I think part of the concern is that maybe not everyone sees Green as a political philosophy in its own right, and not a direct descendent of socialism. I think it’s great that the party attracts eco-socialists but I wonder if there’s some tension in that philosophy that makes Green thinkers anxious.
Btw I think all the leadership candidates are awesome. I also think growing the membership and increasing grassroots participation are important, while maintaining non-hierarchical decision making and decentralisation.
So what do you want? Greens to not win more votes and not be successful?? I think you are grossly generalising labour voters, this is really not acceptable
We need all the support we can get and many in labour align with our values and goals but have only recently seen greens as an option
I think if you see new members as 'disgruntled labour lefties' then that's probably both a problem and inaccurate
I know a lot of eco lefties who've not been members, who've voted for labour tactically in the past, now considering joining the Greens because of Labour's neocapitalism and transphobia
That. I've never been a Green member, but I've never been a Labour member either. I've mostly voted Labour in general elections because they were the most likely to oust my local Tory MP. (I voted Green last summer because *gestures at current Labour Party*.) I've voted Green for years whenever
I could, such as local elections, EU elections, etc.
Does that make me a disgruntled Labour lefty, because I've been voting tactically in what's been considered a safe Tory seat since 2005? Does that make me persona non grata to some members of the Green Party? Seems shortsighted if so 😬😬😬
I expect you'd be welcomed by most members of the Green Party. Molly is trying to game an internal election by scaring members into voting for her preferred candidate.
I'm not convinced she is serious in not wanting such members. Molly is trying to game an internal election by scaring members into voting for her preferred candidate.
As a @greenparty.org.uk member I want to see the lefties and the greens and the lefty-greens and green lefties working all together.
Don’t know what you’re trying to say here Molly, but it sure looks like you’re not in full understanding of what a green or a lefties is.
Same. If we're going to have a functional left capable of challenging this country's slide rightwards, we've got to work together. So what if people are looking at Labour and Green and deciding that Green more closely matches their values? that's a good thing!
Agreed. The problem with the left has always been the infighting. It's why the right win most of the time, because they're united. We need to focus more on the things we agree on and less on our differences
The Greens, in order to have more MPs, need millions more voters who will have, each one, a political back story. I didn't join the Greens cos I wanted them to BE labour I was looking for a political home AFTER Labour. And I regularly post this link. https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-core-values/
If it were a rational left not fixated on fickle fancies, and able to make common cause with progressive folk across the political and cultural spectra, I wouldn't have a problem with it. In reality, it is an infantile ultraleft that looks utterly ridiculous to the population at large.
Molly I have loads of respect for all you’ve done for our party but I think this is another example of bad Comms from you. I don’t think Comms is your strength. I hope you’ll choose to put your energy and expertise to good use in another area rather than seek to continue as Ext. Comms lead.
But what the country really needs is an alliance of the decent, non-corporatist/fascist: offering PR, Join EU, Indyrefs, End Austerity, Introduce real justice, Reform Press/Police/Parliament, Make BBC independent, Keep NHS Public, NAtionalise utilities etc
Molly, you are pathetic! Some people with energy want to grow the green party and the only thing that you advocate for is to be a low cost lib dem party or conservatives
I am not a member of the LP, and never have been but I am on the left and your lack of welcome for people like me and desire for the GP to be a centrist/liberal/right wing party might be the final tipping point for me to join the greens.
You shouldn't be anywhere near politics with that attitude. You are also a dinosaur completely out of touch with how young people think. This weird party loyalty as if it is supporting a football team belongs in the past. I suggest you move out of the way Karen.
So the Greens are winning over former Labour supporters who like your policies, and you use the pejorative term 'lefties' to show contempt. What's that all about? Is the Green Party full of Mollys? What a turn-off, if so.
But they don't like the policies! It says "some policy concerns remain But Green Party democracy offers space to shift priorities." This is talking about entryism, joining a party to subvert it to your own ends.
Philip Proudfoot is one man. Molly exposed her contempt for a whole group of decent people wanting progressive change who thought the Green Party may be the party for them.
You are most welcome in the Green Party and anyone who joins now gets to vote in the leader, deputy an executive elections.
If you are a "leftie" and an environmentalist we would love to have you.
The point is not the debate who is best to lead the Green Party. It's the denigration and rejection of former Labour supporters as entryists and leftists when they have been alienated by Labour's abandonment of progressive policies n continuity of austerity. Puzzling at best.
The point is the denigration of all the existing green party members who developed the policies that the entryists say they will change. I think that's the point Molly was making. It's a shame people don't seem to even try to understand before starting to pile-on. Have a look again at the screenshot
The labour left made labour the largest, and one of the richest, parties in europe until Starmer and his center-right hogs sabotaged themselves to the point of bankruptcy by alienating them.
If they were all to join the Greens it will catapult them into the major leagues.
That's 1 less vote for Greens, I have noticed how intolerant, exclusive, narrow minded, and condemnatory Greens are, they have become the very thing they have spent decades campaigning against, this holier than thou attitude has always been latent, at least now its on full display, a party to avoid
I'm not particularly left wing but very motivated by supporting our immigrant community after Starmer's speech and the White Paper. I think Zack Polanski is the best hope to build a movement to effectively counter the Reform-led narrative on migration. Not all of us are disgruntled Labour lefties.
