The views published here are of an ecosocialist nature and from the broad red, green and black political spectrum. The opinions expressed are the personal opinions of the writers and are not necessarily the view of any political parties or groupings that they belong to. Please feel free to comment on the posts here. If you would like to contact us directly, you can email us at mike.shaughnessy@btinternet.com. Follow the blog on Twitter @MikeShaugh
Monday, 27 January 2020
5 Reasons Why You Should Join Green Left
Green Left was formed in 2006 by members of the Green Party of England and Wales, as a grouping for ecosocialist and other anti-capitalist radicals and to raise Green party politics to meet the demands of its radical policies. As well as acting as an outreach body that communicates the party’s radical policies to socialists and other anti-capitalists outside of the party.
First off, you do need to be a Green party member to join Green Left, although that includes any national Green party, not only that of England and Wales.
1. After one meeting of Green Left, a new recruit said to me that it felt good to be around 'likeminded’ people. This is an important point, although most Green party members are somewhere on the left, for true socialists it is good to be in the company of people who think like you. Green Left does offer a comradely space to discuss ideas and to organise for ecosocialists within the Green party.
2. The Green party has had something of an image problem over the years. That being, white and middle class. To be fair there is some truth in this, but how will that change (and it is starting to change) unless we can address issues that are important to working class and ethnic communities? Green Left stands for a clear and unequivocal ecosocialism which champions the interests of, to coin a phrase, the 99%.
3. One of the objectives of Green Left is of an outreach body, for the Green party, to socialists and other radicals from outside of the party. We aim to give such people the confidence that they are joining a party of the left, where their political thinking will be welcomed.
4. Green Left strives to increase and improve the international links of the Green Party, building contacts with radical greens and ecosocialists across the planet. We will continue to work closely with members of other European Green parties to coordinate efforts to tackle our common ecological ills, despite the UK leaving the European Union.
5. Perhaps the most important reason for Green Left’s existence is to act within the Green Party so as to raise Green party politics to meet the demands of its radical policies. Green politics needs to be based on dynamic campaigning and hard intellectual groundwork to create workable alternatives. To this end, Green Left is kind of like the conscience of the Green party and helps it to focus on its fundamentally radical philosophy.
In short, Green Left works to enable you to live in a society based on peace, ecological balance, economic equality and inclusion.
Join Green Left here
Two comments:
ReplyDelete1) I think this statement is a bit “ long in the tooth” and needs to be geared to the conjuncture of the 2020s, climate emergency, Green capitalism, deepening ideological crisis, etc.
2) Regarding pt. 2: I think this is a huge problem and numbers of Greens do not want to address the issue. I put together this editorial package last winter for Green World magazine. https://greenworld.org.uk/article/broadening-base-green-movement
My local Green Party refused to post it on the local party Facebook page.
Love to join Green Left. Sadly, as the Green Party of England & Wales won't allow the likes of me to be a member, I can't.
ReplyDelete