The Ambition for a Better Nation
Written by Hope Eyre, Hertford.
The recent, annual Green Party conference took place in the eclectic city of Brighton, England at the Brighton Centre. Spanning over 3 days, from the 6th-8th of October, the event was full to the brim with captivating panels, fringes and social events, all with the aim of inspiring those who attended and with the hope of motivating spectators to choose a better future for their country. This future being one that is possible, proved by the words of not only key speakers such as Caroline Lucas, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, but by the powerful messages delivered by county councillors, potential candidates and additionally Zack Polanski, whose own passionate speech driven by ambition and a vision of a brighter future inspired so many who engaged with his presentation.
Personally, my own motivations for attending this event were clear. Being a new member to the Green Party, I had engaged with my local East Herts green group but saw it crucial to understand the deeper workings of the party to better understand what I could do in my own district. I knew, emerging from the conference, I would be equipped with a better comprehension of the background of the party and would understand the qualities of such an organisation as they continue to fight for a better country, socially and environmentally.
After researching and planning my Saturday at the conference, I knew it would be a buzzing day full of engaging events, so I prepared a timetable with the talks and panels I was most interested in, including a Fringe titled, “Make it Local – unlocking socially just transitions through local government” which included many important speakers including the party’s co-leader Carla Denyer and members of the Local Government Association group. I also knew I wanted to attend the speech by the Green Party’s deputy leader, Zack Polanski and the training session by Carl Brittain titled, “boosting your volunteer numbers and how we won big in East Hertfordshire”. As Carl represents my district as campaign manager in East Herts, I knew it would be a great opportunity to understand all the important work done to enable East Hertfordshire to reach great successes in the recent election and to comprehend what further work has to be made to continue this inspiring success. To end the day, the final event I wished to attend was the fringe – “Green Greats”, presented by Siân Berry, who will hopefully take Caroline’s place as Brighton Pavilion MP when she steps down. In this interview the Green Party MP and utterly inspiring Caroline Lucas was interviewed by Roger Harrabin about her career, her successes and her ups and downs during her time in the European Parliament and the House of Commons.
As described by the Green Party, the conference “follow[ed] on from our record local election results across the country” and the event was a key opportunity “to celebrate our breakthroughs and to get general election ready.” But it was also so much more than this. It was an opportunity to say thank you to all those, with either small or big roles in the party, for their tireless efforts in ensuring the success of the party. It was a chance to recognise people’s work, spurring them on to continue this upwards trajectory, since politics never stops. Even though the greens have succeeded immensely, there will always be another election and no one’s seat is ever secure, whether as an MP or a local councillor. The talks and meetings however weren’t a forceful, desperate call from leaders for people to continue their work after failing again and again on delivering original promises. They were inspiring. They made people want to come along for this hopeful journey, providing them with a different, clearer pathway through the political world. The leaders trusted their messages and knew others would to.
Fighting atrocities
After disappointing but rather unsurprising U-turns by the government as The Guardian for example has stated, “Sunak confirmed the UK would push back the deadline for selling new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers” and his new project regarding the Rosebank Oil Field, the disappointment felt by citizens and green minded individuals is clear. These recent events not only provided direct examples of why the Green Party and its initiatives are so deeply needed in the current political climate but the conference also gave a voice to these ongoing concerns and reminded people why they are fighting against such atrocities.
Arriving on Saturday to the Brighton Centre, ready for the day ahead of me, I gathered my lanyard and folder filled with information about the conference, my voting card for the plenaries and an extra timetable. The energy of the event flooded out of the building. It was clear that attendees and members were ready to engage with the day. They were excited to be at an event filled with new ideas, inspiring policies and fearless speakers. As I navigated my way through the building towards my first fringe, I passed room upon room, filled with people eager to hear about not only the current successes of the Green Party but excited to know where the party’s current direction will take those involved.
