Dave Taylor interview, part 2

Earlier this year I met with the Green Party councilor for the Fishergate Ward, the very affable Dave Taylor, to ask him about his time as councilor, his thoughts on the Green Party locally and nationally.

I decided to start with the most awkward question to ask but perhaps the one most urgent for a small party candidate to answer: why vote for you over the Liberal Democrats and Labour when you are unlikely to get in?

Luckily Dave had some very convincing answers. He pointed out that the Green Party can get elected in a first past the post election citing the election of himself and fellow Green councillor Andy D'Agorne to two of the forty seven seats on York council as well as other examples like the fact that the Green Party are verging on taking over Norwich council and more importantly Caroline Lucas’ historic election as the first Green MP in Brighton. He said that that the victory in Brighton had broken the glass ceiling and will persuade people would vote Green in European and local elections to lend them their vote in national elections as well.

Even if the Greens aren’t going to form a national government any time soon they can still act for the benefit of the community according to Dave. “We keep the other parties honest” he continued, by keeping issues on the agenda that might have fallen off while trying to persuade the other parties on the council to take up their ideas and budget proposals. For evidence he referenced the £100,000 they managed to secure two years running to pay for insulation in private housing which not only means lower electricity bills but also a more environmentally friendly city.

“What sets us apart is that we really mean it” he commented on the adoption of the Green agenda by other mainstream parties. “The Conservatives ran a slogan last election “Vote Blue, go Green”, there couldn’t be less truth to that statement”- something he claims is shown by the coalition policies such as their failed attempt to sell off Britain’s forests as well as his experience closer to home, saying that Conservatives locally have thrown up obstacles to solving green issues in York and “only pay lip-service to it”.

I wanted to know a bit more about the Green Party itself, a party which isn’t easily categorised. I ask Dave whether he thought the party would gain more votes in the future from old working class Labour areas or from more middle class Liberal Democrat and Conservative territory. “Depends on the area” he replied, telling me that from his canvassing he has found support from across the spectrum from anti-war Labour voters to tactically voting Tories and even old socialists switching over from the Socialist Workers Party. “The old divides between Working Class and Middle Class have broken down to some extent. Class as a political issue broke down over the past twenty five years” he said. I’d gotten the impression that the Green Party was distinctly more local than other parties, was this suspicion correct? “This is true” said Dave reiterating the old maxim “think globally. Act locally” and pointing to the fact that until recently the party imposed so little control over local organisations that they didn’t even have a party leader only recently electing Caroline Lucas as their own and then only because it would make dealing with the media easier.

The Green party had a relatively successful council elections, with a net gain of 14 councilors - boosting the party's total to 79. However the party fell short of securing a majority in Caroline Lucas' Brighton and Hove constituency.

Nevertheless, steady though gains may be, s Lib Dem support continues to dwindle, there may yet potential for a Green Party breakthrough in the near distant future.

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