
In North America, the green parties are still a public curiosity rather than the muscular political force that they have become in Europe. In the fiercely two-party United States, ‘green party’ influence is mostly virtual, assumed by progressive climate-change activists largely resident within the Democratic Party.1
Canada has a classic fringe Green Party, an established and vocal presence, which nevertheless tends to earn few legislative seats at best in elections from the federal level on down. Its political influence is, needless to say, crippled by ‘first past the post’ elections.
Canada’s lack of green political influence is shared by the Green Party in Australia, where they have nine senators and one member in the House of Representatives. Wowing the voters? Not so much. But proposing thought-provoking ideas? That’s a different story.
The Australian Green Party made an early projection of COVID-19 fallout: a future of massive unemployment during a major economic depression. Accordingly, the party has proposed double-barrelled crisis solution reminiscent of America’s New Deal: a program of public works to provide much needed employment as well as the construction of a new era of social housing. If social housing is needed more and more as the world moves into a COVID-19 pandemic, that need after the pandemic will undoubtedly be acute.
Food for thought? Read more in the brisbane times: Public Housing For All: Greens Pitch Home Building Boost To Offset Coronavirus
Footnotes
- There are people speaking up for social housing in the coronavirus pandemic though. See: Call To Action – COVID-19 And Housing / Homelessness