As stated, the day and its events were extremely busy, so I think it best to note and explain my key moments and favourite events of the day. If you would however like a more detailed explanation of all the events that took place over the weekend, the timetable and explanations of all talks, meetings and panels are available to view here: https://greenparty.org.uk/resources/Conference/Autumn%202023/autumn-conference-2023-timetable-21.09-v.2.pdf
One stand out moment for myself was the speech by the Green Party’s deputy leader, Zack Polanski. After already being inspired by the first session of the day, I knew I could surely not be disappointed by the deputy leader’s talk. And I was right. I walked into the already packed auditorium where his speech was taking place, however as it got closer to the time of his presentation, the large room became even more full with people impatient to hear his words. By the time he was on stage, almost every seat in the auditorium was taken, people sat on the floor and once he had started talking, even more people filtered into the room, hoping to hear a glimpse of his wisdom. Admittedly, I had not heard much of Polanski before the conference, however now I realise how valuable he and his powerful words are to the party.
As he was introduced by Croydon councillor, Ria Patel, an eruption of applause commenced. It was a sign of respect for Polanski and a sign of appreciation for his presence in the party.
As Zack began his speech, he presented some information about himself, unashamedly to those in the room. Discussing the idea of pride and sense of achievement, he mentioned the pride he feels in all aspects of the word, not only in the Green Party and its core values but also the pride he felt when, at the 2022 Green Party conference, after his speech how his boyfriend Richie joined him on stage. What was shocking and totally inspiring about this fact is how Polanski states, “this was the first time, we believe, in British political history a gay couple had joined each other on stage following a conference speech.” Again, the audience erupted into applause. After relentless conservative efforts to trample LBGTQIA+ rights and freedoms, this comment was a breath of fresh air. It was an affirmative sign that people no matter their sexuality or gender identity, were welcome. Especially after recent Tory slander towards transgender people at their 2023 conference, this seemed like a safe haven. It was clear that there was an alternative route in politics for people, queer or not in which those who did not “conform” to normal standards regarding gender and sexuality were not targeted but seen and appreciated.
Polanski additionally raised his identity as a Jewish man and highlighted how all our differences create a rich “tapestry”. This results in a situation where we are all seen, all heard and all respected, creating a world which everyone feels safe to live in.
As he moves on to discuss the Green Party as a whole and the upcoming general election, Zack refers to us familiarly, as “friends” and simply says, “we are ready”. You cannot help but believe him in that moment. Although the Green Party is perhaps not yet one of the main parties, like Labour or Conservative, the energy radiating from Polanski and every person in the room gives you a genuine feeling of hope for the upcoming political season.
Throughout the speech, Polanski provides a feeling of comradery between all those present. You feel like you’ve known him for ages. There is not the common divide between leaders and members, which is why I believe so many people have and continue to support the party. It is a hopeful and driven political community rather than a hierarchy of power. This is especially clear when Polanski mentions how he has visited green constituencies and districts all over the country during the time of the local election in May 2023, supporting and listening to them.
Polanski carried on to mention some key wins for the Green Party on that election night. He detailed how seats were amazingly won by greens in seemingly clear Tory supported areas. Many of these seats in particular won by young greens. Polanski details how “on that night, 16 young greens were elected as councillors”. This reflects not only that British citizens have genuine hope in the Green Party and feel confident placing their trust in the “underdog”. However it also proves how young political voices are so important. It has been said many times, but the youth are the ones who will take up the legacy of what older generations will leave behind. It is imperative that the younger generations get involved in the political arena and the fact that so many greens were elected is proof of how the Green Party is looking towards the future and planning for the years to come.
One of the final points put forward by Polanski surrounds the idea of poverty and more specifically child poverty. He details how, “one in four children in this country is living in poverty.” Polanski continues to explain how the two main parties in our country have failed over and over again to prevent this cycle which does nothing but perpetuate a dangerous situation for so many families and young people. However he promises, “we will challenge it”. “It” being the pattern of child poverty but also so many other issues that still stand in our country. Whilst he explains Labour and Conservative have made minimal to no progress with these issues, it is difficult to not be filled with optimism by his words of progress and improvement. Of course the journey to change these current situations will not be easy or plain-sailing, but it will be well worth it and the people of Britain deserve it.
