Polanski
campaigned on the platform of ‘eco-populism’ which he described as being bolder
and more radical than the party’s traditional image of being nice and
uncontroversial. In his victory speech, after the result was announced, he said
that he would look to build a ‘green left’ movement. Polanski also labelled the current Labour government’s policies as ‘despicable.’
During the leadership
campaign, Polanski said that he hoped to work with the embryotic Your Party which was announced over the
summer by former Labour Party leader and MP Jeremy Corbyn and former Labour
Party MP Zarah Sultana. The new party says that close to a million people have
signed up to their mailing list.
Meanwhile, the
Greens have a base in local government with over 850 councillors already in
place. Setting up a new party is no easy thing, and we are only three and a
half years away from a General Election, an electoral alliance would benefit Your
Party, if the will is there.
The two parties
share similar policies on taxing the wealthy, nationalising utilities, peace, Palestine/Israel, the environment, and a positive view of immigration, which augurs well. Paradoxically, it also raises hurdles to
a cooperative approach to elections, since both parties appeal to the same type
of voters, ex Labour, who tend to live in the same type of Parliamentary
constituencies, that is urban areas in the main. Polling puts the Greens as being
big losers if the new party is listed as an option.
The ’Green
surge’ of 2015, where the Green Party’s membership grew rapidly from less than
20,000 to 70,000 turned into a Corbyn surge when he stood for the leadership of
the Labour Party in 2016. Many left leaning Green members defected to Labour
making it much more difficult for the left in the Green Party to have influence
in the party.
The Green
Party finished second to Labour in 40 seats at last year’s General Election, 18 of which are in
London. The party won Bristol Central at the election, and this constituency illustrates
the trend. Formerly Bristol West before boundary changes for the 2025 election,
the seat was a target for the Greens who looked on course to win the seat from
Labour, until Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party, who won easily
in 2017 and 2019. The other two seats in Bristol also had strong Green votes
last year.
So, for such an
electoral alliance to be formed, some give and take will be needed. My
observations of the British left over the years doesn’t make me overly
optimistic that they can cooperate successfully, for very long. Political
history is littered with sectarian splits on the left, the RESPECT Party comes quickly
to mind, but there were others before that too.
There is hope
though. Corbyn has said that the new party will cooperate with the Greens and
now Polianski’s elevation to Green Party leader makes this more likely. Polling
also suggests that supporters of the Greens and Your Party want such a red
green alliance, with 31%
of Britons saying they would consider voting for a united ticket.
One thing is for sure, this country desperately needs a strong ecosocialist electoral presence, as the Labour party dances to Nigel Farage’s xenophobic tune. The tide of British politics needs to turn from the ever rightward drift of recent years. From rip off privatised public services to callous immigration policies, we can do it, if we come together.
