Cheers & Challenges for our Green Party
Roy Sandison
The leadership team of Zack Polanski, Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward have overseen a massive growth in membership and support for the Green Party, and unprecedented election results.
The party is now seen by many people as a viable left, ethical, honest party that will stand up for their community and call out big business interests. The Labour Party had to get rid of Keir Starmer because of the growing threat not just on the right but also, significantly, on the left.
While many of us worry about the growth of the right, the fact is that many Labour MPs and their backers have for a long time invested time and political energy in trying to destroy the ideas of socialism, at the expense of fighting Farage and the right.
The defeat of Jeremy Corbyn
Corbynism was a nightmare for them, to the extent that they were willing to kill their own partyʼs possible success at the ballot box, and skilfully used the “sleeper” that was Starmer to try to extinguish democracy in the Labour Party — leaving many members and supporters with no choice but to leave, and join us.
Democracy in the GPEW
These new members expect a higher level of democracy, accountability and transparency, so we in the Green Party of England and Wales do need to ensure that all parts of the party act with better faith than we have unfortunately seen. We need to do better.
Green Left
The GPEW has always had a strong left influence, and groups like Green Left have for 20 years been promoting the “new” idea of ecosocialism. We wanted to build on the basic concepts of socialist ideas and bring them up to date in respect of the real material threat that is climate change. This has been an education process for many on the left, and I am pleased to say that Green Left and co-thinkers led on it. Itʼs good to see Greens Organise doing similar work. Welcome, comrades.
Applaud Zack Polanski
So I think for many of us, we knew “ecopopulism” would gain support among many people. Why would it not? It talks about rights, values, community, solidarity, power and hope — all basics of socialism. We must applaud Zack, and also Mothin, Rachel and others, for helping this great leap forward. Yes, a few minor mistakes may have been made, but it would be mean-spirited of anyone inside or outside the party on the left to be anything but generous in recognising their role in taking the Green Party the next step or two forward in the political struggle.
Andy Burnham
Finally, it is worth noting the “appointment” of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister. He clearly is more personable, and he does have some goodwill at the moment even from Green Party members. But can he really sustain that when he has to face down the interests of the capitalist class — and some of his own awful right-wing MPs — against the needs of working-class people? That is the real question over the next few years. Not just for him, but for us as well, with our newfound electoral power.
WHAT GREEN LEFT IS Green Left is the anti-capitalist, ecosocialist current inside the Green Party of England and Wales, founded in 2006. We argue that the climate and ecological crises cannot be solved without confronting the economic system that produces them. Membership is open to all GPEW members.
“Pragmatism” in a hard winter Paul Atkin, Greener Jobs Alliance
It is evident that Trump has no easy way out of the war on Iran, which means that fossil fuel energy prices will stay high, with a 4% rise in the price cap from October and more on the way. This is short-term good news for the energy companies, which are making huge windfall profits from the high prices, but bad news for everyone who has to pay them. It is increasingly driving people — and countries — towards renewable energy and vehicle options as a cheaper and more stable alternative.
The succession of bad harvests that is becoming a new norm is already pushing up food prices. If the Burnham government means what it says about prioritising the affordability of everyday life, it will have to put its money where its mouth is.
The Greener Jobs Alliance, with input from Fuel Poverty Action, CND and the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union group, has a model motion to focus this discussion in union and party branches, based on three principles:
1. To stop the crisis, we need to stop the war, tax war profits and transfer military spending.
2. The transition to renewable energy and energy conservation is the solution.
3. Crisis measures must be social justice measures.
It comes at a moment when the government is making unpopular moves to back off from the electric vehicle mandate [1], and Andy Burnham has told Donald Trump he will be “pragmatic” about North Sea oil and gas extraction [2] — this amid substantial public concern that the UK is becoming too dependent on US LNG imports [3], which increased North Sea production will not dent but renewables will.
A peer-reviewed projection from Imperial College puts the economic damage caused by the oil and gas that would be produced at between £119bn and £336bn, against the £28.7bn of value to the UK estimated by Adura, the fossil fuel company promoting the new fields [4]. And a decision has already been taken to remove climate targets as a criterion for awarding public sector contracts [5].
Please put the motion to your branch, and letʼs get this debate going.
TAKE IT TO YOUR BRANCH
The model motion, “A transformative approach to the fossil fuel energy crisis”, and the fuller statement behind it, “In the red heat: a transformative response to the war and energy crisis”, are both at greenerjobsalliance.co.uk
SOURCES
1. “Only a minority of UK wants EV transition to slow down, poll finds”, edie.net
2. Burnham on North Sea oil and gas, BBC News, August 2026
3. David Toke on UK dependence on US LNG imports, Substack
4. Imperial College projection on Rosebank and Jackdaw, The Guardian, 25 August 2026
5. “Government strengthens social value rules for public procurement”, edie.net
Paul Atkin edits the Greener Jobs Alliance Newsletter, which comes out free at the beginning of every month. Sign up on the “Join us” box on the home page of our website if you would like to receive them. The Greener Jobs Alliance is a loose coalition campaigning at a national and local level to build the broadest possible support for the policies, investment, partnerships and commitments needed to drive the transition to a low-carbon economy.
WATERMELON
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