Wales Green Party

Wales Green Party
Plaid Werdd Cymru
Leader Grenville Ham
Deputy Leaders

Benjamin Smith

Mirka Virtanen
Wales Young Greens Co-chairs Andrew Creak, Ramona Sharples
Welsh Green Pride Spokesperson Ash Jones
Headquarters Cardiff, Wales
Ideology Green politics
European affiliation European Green Party
International affiliation Global Greens
European Parliament group The Greens–European Free Alliance
Colours Green
National Assembly for Wales
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Local government in Wales
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Website
wales.greenparty.org.uk

The Wales Green Party (WGP; Welsh: Plaid Werdd Cymru) is a semi-autonomous[1] political party within the Green Party of England and Wales. It covers Wales, and is the only regional party with semi-autonomous status within the GPEW.[1] The WGP contests elections for the National Assembly for Wales (as well as at the local, UK and European level) and has its own newsletters, membership list, AGMs and manifesto.

The WGP leader is Grenville Ham, and the Deputy Leaders are Benjamin Smith and Mirka Virtanen. Wales is represented internally within the GPEW by Louise Davies and Kathryn Driscoll on the Green Party Regional Council, and the WGP Leader on the GPEW executive. Both sets of positions are directly elected by postal ballot. Wales-wide decisions are taken by the Wales Green Party Council made up of the spokespeople, senior officers, and a representative from each local party.

Leadership

The Wales Green Party has always had its own spokesperson (now referred to as leader). Jake Griffiths became leader in 2009,[2] succeeding Leila Kiersch. Pippa Bartolotti was elected to succeed Griffiths in 2011.[3] Grenville Ham became leader in March 2017 following the resignation of Alice Hooker-Stroud.[4] He left the Green Party to join Plaid Cymru in October 2018, after the Wales Green Party had voted not to become independent from England.[5]

Anthony Slaughter became deputy leader in 2014.[6] Alice Hooker-Stroud and Hannah Pudner were elected as the leader and deputy leader in late 2015.[7] The Wales Green party is represented internally within the GPEW by Louise Davies and Kathryn Driscoll.[8] on the Green Party Regional Council (GPRC).

History

The Green Parties in the United Kingdom have their roots in the PEOPLE Party which was founded in 1973. This became the Ecology Party three years later, and then the Green Party in 1985.[9] In 1990, the Scottish and Northern Irish branches left the UK Greens to form separate parties. The English and Welsh parties became the Green Party of England and Wales, with the Welsh branch being semi-autonomous.[1]

At the 1992 general election, local Greens entered an electoral alliance with Plaid Cymru in the constituency of Ceredigion and Pembroke North. The alliance was successful with Cynog Dafis being returned in a surprise result as the MP, defeating the Liberal Democrat incumbent by over 3,000 votes.[10][11] The agreement broke down by 1995 following disagreement within the Welsh Green Party over endorsing another party's candidate, though Dafis would go on to serve in parliament as a Plaid Cymru member until 2000, and in the National Assembly of Wales from 1999 until 2003. Dafis later stated that he did not consider himself to be the "first Green MP".[12]

In 2017 Welsh local election, the Wales Green Party's had their first county councillor elected to Powys County Council, for the Llangors ward.[13]

In July 2018 the party held a vote on whether to split from the GPEW to form a separate organisation. Of those members who voted, 65% voted against the proposal, despite the leader Grenville Ham campaigning for independence.[14]

Wales Young Greens

Wales Young Greens is the youth and student branch of the Wales Green Party. Its current Co-chairs are Andrew Creak and Ramona Sharples.

Welsh Green Pride

Welsh Green Pride is the LGBTIQA+ Liberation group within the Wales Green Party which runs alongside but separate to the GPEW group LGBTIQA+ Greens. Its current Spokesperson is Ash Jones, and it has two deputy spokespeople Mike Whittall and Michael Cope. The group started a UK wide review of the discriminatory blood ban against men who have sex with men.

Elections

Welsh Assembly elections

2016

In September 2015, Amelia Womack, Deputy Leader of GPEW, announced her intention to stand in the National Assembly elections for Wales Green Party. An ITV article titled "Green deputy leader wants to switch to Welsh politics" wrote of Newport-born Womack's intention to stand in the Welsh elections saying; "She's seeking the nomination for the Cardiff Central constituency and – more significantly – hoping to be top of the Wales Green Party's regional list for South Wales Central." Notably the article went on to say "Opinion polls have occasionally suggested that the Greens could gain a list seat in the Senedd".[15]

10 February 2016 Welsh Greens abandoned progressive alliance negotiations a few months before the Senedd elections[16]

Wales Green Party who create their own set of devolved policies around devolved issues in Wales were hopeful of gaining three Assembly seats from the proportional representation lists in the 2016 elections[17] despite being deemed the 3rd Greenest Party in Wales by Friends of the Earth.[18]

No Welsh Greens were elected to the Senedd.[19]

Region Number of Votes Proportion of Votes Change Candidates
Mid and West WalesAlice Hooker Stroud, Grenville Ham, Pippa Pemberton, Frances Bryant
North WalesDuncan Rees, Martin Bennewith
South Wales CentralAmelia Womack, Anthony Slaughter, Hannah Pudner, Chris von Ruhland
South Wales EastPippa Bartolotti, Ann Were, Chris Were, Katy Beddoe
South Wales WestLisa Rapado, Kevin Searley, Charlotte Barlow

References

  1. 1 2 3 E. Gene Frankland; Paul Lucardie; Benoît Rihou, eds. (2008). Green Parties in Transition: The End of Grass-roots Democracy?. Ashgate.
  2. ↑ "Wales Green Party – Newly elected leader calls for a Green New Deal for Wales". greenparty.org.uk.
  3. ↑ northwales Administrator (31 December 2011). "Welsh Green Party names new leader". northwales.
  4. ↑ "Wales Green Party leader Alice Hooker-Stroud steps down". itv.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Green Party leader in Wales joins Plaid Cymru". BBC News. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Penarth's Anthony Slaughter elected deputy leader of Welsh Green Party". Penarth Times.
  7. ↑ "Wales Green Party Announces New Leaders". Wales Green Party. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Green Party Regional Council". greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management. John Wiley & Sons. 15 July 2009. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-4443-1324-6.
  10. ↑ "S/R 13: How Green Was My Party?". greens.org.
  11. ↑ Almanac of British Politics, 5th ed, Robert Waller & Byron Criddle
  12. ↑ "'Hybrid' gives first Green MP title to Caroline Lucas". BBC News.
  13. ↑ "Local elections: Green Party gains first seat in Powys". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  14. ↑ "Green Party votes against Wales and England split". BBC News. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "Green deputy leader wants to switch to Welsh politics". ITV News.
  16. ↑ "Progressive Alliance Talks Fail to Reach Agreement". Wales Green Party. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  17. ↑ "Election 2015: Greens call for 'peaceful revolution'". BBC News.
  18. ↑ "Manifesto Assessment Table". Friends of the Earth Cymru. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  19. ↑ "Welsh Assembly election 2016". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
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