What’s a small party gotta do these days to get on the telly?
The poor Greens – denied participation in the sorry saga that the leaders’ TV debates have become by Ofcom ruling they don’t have “major party status” – have seen a huge surge in membership, which still doesn’t seem to be helping their case.
Yesterday, George reported that the Green Party was on track to overtaking Ukip’s number of party members. After a 2,000-strong overnight surge, it looks like the Greens have done just that. Their UK-wide membership is now at 43,829, compared with Ukip’s 41,966.
The Green Party has an advantage over Ukip, in terms of membership figures, because it is really made up of three parties (the Green Party of England and Wales, the Scottish Green Party, and the Green Party in Northern Ireland). If you add the number of members of each of these wings of the party together, then the Greens have a greater number of members than Ukip. Here’s how it breaks down:
The Green Party of England and Wales: 35,481 members
The Scottish Green Party: 8,026 members
The Green Party in Northern Ireland: 322 members
So far, the Greens have had a great deal of support, and justifiably so, for their bid to be included in the television debates. This support even extends to the sincere benevolence and indignant sense of justice of the Prime Minister. However, it hasn’t yet been enough to sway the broadcasters’ decision not to invite the Green leader Natalie Bennett to take part. Perhaps now the Greens’ argument that they are technically a larger party than Ukip will boost their chances of eventually being included in at least one televised debate.
And here is Bennett’s letter sent yesterday to the Labour, Lib Dem and Ukip leaders, calling on them to back her inclusion in the debates:
Dear Ed, Nick and Nigel,
The proposals put forward by the broadcasters for the 2015 election debates have yet to win the acceptance of all the party leaders, and this puts the whole process at risk. In particular, Prime Minister David Cameron has now stated categorically and repeatedly that he will not participate if the Green Party is excluded.
Staging the debates without the Prime Minister might score a point but would not serve the public, who rightly expect the political parties and the broadcasters to find a format that is acceptable to all concerned. As a substantial majority of the British public would like to see the Green Party included in the debates, an alternative way forward would be for you to agree to this. This is the way forward which serves both democracy and the electorate best.
In our discussion with ITV, they made it clear that they have not made a final decision on which parties to invite and would be prepared to change their current position in the light of fresh developments. If you indicated that you were open to the inclusion of the Greens, then I feel sure that ITV would respond. Having set out his objection to the current format, it would be hard for the Prime Minister to raise any new concerns, and this therefore gives the best chance of ensuring that the proposed Leaders’ Debates can go ahead.
I hope you will agree that the presence of the Greens in one of the three debates will also enrich the process by drawing on a wider range of views about the future of our country, and also appeal to a wider audience – particularly amongst young people.
Yours sincerely,
Natalie Bennett
Leader, Green Party of England and Wales
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