As Polanski’s speech comes to a close, he ends with some key takeaways, which sum up his presentation wonderfully. He notes a quote by the Welsh Raymond Williams – “to be truly radical is to make hope possible, not despair convincing.” The optimism of the Green Party is something unmatched to current political narratives which we hear nowadays. The lack of hope and genuine ambition in so many parties truly helps make the greens stand out. It provides something for people to believe in and fight for. They can understand there is the possibility to change the problems we face, rather than wallowing in our despair and gaining nothing from governments empty promises. People desperately want change and a dynamic force to steer them away from the current crises and Polanski proved that the Green Party may just be able to do that.
Following on from this, Zack mentions the fact that “there is no environmental justice without racial, social and economic justice too.” For those who have thought previously that the Green Party is just focused on the environment, it is worth thinking again. Of course a core value of the party is fighting the climate crisis, but that is only because it is essential to protect our environment which is rapidly declining in health, quicker than anyone would like to admit. However there are so many more key goals for the Green Party. All of these issues need to be tackled and after listening to his speech, it seems truly possible that the Green Party could do some much needed good for our country in all aspects.
Another key event of the day was the interview of Caroline Lucas (the Greens only MP) by Roger Harrabin. After Caroline’s key work in parliament and as she prepares to step down as MP, hoping to give way to the very promising Siân Berry, it was clear that this talk was not to be missed. Being one of the final events of the day, it could be expected that people’s energy would be low and attendance would be faltering however the talk was extremely well attended and all those in the room were excited to hear the wise words of Caroline – seen as a legend not only in green politics but in British politics as a whole. We settled down to hear about Caroline’s career, her future and the way she sees not only the party progressing but also parliament as a whole.
As the talk began, Siân presented a video of some of Caroline’s best moments during her time as an MP. Although difficult to choose just some of her best moments, the short film showed her strength and determination throughout her time in parliament, proving just how much of a positive driving force she was. Some of these highlights included her confrontation to the Sun and its extremely controversial Page Three being available to see in eight places in the House of Commons, her face-off with Jacob Rees-Mog and conservative’s false ideals of democracy as he lay slouched on the benches of the House of Commons and her encounter with the Conservatives on their lack of action taken on the growing climate emergency. The short film was filled to the brim with poignant examples of Caroline taking issues to government and demanding change, with the hope of providing better for Britain. Caroline knew she had a voice, with which she could speak for so many people and she used that voice at every opportunity.
After this truly inspirational video, Roger began asking some light hearted questions to Caroline. When asked what was the most mischievous thing she’s done, reminding us of the rather iconic answer by Theresa May when she was asked, Caroline comedically says it was her, “taking sweets out of Woolworths pick and mix”. After this statement she says, “you’ll notice it was a chain, it wasn’t a nice, small local shop”, her humour showing through. After answering a question that her favourite colour is purple, she humorously states, “that’s UKIP, that’s not nice” and Roger responds, “Nigel would love it”. The conversation is rather effortless, it seems like you’re in a room with friends, rather than just listening to an extremely wise MP. Her authenticity shone through her answers and you immediately feel settled in the presence of such an extraordinary personality.
As the interview progresses, we see a glimpse into Caroline’s entrance into green politics and the Green Party. We hear who inspired her, as she notably mentions the book, “Seeing Green” by Jonathon Porritt. It is fascinating to hear the ways she was introduced into the world of politics and although as she admits she “was a late starter” into the Green Party, if anything this provides a sense of hope. Even though Caroline entered this world potentially late, it is impossible to deny the incredible work she has done not just for the environment but for social and economic issues. She is proof that it is never too late and if you are passionate about something, there is always an opportunity to make a change.
Explaining how she got into the Green Party professionally she explains she was accepted for a job to be a Green Party press officer after completing her PhD in 16th Century Literary Romance. Again she proves how she worked her way up the political ladder, like so many. She wasn’t handed the opportunity to enter British politics on a silver platter but knew her values and the beliefs of the Green Party and took those with her on her journey into parliament, reflecting her drive and tenacity – two extremely important qualities to possess when perusing a career in politics.
