tracking how the green party has become the party of identity politics

PART ONE : 2010 – 2014

As revealed in this Time Line put together by The Green Light team, the incursion of the “Social Justice Movement” into our ecological and humanist Green Party can be traced back to the year 2010.

Whilst equality for women and all minorities has always been and remains a fundamental green value underpinned by our Philosophical Basis, based on the evidence gathered so far, we have reasons to believe that the notion whereby all knowledge – including scientific knowledge – is socially constructed and that group identities trump class and poverty was a straight import from universities as new cohorts of students joined the party.

Why the Green Party of England and Wales and the Scottish Greens have been so much more vulnerable to the impact of anti-science post modernism and identity politics than other political party in the UK will no doubt be the object of much soul searching over the next few months, if not years.

If we are therefore to collectively undertake this important work which could possibly still save our party from an almost inevitable split or worse, it is imperative that we all ask ourselves questions such as: when did our ecology party lost its compass, how did it happen and what lessons can be learnt from this.

This is Part One of the Time Line which takes us to 2014. Part Two to be published before the end of August. Part Three will be posted in early September and will be followed by Part Four which will take us to February 2023 when the Green Light was launched. The links provided are an essential part of the research in the tracking process.

2010

6th May – Caroline Lucas is elected as Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion.

The Equality Act defines “ Protected Characteristics “.

 “Bright Green” social media platform is launched by members of the Scottish Greens and  Open Democracy.

The platform soon becomes the voice of ‘identitarianism’ within the green movement in the UK

2011

A  one year free membership to join the Green Party leads to a sudden influx of students and graduates in the party. Fresh from social sciences and arts departments almost exclusively, new recruits bring with them a post-modernist philosophy and Critical Social Justice “Theories” which defines sex, gender, race and other “ characteristics” as the basis of a hierarchy of competitive identities.

Mentored by a handful of postgraduates from Green Left and Open Democracy, the Young Greens is set up as an autonomous body with its own constitution and sets of rules with voting rights on the Executive and the guarantee of a generous annual grant.

In 2019, the Young Greens handed back part of their £25000 grant to the Executive towards the General Election campaign.

2012

A strong suppporter of the transgender community, Natalie Bennett is elected leader of the Green Party.

2013

The Green Party Regional Council sets up a Governance Working Group which comprises of Green Left Doug Rouxel as chair, Derek Wall, GPEX Chair Liz Reason, John Street from the Executive and representatives from the Green Party Regional Council (GPRC).

The concept of “Liberation Groups” emerges from this Working Group with a view to be inserted into the new constitution.

The Black Lives Matter movement builds up in the US.

Nottingham Conference. A revision of the Philosophical Basis of the party which prioritise social justice is adopted. Written by Young Green Josiah Mortimer, this “clause 4 ” declares that  “The Green Party is a party of social and environmental justice which supports a radical transformation of society for the benefit of all, and for the planet as a whole. We understand that the threats to economic, social and environmental wellbeing are part of the same problem, and recognise that solving one of these crises cannot be achieved without solving the others.”

Conference passes a vote of ‘No Confidence’ in the chair of the Governance Working Group for a ‘lack of objectivity’ in pushing his own identitarian agenda.

Doug Rouxel has been a mentor to the Young Greens, and played a key role as a member of the Standing Orders Committee for many years. He remains an active member of GPRC’s Party Structure Working group.

Brighton Council under a green administation adopts Stonewall’s Trans Inclusion School Tool kit for local schools.

2014

Green MP Caroline Lucas pushes for a Gender Identity clinic in Brighton

Bright Greens is launched UK wide.

Mermaid, a charity which supports trans, non binary and gender diverse children, young people and their families captures the Tavistock Gender Clinic

Aimee Challenor, a Trustee of Coventry Pride and trans equality campaigner comes out aged 16 as she left school. She spoke openly about her experiences as a young transgender woman.

Diagnosed as autistic, she is referred to the Gender Clinic at Tavistok by Mermaid. Her father is on the parents’ board.  Copy of the letter of referral.   

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