The Green Party Arrives in Westminster

by Liz O'Neill

On Thursday evening I secured my place in history by telling a woman in Brighton where her polling station was.

Okay, it’s a pretty small place in history, but she was one of the 237 potential Green voters that my husband and I telephoned during the evening of Thursday 6 May 2010 to remind them that they had the chance to vote in the UK’s first Green Member of Parliament. Many of them had already voted and others were heading out to do the same. But a few really welcomed the reminder and that one particular voter had mislaid her polling card and wasn’t sure what to do. If I hadn’t called her, she wouldn’t have gone to vote.

Green Party members across the UK came together over recent weeks to make our biggest dream come true. In true collaborative, green style we shared the task of returning Caroline Lucas MP (Brighton Pavilion), with each person taking the role that best suited their skills and circumstances. At least five other Trafford Greens took part in the “tele-knocking up” that allowed me to play a valuable role. Others donated their time to ongoing policy development, or money to the vast cost of staging a winning campaign. Yet more Greens around the country help sustain the movement that supports and inspires us all.

We’re not forming the new government. We’re not expecting a call from Cameron or Brown, but we have secured a place at the table. The (almost certainly) outgoing Prime Minister has finally gotten the point about proportional representation but we didn’t wait for the promised electoral reform to make our mark. The Green Party pulled together and beat the big boys on their own terms. We all know that hard times lie ahead but I say bring it on – the Green Party has arrived in Westminster and we’re going to make a difference.