Please join the party if you haven’t already; you’d be super welcome. I have made friends with excellent people and learned loads through joining the Green Party. And you get to vote for Zack as leader, too, and help achieve what you want to see. https://join.greenparty.org.uk
I have no problem with the current leadership but we have a very immediate problem with who is setting the political agenda in this country and so far their approach has not managed to wrest control of the narrative. I think we have to take a chance on someone else who might be able to rival Farage.
I think the lesson from Brexit, Trump and other similar happenings globally is that we live in an age where the populist approach wins. The question is, how we can build a different kind of populism to achieve different things. I don't think taking the anti-populist route is going to get anywhere.
These are not lessons from Brexit and Trump. It's always been the case that people can lie to win elections.
The question is whether or not you're going to be fooled by someone offering no substance, who might well be lying, and whether you're going to just hand power to them without question.
After a lifetime supporting Labour I was disgusted by the Corbyn debacle & the rise of the Starmer regime. I left, read the Green Manifesto & saw it had much in common with "for the many not the few" & in my opinion it's continued a strong progressive trajectory unlike LiNO. #BackZack 4 Real Change💚
me and my wife had just decided we could no longer vote for labour &given the current landscape it would have to be green, a position i imagine most not-right-wing people are in, so please don’t do the same idiotic creep towards the centre-right that they did 😞 i’m tired of nobody standing up for us
the Green Parties rising vote share in the last few years is literally because of former Labour voters supporting the party, people want environmental, social and economic justice, that's something the Greens have stood for since at least the 2000's & the broader Left believes the same things.
now, more than ever, we need as broad a movement as possible that wants a sustainable future, socially, economically and environmentally, the only way to achieve that is to be bolder and more open about the change we all want to see, if we don't, it will literally be too late.
gradual progress isn't going to cut it when the planet faces climate crisis, soaring inequality and rising social division, we need to do everything we can NOW. a Reform government in 2029 won't care if there are 6 Green MP's talking to 10% of voters, 60 talking to 20%? that exerts real pressure.
I'm not convinced she is serious in not wanting such members. Molly is trying to game an internal election by scaring members into voting for her preferred candidate.
I get what you’re saying Ben but I think if the GP is serious then there needs to be some proper action about this post. I joined to get behind a party that wants to win the next GE, not where someone in a key role says this kind of thing on SM and nothing is done about it.
There is nothing about the post that constitutes a disciplinary offence, so far as I can see, so there's nothing the party _can_ do to get it removed except ask nicely.
At the very least she should apologise. But she won’t because she does mean it. I get the distinct impression that Molly may be for green policies but beyond that she’s actually rather right wing.
Really? I thought that was how political parties gained power, convincing people from other parties to vote for them? Very stupid comment to make, why alienate the very people you need to gain power, or would you like the Greens to be a party of protest?
I have no intention of joining but I am keen on voting for your party. If you're not interested in my vote then I shall take note and not bother. Your choice.
You may have valid reasons for not joining but I hope you'll reconsider. Green party still has a substantial transphobe faction and others who need to be defended against internally.
I DO want our party to evolve and grow to meet the challenges of our times. This needs us to attract ALL who share our critique of rampant extractivist capital, division, inquality and reoressive national isolationalism. Zack stands boldly for new politics and opportunities. This changes everything.
Progressives need to make common cause. I don't find talk of being 'taken over' productive. If people come to the Green Party from somewhere else, can this not be seen as a process of evolution? I'm speaking as an eco-Quaker socialist.
Green political thinking cuts across the left-right spectrum. The problem as I see it is that cultural differences may be impossible to reconcile within a single organisation. Not least one that is organisationally unfit for purpose. GPEW democracy is direct rather than representative. The party...
...is dominated by individuals with the time and financial resources to attend conferences open to all members, and therein lies a big problem going forward.
I stick to policy development within GPEW, and for several reasons cannot go to conference. My inclination is to withdraw completely...
I have always voted Green since a Green candidate was standing in my town (apart from the year I voted for Corbyn's Labour). But we never win, and are never going to. Our principles aren't much use in last place. Disgruntled lefties could make the difference. Because the alternative is Reform
I stood for @greenparty.org.uk in the 2015 and 2017 GEs. Corbyn’s 2017 manifesto was largely lifted from our 2015 one. There’s no need for a new left party, it’s pure vanity on his part
I have no issue with Corbyn adopting some Green policies, they have many great policies and it would be great to see a government implement them even if it's not a Green government
The point is that his new party would be starting from nowhere, and would just split a left vote that’s successfully coalescing around the Greens, which has built a foundation that TUSC type Labour never has
Oh, I agree with that. I think it's a mistake for Corbyn to start a new party. I was talking about when he adopted a load of Green policies as Labour leader
This is the point. If one person can work out a ‘path of least resistance’ to a common goal, there’s no reason why someone else can’t draw the same conclusion. It’s not like political policies are subject to copyright. As long as the endgame is achieved, who cares who thought of it first?
