There’s been a lot said, quite rightly, about how Labour have to reflect on their recent general election loss. How much more true, however, this is for the Green Party, for whom I extensively campaigned in the run-up to the last election.
It is clear from its dismal polling that the Green Party is out of touch with the concerns of ordinary people in towns. Time and again on the doorstep I heard the message that “all this ecological climate stuff’s a load of nonsense if you ask me, if there’s global warming how come it’s so perishing cold and that Swedish girl, she should be in school and all. That Lucas woman needs a wash and 20p for a plastic bag? It’s a disgrace. I’m voting Boris. He’s good on the immigrants too.”
We must listen to these very real concerns very carefully indeed if we are to maintain electoral credibility. Clearly, our purism, our metropolitan obsession with recycling and unrealistic plans such as getting people to use cars and planes less are alienating the very people we are trying to save.
Yes, in a perfect world it would be nice to save the world but we’ve no chance of doing that if we insist on harking back to the bad old days of the 1970s, all those sandals and anti-nuclear protests and lentil stews.
For that reason, I propose that the Green Party ditches its “doom and gloom” message about climate change and focusses on the more positive aspects of the environment which appeal to the electorate - in particular, gardening. Let’s make us the Gardening Party! What’s greener than that? Instead of the Green Party making people think of smelly young men with dreadlocks up trees protesting against much-needed - yes, I’m not afraid to think the unthinkable! - much-needed motorway extensions, I want them to think of lawns, shears, pesticides, rhododendrons. And Joanna Lumley, our next leader for my money!
Further policies;
- ABOLISH the 20p surcharge of plastic bags and use the money for research into sharper secateurs suitable for the elderly.
- ALL Green Party MPs to wash on a daily basis, with their ablutions recorded in a Register of Hygiene
- REPLACE all dogmatic references to “Climate Change” in our manifesto, instead laying emphasis on ideas such as “Hope”, “Aspiration” and “Choice”.
- WORK with the Swedish school authorities to tighten up truancy laws
- CURB immigration drastically. When people come to work here, many of them drive around in cars and breathe our clean air. By reducing immigration, we’ll also be reducing air pollution.
-RENAME ourselves the Yellow Party. Yellow, the traditional colour of courage and boldness, the boldness we will need as we forge ahead into a bright future!
It is clear from its dismal polling that the Green Party is out of touch with the concerns of ordinary people in towns. Time and again on the doorstep I heard the message that “all this ecological climate stuff’s a load of nonsense if you ask me, if there’s global warming how come it’s so perishing cold and that Swedish girl, she should be in school and all. That Lucas woman needs a wash and 20p for a plastic bag? It’s a disgrace. I’m voting Boris. He’s good on the immigrants too.”
We must listen to these very real concerns very carefully indeed if we are to maintain electoral credibility. Clearly, our purism, our metropolitan obsession with recycling and unrealistic plans such as getting people to use cars and planes less are alienating the very people we are trying to save.
Yes, in a perfect world it would be nice to save the world but we’ve no chance of doing that if we insist on harking back to the bad old days of the 1970s, all those sandals and anti-nuclear protests and lentil stews.
For that reason, I propose that the Green Party ditches its “doom and gloom” message about climate change and focusses on the more positive aspects of the environment which appeal to the electorate - in particular, gardening. Let’s make us the Gardening Party! What’s greener than that? Instead of the Green Party making people think of smelly young men with dreadlocks up trees protesting against much-needed - yes, I’m not afraid to think the unthinkable! - much-needed motorway extensions, I want them to think of lawns, shears, pesticides, rhododendrons. And Joanna Lumley, our next leader for my money!
Further policies;
- ABOLISH the 20p surcharge of plastic bags and use the money for research into sharper secateurs suitable for the elderly.
- ALL Green Party MPs to wash on a daily basis, with their ablutions recorded in a Register of Hygiene
- REPLACE all dogmatic references to “Climate Change” in our manifesto, instead laying emphasis on ideas such as “Hope”, “Aspiration” and “Choice”.
- WORK with the Swedish school authorities to tighten up truancy laws
- CURB immigration drastically. When people come to work here, many of them drive around in cars and breathe our clean air. By reducing immigration, we’ll also be reducing air pollution.
-RENAME ourselves the Yellow Party. Yellow, the traditional colour of courage and boldness, the boldness we will need as we forge ahead into a bright future!
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