In reply to Phil Ward's article (Which way will the Greens go'), to say that Caroline Lucas (one of two Green MEPs who is still advocating a 'green socialist alliance') used her position 'to make general propaganda against the neo-liberal agenda' is simply not good enough.
Caroline may be in a minority in the Green Party, but she has consistently shown which side she's on.
However, the Greens had six City Council seats in Oxford, and they chose to enter a power-sharing arrangement with the Lib Dems. The circumstances of Labour returning with an evil vengeance are too complicated to go into here. Suffice to say, the Greens now only have 3 seats, and some of them are learning the lessons. ...
County councillor Craig Simmons may not understand the 80:20 principle' but he certainly intends to work with us on that basis. At our August branch meeting, the Socialist Alliance discussed with Green councillors, and future meetings will consider possibilities for some joint campaigning work (not necessarily around traditional green issues).
The Greens complain that they are still not taken seriously as a Party (even in Oxford). In my opinion, we're likely to gain more from joint work with the green left than by 'tail-ending the Labour left. Phil Ward suggests that the SA and the Greens are 'directly competing' for the same base, not mentioning that the Greens ignore traditional working class areas and that the Socialist Alliance is trying to building bases there.
The situation in Oxford is complicated by the Independent Working Class Association, who since last year have one councillor, Stuart Craft.
Unlike the SA's Mike Lavalette, Stuart has taken an abstentionist position. He has never spoken in council, and only voted twice: once against the war, and also against developing twinning links with Ramallah.
In my opinion, the ICA have deliberately suppressed their politics (so well that our esteemed editor can say they never had any) in order to build a base.
Returning to the Greens, ex-councillor Elise Benjamin (on behalf of their national trade union committee) did support the firefighters, and has been seeking to
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