My point is that the endgame will be easier reached by backing the left party that has the same policies but also has momentum, than by backing one that’s built on a cult and is starting from scratch
Interestingly though, his ‘vanity’ is expansive enough to care about the vulnerable, needy, disabled, young, disenfranchised and those riven by war… what an utter tosser… 🙄
You can be expansive without being vain, many people care about the things you mention but dint want to draw attention to themselves. I repeat , there’s no need for a new party on the left
How old are you? Twelve? Have you considered joining Reform? They would be more suited for a bitter UK parliamentary failure. You're not fit to clean Caroline Lucas's shoes! It's no surprise that you failed to become a member of the UK Parliament!
Turnout was lower because nobody liked the politics or politicians on offer. Probably too much poisonous and condescending talk spread around by people like you.
I have nothing against Corbyn - he had good policies.
But there were too many skeletons in a closet that had glass doors. He was always going to get hammered by the media and, sadly, that was always going to have a negative impact.
The reality is, if Zack Polanski wins the leadership and the greens poll numbers start to rise Zack will be given exactly the same treatment Corbyn was given.
It has nothing to do with 'skeletons in the closet'.
I know it, you know it and everybody else knows it.
I mean, that's a good thing no? It means that people who are fed up with the nonsense from Labour see the Greens as the party that best suits their wants and needs. It means that people seen the Greens as a viable option for election.
You’d be super welcome! I have made such excellent friends and learned so much through joining the Green Party, and helped elect people that are working really hard for the city I live in.
Thing about the Greens is that they are a narrow demographic. They need to widen their appeal. Locally they are a bit like the LibDems, whose whole point is to keep the socialists away from representative power.
Yes, that changes absolutely nothing related to my comment. I mean, I have voted Green but I still think they have a demographic problem. They are very much not representing the wider population
I get that's your experience of your local party, but genuinely curious - which section(s) of the population do you feel the national party's values and policies don't represent?
The issue we have in politics is that right wing folks are far better at marching in time than us lefties. This type of exclusionary talk is not helping.
Also, you shouldn't submit a motion to conference that tackles how spokespeople work without running it by her beforehand. (I overheard that one at last conference.)
I was never in The Bad Place so I don’t entirely understand the concept of ‘being ratiod’ but I feel like this post is it. What a shit take and I’m not talking mushrooms here. Luckily I’m going to ignore you and continue to vote green regardless of your snooty gatekeeping. Sorry, not sorry.
I may be overthinking it, but I’m starting to wonder if this is bait. As in ‘I did the social media equivalent of spitting in the eyes of a demographic of the population and they told me to stick it where the sun don’t shine… they’re such bullies! Here is your ‘tolerant left’!’
This has really made me not want to vote Green again. Absolute tribalistic tosh that gets people’s backs up. Just got over how pissed off I was at y’all in 2017-19. Yours a 2013-16 Green member / donor / ‘16-19 Scottish Green member / multiple time GE and LE Green voter / and oh, a 2x Corbyn voter.
Don't mind if they do.
I would particularly like to see David Drew on board despite his rather iffy views on the EU; a proper Labour MP who lost to the Tories due to split voting. Where was that again?
I have never voted Labour and am not remotely a "lefty". More a post-war settlement type with progressive bolt-ons though compared with the modern Overton window this would make me a howling "lefty".
Thatcher is no sane role model. She was an IEA front.
Bizarrely short-sighted. How else do you plan to build numbers? Who else is spontaneously materialising for you to recruit?
What other groups of converts are knocking your door down? Disgruntled Lib Dems? Get many ex-Tories or Reformers begging to be allowed to join and boost your ranks?
Ahh, the entitled snobbery of Molly, who gifted a Tory a seat because she thought she was owed a seat in parliament, let's call this out for what it is, bigotry and racism. She's as bad as that other Green ghoul Lucas or the ghouls currently collaborating with Trump in the US. Fuck you.
Yes. There are a lot of them. If they vote for us, we’ll do better in elections. We have a very decentralised and democratic party - if people see us as the best vehicle for left wing politics and get that passed; that’s good. I joined over a decade ago for a left wing Green party. Let them as well.
You think an entryist left wing group wouldn't have its own purity tests? They are the most ideologically fixated of all. They don't care about the green party, they just want a new host to infect.
You haven't seen the far left in action have you? They don't want to share the green party, they want to own it.
I'm not right wing, and hate the Tory party. I just don't support people who replace thinking with a ready made belief system that can't be questioned.
No, of course not, attracting huge numbers of principled progressives to a principled progressive party is an absolutely terrible idea, the party should definitely just stay small and irrelevant 🙄
So this is your response to people like me and my mum, who voted Labour in 2024 and are unhappy with several of the things the government has done? (Disability benefits, Wes Streeting on trans rights, etc.)
…OK then. Message received. At least it's better to know who doesn't like you, I guess.
I was a disgruntled Labour leftie before I joined the Green Party and got active! If I’m not welcome in the party anymore I guess I can go help some other party win more seats? 🤔
Yes, actually. We need left-wing populism once again, and that includes allowing disgruntled Labour voters into your party. You need to build a collective, populist alliance of the left - not one that's just more of the same middle-class snobbery that you're presenting.
