greenpolitics.ca

Stuart Hertzog believes that the primary task of the Green Party is not the environment, but to defend and develop Democracy. He is concerned that Canadian Green parties have drifted away from their Green political principles in their drive for political power. Centralising decision-making into federal council and the leader has alienated Green grassroots activists and undermined the party’s membership base.

Some political commentators focus on differences between light and deep greens, while others stress the distinction between between left and right greens. Saskatchewan writer David Greenfield has identified nine distinct types of green, covering almost the entire spectrum of contemporary political and ecological views, and believes it is important to name them to find a way forward for the contemporary ecological movement.

As polls show public support for the Green Party of Canada rising steadily to between 10% and 12% nationally and up to 15% here in BC, the tension between possible electoral success and the party’s set of basic Green political values becomes even more apparent. The problem is that most party members have no knowledge or understanding of core Green values.

This is the second of a two-part series on restructuring Green political parties in accordance with Green values. The first part of this series considered the democratic deficiencies present in centralised Green parties. This second part presents a non-hierarchical structural model that offers many advantages to revitalise Green parties as dynamic centres of citizen activism.

Despite the intent to create a more democratic political process, many Green parties from the start adopted the same ‘top-down’ hierarchical structure as mainstream political parties. Their leadership progressively sealed themselves off from the party’s grass roots, and in many cases membership and fundraising declined precipitously. This analysis looks at why.

Although an eight-month Elections Canada investigation cleared him of any serious wrongdoing, the choice of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast MP Blair Wilson as Canada’s first Green MP throws serious doubt on Green Party leader Elizabeth May’s commitment to the fundamental Green political principles of ecocentrism and grassroots democracy.

Country Report — Italy

Mainstream Italian politicians claim to pursue the sustainable path, but their real aim is continued economic growth, explains Italian correspondent Guido Dalla Casa. Unfortunately, the Italian Green Party also has nothing ‘deep green’ about it, so no help for the planet will come out of Italy.

Conventional party politics offers limited opportunity to achieve the depth of cultural change necessary to safeguard life on this planet. Although there is a need for political activism, even Green political parties are neither far-sighted nor bold enough to put forward a clear vision of an eco-centric society. So I’m announcing a change of focus for this site.

After a hotly-contested race, the BC Green Party chose Esquimalt councillor Jane Sterk as their new Leader. She’s going to have to use all her impressive political and personal skills to repair the damage of the previous eleven months and build the party into a vote-getting machine for 2009.

BC premier Gordon Campbell’s announcement of his intent to reduce provincial greenhouse gas emissions by 33% by 2020 has serious political implications for the BC Green party. It will take more than puppy-dog thinking to convince voters to give up their allegiance to the mainstream options.