Comments on: Barking Green Party Are Right to Make a Stand

By: Professionalism in online journalism « Bethza Bristol

Professionalism in online journalism « Bethza Bristol — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:19:10 +0000

[...] and discussing issues that may not have been covered by the mainstream media. Recent posts include ‘Barking Green Party are Right to Make a Stand’, ‘How Should the Left Feel About Social Filth?’, and ‘Mandelsohn Fails to Get [...]

By: DavidR

DavidR — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:57:32 +0000

Griffin’s profile was significantly lifted by just about winning his Euro seat – an event that happened because the no2eu candidate got got more than enough votes (many of which might have gone Labour or Green otherwise)to deny the best placed left candidate (the Green Candidate in this case)getting the place instead of Griffin. It was a disaster which could surely have been foreseen. Apparently no2EU were told privately and publicly about what effect their standing in this constituency was likely to have – but to no avail.

Having been the victims of this in that election the Greens are about to make the same mistake which risks increasing Griffin’s chances.

Margaret Hodge is a shit who has done much to boost the credibility of the BNP but she is the only person now definitely able to prevent the BNP from winning the seat. There is no prospect of deselecting her and electing an alternative labour candidate at this stage. I’ve voted Green in every election for about the last 15 years but if I was living in Barking I would have no hesitation in voting for the shit Margaret Hodge – as any chance of a Griffin victory is too terrible to contemplate. And the nasty aftermath of any BNP victory there will not especially be felt by the Greens – it will by vulnerable minorities.Green Left and the London Federation of Green Parties know the score – it’s a pity their local activists in B&D don’t.

By: Roland M

Roland M — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:41:50 +0000

It is often said that George W Bush only beat Al Gore in 2000 because Ralph Nader ran….

By: Salman Shaheen

Salman Shaheen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:24:16 +0000

The point is, though, doing so will only compound the sense of powerlessness voters feel which plays right into the BNP’s hands. It should be down to them whether they vote Green or Labour or even BNP. If people are voting BNP in sufficient numbers for the party to return an MP, something is going wrong in society at a much deeper level than whether one minor party chooses to stand, or even with the democratic system itself. These feelings of alienation need to be addressed, not ignored, and done so in a positive and anti-racist way. ie. exactly the way Margaet Hodge is not doing it.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:53:19 +0000

Salman, I have to say I think you’re completely wrong on this one. Of course voters in general should be able to choose a party that represents their ideas, of course their votes should mean something, but the fact is that with the current voting system you do sometimes have to play the game negatively. The fact is that if you vote for a party that doesn’t get in your vote is essentially wasted. We have no transference and no proportional representation, so a vote for the greens in Barking, where they obviously won’t get in will actually not mean a whole lot. More broadly this isn’t a problem – it is good that the greens stand across the country as their votes are a proper protest vote, but they need to give this up when margins are tight. If Green Left’s analysis is that if they don’t stand, enough of their votes will go to Labour to make a difference (and I assume they have done this sort of research), then that is what they need to do.

By: Simon Bennett

Simon Bennett — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:14:09 +0000

I think you are irrelevant to the whole subject. The only people that vote Green are vegetarians and animal lovers.

Oh, I’m both and a BNP member. Ooops!

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:47:36 +0000

If anything I think this will actually reduce the chances of BNP getting in. People wanting to protest against the big three will have another option