People who campaigned for a Green industrial revolution and a whole range of policies shared by the Green party, many with decades of experience? Seems like a win win to me.
The Greens don't grow without winning converts. Converts were something else before they converted.
I'm not sure what that means. When I joined the GPEW in 2015, it was as a disgruntled Labour lefty. I'd voted Labour since the late 80s, but realised my politics were much more aligned to the Green party. If today's disgruntled Labour lefties come to the same conclusion, I'm all for it
I suspect a straw poll of active, long-standing Green Party members (say, have been members for more than five years and are involved in target ward campaigns in some capacity) would reveal quite large numbers of people who have been Labour Party members at some point in their past.
I would say locally, more than half of our active campaigning members came from Labour. The last two chairs I served with were expelled from Lab and wear it with pride! Two Cllrs defected from Labour - Two of the last intake stood for Labour previously and more than half of the 14 are former members
Is there an element of the core values that you think would not be supported by the vast majority of either:
a) GPEW members critical of Molly’s post, or
b) ex-Labour members who are *genuinely* considering joining the Green Party?
An important question after challenging the values of a member of seven years, with a brief break after being forced out by GPEW's conduct team on behalf of Shahrar Ali for daring to criticise his anti-trans crusade
In my experience GPEW organisational bodies and spokespeople have far poorer form for knowing and believing in that list of values than their newer members have had.
It doesn't take more than a glance at the House of Lords and the party's decision to keep sending people there.
Not entirely following the reference to the House of Lords here. The decision that the party should accept appointments to the house, and voting on who should be in line to fill such roles are both member decisions? And if we only participated in political systems we approve of we wouldn’t exist?
Given that the Labour membership, especially those now leaving the party, backed net zero and climate emergency policies only to have them shot down by unions and leadership I'm sure you'd be cheering on having them onboard.
It's very funny to be linked this whilst leading GPEW figures warning against Polanski are writing entire articles basically rejecting the entire premise of the FIRST point in this list and are in desperate need of being reminded of the ninth
Read's tirade against "class war" and "identity politics" makes it pretty clear he's willing to do so, and his backing of certain candidates makes it appear like he thinks they will too
Molly our manifesto is distinctly to the left of the Labour programme.
Please define what you mean by "lefties" and why you don't think it describes a lot of our membership.
So let me get this right. The Green Party produced a manifesto that is attractive to democratic socialists but you don't want democratic socialists to join your party or vote for you. Brilliant, well done you.
You must be looking forward to being the 6th biggest party again.
Why wouldn't you welcome defections from another party, especially those who so obviously support your party's policies? Unless you don't want to have any power or influence and your professed beliefs and goals are nothing but hot air and privilege as you let the world burn?
I'm not convinced she is serious in not wanting such members. Molly is trying to game an internal election by scaring members into voting for her preferred candidate.
Molly has never been for collaboration on the left. In 2019 she stood in Stroud, a Labour/Tory marginal, as a high profile MEP and did so against the advice of many in the GPEW and the broader left.
As a result we got countryfile cosplayer Tory Siobhan Baillie for five years. Ugh.
The Corbyn interval was a very rare moment when some in Labour listened to their left. Labour’s right were horrified and called on the RW press for assistance. Normal service has been resumed.
At our next local party meeting I’ll have to tell all the wonderful, passionate, ex-Labour members who deliver leaflets, write motions, raise funds and stand for election that, despite your post, they are very welcome in the Green Party.
Activists and donors with the potential to raise the GP membership into the hundreds of thousands.
Points I had made myself (as an interested party not as a member) in highlighting what appeared to be to me at least, missed opportunities.
These were somewhat pushed back on at the time.
So... what do you want? I dont mean it combatively, I mean it genuinely.
If the Greens don't want to absorb disillusioned people from the Labour left, what's the plan?
Cos to a non-party-affiliated observer this seems... *incredibly* much like shooting yourself in the foot 🤷♀️
The vast majority of Greens do want people disillusioned by Labour (_very_ many Green activists came from Labour). What Molly's problem is, is another question.
But I haven't seen her previously advocating for measures to restrict entryism (like the proposed amendment to the constitution so that nobody has voting rights until they have been a member for three months).
From what I’ve seen, there’s quite a few senior Greens who have difficulty in finding the line between attracting people who are Green first and those who are Red first.
What do you mean by "Green first" and "Red first"? So far as I'm concerned anyone who genuinely agrees with the aims of the GP, sticks within its rules and isn't going to harm it is welcome.
Entryism? Like the Militant tendency in the Labour Party 40 years ago? They operated secretly as a party within a party, and they were not invited. I kind of feel as though I was invited to join.
The "traditional ex-Tory NIMBY faction" has _never_ been a serious part of the GP at any time since I joined in 1988.
The Green Party has _always_ had many, many more former LibDem and Labour members joining it than former Tories.
There's always movement between parties. As a pro (reformed) EU Party in favour of PR, we can welcome a broad church of pro EU & progressive folk who share our core values & objectives from any source. What makes Greens serious is that we can work with almost anyone except fascists or tyrants.
Zoe, GPEW could really do with you in it. It's remarkably open for a political party but there are a lot of discussions/spaces which are members-only that you could bring a great deal to.
