How the #greensurge is being experienced locally

Back in the twilight of our blink and you’ve missed it English Summer, there were some extraordinary bumps in Green Party membership which were unprecedented. I remember speaking to former London Coordinator Noel Lynch in October about the causation. He explained that three key factors within the UK had triggered this change. The first was the European Election results. Winning a third MEP was in the grand scheme of things quite a minor achievement. However, the Lib Dems had only won two MEPs. The second was the Scottish Referendum which opened up the political spectrum. The Scottish Green Party campaigned for a 'Yes' vote and experienced a massive boost in membership. Finally, not being included in the TV debates was the start of a wave which just hasn’t stopped. In recent weeks Call me Dave Cameron has helped boost our exposure further, resulting in a big jump in memberships and in the opinion polls.

There has been widespread coverage of the so called ‘green surge’.  Recent opinion polls have seen the Green Party at 10 per cent, with one Ashcroft poll showing the party at 11 per cent. Additionally, the party’s  membership has jumped from 15,000 to 50000 in England & Wales in space of a year, overtaking Liberal Democrat and UKIP memberships in the process.  This national phenomenon is also being felt locally. A year ago the party had 76 members in Croydon. It now has have 227, rising by the day. 

I WROTE THE ABOVE OPENING PARAGRAPH FOR A PRESS RELEASE ON FRIDAY 30^TH JANUARY, AND BY 2^ND FEBRUARY WE WERE UP TO 235 MEMBERS.

Later in the aforementioned press release I make the comment that among 18-24 year olds, the party is polling 22 per cent. STOP PRESS – we are now at 29 per cent!

To say that the situation is fluid is an understatement! To give readers a flavour, here are reasons why four new members have joined:

Kathryn Turner

"I work in environmental science and have always been passionate about ecological sustainability. I just thought that now's the time to get active locally. I am particularly interested in local recycling. Yes the levels of recycling are good in our borough but there are ways to improve the efficiency."

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Stefan Szczelkun

"I never thought I would end up joining a political party but I've finally done it in my in my 67th year on this planet! For a while I’ve realised that the Green Party represents the most well thought out policies in the UK. You can say I am broadly a left wing voter but Labour is now weak on left leaning policies. The Green party is the only party that is anti -austerity. I’ve even helped out the local party in the past but never joined. When I noticed on Facebook the numbers of members were going up, I thought it was about time I took the plunge."

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Natalie Milsom

"I am excited to be part of the Green Party. We can see all around the system isn't working. Thankfully, the Green Party offers real solutions to the problems we face, especially when it comes to the environment and inequality. We have to come to the stage where we have to say enough is enough. I usually vote Labour but feel they do not represent ordinary people anymore. The Green Party is more aligned to what I believe in."

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Kristian Gregory

“I always knew the Greens shared my values more closely than Labour but I thought Labour had a better chance of winning and were a good compromise. However, when I realised Labour policy was almost identical to that of the Conservatives I knew I had to stop compromising and join the Green Party"

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Tags croydon, greenparty