Green Party Hopeful Hits Out At Rival's Eco-Populist Pitch With Farage Comparison

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay is standing again, this time on a joint ticket with Ellie Chowns.The Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay MP is running on a joint ticket with Ellie Chowns MP against Green Party deputy Zack Polanski.The Green Party’s leadership election, in which Ellie Chowns and I are running together for the co-leadership, has sparked intense debate about how we can best build on the electoral momentum the party has built in the past five years. This debate is partly about leadership style, but separating style from substance is always hard in politics. Leadership style can have a very big impact in terms of how political messages are communicated, understood and – if leaders succeed in gaining power – acted on. One need only think of Boris Johnson – a prime minister whose populist, personality-driven style ruled out any coherent policy programme that looked beyond the next day’s headlines.At the other end of the scale is a leader like Clement Attlee, famously described by Winston Churchill as “a modest man with much to be modest about”. Yet not only did Attlee beat the much more rhetorically gifted Churchill at the ballot box in 1945; in the six years that followed, his government implemented radical and far-reaching change, laying the foundations of the NHS and the welfare state that lifted millions out of poverty.Attlee’s great strength was as a unifier – both within his own party and beyond. He was able to bring a broad swathe of the public behind his transformative vision, winning the post-war election with votes from both working-class and middle-class areas. This was the opposite of populist politics, which typically seeks to polarise and divide.As the climate emergency accelerates, the social fabric crumbles further and the toxic far right gains ground, the situation we face now is every bit as serious as we faced in the Second World War and its aftermath.The Green Party has the joined-up, transformative vision to address this escalating crisis, but we will have no chance of turning this into reality unless we can bring very large numbers of people on board with us – people from all backgrounds and every type of community. And this means reaching well beyond the progressive activists who already support us.Communicating Green values and policies in a way that builds trust and wide support is partly about electoral tactics: it’s clearly essential to winning seats in our first-past-the-post system – as both Ellie and I have both done repeatedly, overturning huge majorities to do so. But it’s more fundamental than that: it’s about a wider strategy for the green movement’s success. And this depends crucially on keeping our distinctive identity as the Green Party, not just a generic party of the left – all the more vital given the announced formation of a (currently still nebulous) Corbyn/Sultana-led party.We have to be honest about the scale of the challenge: there is no magic formula, “eco-populist” – or otherwise, that will see a majority Green government elected in four years‘ time. Yet it’s clear that the two-party duopoly is finished and there are many signs that more and more people are aligning with our values and vision.This is visible not just in the quadrupling of our MPs in 2024 and the “hockey stick” trajectory of our councillor numbers – doubling to over 860 in the past five years. Or in the fact that the Green Party has higher favourability ratings than any other party. It’s also clear in polling that shows strong support for many of our headline policies, such as nationalisation of the water industry, faster action on the energy transition, and higher taxes on extreme wealth and unearned income to fund decent public services.Last year, when we were campaigning to win seats that many saw as unwinnable, the approach that Ellie and I found to work in bringing people along with us was threefold. And it’s this approach that we believe will enable us to make a much bigger breakthrough. Firstly, start with listening to ordinary people and understanding where they’re at. Concerns about the cost of living and sky-high energy bills are just as acute in rural villages as in major cities, as is anxiety about the state of the National Health Service and frustration at the impossibility of finding an NHS dentist. But many in every community are also now acutely aware of the degradation of the natural world and the threat of climate breakdown. And more and more of us are experiencing climate impacts directly in the form of floods, droughts and extreme heatwaves. Secondly, be honest about the challenges facing us – and focused on how the UK can become more prepared and resilient. People have seen the damage that dishonest leadership and failure to prepare did during the Covid crisis – and many voters deeply distrust the shamelessly dishonest posturing of populist politicians like Farage. Trying to imitate this style of politics risks severe damage to the hard-won trust the Greens have won in recent years. The four new Green MPs who won seats in the 2024 General Election, party co-leader Carla Denyer, party co-leader Adrian Ramsay, and Ellie Chowns pose for photos on Abingdon Green.And thirdly, don’t get distracted by divisive culture wars. These may excite those who spend their lives on social media, but to build a wide base of support and ensure the party itself is a broad church, we need to present the Green vision in a way that transcends those divides. People respond much better to the language of fairness, compassion and hope for a better future than to furious condemnation of “wrong-think”. Populists’ approach to leadership depends on polarisation – every populist needs “enemies of the people”, whether these are presented in terms of ethnic difference or as class enemies. But polarisation won’t help to win the broad support our party needs to take our unprecedented recent success to the next level.In turbulent times, some people do tend to gravitate towards charismatic figures who they imagine will magically solve all their problems. But many others, perhaps with a stronger sense of history, tend to distrust that kind of leader. The Green Party’s approach to leadership has always been very different. It’s much more bottom-up and collaborative, rooted in community and values rather than in personality cults – which is why our party allows co-leadership rather than insisting on a single leader. This is one of the most distinctive things about the Greens, and maybe also one of the reasons why people tend to trust us more than other parties. So my message to my fellow Greens is: let’s hold onto the core values that make our party so distinctive, and are more urgently relevant now than ever. These are why ever-increasing numbers of people have been giving us their trust – and their votes.There’s a real chance now of a much bigger electoral breakthrough at the next election, and even of Greens holding the balance of power in a hung Parliament.That is what Ellie and I would be aiming to achieve as co-leaders, not as “populists” but as leaders who understand what it takes to make our party truly popular.More HuffPost exclusives from the Green Party leadership race...Exclusive: Why The Green Party Could Be The Dark Horse In This Unpredictable Era For UK PoliticsExclusive: Eco-Populist Zack Polanski On Trying To Make It From Outside 'Dull' WestminsterRevolt On The Left? Starmer's Strategy In Question As Support Grows For Lib Dems And GreensFormer Labour Leader Comes Up With Brutal Farage Nickname For New Corbyn-Led PartyMajor Boost For Farage As Mega-Poll Predicts Reform Will Be Twice As Large As Any Other Party

