Bringing in members, councillors and activists from across the country, this weekend marked the Green Party’s annual conference, taking place in the Manchester Central Convention Complex. After a series of local election results which saw their councillor count soar to over 800, and a general election with four landmark victories for the party, it’s no surprise that there was a very real, very tangible buzz at this year’s conference.
The conference opened on Friday with the leaders’ speech, a slightly unconventional approach when you consider most other major parties sandwich their big speeches in the middle of their conference, but it definitely seemed to get the audience in the mood for a weekend of “real hope and real change”. Despite co-leader Carla Denyer being absent on medical grounds, co-leader Adrian Ramsay delivered a powerful speech on the importance of co-operative politics and member-led policy, after being introduced by former Greater Manchester mayoral candidate Hannah Spencer.
Ramsay pledged to push the government where the party “think greater ambition is needed to deliver the positive, inspiring change that people urgently want to see”. He told the audience that “Labour is getting it wrong” with the winter fuel allowance, the two-child benefit cap, and their “climate destroying” airport expansion. He also talked about the dire state of public dentistry, branding his own constituency of Waveney Valley as a “dental desert”
The focus on day two was a speech from the party’s deputy leader Zack Polanski. Polanski delivered a moving piece on the importance of truth and clarity in politics, both from politicians, and the media too. He talked about the power of communities, which are “at [their] best when [they] stand together… and [they] will never let the fascists win”, in reference to the recent counter-protests against the riots. Polanski also condemned Labour for refusing to scrap the two-child benefit cap, “our party has a very clear message for Keir Starmer”, he proclaimed, “scrap the cap!”
In conversation with Polanski later on, he said “we’re definitely not seeing the change that the Labour Party promised us”, and admitted that there are situations where he believes the Greens are now a stronger oppositional force to Labour than the Conservative Party, referencing Labour’s stance on the ongoing situation in Gaza and the West Bank. He also condemned legacy media for failing to platform smaller parties and independent voices, he believes “it’s very difficult to know what they stand for when the legacy media aren’t platforming them”, drawing contrast between Jonathan Ashworth’s frequent media appearances, despite being unseated at the last election.
The big highlight of the final day was a speech from the co-leaders of the Young Greens, Lu Thornton and Callum Clafferty. The pair passionately called for investment and improvements to the education sector, telling the audience that “investment in young people is the most important investment we can make”. Clafferty proclaimed that “a fairer education doesn’t just mean universities; the Greens are also the only party consistently fighting for a new approach to schools and apprenticeships. Currently, students and teachers are put under undue pressure with stretched budgets, intense exams and unjust Ofsted inspections. We desperately need a system that centres student and teacher wellbeing and one that is active in tackling social injustice”.
You can look back on all the key moments from the weekend, as well as our interviews with Zack Polanski and Ellie Chowns MP on X.
