Letter: Roots of the Green Party's political failure

Sir: Lesley Whittaker may be right that the Green Party will have a permanent (my emphasis) place on the sidelines, but I joined PEOPLE (the original name of the Green Party) in March 1973, for a third reason beyond the two she gives for its continued existence. That reason remains crucial, which is why my membership, unlike hers, is unbroken ever since.

Lesley admits she was mistaken in thinking that 'every party in the UK had ecological issues and policies high among its priorities'. What will always be needed is a political pressure group, which the electorate can threaten to turn into a real political party, as it did in 1989, whenever those priorities are forgotten.

It is strange that Lesley of all people describes Green as a single issue. At every turn, issues proliferate where there is a Green perspective that is still ignored. I'm afraid I cannot retire from Green politics until the significance of the Basic Income is understood and taken for granted on all sides: it will enable us to emerge from recession without returning to indiscriminate economic growth that will destroy itself, and us with it.

Lesley's hope that new investment will be in cleaner technology is vain unless she, and a few thousand others like her, come back into the fold pdq

Yours faithfully,

CLIVE LORD

Green Party

Batley, West Yorkshire

11 March