Comments

Breaking news

So THAT's Why Restaurant Risotto Tastes So Much Better

Huffpost uk

Comments

Similar News

WWE's Chelsea Green Says She Received Death Threats After Hulk Hogan Tribute

Map Shows Countries Green-Card Holders Can Visit Without Visas

Exclusive: Green Party Frontrunner Zack Polanski On Trying To Make It From Outside 'Dull' Westminster

MATT RIDLEY: Miliband's green taxes are causing the biggest transfer of wealth from poor to rich since the Sheriff of Nottingham

Environmental watchdog responds to fears over 'green substance' in Strathblane burn

How to Buy Green Bay Packers Off Season Kristin Juszczyk Gear: Shop NFL Ready-To-Wear Collection

Greens see red: Brutal moment party's leadership hopeful repeatedly refuses to say he 'likes' rival (known as the 'boob whisperer') during radio clash

Trump administration canceled a $4.9B loan guarantee for a line to deliver green power

Forest Green Rovers' all vegan kit splits opinions

Unions warn Labour must convince Brits of green jobs boost to counter Reform

Is an expensive high street lunch ever worth it? From Pret's £12.95 salmon box to Sainsbury's £4.50 green salad, SARAH RAINEY tries the 'healthy' top offerings... and has a surprising verdict

Green Card Applicant Who Served in Afghanistan Detained by ICE Agents

Pregnant Wife Says ICE Detained Green Card Applicant Husband

UN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for ever lower costs

Sizewell C nuclear plant gets green light but cost doubles to £38billion

Katie Price, 47, displays her extreme weight loss in a tiny green thong bikini during Dubai holiday before returning to the UK to have filler in her bum

Green flying? Government invests &#163;63m in 'sustainable' jet fuel

Trevor Green dead at 74 as veteran ITV newsreader dies after short illness

ICE Deported 82-Year-Old Grandfather After He Lost Green Card

Green Card Applicant Who Fled Human Traffickers Fears Deportation

Breaking news

So THAT's Why Restaurant Risotto Tastes So Much Better

Trump Has Not Stopped Making News Since Getting To Scotland. Here's 9 Things We've Learned So Far

‘Awkward’ Keir Starmer tried to rekindle ‘bromance’ with Donald Trump during visit

Multiple people injured in mass shooting at Reno resort

After taking back land in Colombia, Indigenous prepare their youth to safeguard it

