A UKIP of the left
The Green Party embraces left-wing populism
DISILLUSIONMENT with Britain’s main political parties takes three forms. The first two are well-known: the success of nationalism in Scotland and the rise of the right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP) in England. The third is subtler: the rise of the Greens.
The Green Party of England and Wales (Scotland has its own) has seen many false dawns, but its recent growth is impressive. Its membership has swollen by 28% this year alone (and that of its youth wing by 70%). In a recent poll of voting intention by Ipsos MORI it pulled level with the governing Liberal Democrats on 8%. Just 1% voted Green in 2010.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "A UKIP of the left"
From the September 13th 2014 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Britain
Why Britain’s membership of the ECHR has become a political issue
And why leaving would be a mistake
The ECtHR’s Swiss climate ruling: overreach or appropriate?
A ruling on behalf of pensioners does not mean the court has gone rogue
Why are so many bodies in Britain found in a decomposed state?
To understand Britons’ social isolation, consider their corpses