Green conference to form response to the far-right

At the Green Party's conference in Hove tomorrow (Sat 5th September), Jean Lambert, London's Green MEP since 1999, will lead a strategy discussion about shaping a Green Party response to the far right -- now that it has won seats in the UK at the local, regional and European levels.

The session will draw on this year's experience of fighting the BNP - for example, in the North West England Euro-constituency, where the Green Party's Peter Cranie led a determined effort to stop the BNP leader from winning a seat in the European Parliament.

Peter Cranie said today, "Our Euro-campaign in the North West came agonisingly close to defeating Nick Griffin. We lost by just 0.3% of the poll. That's 5 000 votes out of an electorate of over 5 million. Now North West England is stuck with a racist MEP for five years. We need to make totally certain that, in 2014, we replace him with a Green."

Jean Lambert commented, "We'll be looking at how a lack of political activity in a community can allow the far right to win. We'll be aiming to clarify what Greens can do to limit the advance of the far right in politics at all levels."