Van showing Trump and Epstein picture driven round Aberdeen as US president visits Scotland

Keir Starmer jumps in to defend Sadiq Khan from Donald Trump’s ‘nasty’ accusation

Vatican reports good profit on investments and real estate as the pope tackles a financial crisis

Nancy Mace admits she loves watching YouTube videos of ICE agents dragging people from court for deportation

Hurricane Iona forms after rapidly strengthening in the central Pacific Ocean, no threat to Hawaii

‘The whole thing was a fake’: Trump says Democrats could have ‘put things in’ the Epstein file

Bezos backs basic EV pick-up where radio, back seats and power windows will cost you extra

ROTC cadet, 22, dies during summer training program in Fort Knox

Merseyside officers called in to help police Epping asylum hotel protests amid fears of widespread riots

Trump’s biggest GOP critic in Congress became his MAGA biggest fan. Now he could lose her to governor bid

Attorneys: 'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees held without charges, barred from legal access

Judge blocks Trump administration's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

Trump says there is ‘real starvation’ in Gaza in direct rebuke to Netanyahu

Police search for suspect who fatally attacked couple in Arkansas' Devil’s Den State Park

Texas corrections officer waited hours before calling for medics after learning of inmate’s stabbing, cops say

Pastor and wife charged with $1m fraud after ‘God told him’ to sell crypto to his flock and spent it on vacations

Stocks falter as EU-US trade deal rally fizzles out

Can air drops solve the Gaza crisis? Aid agencies are sceptical

Sadiq Khan hits back at Donald Trump’s ‘nasty person’ jibe

Three killed as flash floods force hundreds of evacuations in Romania

Why even Trump isn’t buying Netanyahu’s preposterous claim on Gaza’s starvation crisis

Riot police scuffle with demonstrators on Greek island during visit by Israeli cruise ship

A new law in Benin grants citizenship to slave descendants. Ciara is among the first

Trump-Epstein live: Ghislaine Maxwell files Supreme Court appeal after president says he turned down island invite

Hospitals make record number of requests for doctors to work during strikes

Venezuelan men deported to notorious CECOT prison say they were raped and beaten by guards

Paul Gallagher, older brother of Oasis stars Noel and Liam, is charged with rape

Man in court charged with murder of woman in 1994

Donald Trump protestors led in chants against US president as they gather near his Scots golf course

'A nasty person': Trump reignites row with Sadiq Khan as Starmer responds

Boat runs aground on Loch Lomond with six people on board sparking sinking fears

Council confirms series of road closures in Wishaw and the surrounding areas

Pupils take part in special Q&A session with Livingston MP following applications for placement

Support for military museum asset as it seeks a new and larger home in West Lothian

Man appears in court charged with murder of Shona Stevens in Irvine over 30 years ago

Team GB Olympic swimmer to take on Loch Lomond as part of ‘3 Lake Challenge’ in 'monumental feat'

Noel and Liam Gallagher's older brother Paul charged with rape and violent sex offences

'I visited UK's biggest waterpark and there's one secret perk for young families'

Lioness squad's 'proud' boyfriends and girlfriends pay tributes after Euro win

Council tries to stop people 'parking outside their homes' due to busy bus route

Residents' 'shock' at three-bedroom semi on sale for staggering £2.5million

Forensic doctor's sickening update as girl, 3, found dead on Greek beach

Mirror's Daily Digest - five stories you might have missed today

'In desperation I tried to kill dad with a screwdriver, his reaction was twisted'

Lip reader reveals exactly what Donald Trump and Keir Starmer said on golf course

Homeowners urged to 'close windows and doors' as spider season arrives early

'Ryanair wouldn't refund £827 flights unless my husband did it - but he's dead'

BT warning for anyone who still has UK landline in their home

East Midlands Airport LIVE: Plane with burst tyre blocks runway as flights on hold

Parents of schoolboy, 10, killed in tragic bus crash on school trip speak for first time

Prince William and Kate 'eyeing up move' to huge castle with dark past

Four tragic theories on what REALLY happened to Amy Bradley after she vanished on cruise

Green flying? Government invests £63m in 'sustainable' jet fuel