The BC Green Party in Myth and Reality
The idea that the Green Party is right-wing or has been taken over by right-wingers has been circulating for a number of years now in the Canadian politocosphere. Now, it is certainly true that some of the international Green Parties are quite nasty, the Mexican Partito Verde is hostile to the left, and of course, the German Greens supported the attack on Yugoslavia. The Canadian national Green Party I cannot vouch for, nor any of the other provincial parties, but I have examined the BC party.
What a party is all about is contained in its platform, and if it has any access to power, how it enacts that program. The platform of the BC Green Party is contained in it's Green Book.
Here are what I consider its main points:
Stop privatization of water, forests and public lands. Water management in public hands only. Sale of any public lands must be approved by local govts and First Nations.
Restore publicly managed billing, food services, cleaning and security in both hospitals and schools.
Ban the private export of electricity, Ban water exports and raw log exports.
Repeal "Projects Streamlining Act" which has allowed the Provincial Govt to force development decisions on municipalities. Prevent further withdrawals of land from the Agricultural Land Reserves.
Direct election of municipal police boards to oversee police
Put pressure on the Federal Govt. to legalize marijuana
Make Provincial Govt. engage in Ethical Purchasing – fair trade and local products.
Create community owned and run health clinics. End fee for service for doctors, pay them a salary.
A Guaranteed Livable Income based upon the Low Income Cut-Off measure to replace welfare and other forms of assistance. Abolish the 2 years out of five requirement for welfare eligibility.
Pay equity for women, full right to strike for workers. End $6.00 per hour "training wage." and set minimum wage to Low Income Cut off standards.
Community-owned land trusts and coop housing to create affordable housing.
Direct election of representatives to Regional Transit Board.
First Nations to have access to, and control of, resources to enable self-sufficiency. Rejection of assimilation policies.
And, of course a plethora of environmental concerns. I have read the entire platform and can find nothing that could be construed as right-wing.What we have here is the COMPLETE REJECTION of the neo-liberalism that even many erstwhile social democrats have endorsed. Thus tarring the GPBC as 'right wing", is as I have suspected all along, nothing more than an example of sectarianism.
What a party is all about is contained in its platform, and if it has any access to power, how it enacts that program. The platform of the BC Green Party is contained in it's Green Book.
Here are what I consider its main points:
Stop privatization of water, forests and public lands. Water management in public hands only. Sale of any public lands must be approved by local govts and First Nations.
Restore publicly managed billing, food services, cleaning and security in both hospitals and schools.
Ban the private export of electricity, Ban water exports and raw log exports.
Repeal "Projects Streamlining Act" which has allowed the Provincial Govt to force development decisions on municipalities. Prevent further withdrawals of land from the Agricultural Land Reserves.
Direct election of municipal police boards to oversee police
Put pressure on the Federal Govt. to legalize marijuana
Make Provincial Govt. engage in Ethical Purchasing – fair trade and local products.
Create community owned and run health clinics. End fee for service for doctors, pay them a salary.
A Guaranteed Livable Income based upon the Low Income Cut-Off measure to replace welfare and other forms of assistance. Abolish the 2 years out of five requirement for welfare eligibility.
Pay equity for women, full right to strike for workers. End $6.00 per hour "training wage." and set minimum wage to Low Income Cut off standards.
Community-owned land trusts and coop housing to create affordable housing.
Direct election of representatives to Regional Transit Board.
First Nations to have access to, and control of, resources to enable self-sufficiency. Rejection of assimilation policies.
And, of course a plethora of environmental concerns. I have read the entire platform and can find nothing that could be construed as right-wing.What we have here is the COMPLETE REJECTION of the neo-liberalism that even many erstwhile social democrats have endorsed. Thus tarring the GPBC as 'right wing", is as I have suspected all along, nothing more than an example of sectarianism.
posted by Larry Gambone at
11:41 AM
3 Comments:
I worked in coalition here with the Greens on the Cynthia McKinny campaign.
In every state here, they are different. Some states they shun electoral politics, actually supporting Democrats. They win some elections here.
We taught them the idea of having an agenda, with time limits per topic.
Does it really matter if the Green party is deemed right-wing or left-wing?
The party's ideals are the same no matter what they're called.
Do you think that GP being termed right-wing is misleading people?
Could it actually be a strategy to attract right-wingers?
Also, do you agree with the legalization of pot?
Thanks.
I believe that pot should be legal, and not just harmless drugs like it alone, but all drugs. What you ingest is your business not the State's.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home