Explaining how in Oxfordshire, she ran for election, she stated how she was “the first green elected to Oxfordshire county council.” Whilst on this subject, she details her time on the county council, she explains the difficulties – as most of those in the council were considerably older and members of the conservative party. Being a young member of the council, being the first green and having an extremely young child at that time really does prove Roger’s point of how “it was a great thing to do”.
Moving on, Caroline details her time in the European Parliament for 10 years from 1999, you can’t deny the appreciation she had for that time in her life. As she states, “you were joining a green group […] that was made up of anywhere between 40 or 50 or 60 colleagues.” She goes onto explain how these colleagues were not only in parliaments across Europe but also governments. Surely this provided so much hope and ambition for British greens. Being able to see this huge power that the Green Party had managed to maintain across Europe must have provided a huge motivation that we could do it too in Britain, we just had to keep pushing. But the proof was there.
When asked about her key times in parliament and which moments she is most proud of (among many that she could have chosen), one of them was the proposition of introducing a GCSE in Natural History. Caroline simply explained the importance of this and why she believes it could make such a difference, stating how young people don’t necessarily feel a link to the outside world. She quotes a phrase from Richard’s Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods – “we won’t protect what we don’t love, and we won’t love what we don’t know and we won’t know what we don’t feel, touch, smell, taste and hear”. This is an extremely poignant point and she is absolutely right in raising it. If we don’t understand the environment and subsequently believe why it needs to be saved, there will be no passion to make these environmental changes. Admiration of the world can be created again through teaching, which not only highlights the importance of education but this teaching may also create truly outstanding results for our world, which are currently crucial.
In the final question of the interview, Caroline is asked what the epitaph on her gravestone would be. She simply states, after a few moments of thought, “never believe you can’t make a difference.” I believe this sums up Caroline’s interview and her broader work in the Green Party perfectly. She never gave into the idea that her voice wasn’t loud enough or valid enough. Being the only green MP was surely a lonely time at points and her ideas would have been without a doubt drowned out by those MPs of the main parties. However Caroline did not let that deter her from creating massive progress for green initiatives whilst in parliament. As she explains “its so powerful for the right to tell us that we can’t make a difference, that individuals can’t make a difference and so then people lose their sense of agency.” This sometimes invisible and benign hand of the Right, which stops action by people who think a better country is possible is crucial to recognise and stop. As Caroline explains, “it just feels so important to me that we […] make sure people know that they can make a difference because that’s the only way that things will change.” She is completely justified in how she speaks. The sooner we start to view activism for a better country as a positive and free ourselves of the Right’s hand keeping our mouths shut, the sooner we will discover better economic, social and environmental solutions for our country and the wider world, which is surely what we all crave. Of course the journey to this brighter, fairer and greener country will not be easy but we know we need it and the prospect of progress is incredibly exciting.
For the last portion of the interview, the microphone is turned to the audience as they have a chance to ask Caroline some questions, posing the opportunity gain a little more of her genuine wisdom. She answers every question with some hard but undeniable truths about the current state of government, however she never fails to provide some glimpses of hope in her answers. In every answer she has the ability to encourage us to push forward as greens, again acknowledging that better solutions to our problems are out there. Her energy and eagerness for better is contagious and it is very compelling to think about the future of the party and parliament as a whole.
Walking out of Caroline’s interview and as the day came to a close, it was hard to describe how I felt. The day had completely exceeded my expectations and I left the Brighton Centre with a true mix of feelings. I was overcome with joy and pride for the party’s incredible progress. I felt incredibly inspired, as though I wanted to start door knocking and canvassing from that very moment. It also had a rather bittersweet feeling however. I and so many others who attended the conference understood the potential of the Green Party to be a main political party however it was now our responsibility to make sure that was shared with people up and down the country, showing them the capability of the greens. It felt like a very important responsibility, but one I was happy to carry. It wasn’t a heavy responsibility but a hopeful one and I am, along with so many others, very excited to see where the greens and the Green Party go from here.