Red Pepper
What is your case for the left joining the Green Party and Greens Organise?
Zoë Garbett
We have a really clear vision for a more democratic and fairer country and we are already a democratic party and we are welcoming lots of people from the left. The old parties are failing to deal with the major issues of our time, they are really letting us down on local funding on councils and public services and aren’t addressing inequality at all.
The Greens have the answers.
GO should be the landing place for people joining the Greens who want to connect with others who think similarly and want to be active.
Red Pepper
What is your theory of change? Are you thinking that a Green government is possible or are you thinking a radical and successful Green Party might move Labour to the left?
Ani Chowdhury
It’s both. The Greens must stand as a bold, independent force capable of winning elections and transforming society. But systemic change requires a shift across the political landscape.
Robert Magowan
There is clearly a groundswell of anti-establishment feeling and the electorate are seeing through Labour’s rhetoric of change and the Greens need to be an outlet to that sentiment.
We are for Green Party members and we have seen that the Greens have broken through with over 800 councillors and four parliamentarians.
There may be a role for something that coordinates between the electoral expressions – between the Greens and other forces of the left – and that needs to be built now.
Red Pepper
Do you think those old Labour voters that are switching to Reform are up for grabs for the Greens?
Robert Magowen
The Green wins over the last few years have been under the radar. In the North East we have nine Green Councillors on South Tyneside and hoping to win it in the next two years. It is entirely possible for Greens to win votes in these areas – it comes down to the message and the messenger. Kent is being both targeted by Reform and the Greens heavily at the next locals, similarly the East Midlands Greens have done really well.
You can’t cut through as a Labour councillor now, you can do that with the Greens.
Red Pepper
How does base building work for the Green Party?
Zoë Garbett
I think that is what we do best. The best example is Leeds councillor Mothin Ali who was engaged in repairing his community after the 2024 riots. All the work I do as a councillor is connected with the community – often fighting gentrification – and on picket lines with library workers. I think growing membership from these campaigns is sometimes missing but that is what GO is geared towards creating.
Red Pepper
Is it a weakness of the Greens to not have an institutional link with trade unions?
Robert Magowen
I think the relationship between a mass party and a trade union movement has to account for the massive change in the role of trade unions since the 1980s. They should be stronger, but their current weakness is a matter of fact. It was necessary in the early 1900s to have an institutional link with the unions who were embedded in communities but now things are quite different. Obviously we should have a closer relationship. I would love to see affiliation. But it is not at the door of the trade unions to come to us, it is at the door of the party to prove that we are an unambiguous voice for the trade union movement.
The Greens must stand as a bold, independent force capable of winning elections and transforming society
Red Pepper
The Green Party has no party whip system meaning MPs and Councillors can vote as they wish on any issue – is this lack of accountability an issue?
Zoë Garbett
We want our representatives to vote in the way they see fit in relation to our communities. The fact we don’t have a whip means we aren’t dictated to by the leadership, although the accountability mechanism might need to be strengthened as we grow in size. Currently we have used it flexibly to vote as we feel in the moment but always in line with our manifesto and values. We also have open selection.
Red Pepper
Do you think a New Popular Front approach similar to the French experience needs to be adopted by the left and should the Greens play a role in that? We saw a move away from this at the last set of elections – with Greens standing against Faiza Shaheen and Jamie Driscoll.
Robert Magowen
GO doesn’t have a position on this yet because we are still in a formation process. The vote on whether to stand candidates in all seats was only for the 2024 General Election, and was made after spending years being told by all wings of Labour to stand down and stop splitting the vote and I can see why members were sick of that. Another piece of context is that the progressive alliance in 2019 was effectively an alliance with the Lib Dems on Brexit and was not effective at all.
I would be quite surprised if the membership at the next election decided to make the same decision because the electoral dynamics will be very different.
Ani Chowdhury
The left often falls into an insular focus on dividing up the minority of votes rather than working collectively towards the seismic shift in public opinion and mobilisation we need. GO recognises the shared goals and values between the Greens and people like Faiza Shaheen and Jeremy Corbyn which is why we have a working group to build connections across the left.
