaging the world's economy to the tune of $125bn (£76bn), every year. So we urgently need to make prosperity sustainable in ecological terms. Who is going to do this?
Labour and the Conservatives are wedded to a neo-liberal ideology that insists market forces will solve problems that, for decades, market forces have demonstrably failed to address – not least the climate crisis. All around the world, people are calling for a Green New Deal. Gordon Brown gave us a so-called green stimulus package that on close inspection by the New Economics Foundation was only 0.6 per cent green. Far from selecting things that would create relatively large numbers of jobs quickly, like renewable energy and home insulation, Brown favoured things like nuclear and coal-fired power stations, which are not green and won't create jobs for many years, and even then will sustain far fewer jobs per megawatt than renewables would. This is what you get with a business-as-usual party.
Conversely, the Greens went into this year's elections with a manifesto calculated to create more than a million UK jobs within two to three years, while slashing CO2 emissions. For the Greens, it's never been about environment versus economics. It's always been about good economics, firmly rooted in social justice and sustainability, versus bad economics. The bad economics driven by the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, whose economic policies have wreaked havoc on Britain's public services, threatened our NHS, widened the gulf between rich and poor and neglected the sustainability imperative.
Can we expect a big Green vote in the coming general election? I would hope so, because the Greens have a lot to offer the British public. Who else would re-nationalise the railways and slash national rail fares? Who else would re-regulate the buses and provide far more of them? Which party is solidly committed to keeping the Royal Mail as a public service, publicly owned and publicly accountable? Which party has worked out how to pay for a £165 weekly basic pension? And which party is committed to ending the scandal of PFI hospitals, restoring free eye tests and dental care, and providing far better maternity services?
These are policies that command a great deal of support in the UK, so the challenge facing the Greens is mostly about getting our message across. The Green Party is notoriously under-reported, which is why so few people know about our policies for social and economic justice and so many still see us as mere environmentalists. But I do believe our million-jobs manifesto has struck a chord with a lot of the voters. As well as a massive increase in vote share, the Green Party increased its membership by 12 per cent in the six weeks of the 2009 election campaign.
There's talk of a big protest vote at the next general election. But I hope it will be far more than a protest. I hope it will be a positive vote for a new vision. We need to restore what decades of Thatcherism and Blairism have destroyed. We need to transcend the boom-bust model of economics, to proof ourselves against another credit crunch and to put the British economy on a truly sustainable footing.
We need sweeping electoral reform to make British democracy more representative of the diversity of British people and their opinions. We want politicians to care about people, and people to care about politics.
With British politics in a greater state of turmoil than at any time for decades, there has never been a greater need for change, nor a greater opportunity to bring it about.
Caroline Lucas MEP is leader of the Green Party
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Comments
As horrible as Nick Griffin is, this statement is actually right. There has been a silence from all the main parties regarding the Labour's unfettered immigration policy. The trendy lefties have trained politicians to keep their mouths shut, even when doing so is an abdication of their responsibility to the British people. Anyone who walks down any street in the UK can see the seismic changes that have occurred to the very fabric of society because of massive and unsustainable immigration. And this is not immigration by healthy, skilled or cashed up immigrants either - quite the opposite - many are a drain on the British economy and heath service. One convicted Islamic terrorist has openly admitted that he keeps his family on social security because "it weakens the infidel" and his eight children will not have to "mix with the infidel". This is an important insight into the psychology of some immigrants whose religious convictions are incompatible with modern society.
The left claim that somehow we are all mistaken about Labour's open-door immigration policy. Well consider this FACT - 25% of all babies born in the UK are from mother who have been born overseas. 25% !
Unless the main parties STOP ignoring the elephant in the room and stop the masses of unskilled, poor and unhealthy people pouring into the UK on a daily basis then people will continue to vote for the likes of Nick Griffin. Immigration through arranged marriages (a sickening and outmoded religious custom) and "family reunion" enables many thousands to be admitted to the UK each year.
Australian or New Zealand models of immigration are already in place and work very effectively in providing the these countries with HIGH QUALITY, SKILLED, QUALIFIED and HEALTHY immigrants who do not harbour a natural hatred towards the west. WHY NOT THE UK?
