Green party
A Green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation for world peace. Green party platforms typically embrace social-democratic economic policies and forming coalitions with leftists. Green parties exist in nearly 90 countries around the world; many are members of Global Greens.
Definitions
There are distinctions between "green" parties and "Green" parties. Any party, faction, or politician may be labeled "green" if it emphasizes environmental causes. Indeed, the term may even be used as a verb: it is not uncommon to hear of "greening" a party or a candidate.
In contrast, formally organized Green parties may follow a coherent ideology that includes not only environmentalism, but often also other concerns such as social justice, consensus decision-making, and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation for world peace. The best-known statement of the above Green values is the Four Pillars of the Green Party, adopted by the German Greens in 1979–1980 (but forsaken since). The Global Greens Charter lists six guiding principles which are ecological wisdom, social justice, participatory democracy, nonviolence, sustainability and respect for diversity.
Green Party (UK)
The Green Party also known as the Green Party UK was a Green political party in the United Kingdom.
Prior to 1985 it was called The Ecology Party, and before that PEOPLE. In 1990, it separated into three political parties:
Green Party is still used in most media to refer collectively to all of the Green Party of England and Wales, the Scottish Green Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland, for example in reporting opinion polls and election results, thus giving the Green Party (UK) a kind of after-life.
People, 1973–1975
An interview with overpopulation expert Paul R. Ehrlich in Playboy magazine inspired a small group of professional & business people to form the 'Club of Thirteen', so named because it first met on 13 October 1972 in Daventry. This included surveyors and property agents Freda Sanders and Michael Benfield, and husband and wife solicitors Lesley and Tony Whittaker (a former Kenilworth councillor for the Conservative Party), all with practices in Coventry. Many in this 'club' were wary of forming a political party so, after a few weeks, in November 1972 these four agreed to form 'PEOPLE' as a new political party to challenge the UK political establishment. Its policy concerns published in 1973 included economics, employment, defence, energy (fuel) supplies, land tenure, pollution and social security, as then seen within an ecological perspective. Subsequently recognised as perhaps the world's earliest Green party this had the first edition of the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society as a background statement of policies inspired by A Blueprint for Survival (published by The Ecologist magazine). The editor of The Ecologist, Edward 'Teddy' Goldsmith, merged his 'Movement for Survival' with PEOPLE. Goldsmith became one of the leading members of the new party during the 1970s.
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