* Jonathan Bartley, co-leader, to speak alongside Stella Creasy, Claire Fox and Owen Jones at Fabian Society event
* Bartley: “There is some simple maths at play here – the chance of Labour winning an outright majority at the next election is very small.”
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, will call on Labour to embrace proportional representation (PR) at an event on the future of progressive politics.
Speaking at a panel debate hosted by the Fabian Society today (January 14) Bartley is expected to say the only way to stop progressive party politics dying is to actively support a fairer voting system.
Bartley, who leads the Green Party alongside Caroline Lucas MP, will say:
“I think some on the left have been too quick to shut down the idea of working together to beat the Conservatives and rejuvenate our democracy. There is some simple maths at play here – the chance of Labour winning an outright majority at the next election is very small, especially with the SNP continuing to dominate Scottish politics.
“And then there’s my belief – at least – that no one party has a monopoly on wisdom and that we’re better working together.
“It also seems fundamental to me that a truly progressive politics simply must embrace real democracy – and a voting system which allows people to truly express their views, rather than giving decision making power to a handful of voters in swing seats.
“We saw in the EU referendum how people are crying out to be heard – and we repress that desire for representative politics at our peril.”
Bartley and Lucas were elected as Green Party leaders in September this year after a leadership campaign which centred on the need for a progressive alliance.
Tomorrow Bartley will say support for PR has grown - but he will also warn that progressive politics will not be able to win the next General Election unless parties on the left work together.
He will say:
“The movement for PR has really grown – already it’s supported by the SNP (even though it would play against them), by Plaid, the Lib Dems, the Green Party and increasingly by members of the Labour Party – from the far left to the centre.
“Simply put: anyone who wants to stop progressive party politics dying needs to actively support real democracy and proportional representation, and the best route to that is through a progressive agreement of some sort.”
Bartley will speak alongside Labour MP Stella Creasy, Institute of Ideas director Claire Fox and Guardian journalist Owen Jones in a panel debate chaired by Andrew Harrop, Fabian Society general secretary.
The event will be held at the Fabian Society’s New Year Conference – ‘Future Left: Is progressive politics dead?’.