Zack Polanski, deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and a member of the London Assembly, visited Stroud at the weekend to meet Green Party members, writes Sue Fenton.
Mr Polanski hosted a workshop at Brimscombe Mill at which party leaders, members and councillors discussed their strategy for the 2025 County Council elections, at which they aim to add significantly to the existing five-strong Green councillor group.
Referring to the Greens having won four parliamentary seats in the General Election, despite the “hugely unfair” First Past the Post voting system, which disadvantages smaller parties, he said: “Nearly two million people voted for the Greens at the ballot box, considerably more than ever before. And a lot more wanted to, but thought we couldn’t win. The media certainly didn’t expect us to win four MPs, but we demonstrated that even under First Past the Post we can win seats, with the Green Party offering real hope and real change, and an alternative to the two-party system.”
Referring to the 22 Green councillors on Stroud District Council, which made the party the minority administration in May, he added: “We know how effective Greens in this area can be. We have demonstrated that we can win at a local level. We can and must be an even bigger force in British politics and locally this starts with the elections for Gloucestershire County Council.”
He said that after 14 years of under-investment by the Conservative government it feels like we’re “a broken country where nothing works”, saying: “There’s no environmental justice without climate justice, social justice, racial justice – and economic justice.”
Referring to the Green manifesto pledge of a wealth tax he said: “We’re not anti-business. Far from it, we know how important independent businesses are as the beating heart of the economic system. But there’s a blockage in the system because we’re not taxing multi-millionaires properly.”
He welcomed the good things the new Labour government has done so far, such as cancelling the Rwanda deportation scheme and creating GB Energy. “However politics has never seemed so polarised and the Labour Party needs to provide leadership on many other issues.”
