England’s Green Politicians (could they win power?)
England has a few major political parties, yet it’s surprising considering the huge issues we have with climate change, that The Green Party still only has four MPs.
It’s interesting that despite climate change arguably being the most important issue worldwide (if our planet disappears, everything else is irrelevant), Reform has made more inroads in a few years, than the Green Party in England has in decades. People do care – so why is this?
Let’s be optimistic. Greens only have to double their membership to be on a level playing field with Reform. And with the recent election of the charismatic and effective leader Zack Polanski, this looks highly likely.
Climate change is now the most pressing issue on earth, yet still it’s not taken seriously enough to warrant people voting for politicians who are working to try to stop it.
Yet Greens are not just about saving the planet, but also about fairness, new voting systems, animal welfare, human rights, compassion and alternatives to economic growth.
Of course, Greens are not the only political party concerned with the planet. Lib Dems have pretty good policies, and there are also many independent politicians. But to make real changes that could benefit our planet, it would help if we at least had a few Green ministers, like abroad.
The Power of Local Connections
Greens think more about local power and grassroots action than national and international policies. From local parks to cycling cities, Greens are more focused on litter clean-ups and cleaner rivers and seas, than economic growth, chain stores and big banks.
Having said that, some Green councils have been heavily criticised for not improving recycling rates (one even destroyed a bird habitat to build a cycle path, which was met with horror by local residents.
And Greens are also fans of the EU, which is anything but local:
The EU violates just about every green principle going. It is the opposite of local; it is destructive to the natural world; it wipes out cultural distinctiveness. It is anti-democratic, it puts the interests of banks and corporations before the interests of its working people.
Why – when – how – did the Green movement abandon its commitment to localism and democracy, and jump into bed with a beast like this? Paul Kingsnorth
Learning from Finland’s Green Success
Finland (a country with happy people and the world’s cleanest air) is also known for its honest politics (people trust the MPs!) The Finnish Green Party is very successful here, and have been part of a national coalition, which brought in wildlife protection rules.
New Zealand Greens in Government
Aotearoa New Zealand also has Greens in government, with ministerial jobs. This is partly due to fairer voting systems, so it’s easier to elect Green MPs. Compared with the UK that still has the antiquated ‘first past the post’ system, to keep big parties entrenched in power. It’s already:
- Created thousands of nature-based jobs
- Improved fair deals for renters
- Ended new offshore gas & oil exploration
The party currently has 15 MPs, quite a large proportion for a small country and population. Many of Maori descent.
The Australian Greens also have MPs in parliament, although there is controversy over the expulsion of the co-founder, for expressing his views on the transgender movement. It’s a shame that personal issues that people could respectfully disagree on, are deemed more important than focusing on their very good policies:
- Free medical and dental care
- Lower mortgages and fair banking
- Affordable homes and capping rent increases
- Make supermarket price gouging illegal
- Free university education
- End native forest logging
- Free school lunches
The Aussie Greens leader Adam Bandt recently lost his seat, citing the Trump effect. He’s more concerned that climate change is now being seen as a political issue, rather than the serious non-political issue it is.
And is pleading with the media, to stop reporting on Trump’s lies, as if they are truth.
What About England’s Green Party?
So what’s happening back at home? Former leader Caroline Lucas now has resigned, and gives speeches and has written a book on compassionate patriotism.
At time of writing (July 2025), The Green Party has four elected MPs, two members of the House of Lords, three London Assembly members and over 800 seats on 170 councils. But that’s not really many, compared to other political parties.
However the four MPs have good credentials, and knowledge. Rather than just being ‘token MPs’ that were either interns or recruited to become an MP, just for the sake of it:
Carla Denyer studied mechanical engineering at Durham University, and is an expert on climate change and renewable energy. She is stepping down as co-leader, to throw her weight into being a local MP for Bristol.
Adrian Ramsay was former chief executive of the Centre for Alternative Energy, then worked for a charity that focused on carbon-free homes (he also has a first-class degree in politics).
Siân Berry is also an engineer (and former sustainable transport campaigner). And former candidate for London mayor.
She has recently reintroduced Ella’s Law back to parliament, a Bill to get air pollution listed as a cause of death, after 9-year old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah died of a fatal asthma attack.
Ellie Chowns is doing so many good things, we have a whole post about her!
New Green Leader Zack Polanski
New leader Zack Polanski is a gay vegan Jew, so can create peace across all bridges! His popularity has seen Green Party membership increase, known as the ‘Polanski surge’. And if that doesn’t already make you feel good, his partner works in a hospice, helping peaceful ends for dying patients.
A former actor and hypnotherapist, he is the son of a hardware shop proprietor, often parodying the ‘I’m from working-class stock’, by saying ‘I’m not the son of a tool maker, I’m the son of a tool seller!’
He believes that at the next election, Labour is going to lose seats due to silly decisions since being in power, and is hoping for Greens to get from 30 to 60 seats.
If you read interviews, Zack is an interesting character, who has lots of positive hopes for the future of Green politics. And interestingly, he is quite sympathetic to those who vote Reform, and has ideas to get them on board.
He is encouraged by recent research already, that shows that more young women vote for Greens, than Reform, though the media never reports this.
He’s also confident that due to Labour having messed everything up since they were given a ‘golden wand’ at the last election, it will be pretty easy to win seats from them, in left-leaning constituencies.
Labour is going to lose seats. They’re either going to lose them to Reform, or to us. I want to see Keir Starmer leaning to the left, because then we can all be winning. Do I think he will? No, I think he’s too far gone. But it’s time to turn this country around and stop cruel government, that is absolutely in the pockets of the super-rich.
I think 99% of people can unite under the Green Party umbrella, and I think that’s exactly how we’ll grow in the same way that Reform has. A party of millionaires representing the interests of billionaires, but claiming to be the voice of the working class. With the right message, we can absolutely speak to Reform voters.
If that seems odd to people, there’s lots of evidence that many people who supported Bernie Sanders, ended up voting for Donald Trump. I’m as much of a patriot as Nigel Farage. I care about this country and its communities. To tackle a crisis, we need to grow communities. We need to protect jobs, and make sure that people have dignity and fair pay at work.
