16 Apr 2006

Ecosocialism as an alternative to the Euston Manifesto

Green Revolution is a new socialist platform in the Green Party, it aims to promote ecosocialist ideas from the William Morris tradition and ofcourse people like Joel Kovel and John Bellamy Foster, to make better links between the Party and other socialists. There have been some excellent ecosocialist groups before perhaps the best was SERA the Socialist Environment and Resources Association. They published items like Raymond Williams booklet Ecology and Socialism in the 1980s. They have since become rather mainstream Labour.

GR has already gained a lot of interest in the Green Party, there will be a meeting in June to look at the statement amending if necessary. Hopefully this will provide some intestest for those seeking serious action on climate change, social justice and peace.

As ecosocialists we are ofcourse keen to work with faith groups but not to compromise on human rights issues.

Derek Wall



Green Revolution

Green Revolution has been launched as a network for socialists and other radicals in the Green Party of England and Wales. It will act as an outreach body that will communicate the Parties radical policies to socialists and other anti-capitalists outside of the Party.

GR is based on the assumption that capitalism is a system that wrecks
the
planet and promotes war. A green society must be based on social
justice.
GR in short works to promote ecosocialism as a solution to our
planetary
ills.

GR supports the democratic structures in the party and encourages transparency, accountability and engagement in all organs of the party. We also see the Green Party as a 'bottom up' political organisation where the principles of the membership are paramount and not a 'top down' one where a self-designated political elite decide on policies and principles.

GR aims to raise the international links of the Green party building globe links with radical greens and ecosocialists across the planet. It will work closely with members of other European Green Parties to reform the workings of the European Green party structures that must be democratised. Green politics must realise the slogan 'think globally, act locally' by linking practical local campaigns to global issues of ecology, democracy, justice and liberation.

Gr aims to act as a ginger group within the Green Party so as to raise Green Party politics to meet its radical policies. Green politics needs to be based on dynamic campaigning and hard intellectual ground work to create workable alternatives.

GR aims to build regional campaigns and contribute to coalition building through coherent alignments and open discussion with progressive anti-capitalists. It is vitally important that the Green Party works to develop the climate change campaign and the continuing movement to stop the war. GR will work to enhance Green Party contributions to demonstrations, marches and other solidarity events.

While GR is keen to build fraternal links with faith communities it will not compromise on of human rights including issues of gay and lesbian rights and womens liberation.

Since William Morris's activism in the Social Democratic Federation in 1880s, there has been an ecosocialist tradition in Britain, Green Revolution believes that ecosocialism provides an alternative to a society based on alienation, ecological destruction and war. Such an alternative demands that we 'educate, organise and agitate'

Green Revolution..Sarah Farrow, Joseph Healy, Penny Kemp, Tim Summers and Derek Wall. Headcorn 2006.

1 comment:

Joe Otten said...

Derek! What a find.

So what's new about GR? Seems to be the sort of thing you have always been banging on about. But I suppose there's that Blairish nod towards faith communities.

I'm a little uncomfortable with that - it typically means recognising the right of "faith community leaders" to speak on behalf of a wide diversity of people with typically more sensible views than themselves. And it reinforces what Amartya Sen calls plural monoculturism.

Still, you can't have far left to go before the Green Party is completely socialist. I for one am long gone now.

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