Skye Pepier - Policy Development Committee

 

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?

 

Now that we're once again facing a centrist Labour Party, the impact of being a consistent home for disillusioned Labour voters should be felt once again, and eco-socialist policies must be a key part of this. It is also something that will increase our appeal among radical younger voters. We have also seen several councillor defections in recent years, being a home for disillusioned Labour councillors is helping us get established in new areas, and provide a platform for growth. 

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?

 

Sadly, the lack of many second-place finishes for the Greens in 2019 makes such strategic voting arguments more difficult for us, as well as the difficulty of knowing if the next election will happen before or after the proposed boundary changes, which makes seats like the future Isle of Wight seats difficult to predict. Decisions on candidates could be delegated to local parties, which have better local knowledge, and might be able to come to arrangements with other parties in their region. 

 

Standing down, for one election, in favour of decent Labour candidates in Labour-Tory marginal seats, and especially where the Green vote is around the 'deposit-saving' region, is one way of helping to see more non-Tory MPs elected, but it is going to be difficult to ask Labour for much of benefit in return at the next election.

 

We are probably looking, generally however, at a situation where putting maximum resources into obvious target seats, such as Bristol West, as well as finding regional development seats, such as where the numbers of Green councillors has been increasing, could be a good use of our resources for this election.

 

Putting resources behind the countering of Tory messages/messaging on the national level could be another way of contributing also.

 

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?

 

Supporting local struggles against new polluting infrastructure, such as the Edmonton incinerator and the Silvertown Tunnel in London, or the expansion of airports such as Bristol Airport, or the continued use of bio-fuel at Drax Power Station, could be a good priority for campaigns that would raise our profile. These could be financed by local fundraising initiatives, or support from the main Party.

4.      How can the Party improve the way it communicates its policies

to the BAME and white working class?

 

Supporting, engaging in and helping to set up community events such as community assemblies and other community meetings would be a good way of getting messages out directly, person-to-person.

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?

 

Supporting Ukraine while maintaining an approach to NATO which can include criticism of operations when necessary in the long-term.

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?

 

Finding more democratic ways to re-call spokespeople if needed could be one way of doing this.

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?

 

Encourage spokespeople to refer to Green Party policy whenever necessary, for this.

8.      How would you raise the international relevance and profile of the GPEW?

 

Discuss international solidarity positions, including for example, defending the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), a.k.a. Rojava.

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?

 

Remind people of the necessity, and benefit, of healthy and mutual respect.

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?

 

It would be difficult to ensure this completely, but something akin to a pre-election period such as a 'purdah' could be possible to implement in some way.