I think there is an important starting point in any discussion of political support that we accept that any party we give our support to will hold policies and ideas that we do not agree with and accept. Despite the waffle so often coming from MPs and other party members seeking to progress in the party, any member of any party has parts of their manifesto that they don’t wholeheartedly support. The same applies to me and the Greens. I am not going to outline them, because that is divisive. I am still a member, and I still support them, despite the disagreements. I would have disagreements with ANY party I supported, so they do not matter, if I believe that the core party aims are good.
Politically, I am left-wing, meaning that I believe the state should take care of the people. I am a believer in big government, to the extent that the state should provide certain benefits for the people, and these should be run as services, not as profit-driven business. But I would not call myself a socialist, largely because a) I don’t know any more what this means and b) I do not believe that the age-old party division of left/right, driven fundamentally on economic policy, is any longer valid.
The problem we have in the UK these days is that we no longer have a politically left party. The Tories are firmly right-wing, and are taking the Lib-Dems with them. The Labour party has moved towards the middle ground, and is now more right-wing than the Liberals used to be. We have a political gap in the social-concern area – and it is this that I believe the Greens can satisfy.
And, in case you want to argue that the parties are not, in fact, all far too right wing, they are ALL supporting the appalling retroactive legislation to make the illegal and abusive workfare schemes legal.
But are the Greens any better? Well the core drive for Green politics is towards care for the environment, care for the world, providing sustainability in our resource use. In truth, this can only be achieved nationally by government-driven service provision. That means providing transport systems that do not use our precious oil reserves – and therefore public transport has to be a better option. It means supporting the NHS, because it is health for all, and people are important to Greens. It means support for those in need, because they are important, and paying for it through tax on the wealthier and those who are damaging the environment – these classes tend to be very much the same. It means providing a fair society for us all to live and prosper in, and for our children. It means not being selfish, but being prepared to share with others, now and in the future.
This is not an official outline of Green policies, for which you can look at the party web site. But compassion, care, an sustainability are the core principles.
These seem like good socialist ideas.
They also seem like good Christian principles.
Of course, there are some issues with the Green party for Middle-Class Christians. Firstly, it will mean we will be more tightly squeezed, because so much of the middle-class lifestyle is wasteful. So it may mean higher driving costs, a push towards recycling our waste, not just chucking it, less fancy out-of-season food in our supermarkets. But these are good things if you take a wider perspective on the world. These are things we should be pushed to change, because we clearly haven’t done it without the pressure.
The other issue is the whole new-age mother-earth thing about the Greens. Oddly enough, the spiritual beliefs of other parties do not enter into the discussion very often. Is rampant, selfish greed a more Christ-like attitude? Or personal political ambition? These are the driving principles behind so many politicians, and yet we support them. In fact, I believe that an understanding of the world as a living being, as a part of a wonderful creation, as something more than a rock to be lived on is very much in line with Celtic Christian understanding. The care and concern for the environment is part of our Christian heritage and responsibility. There will be those in the movement who come there from a different point, but so what? We are all working towards a better stewardship of the earth. Glad to welcome you. What is more, most Green Party members are hard-headed political realists - people who believe the Green Party ideals, but who are also serious politicians.
Is Green the new Red? It is hard to say, but the recent successes do indicate that the green message is starting to get through. There is a lot of good socialism in the green agenda, and there is more. If you are fed up with the current politics – and to be honest, whatever your position, you should be – then the Green direction may be a breath of fresh air.
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