Green Party (UK)
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Green Party
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| Chairperson | Jonathan Tyler |
| Co-Chairperson | Paul Ekins |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Dissolved | 1990 |
| Succeeded by |
Green Party of England and Wales Green Party in Northern Ireland Scottish Green Party |
| Headquarters | London |
| Membership (1979) | 5,000 + |
| Ideology |
Green politics Eco-socialism |
| Colors | Green |
The Green Party, also known as the Green Party UK, was a Green political party in the United Kingdom.
Prior to 1985 it was called The Ecology Party, and before that PEOPLE. In 1990, it separated into three political parties:
Despite the UK Green Party no longer existing as an entity, "Green Party" (singular) is still used in most media to refer collectively to the three separate parties; for example, when they report opinion polls and election results.
An interview with overpopulation expert Paul R. Ehrlich in Playboy magazine inspired a small group of professional and business people to form the 'Club of Thirteen', so named because it first met on 13 October 1972 in Daventry. This included surveyors and property agents Freda Sanders and Michael Benfield, Jitendrakumar Patel (1950-2016) and husband and wife solicitors Lesley and Tony Whittaker (a former Kenilworth councillor for the Conservative Party), all with practices in Coventry. Many in this 'club' were wary of forming a political party so, after a few weeks, in November 1972 these five agreed to form 'PEOPLE' as a new political party to challenge the UK political establishment. Its policy concerns published in 1973 included economics, employment, defence, energy and fuel supplies, land tenure, pollution and social security, all set within an ecological perspective. "Zero growth" (or "steady state") economics were a strong feature in the party's philosophical basis.
Later recognised as perhaps the world's earliest Green party, the party created the first edition of the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society as a background statement of policies. The manifesto was inspired by A Blueprint for Survival published by The Ecologist magazine. The editor of The Ecologist, Edward 'Teddy' Goldsmith, merged his 'Movement for Survival' with PEOPLE. Goldsmith became one of the leading members of the new party during the 1970s.
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