WITH the UK Labour Party in dire straits – both in terms of ideology and polling – the British Left need a party to rally around.
Some have tried to fill the void – the Breakthrough Party are hoping to make a splash in future elections, while the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) are also hoping to hoover up disenfranchised Corbynites.
But many would argue there is already a leftist electoral organisation in place – the Green Party in England and Wales.
They have polled fairly strongly in the last year – primarily thanks to Starmer’s lack of green credentials and a growing climate movement.
However, they have never really threatened the political establishment like their counterparts abroad.
In Germany, the Greens are kingmakers. Last week’s election saw them gain 15 per cent of the vote, and a massive 118 seats.
In Scotland, the Scottish Green Party now rule in coalition with the SNP.
Despite all the noise about Climate Change, the Greens have never achieved more than one seat in parliament, while they don’t pull up trees locally like the Liberal Democrats.
On Friday they elected Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay as co-leaders. It is thought they were more focused on electoral success, while their rival duo looked towards direct activism.
A strong Green Party is needed now more than ever – but it is yet to be seen whether Denyer and Ramsay can transform the Greens into a serious electoral force in England and Wales.
As alluded to earlier, the success of the German Greens could be a model to emulate. They may now be in a governing coalition – James Moules looks at the electoral possibilities.
Traffic light? Jamaica? Groko? What do the German coalition options mean?
Climate activism is back on the news menu in Britain – thanks to Insulate Britain, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion.
A spokesperson for the group talked to Redaction Report about their seemingly unpopular, road-blocking protests.
Insulate Britain insist ‘extreme’ but unpopular protests are needed
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer’s delivered his first conference speech in person since assuming the Labour leadership in April 2020.
Labour Conference 2021: Brighton shambles shows why Starmer won’t be PM
LOOKING FORWARD
Labour’s post-conference polling has been lame – but as more clips of Starmer’s speech make the rounds, it’s certainly one to keep an eye on.
Featured Image: Midnightblueowl @WikimediaCommons
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