Why are Greens standing in the General Election in Stroud?
The short answer is that, despite our asking Labour at both local and national level, they have refused to make an agreement that would benefit them in Stroud in exchange for an agreement in a seat where Greens are the strongest placed party to defeat a sitting Tory MP.
So if you still feel, after reading the longer explanation below, that Greens should not campaign in Stroud, please talk to the Labour Party about why they have refused to consider an agreement, and ask them to reconsider.
Greens are a political party – standing in elections is what we do.
The longer answer is that Greens are a distinct political party with clear and progressive policies. We exist to get the change we so desperately need through the political process by getting fresh people elected to all levels of government. Greens believe it is important to work through both the electoral system and campaigning organisations like Greenpeace, XR, Amnesty, Refugee Support etc.
We see the difference it makes in political decision making to have a few elected Greens in the room. Our exceptional MP, Caroline Lucas, has had an influence on UK politics far beyond her single vote allowed her by the iniquitous ‘first past the post’ electoral system, designed by the large parties to prevent new parties challenging their power.
In Stroud District, due to hard work over many years, Greens are now the largest progressive party on the Council, and due to our principle of cooperating with others, Greens now run the Council in alliance with the LibDems and independent progressive Councillors who have left the Labour party.
We give voters the opportunity to vote Green or to choose to vote tactically.
We believe that everyone should have the right to vote Green (or for any other legal party). If they choose to vote tactically (for example, to prevent a party they dislike from winning) that is their choice. To force them to vote tactically by deliberately not standing and removing their right to vote for their preferred candidate would be wrong.
For another party to tell the Greens not to stand (for example, to get the Tories out) is also wrong and smacks of authoritarian states in which only some parties are allowed to stand.
We argue that there is an exception when the Green Party enters into a reciprocal agreement with another progressive party to support a shared aim, like preventing a disastrous Tory government getting re-elected. In this case, although the Greens would not stand in one area, it would only be in exchange for another party not standing in another area where Greens have the best chance of winning; each party gets a benefit from the arrangement.
In the 2019 general election, the Greens successfully made such an agreement locally with the Lib Dems, but unfortunately Labour chose not to join an agreement, despite being asked. In 2022, Stroud Greens have again reached out to Labour, but Labour has once again indicated that it will not join such a reciprocal agreement. So if you want this to change, please persuade Labour to change their policies.
The ‘splitting the vote’ narrative is simplistic and inaccurate.
We should never take anyone’s vote, or their reasons for choosing a particular party, for granted. It is often claimed that if Greens were not standing, ‘their votes’ would automatically go to Labour. This is patronising to voters and not true.
For instance, in 2019, in an election dominated by Brexit:
- Some traditional Labour voters voted Tory because they supported Brexit and weren’t convinced by Corbyn – Labour lost these votes to the Tories; Greens did not steal them.
- Some ‘Remain’ supporting traditional Tory voters voted for the Green candidate Molly Scott Cato as the Remain candidate, but would not vote for Labour – so Molly reduced the Tory vote.
- Some were torn between Green in principle and tactically with Labour – they made their own minds up, because by standing, Greens gave them the choice. Some voted Labour, some Green.
- Some Green voters, with experience of past Labour behaviour locally and failed promises on PR and other issues nationally, vowed to spoil their ballot rather than vote Labour, if there was no Green candidate.
So it is not as simple as ‘splitting the vote’. In 2019 Siobhan Baillie won because more people voted for her (up 2% from 2017) than for David Drew (down 4.9%). Labour failed to persuade enough people to vote for them. That’s democracy and that’s how the current system, supported by the two big parties, works.
Greens support proportional representation (PR).
Many of these tensions between progressive parties would be minimised by PR. What’s more, our current Government disaster has been accentuated by a totally non proportional electoral system in which a party that received support from just 43.6% of voters could command a massive parliamentary majority able to force through a hard Brexit, a succession of unelected Prime Ministers and austerity against the wishes of the majority.
Greens have always supported Proportional Representation and already use it for all our internal elections. The Lib Dems also support PR. PR was in Labour’s 1997 manifesto, but was never implemented once Tony Blair got a large majority (with just 43% of votes).
Despite the majority of Labour members supporting PR, it seems that Kier Starmer is not – and will not be – a supporter, especially if he gets a large majority at the next election. Greens do not believe this is how democracy should work.
Not standing in an election costs the Green Party money.
Under the current rules, opposition parties receive funding from the taxpayer, under a scheme called ‘Short Money’. The amount payable is £19,400 for every seat won at the General Election plus £38.75 for every 200 votes gained by the party. By not standing, the Green Party reduces the amount of money that its elected MPs receive to run their office. With no wealthy donors, or trade unions to fund it, the Green Party relies on this form of funding to run its Westminster offices.
Some questions and answers about our decision to stand
What response did you get when you asked local and national Labour to consider doing a deal?
The local Labour Party said they couldn’t make any agreements and that we would have to talk to Labour nationally. Nationally, Labour have not been prepared to make any agreements with the Green Party on standing aside or not campaigning in particular seats, despite being asked.
Sadly, in some cases the Labour Party seem more interested in preventing Greens growing stronger than in getting rid of the Tories.
Do you think local Labour supporters are aware that you offered to do a deal and that Labour refused?
No, we don’t think they are aware that we offered a deal before the last election and again this year. Labour Party members often come to the Green Party, asking us not to stand, and are genuinely very surprised when we tell them the history of offers we have made to Labour.
If Labour changed their minds, and offered to do a reciprocal deal, favouring Labour in Stroud and favouring the Greens in a constituency where Greens have the best chance of ousting a Conservative MP, would you accept?
Yes, if it was genuinely reciprocal.
If the Greens didn’t stand, where do you believe the Green votes would go?
‘Green votes’ sounds like we own them. We don’t; they belong to the individuals concerned. We believe we have to win votes at each election by having better policies, harder working and more honest and committed politicians.
If there was not a Green candidate, many who previously voted Green would probably vote Labour. Others might vote Lib Dem because they support PR. Others would not vote.
We are also aware that many previous Conservative voters are considering voting Green because they are horrified by the Government’s record on Brexit, Partygate, PPE scandals and lack of action on the nature and climate emergencies. These ex-Tory voters may not, however, be prepared to vote for Labour. So overall the picture is complicated.
During your general election campaign, will you be actively targeting Labour supporters?
We will inform everyone about Green policies and let them make their own minds up who to vote for. However, after 12+ years of the most disastrous series of Conservative Governments, we believe that ex-Conservative voters will be desperate for a change (as is the rest of the country).
Therefore we will be particularly targeting areas that have traditionally had Conservative majorities.