Monday, 22 July 2013
I started this post with an Internet search for the meaning of the word 'radical'.
One of the first definitions I found was this: a radical is - "One who advocates
fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or
institutions". In Caroline Lucas the Green Party has a fine radical campaigning
MP who is trying to bring about real fundamental change in our society. One of
the recent examples of this is her introduction of a bill into parliament which would
"Britain was once world famous for our trailblazing and hugely successful railways,
but today’s privatised system is ripping off passengers, harming the economy and
failing the environment. From my inbox, it’s clear that poor rail services and over-
priced fares are amongst the biggest concerns for my constituents".
This is just one of many radical changes that Caroline has tried to bring about since
she became an MP, and this has made her deservedly popular, so much so that she
was awarded the title of MP of the Year. She was also willing to challenge the
conventions of parliament by wearing a "No More Page Three" T-shirt at a select
committee hearing. Like many people I think that Caroline Lucas is the best MP we have
in the UK and that, if she is re-elected in 2015, as she deserves to be, it will be because
of her radical approach.
If you spend any time watching the BBC, you might be tempted to think that all is well in
the UK but is isn't. The savage cuts introduced by the government, increasing privatisation,
and failure to tackle climate change or tax dodging by corporations have left many people
in despair. The Labour Party has failed to challenge the Coalition government on any of
these issues, and pledges to maintain the cuts if it wins the next election. Only the Green
Party offers a real and radical alternative to "business as usual", to use Caroline Lucas's
own words, and this alternative gives the party an historic opportunity to make a real electoral breakthrough in the next two years.
However, the Party won't achieve electoral success if it doesn't present itself as a radical
party of change, and implement radical change when it gets the opportunity to exercise
power. Simply being a slightly greener version of the Liberal Democrats, or promoting a bit
more social justice than Labour just won't cut it with an electorate that wants real change.
I've posted before about how the Irish Green Party followed the road to self-destruction by
going into a disastrous coalition with Fianna Fail and collaborating with a neoliberal austerity
cuts agenda. Why would any of the millions of progressive voters bother to vote for a party
that offers little more than the alternatives, especially if you don't think that party can get
elected anyway? You have to have a really good reason to take the plunge and vote Green,
and that good reason can only be that you are confident in the radicalism the party stands
for, and that it will be delivered. That is where the Irish Green Party manifestly failed.
If the Green Party is serious about getting into government, it has to be serious about
radical reform of the UK's economy, institutions and infrastructure, and pursuing much
much more than an ecological agenda, otherwise it will remain a niche party on the fringe
of the British political scene. The Green Party has the right policies for radical change
and Caroline Lucas is leading the way, now the rest of the party needs to follow her.
and Caroline Lucas is leading the way, now the rest of the party needs to follow her.
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