Motion #21

Green Left

The Green Party advocates “system change, not climate change”, thereby capturing a key insight - that “the system” is the root cause of many forms of inequality, and that achieving climate justice is of necessity bound up with eliminating these inequalities. Green Left identifies “the system” as extractive, predatory capitalism and promotes equality through advocacy of ecosocialist perspectives.

In line with this mission, we held well-attended online public meetings throughout the year. Topics included Poverty and Isolation; A Socialist Green New Deal; The Cumbria Coalmine and Other False Solutions to Climate Change; and Proportional Representation. These meetings featured speakers from both the Green Party and other sympathetic organisations. Video recordings of these meetings are posted on Green Left social media. We intend to organise more such meetings in the near future.

We also continued our programme of outreach work in 2022/23. We have worked with the Greener Jobs Alliance, the Campaign Against Climate Change, and Another Europe Is Possible, amongst others, and have recently agreed to support the Stop Burning Trees Coalition. Many of our members are active trades unionists, trades council members and members of the Green Party Trades Union Group and other campaigns relevant to Green Party policies and ideals.

Green Left has continued to hold monthly members meetings open to all interested Green Party members, and held its AGM in July 2023 when a committee for 2023/4 was elected, (see https://greenleftblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/green-left-committee-and-constitution.html).

These meetings regularly discuss reports from members on Green Party Policy and discuss Green Party conference motions and agendas, and sometimes make recommendations to members on co-proposals and prioritisation, etc.

Green Left always has a presence at Green Party conferences in the form of meetings open to all Green Party members and by organising stalls at conferences. We produce a conference newsletter, ‘Watermelon’, which is distributed as hard copy and online. We have also recently produced and distributed a pamphlet entitled ‘A Socialist Green New Deal’.

We maintain a lively social media presence including a Green Party hosted website, a blog, a twitter (or ‘X’) account and Green Left facebook.

Green Left Advocates ecosocialism through the collaboration and convergence of elements of the older distinct Socialist and Green traditions; such a political programme is increasingly relevant today, where no major UK political party seems to have any serious or urgent intent to tackle global climate change and enact social justice as part of this. Green Left is happy to welcome all those Green Party members interested –, including new joiners who may recently have left Labour - who are looking for a centre of left thinking in the GPEW.

Danny McNamara (Co-Chair), Martin Francis, Peter Murry (Co-Secretaries) pp Green Left