UK Green politics today

Note for an appearence on You and Yours, BBC Radio 4,
Wednesday 10 Sepetember, 2003

1 Green politicians have never appealed in national elections: we don't want them in our wallets.

2 British voters are not keen on radicalism: Mrs Thatcher's privatisation and perhaps Mr Blair's modernising have been radical enough.

3 Ecologism is not piecemeal environmentalism: it is about a root and branch, radical "voluntary poverty".

4 Ecologism would probably not even appeal if we were in the midst of an environmental crisis such as global warming.

5 Voters have very little interest in green consumerism (solar panels, bicycles, organic food).

6 Voters are very keen on conventional wealth - cars, holidays, media, fungible wealth (money).

7 Greens are wasting their time when they seek to be a political party rather than a campaign.

8 Greens appealed when they seemed to be attacking business: now we realise they are attacking consumers.

9 Green policies will always be "mopped-up" by other parties.

10 Under proportional representation, the LibDems would take-up most of the "small party" benefit, not the greens.

Greenery is no longer half as interesting as gloabl equity issues (free trade, not the drains).