'There is a role for some form of cooperation in a handful of seats'
The Green Party’s co-leaders have written the following letter to Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron, inviting them to consider the possibility of progressive cooperation.
Dear Jeremy and Tim,
We are getting in touch to invite you to meet with us to discuss ways to stop the Tories wrecking our country in the context of the forthcoming general election.
Greens have a powerful and compelling vision for building a better, bolder Britain and, like you, will be using the election to set out our policies and ask for voters’ support.
However, we also continue to believe there is a role for some form of cooperation in a handful of seats to create the best possible chance of beating the Tories and, crucially, of thereby delivering a fairer voting system. The latter is critical if we want to build the better politics to which both of you have said you are committed.
We are deeply concerned too about the prospect of a further Conservative majority and the impact on our crumbling NHS, the housing crisis, the environment and what for young people is a bleak and uncertain future.
We’d like to meet to explore the best options for beating the Tories in June. We understand that, in the immediate run up to an election, signalling a willingness to work with other parties might be difficult but we hope you’ll agree that the times we are living in require leaders to be courageous and visionary, to actively build a more positive politics.
Britain is at a crossroads – and this election will dictate the very future of our country. Many of the public want us to join forces to help stop the Tories from further wrecking our country for generations to come and we hope you will be willing to at least take the first step and meet with us.
Best wishes,
Caroline and Jonathan
Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley are co-leaders of the Green Party
See: Progressives must demand that the parties of the Left work together in this election campaign
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3 Responses to “Green leaders call on Labour and Lib Dems to unite to stop Tories ‘wrecking Britain’”
Fred
This doesn’t make sense. If the Tories really are ‘wrecking Britain’ then why have they got such high public support? You’d think the public would be falling over themselves to vote out a government that is destroying the country. And yet 75% of people don’t intend to vote Labour. So something about your assertion isn’t correct.
Ewan from Swansea
Fred, your use of statistics is self-serving.
In the 2015 election, the Conservatives won only 24.3% of all registered voters and gained a majority. Your argument that “75% of people don’t intend to vote Labour” therefore seems facile.
Moreover, as Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley point out above, Labour is not the only progressive party. The SNP, Lib Dems and Greens also have significant support. However, first-past-the-post divides their vote and skews the system in favour of the Tories – to the detriment of most UK residents.
Fred
Your statistic of 24.3% in 2015 includes people who didn’t bother to vote. Opinion polls ask the question “if there was a general election tomorrow, how would you vote?” so you’re not comparing like with like.
in 2015, the Conservatives won 36.9% of the vote. Labour had 29% of the vote. So 60% of voters didn’t want a Tory Government in 2015 and 71% didn’t want a Labour Government.
But today, 52% don’t want a Tory Government and 76% don’t want a Labour Government. So the spread has widened from 11% (71 less 60 in 2015 ) to 24% (76 less 52).
In other words, the adverse feeling against Labour has more than doubled in 2 years.