Thanks. I obviously have a lot of time for the greens (if not this particular take above) I’m always happy to work with & support their good work, but party politics is not for me.
Hey Molly. You might remember that we've shared a platform speaking about GND together (around the school strikes). I was always a "labour leftie" but started voting & eventually joined the Greens.
Is this tweet to say that the party isn't for me? If I'm in a party, I want to be part of the.. 1/2
process. I want to engage democratically, and maybe in the future I'd want to stand for the party.
But when I see your tweet, it makes me think I'm not welcome to do that in the GP. What am I not getting here? What kind of democratic party doesn't want to become bigger & welcome more members? 2/2
I thought the aim was to expand the party into a more relevant national force? Attracting new supporters from the left can help to win more seats and further Green objectives.
TBH as a left wing SNP voter Greens need to be far less condemnatory, purist and intolerant to attract more voters, I`m tired of being harangued by Green members up here for not being "pure" enough as a left wing voter for them, as a result it will be a very long time before I talk to them again
Thank you. I was historically a “lefty” Labour voter until Starmer took over, but regardless I lent Labour my vote last year in order to be rid of the Tories. As a disabled person though I will not vote Labour again and have switched to voting Green - confused as to why I’m apparently not welcome?
TBH I think this is more related to 'what happened last time', lots of 'watermelon types' had a big influence on the party, & then left en masse when Corbyn was elected
I also get the impression that there is an element of 'join the Greens to vote for Polanski' which isn't helpful...
I also think it is way past time that socialists got their act together, there is no reason why they can't be an electoral force under their own banner, trouble is that requires them all to actually stand under the same banner, which historically they have failed to do...
The left most certainly shouldn't be putting their faith in a party overwhelmingly dominated by smooth brain liberals. Internationally Green Parties have sold out every time they've had even a sniff of power.
If you are so obsessed with ideological purity that you can't work with other progressive forces then you are condemned to whine on the sidelines & will NEVER get 'a sniff at power', never mind impugning the intelligence of PPL you don't agree with, Being rude & unpleasant is not how to win debates.
Not looking to win anything. Simply reflecting the reality of the Green Party, and it's irrelevance, or worse its barrier to any real political change.
Nobody said anything about putting their faith in Labour, that’s the opposite of what I said isn’t it.
Labour have been a mix of lefties and liberals for a long time and now they’ve shot off to the right those liberals are sulking or going LD but the lefties are going Green.
I don't agree that there is anything wrong with getting people to join to #BackZack. That his candidacy and how he communicates our values and policies is exciting new people to join us is a win! Building and broadening membership, supporting our finances, and developing future green activists.
2/2
I understand the hurt or annoyance that some eco-socialists (🍉) have been fickle friends to the Greens. Eg a Cllr in my local party, Corbyn era, tried to get us to, not just not campaign - but stand down our candidate & support Labour (GTTO!!) & then defected to Labour.
Personally I'm looking from the outside, some guy completely flipped his lid because I used the phrase 'watermelon types', I got the impression that PPL were proud to be such & I agree, I did have issues with the Corbyn thing...
... authoritarianism (always a problem on the left (or 'organised left' as they used to have a habit of calling themselves)), and the cult like attitude of the whole movement, McDonnell would have been far better IMHO...
Re 'watermelon types' I have a vague memory it may have originally been coined as an insult, / slur certainly it has been used as such. Personally I adopted it (tho now its often associated with 🇵🇸) but its one of those that lands / feels different with different folk..
You are absolutely welcome! Many of us supported Labour before we switched to the Greens, whether 15 years ago or 15 minutes ago!Molly likely concerned by idea that priorities of an 'old guard' in Greens should be swept aside & replaced with a 'takeover' by newcomers, that don't share core values.
You’re very welcome. Molly is expressing her opinion (which I don’t understand or condone) and thankfully you won’t find that to be representative of the Green Party.
The problem is, Labour have lost direction.
Starmer is trying to bring back the voters from Reform, some of the language they use and the policies are divisive and appealing to the far right. He is trying to out-Reform Reform.
>>
No they haven`t, they have consistently been marching to the conservative right since 1994, its grandees disciples of Neo liberal Reagonomics, how anyone thought they would ever go left is deluded, Corbyn amply demonstrated that, they would rather utterly destroy the party than go left again.
Agreed and will just keep getting worse, a new party will arise on the left to replace them and Labour will replace the old Conservative party and the cycle will continue until the Establishment/Monarch/Class system tears itself apart as it did in Europe over a century ago.
>>
In doing so, he is alienating the left who WILL defect to Green. We knew times would be hard, but the policies need to be progressive and radical. Not policies of hate, division and punishment for the least well off.
Some Reform voters will naturally drift back to Labour. The Left may not.
McSweeney doesn't want me. Scott Cato doesn't want me. The LDs appear to have become a gateway drug for Tough Mudder. Kemi's batshit and Farage is (very) poor man's Trump. Bloody politics.
Hi Molly, I think, at least in my case, your post may have backfired. I am a “lefty” now considering joining the Green Party. Labour has lost my support for a host of reasons. I always felt that Caroline Lucas most represented my views. Do you think she was a bit of a “lefty” too?
