Real progressives don't fight
Who owns the progressive future? is the final debate in the series organised by Comment is free and Soundings journal. It will take place in London at Kings Place on December 1 at 7pm For many of those who have contributed to this debate, the assumption is that the "progressive future" is there to be fought over by political parties.I'm not so sure. As Jo Littler wrote in this series last week, grassroots campaigners, NGOs, unions and sociocultural networks bringing individuals together have worked hard to claim a stake in the political landscape. It is crucial that these play a central part in the construction of a more progressive and engaging model of politics.Such interest groups look set to be increasingly influential as more and more people walk away from traditional politics. Voter turnout is down, membership is falling for the grey parties of British politics, and support for the so-called minor parties has gone from 2% in 1992 to 12% now. We have even seen independents return to parliament for the first time since 1945.Why? Because the two parties that have traditionally fought for leadership in progressive politics, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, have both lost the ability to inspire. Instead of vision and passion, politics has become an arid game of materialism, deceit and compromise.Labour has traditionally seen economic growth as the way to raise the incomes of those at the bottom without upsetting those comfortably settled in the middle. It is easier to give people fairer slices if the cake itself is getting bigger. But growing wealth for the British has always depended on exploiting the poor of other countries, first through the empire, more recently through neocolonialism. And growth has come at the expense of our natural resources and quality of life – now to such an extent that our very future is threatened.Extra money in people's pockets is of little use if we live in a society fractured by high crime or blighted aspirations, or a world in which war, poverty, disease and extremism flourish. Instead of recognising this, New Labour turned to turbo-capitalism: yet more false wealth based on yet more exploitation, both of nature and of people.More insidiously, New Labour was built on the premise that values had to be sacrificed to political expediency. You might want a fairer world, but if it was a matter of accepting that your allies would torture British subjects, or that bribes were fine if it helped push through a lucrative arms deal, then so be it.As a result, many people who are passionate about making this world a better place have been put off politics altogether. Their commitment lies outside the political process. Now groups such as Survival Internationalor Greenpeace or Amnesty International or Médecins Sans Frontièresand many thousands more do fantastic work. They are desperately needed. But I believe that their work will always be incomplete unless the problems that they exist to address are also tackled at source, through politics.That is why the Greens, though not owning the progressive future, have a growing responsibility for it. We are a party that is actually gaining members, showing that a fresh approach can inspire people to make that leap of faith, and believe that even in politics it is possible to work for the common good.Because of this, we have more elected members than ever before. And in power, whether it on local councils, in the London Assembly or in the European Parliament, we are proving that we can improve people's lives and prospects without betraying our principles. The very idea of "owning" the future, progressive or otherwise, is a reflection of our polarised, winner-takes-all political culture. A competitive game, in which running off with the prizes or beating the opposition is somehow more important that then kind of world that we and our children will have to live in.The answer must be that the progressive future is owned collectively by all those who believe that we are stronger if we work together, and that together we can make the world a better place.I believe passionately in progressive politics. But I don't want to own this, I want to share it.The GardianCaroline Lucasguardian.co.uk, Monday December 1 2008 16.01 GMT