The SOAS Young Greens: A New Era for SOAS Student Politics?
By Lilac Carr, BA Politics and International Relations
At the start of the academic year, SOAS had a whopping zero political party societies. Now, just a couple of months later, it has two: SOAS Your Party Society, covered in the last issue of the Spirit; and now, the SOAS Young Greens, the official student wing of the Green Party of England and Wales at SOAS.
This is a remarkable shift in a university that has traditionally found itself hostile or resistant to traditional political party societies. For the last few years, SOAS has either been without party societies or seen them fizzle out as soon as they began, the most recent example being the Labour Society, which lasted only a year.
If SOAS is beginning to embrace electoral party societies as a part of its student politics then, as it appears to be doing, it is precisely because these parties– especially the Greens, which have risen massively in popularity as a challenge to the traditional and increasingly right-wing Westminster party system– are themselves deeply untraditional in a way which reflects the views and values of SOAS students in a previously unprecedented way.
Speaking to SOAS Young Greens co-presidents Chloe, Corné, and Herbie, the reasons the Greens are a perfect political fit for SOAS students were clear to them. For Corné, one answer was to be found in the way ‘the Green Party actively includes young people instead of just talking about them.’ Crucial to this for her was the Green Party’s policy on scrapping university tuition fees, increasing the minimum wage, and making radical progressive reforms to housing and childcare provision. ‘I think for SOAS in particular, the Green Party and Polanski have shown a foreign policy which is very against imperialism’, Chloe added, referencing the Green Party and leader Zack Polanski’s critical stance on NATO, focus on issues affecting the Global South, including climate change, and its consistently strong support of Palestine. Chloe continued, ‘I think that for people at SOAS who are particularly interested in the history of imperialism and in decolonisation, the Green Party offers solutions that a lot of mainstream UK political parties haven’t really talked about in much depth.’
When asked what makes the Green Party stand out in comparison to Your Party– of which the only other student society exists in SOAS– Chloe had a friendly but clear answer: ‘We have nothing against Your Party; we would like to collaborate with them and we want to be a united left, of course. But Your Party is still setting up; they haven’t had a proper conference, they haven’t really decided that they’re even going to focus on policy-wise, and I think that the need for an alternative party is more urgent than that. We don’t necessarily have the time to wait around. If Your Party does prove itself to be a good political project, good for them. But I think for now, the Green Party is the only organisation equipped to oppose Reform.’
During their society event, members of the society were introduced to and explored the Green Party’s manifesto and policy, from housing and agriculture to energy and immigration. There was open, friendly discussion around which policies were liked, disagreed with, and thought could be stronger. This event reflected the uniquely open and democratic process with which Green Party members have the power to determine and change official Green Party policy.
When asking the co-presidents if there were any policies they were a particular fan of, Herbie pointed out the Green Party’s plan to introduce a wealth tax on the super-rich, saying ‘We have to cut off the super-rich from leeching the wealth of the general population.’ Chloe agreed with Herbie, also noting her support for the nationalisation of industries, especially water and railway companies, which she felt was ‘something that should have been done a long time ago.’ For Corné, her answer was the abolition of tuition fees: ‘For me, scrapping of fees is really important. Especially in the UK, where the class system is so deeply entrenched, higher education needs to be open to as many people as possible.’
I also asked the co-presidents to name a Green Party policy they would want to add or change. For them, while the party’s policy was broadly strong and aligned with their values, they felt there were some areas where the party could be even stronger. For Herbie, while he was in support of the party’s policy on nationalisation, he felt it could be strengthened, suggesting that nationalising insurance companies and potentially banks would be necessary in ‘generating a more equal economy’. For Chloe, she felt the party could go further regarding its critical stance on NATO: ‘Especially with the current political situation in America, I think distancing ourselves while still maintaining security and defence is important.’
What to expect, then, from the SOAS Young Greens in the future? The co-presidents had many plans and were very excited about the society’s future in SOAS. ‘We’re going to do events every Tuesday, mainly discussing politics, as well as more structured events including collaborations with other societies,’ Chloe explained. The society also has plans for guest speakers, including Green Party representatives, and events with the wider London Young Greens organisation.
Herbie agreed: ‘I think it’s a good platform for people who feel disillusioned with mainstream politics,’ adding, ‘I also encourage students and young people to get into activism. We’ll get people out and do positive things for the community in the near future.’
‘I think those are pretty good reasons to come,’ Chloe continued. ‘But if you aren’t convinced, we have good open discussions; you can come along if you know nothing about the Green Party,’ even inviting those who are skeptical or critical of the party to come along. If you still aren’t convinced after all that, Chloe joked, ‘We also have refreshments!’.