2/ But I do want former Labour members who care about social justice, the environment, grassroots activism (politics, trades unions), genuine democracy.
"We have far more in common than that which divides us"
(the late Jo Cox MP)
We were invited to join, not by Molly, but by the party. Zack Polanski says the sort of things I wish Labour would say, he more than any other individual persuaded me to not just vote Green but join the party. I'll stick with them, whoever the leader is, but I find Molly's comment offensive.
Agreed. I was a Labour member under Corbyn and now I’m a Green member. The left is stronger together. Politics is about compromise and leadership is about bringing disparate groups with common interests together in pursuit of the right outcomes.
The two odd things about the Philip Proudfoot posts that MSC screenshots are 1) that he advocates a left split between two parties and 2) that somehow MSC thinks it is worth drawing attention to his views.
It's a good thing if Green Party appeals to more people on the political left. But don't worry, you want be "taken over". Labour Party stopped appealing to people with eco-friendly views. Where would you want them to go?
Otoh, regressive Marxist-Leninists won't touch GP with a bargepole.
Hi Molly, how does it feel to get absolutely rekt like this on blue sky dot app? Has it taken your mind off of the tragedy of people concerned about the climate joining your party after the death of labour?
You would be super welcome! You’d also get to vote in the upcoming leadership election. I have made fantastic friends and learned loads by joining the Green Party. https://join.greenparty.org.uk
Me too. Between Molly the Misery and Elizabeth ‘Thatcher is my role model’ I feel the urge to join and #BackZack just to show what people politics is all about
If you want a say in the future direction of the Green Party you are most welcome!
I have never encountered this attitude from anyone in the party.
Join up and vote for the leader, deputy and exec!
If you're going to campaign then please join -- otherwise you have no control over what it is you are campaigning for. GPEW is a bit shit sometimes but by any conceivable measure it's better than every alternative, existing or mooted.
That will make a bunch of people whose politics you appear to dislike happy, and dismay a bunch of people whose politics you appear to like. GPEX elections have very low turnouts, so individual votes matter far more than in nearly every other election.
Tactical voting to curtail Reform PLC is clearly not on your agenda.It’s no wonder they won many councils around the country.It appears to be only Labour voters who vote tactically otherwise we would still have a Tory government.
This is like when someone discovers a new band before they get popular and then they get popular and resentful and keep telling people "i've heard of them first" except the stakes are the future of our planet, oddest post i've read today "only cool kids allowed in the saving our planet club"
I don't want our Party taken over by identity politics above those of climate & social justice but I also don't want us to become a Party of 'Middle England'. As a NW Councillor myself, I saw the huge energy and reach of elected County Councillor Sohail Asghar's campaign. Our message must go wider.
There's no political room for 'class politics plus anti-woke' either: Galloway is there already. On the other hand, there _is_ media cover, lawfare crowdfunds and think tank donations, so it's a cul de sac you could spend/waste a lot of time in.
Hi Molly. I was once a disgruntled Labour lefty. I’m now a long time GPEW member who’s represented our party at a PA level for 4+ years. I for one welcome other disgruntled Labour lefties (GPEW should be a natural fit) instead of whatever middle-class snobbery it is you’re spouting here.
This is a random twitter account, not Zack's campaign or anyone on behalf of Zack's campaign.
We aren't just "disgruntled labour lefties"
Zack is endorsed by a former MEP, a London Assembly member and Green councillors across the country.
Coming across now better than the Labour right; concerned not about what you can achieve but about having your people in power. All Greens should be delighted at disillusioned socialists seeing the Greens as a means to shift politics to the left.
I'm a big fan of Zack, but not a big fan of ex-Labour entryists potentially bringing all their toxicity. Greens already have a consistent policy platform. If we were ever to associate with Corbyn my engagement would end there. I have yet to decide how to vote in the leadership ballot at this point.
We all need to do our bit to maintain a healthy culture and resist this descent into toxicity. GP culture is one of reasons I became a member—along with reading Molly. Calling GP members/voters you don’t agree with a Tory is such a turn-off.
Having been Green as long as I could vote, it's galling to see that some of these people are being welcomed with open arms. It's only one electoral cycle ago that they were literally bullying candidates like Molly for even standing. They don't get to co-opt a whole party.
Can I just say the replies on this thread are what I like best about Greens and whatever Molly's smoking ain't it. My membership lapsed but totally rejoining to #backzack
I haven't seen the slightest hint that @zackpolanski.bsky.social is a shoe-in for a takeover by disgruntled non-Starmerist supporters. Not sure there are any left at this point.
The left/GPEW has to grow and the natural source for new people is surely ex-Labour people, surely.
Only reason I wasn't a member of the green party is because of people like you, but you have now convinced me to join just to spite you. I'm sure the lib dems or tories will welcome you with open arms when the green party is overrun by disgruntled lefties desperate for a voice in electoral politics.
So she’s only in her early 60’s so probably not retired. She seems to have always been busy in some area or other. She seems to have been a good MEP. Looks like she’s fairly academic. Perhaps she didn’t express herself very well, but then you’d have thought she’d have corrected it or apologised.
