Comments on The Daily (Maybe): Greens and the left milieu

Interesting.I think though, as a minority party, w...

2008-12-21T16:54:00.000Z

Interesting.

I think though, as a minority party, we do need to work with others on the areas we agree to help further our agenda.

How we do that is always going to be an issue of specifics and tactics of course - but by building a relationship with, say, campaigners to defend council housing, we strengthen our own understanding of the issues and root ourselves more deeply in the community.

That's not to say our focus should be on activists, or exclusively left activists, but that is something that has to be part of our work, I think, to keep us reinvigourated.

Matt Selwood used a brilliant phrase which I whell out regularly which is that the Green Party should be the electoral wing of community campaigns - I like that and it means we need to have an "organic" (put that with milieu) and active relationship to them.

Sometimes that will be through/via/alongside members of other parties with whom we might have strong disagreements as well as points of agreement.

Hi Jim,I'm also anxious about the Livingstone plat...

2008-12-21T13:03:00.000Z

Hi Jim,
I'm also anxious about the Livingstone platform and the Convention. By all means we should be recruiting from the disaffected left, but sitting on platforms with their unelectable leaders risks what we've worked for, I reckon.

They keep trying to use us up here in Scotland, with a single purpose, to drag us down and to build themselves up. Here's a case in point - one or two of our activists thought something similar might be useful, and this is how the socialists spun it: http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2309832.0.scottish_socialists_in_talks_to_join_forces_with_greens.php

We're always going to be better off trying to persuade and deliver on our own agenda, and then finding common ground once elected with either other elected folk or campaigners who we can help.

Listen not to the siren voices!

James

Well, there are a number of milieu's that should b...

2008-12-18T22:15:00.000Z

Well, there are a number of milieu's that should be of interest to Greens and the left one that I talk about here is one of them. But they need to be handled in different ways it seems to me.

I've spoken elsewhere of the fact that the green movement does not always immediately think of the Green Party when selecting a variety of tools for change. I'd like to see that movement feel closer to us and us feel closer to it - but I think the approach would be quite different and the reasons for distance distinct.

As I say some of these events, maybe all, will not be every Green's cup of tea - don't involve yourself in the ones that don't tickle you because I'm sure you'll find other just as useful things to do - but I do think that some of us should be there and we do need to be relating to those people who feel deserted by Labour and those grassroots activists that have so many talents and much enthusiasm.

I think we'd be much the better for it.

Why does your “milieu” have to be focussed on the ...

2008-12-18T20:42:00.000Z

Why does your “milieu” have to be focussed on the left?

If “We seek to be part of a wider green movement” should it not be, how can I put this, well, WIDER?

I would suggest that the real challenge is not with “co-thinkers” but in engaging with those who aren’t but could be.