A RETURN TO THE GREENS RADICAL ROOTS

Growing dissatisfaction with the Australian Green Party's political direction has resulted in the formation of Left Renewal, a political tendency  that seeks to return the party to its former radical roots.

NEW ZEALAND Green activists dissatisfied with the present right wing policy direction of the Green Party, should take note of recent developments in the Green Party 'over the ditch'.

A group of left wing rank and file members of the New South Wales Greens party have announced the establishment of Left Renewal, a political tendency within the Green Party.

Left Renewal rejects 'green capitalism' and says that the Australian Green Party has moved far from its original radical roots.

It says that it is pledged “to take a strong stance on the struggle of the working class” and this includes fighting “to bring about an end to capitalism.”

It is also for “an international perspective on climate justice,” as well as supporting union activity, an end to national borders and “an explicit rejection of imperialism.”

Left Renewal says that its ideology is focused around socialism versus social democracy, class politics versus liberalism, non-hierarchical versus hierarchical organising and non-electoralism versus electoralism.

The Green Party leadership, deeply embedded within establishment politics, has been less than welcoming toward Left Renewal. Leader Richard Di Natale, a senator in the Australian parliament, says the Green Party has never had 'factions':

“I will never support going down the Labor route of establishing formal factions within the party.”he said.

Di Natale further stated that he does not support the overthrow of capitalism and implied that it was a “ridiculous notion.” He said if the members of the tendency were “so unhappy with Greens policies” that they should go and find another political party to be a part of.

In response, Left Renewal says that the Green Party has lost its way and that it has simply become a vehicle for "professional liberalism".

"They want to wear suits, make deals and be pragmatic, so as to achieve, what we would see as, non-outcomes and just so-called electoral success. In order to impose that, they’ve sidestepped the membership at times, with unelected leaders and policies that members don’t get to debate. So at the moment, the federal parliamentary leader is not elected by members. That is something that we’d push for, a democratic election policy.

And there are other policies that we don’t get to debate, even though we’re meant to be a grassroots party. They’re sometimes just announced."

Left Renewal firmly rejects the idea that all the Green Party can aspire to be is being part of a government that manages capitalism.

Left Renewal's Facebook page can be checked out here.