What is it about having leftists in the green party that concerns you? What is it about having broader support in the green party that concerns you? Do you think the Greens would do better trying to shift to the right of Reform?
It's frankly a smart thing to do, there is a gaping hole where social democrats have nothing to vote for.
And hey, at least there will be an actual coherent economic model underpinning the party's posititon for once.
As a disgruntled Labour lefty, I don't want to take over the Green Party. I DO want to see it led by a dynamic, relatable leader with charisma and communication skills who welcomes diversity. Check your privilege.
I want my country to be run by a party that's going to make a government that has the money to re-invest in state capacity. Especially the state capacity to invest in preventing climate change, but we need a strong welfare state and robust tax policy to make that a just and equitable transition.
As someone who was a disgruntled leftie.
I started following more Green politicians once I started voting Green four years ago and that made me much more aware of environmental issues and why they're so vital
Only I did the exact opposite. Joined the Greens to campaign on climate. Then the more I got involved in Green politics the more I understood that corporate greed and inequality is what is driving the destruction of the planet. (Slide to the left)
Loads of people are concerned about littering, fly-tipping, sewage in our rivers, loss of wildlife since they were younger (garden birds, flocks of starlings in city centres, hedgehogs), traffic pollution, more frequent flooding.
They just don't label their concerns environmental or green. 🤷♀️
Do you want the Green Party to actually achieve any real power, or do you want it to be a social club? Personally, I favour the former and that means bringing in the kind of people who attracted 13m votes.
even the most abrasive salty corbynista wants the same thing as avg green voter (with apologies to corbynistas, i'm making a point). sure there are some grifters who feed off division but they have nothing to offer a successful movement and will go the way of the galloway. this is good for everybody
Hi Molly. Green Party member and resident of the Stroud constituency where you formerly stood for election here 👋.
I’m an ex Labour member from the left of the party, and people like me are the reason why the Green Party are growing and winning seats. Get with the programme and support real growth.
Hi Molly, I've been a member of GPEW for 20 years and I think that Zack's ability and political direction are exactly what we need right now (there's no future in turning into Teal Independents). I'd much rather we ran this election going high rather than, as here, going low.
This reminds me of that time you ran in Stroud & split the vote so the Tories got in. If the Greens listen to you they'll never become a major force in UK politics
Comments
We need all the support we can get and many in labour align with our values and goals but have only recently seen greens as an option
I know a lot of eco lefties who've not been members, who've voted for labour tactically in the past, now considering joining the Greens because of Labour's neocapitalism and transphobia
Does that make me a disgruntled Labour lefty, because I've been voting tactically in what's been considered a safe Tory seat since 2005? Does that make me persona non grata to some members of the Green Party? Seems shortsighted if so 😬😬😬
"Fuck off not here," you reply for some reason
https://backzack.com/
Don’t know what you’re trying to say here Molly, but it sure looks like you’re not in full understanding of what a green or a lefties is.
https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-core-values/
https://youtu.be/XGFknyGKtao?si=TOqwsg6ZU8XClLpG
But what the country really needs is an alliance of the decent, non-corporatist/fascist: offering PR, Join EU, Indyrefs, End Austerity, Introduce real justice, Reform Press/Police/Parliament, Make BBC independent, Keep NHS Public, NAtionalise utilities etc
https://join.greenparty.org.uk
If you are a "leftie" and an environmentalist we would love to have you.
That's a very Tory thing to say.
If they were all to join the Greens it will catapult them into the major leagues.
https://join.greenparty.org.uk
This "take a chance on something different" is what lead to Brexit, and Trump and a whole lot of other things which were a whole lot worse.
We need reasoned discussion, not taking chances just because it's different.
The question is whether or not you're going to be fooled by someone offering no substance, who might well be lying, and whether you're going to just hand power to them without question.
This leadershop bid appears to be led by nothing other than his ego or worse.
But heh, tell me what he's going to do differently. Zach isn't telling us that.
More disgruntled Labour lefties please!!
I thought better of you Molly.
(Speaking as a former labour voter who joined the Greens years ago and has donated to, campaigned for and voted Green for many years).
Incredible moves
I stick to policy development within GPEW, and for several reasons cannot go to conference. My inclination is to withdraw completely...
I'm embarrassed by this post, we shouldn't be turning anyone away.
It would invite massive negative media coverage and destroy any hope of building a party able to take its place in a progressive alliance.
But that’s not the point. Corbyn is media poison and, like it or not, his involvement will always result in failure.
That’s what his supporters don’t understand.
But there were too many skeletons in a closet that had glass doors. He was always going to get hammered by the media and, sadly, that was always going to have a negative impact.
That’s the reality.
It has nothing to do with 'skeletons in the closet'.
I know it, you know it and everybody else knows it.
https://join.GreenParty.org.uk
I would particularly like to see David Drew on board despite his rather iffy views on the EU; a proper Labour MP who lost to the Tories due to split voting. Where was that again?
Thatcher is no sane role model. She was an IEA front.
Don't cut your nose off to spite your face.
What other groups of converts are knocking your door down? Disgruntled Lib Dems? Get many ex-Tories or Reformers begging to be allowed to join and boost your ranks?
