Tyrone Scott - Deputy Leader

 

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?

 I think the Green Party’s eco-socialist policies have been key to much of our growth and in the current socio-economic climate will be instrumental in our growth moving forward. I joined the Green Party because I felt it was the only party which was not only fighting to secure climate justice, but understood the intersectionalities with oru fight for social and economic justice. 

Our policies against mass privatisation, our pro-union stance and values of participatory democracy need to be voiced loudly and proudly in what is now a political void. No political party is standing up for eco-socialist values and people feel abandoned. The Labour Party continues to move to the right, embracing Neo-Liberal politics and rejecting the foundations on which they were built. If we want to continue to grow as a party we need to seize on this opportunity before somebody else does. 

The cost of living crisis is widening the already huge inequality gap and it is our progressive, eco-socialist policies which can help close that divide. I think we need to proudly champion these policies and use our platform to be clear we are a left-wing, eco-socialist party, we need to show we stand up for communities suffering most, and that we can be a political home for those who feel abandoned by other parties who continue to venture 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?

I think if we focus on grassroots community organising and activism, we can build a platform in communities ready for by-elections. Whilst at a local level, rather than national, my recent result in the De Beauvoir by-election supports this. When people are presented with the Green Party as a credible option, as a vote which won’t be wasted, they often vote Green. 

In De Beauvoir, Hackney, we had not campaigned prior to May 2022. Due to our resources and strategy, we had focused on other wards. Due to the by-election, we had an opportunity to run a campaign in the area and really connect with the community before the July by-election. During the local elections in May, Labour had won that seat by 538 votes and within 6 weeks, we reduced that deficit to just 27. This was done by embedding ourselves within that community, speaking positively about our policies and connecting with community groups. 

We were able to seize upon results we had in other wards in Hackney to show we could win, and when we do win, we make a positive impact. I am confident that once people truly believe we can win, and believe our policies can be enacted, many will vote Green. We showed this in an area where we had no presence just 6 weeks prior to the election. The electorate often vote in their own self interest, if we can display it is in their self interest to vote Green, we will have success.

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?

I believe we need to work to establish ourselves in communities outside of election periods and work to improve the lives of our communities as local activists if we are not currently elected. I believe we will win hearts and minds through action, and I do not think we can do this with words alone. We need to show people that we stand with them, that we fight for social justice and we speak up for marginalised communities. We need to engage with community groups, with local activists, work to understand local issues and offer resolutions. 

We need to advocate on behalf of people, take a lead on local social issues and use our voice as a party, even if not elected in areas, to call for improvements in local services. We need to organise in communities long before election periods, especially if we want to win MP’s and this means that we need to try and treat every period, with the same importance as an election period.
We do run on limited resources compared to other parties and I think it is key we have a strong fundraising strategy and work with local parties to strengthen their fundraising activities too. I believe if we embed ourselves in communities, positively display our Green values and take action to empower them,  we will inspire a new wave of activists to join us. 

4.      How can the Party improve the way it communicates its policies to the BAME and white working class?

I think this can only be done through working in communities, engaging in community organising and grassroots activism. We definitely do need a media breakthrough, however we will really connect with marginalised communities and the working class through engaging with them on a ground level, listening to their problems, working with them to find solutions and co-producing local policies.

If we show we are the party of action, not words, we will win votes. We need to connect with community groups that represent under-represented communities, with local activists groups and with local residents. We need to differentiate from the other major political parties, who want to communicate with people from a distance, I want to communicate with them in their communities. I want to be on the ground, in communities, speaking at events, offering solutions to local issues and advocating on behalf of those who have faced difficulty advocating for themselves. 

I will use my time as Deputy Leader, not communicating from afar, but communicating from within. I strongly believe this is how we will break through. Our policies, compared to every other party, would do more to improve the lives of the working class and communities of colour, yet often they do not know this and it is because we are not communicating it directly to them. I want to do politics differently, how it should be, and that is in communities and more importantly, with communities. 

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?

I think what Russia’s attack on Ukraine has shown is that maybe we need to work to ensure our policies are fully fit for purpose and ready to enact if we were to be a party of Government. Whilst I think there is certainly an argument for pulling out of Nato, and I agree with our party policy that it does not encourage peace building, we need to ensure we are providing credible alternatives. 

Similarly, within the same policy we have a line ‘We would also end the so-called "special relationship" between the UK and the US.’  Whilst, I agree with the sentiment of the statement, we need to ensure our policies are not just statements and detail credible alternatives that will be implemented should we be elected. We need the electorate to truly understand what we mean by our policies and what alternatives we can offer or we cannot expect people to stand behind them. Currently, without a credible alternative offering, we risk appearing out of touch with policies such as this, even if I agree with the sentiment behind them. 

