The Greening Of British Party Politics

This work, based on over 60 interviews (between 1986 and 1990) with politicians from each of the major British political parties, is concerned with an examination of the environmentalism/politics interface and how the major parties are responding in real terms to the environmental challenge.

This book explains how the Greens went from obscurity to England’s third largest party in just one year, quadrupling their vote share and securing their place in Britain’s refigured party system on the way. Sophisticated quantitative analyses of the Greens’ voters and members as well as interviews with all of the leading party insiders are used to explain how internal dynamics, changing political opportunities and a forgotten portion of the electorate resulted in an unprecedented ‘Green Surge’ that defied decades of British party membership decline and a lack of historic far left electoral success in the UK. Not only does James Dennison untangle a fascinating political case study but he also shines a light on how technological, attitudinal and demographic changes are reshaping politics and forcing us to question many of our previous assumptions about political parties and how voters choose.

A comprehensive account of the development of Green parties in Europe, demonstrating the shifting balance of party-political competition - the factor the authors believe most strongly influences the fortunes of the Greens.

This new edition provides comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the variety of party systems found at central, devolved and local levels in British politics.

The emergence of green parties throughout Europe during the 1980s marked the arrival of a new form of political movement, challenging established models of party politics and putting new issues on the political agenda. Since their emergence, green parties in Europe have faced different destinies; in countries such as Germany, Belgium, Finland, France, and Italy, they have accumulated electoral successes, participated in governments, implemented policies and established themselves as part of the party system. In other countries, their political relevance remains very limited. After more than 30 years on the political scene, green parties have proven to be more than just a temporary phenomenon. They have lost their newness, faced success and failure, power and opposition, grassroots enthusiasm and internal conflicts. Green Parties in Europe includes individual case studies and a comparative perspective to bring together international specialists engaged in the study of green parties. It renews and expands our knowledge about the green party family in Europe.

`This is an excellent text which charts a safe path for students through the minefield that is contemporary British party politics in a wonderfully efficient yet engaging way.'---Colin Hay, University Of Sheffield --

The recent groundswell of support for the Greens has made them something of a dark horse in British politics. Will the party build on Caroline Lucas's 2010 breakthrough and convince the electorate that they will govern for more than just the environment? Deputy leader Shahrar Ali recruits some of the Greens' leading thinkers and activists to explore how the party provides a credible left-wing alternative to Labour in 2015. Setting out the party's key policies, commitments and ambitions, Why Vote Green 2015 creates a compelling case for the Greens as a party of government, and will prove invaluable in helping you decide where to place your vote.

Has a new political ideology emerged in the aftermath of the Sixties? Gayil Talshir examines the ideological evolution of green parties in Britain and Germany and traces the formation and transformations of a new type of ideology - a modular ideology. In the 1980s, the 'extraordinary opposition', New Left and ecology movements developed, a distinct and social vision that paved the political road for the transformation of democracy. Talshir explores this journey from the politics of nature to changing the nature of politics.