1. What
impact do you think the Green Party's eco-socialist policies have had on the party's growth and how can that be sustained?
This week we saw Labour publicly disavow itself of
previous core socialist policies around renationalisation of key industries.
These were pledges endorsed by Starmer as he sought election as leader.
Following this announcement, we have seen new members flock to the Green Party.
Whilst we do not & should not exist or grow purely in the context of what
the Labour Party are doing, it is impossible to ignore that our membership
grows every time Labour lurches to the right.
2. The recent Tory by-election defeats suggest
the electorate are making their own decisions on strategic voting. How can the Green Party intervene to turn that to its advantage?
We are facing boundary changes that will impact and alter the range of seats
that are now within reach of the party, and ensuring that this is properly
communicated both nationally and locally is very important. However, the key to
success is to make voters aware of what we stand for, and that we are not a
'wasted vote' as is so often considered to be the case.
3. What would be your priorities for campaigns
outside election periods that would raise our profile in communities, engage our members and attract new ones? How could that be financed?
Volunteering and championing the work of elected greens. We have a reputation
as a party that cares all year round, not just in the run-up to an election. We
need to maintain that, getting members involved, and keeping the party visible
to voters at all times.
4. How can the Party improve the way it
communicates its policies to the BAME and white working class?
As all other parties walk away from the working class, especially young working
class people, we are now the only party with policies written with the working
class in mind. We need to champion our working class candidates, and we need to
loudly and clearly give our full support to unions – especially those who are
taking strike action. We need to be shouting from the rooftops about our
policies regarding minimum wage increased and UBI and how they can help our
workers, coupled with our other policies that make life better such as
renationalisation of utilities.
5. Should the Green Party review its policy on
NATO in the light of the current conflict in Ukraine and what would be your approach?
We understand there is a new draft of the Peace, Security and Defence Policy
where the position on NATO has been subject to amendment. Overall we support
the view that a world seeking disarmament must remain our overall strategy, and
we acknowledge that NATO is not a silver bullet cure for the ills of the world.
However, we see the reality of what is happening in Ukraine, and know that this
policy is not a 'day 1' policy but a long term goal that has many variables to
account for before being implemented.
6. The 24 hours news cycle means that
contributions from our spokespeople have to be rapid if they are to be given media space. How can we manage that whilst maintaining democratic accountability?
A key initiative for greater journalistic engagement with our spokespeople
is to ensure that their titles indicate their correspondence with existing
cabinet positions. The press understand a shadow foreign secretary – but
perhaps less so roles like 'peace and global justice spokesperson', or 'global
solidarity spokesperson'. We need there to be ease of engagement with our
spokespeople, with clear signposting to contact details for them and a good
relationship with the national and regional press teams is essential.
It is also essential that spokespersons are recruited with the skills that make
them subject matter experts, and that their knowledge and experience in their
field makes them a safe pair of hands to speak with authority, credibility, and
authenticity on their subject. Encouraging them to have a core group of
advisors and additional support is also recommended, as these experts can also
deputise on agreed lines to ensure that we are heard as widely and as often as
possible without overburdening individuals
7. Given that some Government policies such as
privatisation and reducing rights are a thread crossing different sectors how can spokespeople cooperate on our overall messaging to ensure this is addressed?
If we have spokespersons who are subject matter experts then we believe we will
see a more cohesive and collegiate approach to these roles as there will be
confidence in peers more than is visible now. We also believe that allowing
leaders to appoint spokespeople that they know and trust, will assist in
building a collegiate team who are working together on joint consistent
messaging.
Having specific spokesperson social media profiles to ensure key messaging is
delivered crisply, and spokespeople work together on joint messaging, supported
by a strong external comms officer with a clear media strategy for promoting
policies will see a marked improvement in messaging. This is something a well
organised executive lead by sensible co-chairs focussed on professionalism and
electoral success can assist.
8. How would you raise the international
relevance and profile of the GPEW?
We need an international coordinator who is committed to working alongside and
learning from not only our European partners, but our global ones too.
Engagement with international green groups, in particular the European Greens
needs to be a priority, not an afterthought. Ash has attended European Greens
as one of our delegates previously, and noted that the degree to which the
Green Party has engaged with them in the past had been disappointing, and our
reputation and presence was not what it should be.
9. The Green Party has recently encountered
difficulties in maintaining a respectful and comradely debate on issues where there has been sharp disagreement. What would be your approach to improving the atmosphere in which these debates take place?
Conference needs to stop being the place where there is an endless rehash of
the same conversations, if there is indeed a discussion to be had then a series
of 1 minute debate clashes on the conference floor is not the place for them.
Mature, round-table conversations are needed nationwide - properly managed,
with a clear aim and purpose.
We also need to ensure that our members understand that their freedom of speech
does not make it acceptable or productive to tear each other to shreds, or to
be intentionally provocative. No useful conversation on trans rights has ever
started with somebody telling a trans woman that she's a man or that trans
people are a danger to children. It might well be a person's view, but it's hardly
a useful dialogue opener. If you've got nothing nice to say, then the round
table isn't going to help you.
We need to be mindful that the trans community worldwide is tiny in statistical
terms, and so cis members expecting our own small trans community to engage
over and over again in hostile environments where they face misgendering and
abusive comments is not reasonable. Trans members should not be forced or
pressured into hundreds of one on one, hostile conversational demands that they
justify themselves. Our members should be free to engage with wider party work
without feeling obligated to discuss their oppression.
Where conversations are had, and are appropriate, nonviolent communication is
key. We must always be mindful of our [curtailed as exceeded word limit].
10. How can we ensure a level playing field in internal
elections when some candidates have the advantage of access to a national platform and networks?
We need to focus on the merit and experience of our candidates, and how well
suited they are to roles. Too often we focus on re-electing those who have held
office before, as they are known, which is not a sound basis for election
success. More rigour is needed to ensure those in any role have the skills
needed. In some cases, a more interactive format than hustings is needed,
especially where leader and deputy leader elections are concerned.
We also need to try and engage our members on a more local level, by arranging
opportunities to meet their candidates, rather than viewing them through the
abstraction of a twitter campaign or yet more dry hustings. By getting more
involved with our grassroots, we might stand more chance in getting a greater
diversity of candidates, rather than unchallenged elections, and all-man,
all-London deputy leader elections.
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