Wales Green Party

The Wales Green Party (Welsh: Plaid Werdd Cymru) is a semi-autonomous[11] political party within the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). It covers Wales, and is the only regional party with semi-autonomous status within the GPEW.[11] The Wales Green Party puts up candidates for council, Senedd, and UK Parliament seats.

Wales Green Party

Plaid Werdd Cymru
LeaderAnthony Slaughter
Deputy LeadersDuncan Rees
Lauren James
General SecretaryAnn Were
Founded1991 (1991) (Semi-autonomous)[1]
Preceded byGreen Party (UK)
HeadquartersThe Gate
Keppoch Street
Cardiff
CF24 5TR[2]
Youth wingWales Young Greens
LGBT wingWelsh Green Pride
Membership (2018)1,500[3]
IdeologyGreen politics[4]
Eco-socialism[5]
Progressivism[6]
Pro-Europeanism[7][8]
Political positionLeft-wing[9][10]
European affiliationEuropean Green Party
International affiliationGlobal Greens
UK Parliament affiliationGreen Party of England and Wales (Semi-autonomous)
Cooperate with (but are independent from) the Scottish Green Party and Green Party in Northern Ireland
Colours     Green
House of Commons
(Welsh seats)
0 / 40
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
0 / 60
Local government in Wales
1 / 1,264
Police and Crime Commissioners
0 / 4
Website
wales.greenparty.org.uk

The current Leader of the Wales Green Party is Anthony Slaughter, with Duncan Rees and Lauren James as Deputy Leaders. Wales-wide decisions are taken by the Wales Green Party Council which is composed of the spokespeople, elected officers, and a representative from each local party.

Leadership and representation

The Wales Green Party elects a Spokesperson and two Deputy Spokespeople every 2 years, as well as electing council members on an annual basis to make day to day decisions between AGMs. All elected roles in the Wales Green Party are voluntary.

The Wales Green Party is currently represented internally within the GPEW by Louise Davies and Kathryn Driscoll.[12] on the Green Party Regional Council (GPRC).

Leadership

Pippa Bartolotti became Wales Green party leader in January 2012. She stood (unsuccessfully) for the leadership of the GPEW later that year.[13] After four years of leadership, Bartolotti decided against standing for a further term as leader in the 2015 Leadership election which was won by Alice Hooker-Stroud, while Hannah Pudner became deputy leader. Alice was then re-elected in 2016 along with Grenville Ham and a returning Pippa Bartolotti as deputy leaders.[14] Alice resigned in 2017 stating that her position had become "untenable" due to the voluntary nature of the role.[15] Alice was succeeded in early 2017 by Grenville Ham. Grenville defected to Plaid Cymru in late 2018 citing the party's vote to remain a part of the Green Party of England and Wales rather than to become an independent party (as the Scottish Green Party had previously done) as his reason. Like Alice, Grenville described his position as "untenable".[16] Mirka Virtanen was elected deputy leader in 2016 to begin in 2017, replacing Pippa Bartolotti, and Benjamin Smith was co-opted to the vacant deputy leader role in July 2017.[17]

Anthony Slaughter (former deputy leader) was named the current leader of the Wales Green Party in December 2018, beating Mirka Virtanen (deputy leader at the time) and Alex Harris in the leadership election. Duncan Rees was elected deputy leader. Mirka was co-opted back into the deputy leader role until December 2019. Lauren James was selected to replace her in April 2020.

Leadership history
Leader From To
Martyn Shrewsbury 2004 2006
Ann Were 2006 2008
Leila Kiersch 2008 2009
Jake Griffiths[18] 2009 2012
Pippa Bartolotti[19] 2012 2016
Alice Hooker-Stroud[20] 2016 2017
Grenville Ham[15] 2017 2018
Anthony Slaughter 2018 -

History

The Green Parties in the United Kingdom have their roots in the PEOPLE Party which was founded in 1973. This became the Ecology Party three years later, and then the Green Party in 1985.[21] In 1990, the Scottish and Northern Irish branches left the UK Greens to form separate parties. The English and Welsh parties became the Green Party of England and Wales, with the Welsh branch being semi-autonomous.[11]

At the 1992 general election, local Greens entered an electoral alliance with Plaid Cymru in the constituency of Ceredigion and Pembroke North. The alliance was successful with Cynog Dafis being returned in a surprise result as the MP, defeating the Liberal Democrat incumbent by over 3,000 votes.[22][23] The agreement broke down by 1995 following disagreement within the Welsh Green Party over endorsing another party's candidate, though Dafis would go on to serve in parliament as a Plaid Cymru member until 2000, and in the National Assembly of Wales from 1999 until 2003. Dafis later stated that he did not consider himself to be the "first Green MP".[24]

In 2017 Welsh local election, the Wales Green Party's had their first county councillor elected to Powys County Council, for the Llangors ward.[25]

In July 2018 the party held a vote on whether to split from the GPEW to form a separate organisation. Of those members who voted, 65% voted against the proposal, despite the leader Grenville Ham campaigning for independence.[26]

Policy

While associated mainly with environmentalist policies, the party has a history of support for communitarian economic policies, including well-funded, locally controlled public services within the confines of a steady-state economy, is supportive of proportional representation and takes a progressive approach to social policies, including a basic 'Citizen's Income'. It also supports the devolution of further powers to Wales as part of a long term vision which advocates Welsh independence.[27]

The party is strongly opposed to nuclear power, with an emphasis instead on expanding localised renewable energy projects. Other policies within Policies for a Sustainable Society in Wales include phasing out waste incineration, improving public transport and supporting new safestanding areas in Welsh sports stadia.[28]

Wales Young Greens

Wales Young Greens is the youth and student branch of the Wales Green Party. Its current Co-chairs are Andrew Creak and Ramona Sharples.

