When you think of a Green Party, what comes to mind?

Upon picking up a Green manifesto most would expect to be enlightened on the virtues of ecological wisdom, perhaps calling for a grassroots – even anti-political – movement to further the noble cause of environmentalism.

Yet take a look at the policies page of the British Green Party’s website and the word ‘environment’ barely gets a mention. Caroline Lucas’ so-called ‘green alternative’ involves restricting bankers’ bonuses, opposing the move towards privatisation in the NHS and seeking a fair deal in the pensions dispute. That’s all well and good, but what exactly are these policies doing for the environment? How are they ‘green’?

It seems that, increasingly, our Green Party is showing more of a resemblance to the Socialist Workers’ Party or UK Uncut than to an environmentalist movement.

The reasons for this are plain for all to see. With Ed Balls accepting that a Labour government would keep the cuts imposed by the Coalition, there is a debilitating vacuum in British left-wing politics. This is a great shame for the left; we are not living in the pluralist society we aspire to if socialists – even social democrats – find themselves completely unrepresented by our political parties. The fact that Ms. Lucas was one of the most popular speakers at the Fabian Society’s annual conference was hardly surprising.

But is it the role of the Green Party to fill that vacuum?

First and foremost, the environment should not be an issue of right or left. People of all political persuasions should be welcomed to support the ecological cause, not simply dyed-in-the-wool lefties.

Moreover, the environmentalist voice needs to be heard now more than ever. The Conservatives sought the green vote when David Cameron became leader, changing their logo and declaring that if you ‘vote blue’ you are ‘going green’. The Coalition pledged to be the greenest government in history. Clearly those in power are falling short of their promises. More than ever, a true green party is needed to fight the environmentalist’s corner.

Of course there is an important role for left-wing political parties in Britain. It is understandable that fringe parties might move to the left to fill the gap created by Labour. But it is a great shame if this happens at the expense of environmentalism.

Sometimes in politics it is best to stick to what you know. The Green Party should go back to being green.

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