I follow a fair few ‘good news’ pages on social media. Sure, more often their daily dose of happiness relates to a dog being rescued (not that I’m complaining), but occasionally they share a good news story which relates to global events. Another country legalising same-sex marriage, the successful rehabilitation of a near-extinct species, or the global solidarity of the Sumud flotilla seeking to break the siege of Palestine.
I’m finding these stories increasingly important at the moment to remind myself that – when all seems bleak – there exist more people on the side of good than hatred. And that slowly, quietly, often behind the scenes, the majority of us are working away to make the world a better place.
This reminder, and the compelling need for hope in dark times, is seeing record numbers of people turn to the Greens. As our groups in Edinburgh hold meetings around the city to kick off our Scottish Parliament election campaign we are seeing new members and old come together – inspired both by our candidates and our policies. People are increasingly seeing that Greens have the ideas we need to bring us through the various crises facing us, and the commitment to see those ideas through.
Although we are different parties, and we don’t agree on everything, the election of Zack Polanski as the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales has been a big part of getting the core green messages of climate justice, equality, and peace heard more widely. (No thanks to the media bias which still seems to be more comfortable platforming right-wing commentators than democratically elected socialists.) We want people to know more about what Greens in Scotland have been doing to fight for these values too.
In just the past month, we have seen the success of our years-long battle for rent controls at Holyrood – limiting the greed of landlords and giving tenants more power over the places they call home – thanks to Green MSPs and activists working together for renters’ rights.
At a local level, Edinburgh Councillors have secured better working rights for security staff previously employed through profiteering companies, fulfilling empty promises repeatedly made by Labour. We’ve fought against cuts to our community centres and for local people to be more involved in making funding decisions. And we’ve consistently challenged those who say that a culture of austerity, corporate power, and disempowerment is just the way things have to be.
At the last full council meeting, four out of five parties (we’ll let you guess which was the odd one out…) came together to condemn protests at asylum hotels and reiterate our commitment to make Edinburgh a welcoming place for everyone. This was down, in a large part, to the actions of Green councillors to smooth over political disagreements, produce something everyone could get behind, and convince people that some things are more important than party squabbling. With fascism on the rise, no signs of the climate crisis abating, and global conflict continuing to cause despair, we need more of this unity to bring about the world we want to see.
Change is possible. And a time when things might seem hopeless, believing this is one of the most rebellious things you can do. I’m proud to be part of a movement which challenges hate with hope, and apathy with action.