Welsh Green Pride

Welsh Green Pride is the LGBTIQA+ Liberation group within the Wales Green Party which runs alongside but separate to the GPEW group LGBTIQA+ Greens. Its current Spokesperson is Ash Jones, and it has two deputy spokespeople Mike Whittall and Michael Cope. The group started a UK wide review of the discriminatory blood ban against men who have sex with men.

Elections
Main article: Green Party of England and Wales election results § Welsh Assembly elections

Welsh Local Government elections

2017

The party contested 78 Principal Council seats (out of 1,271) in the 2017 Welsh local elections and won one county council seat in Powys.[29]

Welsh Assembly elections

2016

In September 2015, Amelia Womack, Deputy Leader of GPEW, announced her intention to stand in the National Assembly elections for Wales Green Party. An ITV article titled "Green deputy leader wants to switch to Welsh politics" wrote of Newport-born Womack's intention to stand in the Welsh elections saying; "She's seeking the nomination for the Cardiff Central constituency and – more significantly – hoping to be top of the Wales Green Party's regional list for South Wales Central." Notably the article went on to say "Opinion polls have occasionally suggested that the Greens could gain a list seat in the Senedd".[30]

10 February 2016 Welsh Greens abandoned progressive alliance negotiations a few months before the Senedd elections[31]

Region Number
of votes		 Proportion
of votes		 Change Candidates
Mid and West Wales8,2223.8% 0.3%Alice Hooker Stroud, Grenville Ham, Pippa Pemberton, Frances Bryant, Brian Dafydd Williams
North Wales4,7892.3%Duncan Rees, Martin Bennewith, Petra Haig, Gerry Wolff
South Wales Central7,9493.4% 1.8%Amelia Womack, Anthony Slaughter, Hannah Pudner, Chris von Ruhland
South Wales East4,8312.5% 0.2%Pippa Bartolotti, Ann Were, Chris Were, Katy Beddoe, Andrew Creak
South Wales West4,4202.6%Lisa Rapado, Charlotte Barlow, Laurence Brophy, Mike Whittall, Russell Kennedy, Thomas Muller

References
  1. Frankland, EG, Lucardie, A & Rihoux, B (eds) (2008). Green parties in transition. The end of grass-roots democracy?. Farnham, England: Ashgate Publishing.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  2. "Contact Us". Wales Green Party.
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-44837499
  4. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "United Kingdom". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  5. "Labour 'never challenged the austerity narrative' | Owen Jones talks to Caroline Lucas". YouTube. 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  6. "Green Party of England and Wales elects new leaders". europeangreens.edu. European Green Party. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  7. "Green party 'loud and proud' about backing Britain in Europe". The Guardian. 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  8. "Policies for a Sustainable Society in Wales - Updated November 2018" (PDF). wales.greenparty.org.uk. Wales Green Party. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  9. The Independent – Election 2015: The Green Party want to give disgruntled left-wing voters a new voice Archived 25 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Author – Morris, Nigel. The Independent [online]. Date retrieved 5 March 2015. Date published 3 September 2014.
  10. Bakker, Ryan; Jolly, Seth; Polk, Jonathan. "Mapping Europe's party systems: which parties are the most right-wing and left-wing in Europe?". London School of Economics / EUROPP – European Politics and Policy. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  11. E. Gene Frankland; Paul Lucardie; Benoît Rihou, eds. (2008). Green Parties in Transition: The End of Grass-roots Democracy?. Ashgate.
  12. "The Green Party Regional Council". greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  13. Hélène Mulholland (29 August 2012). "Green party searches for new leader". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  14. "Wales Green Party | Wales Green Party leader and deputy leaders announced". wales.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  15. Mosalski, Ruth (6 March 2017). "Wales Green Party leader resigns saying her position is untenable". Wales Online. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  16. "Green Party leader in Wales joins Plaid". BBC News. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  17. "Wales Green Party | Congratulations to Benjamin Smith, new Wales Green Party deputy leader!". wales.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  18. "Newly elected leader calls for a Green New Deal for Wales". wales.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  19. Live, North Wales (31 December 2011). "Welsh Green Party names new leader". northwales. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  20. "Wales Green Party names new leader". BBC News. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
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  22. "S/R 13: How Green Was My Party?". greens.org.
  23. Almanac of British Politics, 5th ed, Robert Waller & Byron Criddle
  24. "'Hybrid' gives first Green MP title to Caroline Lucas". BBC News.
  25. "Local elections: Green Party gains first seat in Powys". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  26. "Green Party votes against Wales and England split". BBC News. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  27. "Policies for a Sustainable Society in Wales - Updated November 2018" (PDF). wales.greenparty.org.uk. Wales Green Party. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  28. "Policies for a Sustainable Society in Wales - Updated November 2018" (PDF). wales.greenparty.org.uk. Wales Green Party. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  29. "Last local election campaigning begins". BBC News. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  30. "Green deputy leader wants to switch to Welsh politics". ITV News.
  31. "Progressive Alliance Talks Fail to Reach Agreement". Wales Green Party. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
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