Is The Green Party Missing From The Post-Election Landscape?

3 June 2014 | Politics | By: Kate O'Sullivan

While UKIP has been busy racking up national column inches, the Green Party has been rather quietly blooming in London. In last months local elections, they claimed 6.9% of the London-wide vote an increased vote share of 50% up from 2010s 4.6%.

The four council seats in London that the Green Party won (St Leonards, Lambeth; Brockley, Lewisham; Highgate, Camden; Highbury East, Islington) may be a mere third of UKIPs 12 seats, yet the Islington and Lambeth seats mean it has doubled its numbers and probably calls for some recycled partypopper action. The gains also deserve some serious debate and analysis from Londons political folk.

In the European elections, Green Party MEP Jean Lambert was re-elected for her fourth term in the European parliament, costing UKIP a second seat while the Liberal Democrats lost their sole London MEP. Overall, the Green Party won 9% of the London-wide vote share putting them in fourth place behind UKIP but ahead of the Lib Dems adding some leafy green to a bittersweet Farage-Clegg-sandwich.

Look at the London vote share in further detail and the Green Party came in second place behind Labour in Islington (19%) and Lambeth (16%), making them the sole opposition in both, and in Lewisham (16%) and Hackney (21%). Although the party did not win a seat in Hackney (where it has held a council seat in the past) the Greens came second in the boroughs Mayoral elections (17%).

While we see enough of Farages face to keep fish and chip shops across the capital in environmentally-friendly wrappings until next years general election, Green Party leader Natalie Bennetts face (and voice) has been notably absent from the post-election punditry. Why arent the Greens shouting about their successes?

It is true that the Green Partys London election results do not make for fairytale figures it succeeded in retaining its London MEP and gaining seats, but the partys overall vote share was down by 2% in the European elections. Despite local election successes the Greens four seats still sit a good bit behind UKIPs 12. Although the Greens argue that under a pure Proportional Representation (PR) voting system they would have gained 125 seats across London, that is perhaps a debate for another day.

But perhaps its just that the Green Partys voice isnt being heard. With all the allure of UKIPs scandalous policies and the okekoke-style EU referendum debates (are we in? Out? Should we shake it all about?), Green is far from this seasons must-have colour where the press is concerned. Are we witnessing the real potential threats to democracy from extremist parties that the British media are hopelessly seduced by them?

Should the political press be reigning it in a bit and ensuring that vital pre- and post-election coverage is extended to smaller parties like the Greens and independents, rather than focusing on those who make the most obvious headlines? The organisers of thispetition, which accuses the BBC of a media blackout of the green party, certainly think so, and so do the more than 45,000 people who signed it; not to mention thealmost 1,200 complaints also received by the BBC.

See the original post here:
Is The Green Party Missing From The Post-Election Landscape?