For some VERY disturbing statistics see the following
http://www.migrationwatchuk.com/
Mrs Lucas, I have sent you seven letters and four emails, and have yet to receive an answer to any of them when I provided pages of statistics showing that anthropogenic climate change is a myth. I pay for you, so answer my queries.
You also compared travelling to Spain with knifing someone. Do you expect people to take you seriously with that sort of ideological rubbish.
You are the typical 1980's English graduate with an interest on sociology. A sandal wearing, yoghurt drinking, muesli eating, soap dodging hypocrite.
Besides, accumulating wealth beyond your needs is fairly pointless - you can't take it with you, after all.
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla
I appreciate the concerns about what to do with nuclear waste, but it seems eminently sensible to bury it safely as that is where it came from in the first place.
As to the concerns that the building of nuclear power plants generates enough CO2 to negate the savings made through their lifespan, maybe this should be balanced by considering the amount of CO2 generated during the building of wind farms etc., I have read that it will take 25 years of peak power production for a wind turbine to balance the amount of CO2 released during it's construction.
As an island nation it would be more sensible to be using the power of the tides to provide a lot of our energy needs, this could also be incorporated with the measures needed to protect the country from any future rise in sea levels.
The Green Party needs to take on board a more balanced viewpoint which will enable it to produce policies which will actually work. It is all very well saying that pollution must be reduced, but they must provide feasible, practical, and efficient alternatives.
Storage in the ground is also problematic; how do you prevent isotopes from entering the water-table? How will the local populace react to being told a large pile of potentially fissible material is effectively in their cellars?
As much as it grates to say it (I'm a biology undergrad) tide power is a good idea - but wave power is better; give the latter a few years, most of the university MechEnge departments in the country seem to have something in the works
PRep may help democracy whilst making BNP AND the Greens more visible. PRep type democracy, as shown by Denmark, does not mean the end of polarisation. The rightwing, anti-foreign party of Denmark is THE powerful force in that country which dominates govt. policy. Only real ontheground living, working and mixing in the areas of the "disenchanted" by Green and alternative liberal/left M(E)Ps may build support for them......the BNP is close to its constituents...personally and politically and socially. In this way BNP is old fashioned and that may be part of its appeal......one very important thing to learn from them??? The emergence of a political class(as demonstrated by the expenses debacle...and presumably an upcoming one on EU personnel, politicians, etc as we look on the Kinnock pension schemes) demonstrates the alienation of constituents from their political reps on too many levels. The BNP is close physically, socially....and that is certainly one of its great strenghts. Its genuine proximity (the cuddle factor) to its voters and, much more dangerous, to the disenchanted and cynical and embittered wouldbe voters is a source of its strength. So do not forget about the BNP. They are a threat to the planet, to peace and to democracy. Appeasement or passivity are nogoers.
And European countries must fight for a common immigrationand refugee policy ...only by social democracies and humanist taking the lead here can this elephant be deflated to mouse.
At the moment countries conduct their own often both inhuman, populistic and inconsistent politices reg refugees. In Italy and Romania the persecution of the Romany is a human scandal and tragedy which the EU looks passively upon. In Denmark xenophobic lawgiving forces Sweden to take in those split families, including fully fledged Danish ones, to flee to their regions. Suspicion the Other is close tothe norm in Danish society unfortunately. It comes acreeping.
A common, evenly distributed, and evenly financed genuinely European policy would take some of the wind out of BNP type organisations. It would also show those voters who feel unsafe and lost that attention is paid to their anxieties...without simple populistic, scapegoating lawgiving.
It might seem at times almost too easy to get into the EU if one looks at its core Enlightenment values...it is tragically ironic that Turkey is refused entry whilst at least one EU country is well behind in human rights record when compared to that country......a fanciful question perhaps might be ..... it possible to be thrown out of the EU for infringement of democratic values??
I voted Green and I really do believe that they are the only way, I used to vote Liberal, before the became democrats, a foolish name because they wouldn't know what democracy was if it stood up and hit them in the face.