My approach would be to consult with those who have better knowledge of foreign policy, within our party and outside, to work to build a policy which provides a credible alternative which promotes peacebuilding rather than perpetuating the military industrial complex. 


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?

 

I think it is important that if we do elect spokespeople, they represent the values of the party. If we ensure that our spokespeople stand up for, champion and defend our policies, then we should not have these issues. 

I am a firm believer that in your role as a spokesperson, you should champion and promote our policies that have been democratically voted through. Even if a media request is incredibly last minute, our spokespeople should be proudly vocalising party policy, as that is their role. Therefore, if we have rigid procedures in place to ensure spokespeople do support our policies and correct procedures if they deviate from them, I do not think there is much more to be done. 

I can commit that I am running for Deputy because I am proud of our policies and I would not use any platform to publicly denounce or speak out against our own party policy. If I felt my personal values strongly conflicted with any party policy I am elected to champion, it would be my responsibility to step down from my role, rather than use my platform given to me by the party to speak against it. 

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?

I strongly believe many, if not all, social issues intersect and it is important that we acknowledge this as a party. We need to work to make sure our policies also represent the intersectional nature of the varying social justice issues, which they already do in some  respects. 

If we work to make sure all of our policies do reflect our intersectional society, our spokespeople should be able to confidently relay these policies and address this crossing between different sectors. We also need to ensure our spokespeople do understand the intersectional nature of different social issues and are trained adequately in messaging which reflects this.

I think it is also important that we utilise our spokespeople correctly and if we are invited to comment on an issue around drugs for example, we have to consider whether it is more appropriate for a Public Health spokesperson to speak on the matter, rather than Policing and Domestic Safety. 

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

I would like to work to establish close relationships with our parties in Europe and across the world. I have previously attended COP26 with the Federation of Young European Greens and during that time I felt the benefit of working in collaboration with our sister parties. Whilst I was on a delegation with the Federation of the Young European Greens, I also worked very closely with the Global Young Greens and I think utilising these opportunities to connect with our sister parties across the world are invaluable in raising our profile internationally. 

One thing that has stood out to me when speaking with our European Green Party members is the parties on the continent seem to work in collaboration, share knowledge, resources and platforms, much more than with the GPEW.

 

Whilst some of this can be attributed to leaving the European Union, I understand this was the case prior to 2016. I think we need to reach out to and work closer with our sister parties, some of whom have had significant electoral success. 

I also think, naturally, our international relevance and profile will increase by getting more Greens elected as MP’s and into other prominent political positions. Once we have more Greens elected, and we are able to deliver on and enact some of our policies, as well as using our more prominent voice to help secure social and environmental justice, we will gain more international relevance and profile. 

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?

 

I believe it is important as a Deputy Leader to champion the views of the party I have been elected to represent. I am proud we have an accessible democratic platform in which members are able to propose, amend and vote on internal policies. I think we have shown as a party through multiple passed policy motions, and with leadership election results, how the majority of the party stands on many issues where they may seem to be sharp disagreement. 

I do think it is paramount that we allow genuine debate,  that we are understanding of a differing opinion and that there is a journey of learning which comes with many social issues. However, there is a stark contrast between genuine attempts at understanding and rhetoric which looks to deepen divide and cause harm to the communities being spoken about. 

I believe as a Party you can have strong stances and still allow debate on an issue, however it is also not an infringement on free debate and speech to have parameters in which that debate can exist. There was a time when one would debate whether a person of colour could use the same toilet as a others , would pose a threat to their children or pose other unjustifiable threats against society - I would not expect a party of social justice to allow debates on those issues either, and therefore I think it is reasonable to draw red lines on what is reasonable discourse within a debate 

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?

There is definitely work to be done to try to level out the playing field in internal elections, whether that is access to platforms and networks, or simply access to resources whether financial or otherwise. I have definitely appreciated as the campaign has progressed, the difficulty it is to run this campaign with very limited resources. This can be exacerbated then by also having less of a platform and therefore a feeling of trying to catch up. This can lead to people not wanting to run for internal positions and also potentially lead to a similar demographic of candidates being able to run, therefore we do have to work to address this.

It is important to ensure every candidate has a fair opportunity to present their election platform, through various hustings and other events but also that candidates are offered support or guidance on how to maximise opportunities. It is also important that those with a platform given to them by the Party, use it responsibly when using it to seek internal Party positions and that we are rigorous in our procedures to ensure these National platforms  and networks can’t be mis-used. 

Ultimately, I think there is much work to be done to encourage those from marginalised communities and those with financial constraints, to run for both internal and external positions. I would like to review the barriers facing all marginalised communities from engaging more - and I would suggest that the perceived uneven playing field is one of those  [word omitted to meet word limit].