History of the Green Party of England and Wales History of the Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales has its roots in the PEOPLE Party started in Coventry in 1972/3 by four professional friends (Michael Benfield, Freda Sanders, Tony and Lesley Whittaker). It then changed its name to the more descriptive Ecology Party in 1975, and to the Green Party ten years later. In the 1990s, the Scottish and Northern Ireland wings of the Green Party in the United Kingdom decided to separate amicably from the party in England and Wales, to form the Scottish Green Party and the Green Party in
Green Party (Ireland) regional branch of the party the previous year. It currently has two representatives in the Assembly. The party's first electoral outing was at the November 1982 general election when seven candidates contested under the "Ecology Party" banner, winning 0.2% of the vote. Following a name change, it contested the 1984 European elections, with party founder Roger Garland winning 1.9% in the Dublin constituency. The following year, it won its first election when Marcus Counihan was elected to Killarney Urban District Council at the 1985 local elections. The party nationally ran 34 candidates and won 0.6% of the vote. The party