Great article and for a change not a sneering tee hee type interview.
The Green Party is well on its way now and if Britain wakes up and stops slumbering in the slough of despond the other parties have left us in. There is nothing to be scared of in a green government, it is different and it will take a little bit of getting used too. Thankfully I am already there and living a self sufficient life, not using a car; Walking and using public transport, admittedly at present it isn't the cheapest and most comfortable way of getting about sometimes, but this will definitely change under the Green Party for the best possible use for everyone.
I am head of heels and cock-a-hoop over the growing move towards really caring for people and our wonderful planet.
WAKE UP and GROWN UP deniers of Climate Change, you will be the useless articles crying and snivelling into their hankies when they are caught out and unprepared to survive when oil runs out and gas and heating bills are so expensive you cannot heat your houses, food is not available because there is no transport to carry it to you. I'm alright though and I am living a very happy less complicated very happy life and I am not all worried about the climate, energy or transport problems.
Wouldn't you like to live a stress free and fun filled life like my family and friends?
I doubt either of these will become a reality unfortunately.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgq
(that was ongoing until a recent failed coup by Blatcherism and with luck will now be eradicated as vigourously and thoroughly as was Baath influence in Iraq, where bloodstained Blatcherists supported the use of murder squads). An alternative descriptor with very similar meaning and the same implications in terms of a criminal trial, is of course 'quisling' as a prefix of 'government'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgq
You could make a case that it's still more efficient than having people unemployed - but it should still be done in the most efficient way. You could create jobs be paying some people to go round breaking windows and then some more people to fix them, but that doesn't make it sensible.
The Guardian was correct when it called the Green Party a "refuge for the progressive left". The Greens have been ahead of the game on political, economic, social and environmental sustainability for years. Keep up the good work!
First, they they decide that they don't like foreign influence or foreign governments.
Then, they start to preach against these foreign things.
Next thing you know, they have a following.
Then the following grows.
Then come the civil disobedience campaigns.
and before you know it, there's upheaval and they toss out the foreigners.
Of course, I'm referring here to the Nationalist Ghandi, not the Nationalist Griffin.
They have policies on giving more power to local governments. Also good.
What is not good is the continued basis of their economic policy on climate change and so-called sustainable development. Peak oil is a myth. There are huge oil fields in Alaska, Montana and other places just sitting there. Since 1971 when the USA came off the gold standard oil has been used as a political weapon, just like gold has been for so many years. Oil is not a free market and it is most certainly not running out.
Basing so many policies on such a contentious theory as CO2 is causing the world to warm up a bit is irresponsible. Also I cannot find any policy on immigration. Some other policies look a bit Stalinist to me. On the whole a strange mixture of real democracy and communism.
When the Green Group decides to organise a Group week online, turning its back on the expenses that MEPs would get from attending a physical meeting and setting the ecological standard for the Parliament, we will certainly start paying attention to you. I promise.
I guess they are like me. I always make mistake when I spell Tony Blaire and Dell Carnegie says to a man his name is most important. Even the dogs like good names. Nevertheless, will Tony Blaire come after a very long holiday in the Red Sea and the breeze of the Mediterranean? Even St. Peters is playing games with Windows and doors
Bill Gates goes to purgatory.
St. Peter says, "Now Bill, you have done some good things, and you have done some bad things. Now I am going to let you decide where you want to go".
First, St. Peter shows Bill an image of Hell with beautiful women running on beaches. Then, St Peter shows Bill an image of Heaven with robed angels playing harps on clouds.
Bill chooses Hell.
About a week later, St. Peter checks in on Bill in Hell and finds him being whipped by demons.
Bill says to St. Peter, "What happened to all the beautiful women and the beaches?"
St. Peter replies, "That was just the screen saver."
I thank you
Firozali A. Mulla
As for immigration the idea that it's a problem or uncontrolled is the reverse of the truth - genuine refugees are being sent back to their deaths. The BNP is not right on immigration, it's claims on it are wild fantasy.
For more details and sources proving these claims see
http://inplaceoffear.blogspot.com/2