The green party has the potential to be something great here. That's much better than just chasing the other parties down the drain.
I'm not right wing, and hate the Tory party. I just don't support people who replace thinking with a ready made belief system that can't be questioned.
…OK then. Message received. At least it's better to know who doesn't like you, I guess.
The Greens don't grow without winning converts. Converts were something else before they converted.
I feel for you
It would be foolish to throw away the most significant growth opportunity GPEW has over "this is my turf" sentiment
https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-core-values/
a) GPEW members critical of Molly’s post, or
b) ex-Labour members who are *genuinely* considering joining the Green Party?
It doesn't take more than a glance at the House of Lords and the party's decision to keep sending people there.
E.g. we can’t promise to build basically *any* new housing.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/23/englands-housing-strategy-would-blow-entire-carbon-budget-says-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Please define what you mean by "lefties" and why you don't think it describes a lot of our membership.
Because this feels like really bad comms.
You must be looking forward to being the 6th biggest party again.
As a result we got countryfile cosplayer Tory Siobhan Baillie for five years. Ugh.
Is that how you describe people who had so much hope for a better life?
Ours, not yours. So utterly liberal.
Points I had made myself (as an interested party not as a member) in highlighting what appeared to be to me at least, missed opportunities.
These were somewhat pushed back on at the time.
If the Greens don't want to absorb disillusioned people from the Labour left, what's the plan?
Cos to a non-party-affiliated observer this seems... *incredibly* much like shooting yourself in the foot 🤷♀️
She doesn't want entryists.
Most Parties eventually combat entryism; the current Green leadership, however, rolled out the red carpet for Corbynites.
It’s going to be fun watching the civil war with the traditional ex-Tory NIMBY faction.
The Green Party has _always_ had many, many more former LibDem and Labour members joining it than former Tories.
The Green Party really struggles with bringing people together sometimes.
She's proving why we need Zack more than ever as a leader.
Is this tweet to say that the party isn't for me? If I'm in a party, I want to be part of the.. 1/2
But when I see your tweet, it makes me think I'm not welcome to do that in the GP. What am I not getting here? What kind of democratic party doesn't want to become bigger & welcome more members? 2/2
Green party is internally democratic and we can beat off the internal regressives.
Always had a feeling the greens were just the renewable wing of the Tory party.
They’ve been trying to pull a center-left party further left on climate and social justice, and been forced out by right-wing populists.
Welcome the Labour left with open arms. We should be campaigning specifically to attract more.
I also get the impression that there is an element of 'join the Greens to vote for Polanski' which isn't helpful...
Labour have been a mix of lefties and liberals for a long time and now they’ve shot off to the right those liberals are sulking or going LD but the lefties are going Green.
We want them with us.
2/2
If you really want to annoy her, join and vote for @zackpolanski.bsky.social
Starmer is trying to bring back the voters from Reform, some of the language they use and the policies are divisive and appealing to the far right. He is trying to out-Reform Reform.
>>
In doing so, he is alienating the left who WILL defect to Green. We knew times would be hard, but the policies need to be progressive and radical. Not policies of hate, division and punishment for the least well off.
Some Reform voters will naturally drift back to Labour. The Left may not.
I don't agree with Molly at all.
I don't want former Labour members who think parachuting in candidates & benefits cuts is fine. [cont]
"We have far more in common than that which divides us"
(the late Jo Cox MP)
Were you disappointed?
Otoh, regressive Marxist-Leninists won't touch GP with a bargepole.
I am a very disgruntled Labour Lefty and thought the Green Party aligned far more with my views and values.
Are you saying I’m wrong? Who am I supposed to vote for then????
I have never encountered this attitude from anyone in the party.
Join up and vote for the leader, deputy and exec!
Yes. Yes I do.
Last time they were foolish to do so
We aren't just "disgruntled labour lefties"
Zack is endorsed by a former MEP, a London Assembly member and Green councillors across the country.
Really?
Deeply stupid.
So-called 'centrism' has been the usher of rising fascism worldwide & demonstrably in this country as we speak.
I want to have as many people as possible to support policies of sustainability along with social & economic justice.
The left/GPEW has to grow and the natural source for new people is surely ex-Labour people, surely.
And hey, at least there will be an actual coherent economic model underpinning the party's posititon for once.
My concern is the disgruntled lefties are often indifferent to environmental issues but both really need to work together.
I started following more Green politicians once I started voting Green four years ago and that made me much more aware of environmental issues and why they're so vital
Only I did the exact opposite. Joined the Greens to campaign on climate. Then the more I got involved in Green politics the more I understood that corporate greed and inequality is what is driving the destruction of the planet. (Slide to the left)
Climate justice 🤝 Social justice.
They just don't label their concerns environmental or green. 🤷♀️
Do you want the Green Party to actually achieve any real power, or do you want it to be a social club? Personally, I favour the former and that means bringing in the kind of people who attracted 13m votes.
I recently joined the party.
Are you saying I'm not welcome?
Are you saying you don't want my vote anymore?
I’m an ex Labour member from the left of the party, and people like me are the reason why the Green Party are growing and winning seats. Get with the programme and support real growth.