Time For a New Ecology Party

When the Green movement first erupted onto the political scene a generation ago, its message was often confused, sometimes refreshingly naiive, occasionally even absurd. Yet the Greens provided a ray of hope. This was because, at best, they pointed towards a politics that transcended the shop-worn prejudices of right and left and took a holistic view of the individual, society and humanity's place in the web of life. Green politics, defined as beyond left and right, would, it seemed, balance individual freedom with human interdependence and the interconnectedness of all life.

They would challenge the narrow, linear view of 'progress' measured by continuous economic growth, the uncritical casting aside of tradition and the centralisation of economic power. In place of that 'progressive' formula, favoured equally by socialists and conservatives, Greens would emphasise decentralisation, diversity (both ecological and cultural), cooperation in place of competition or 'struggle', small-scale enterprises, and decentralised political institutions that emphasise locality and diversity. Green politics would be about achieving a balance between continuity and change, because neither can succeed without the other. In other...

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