The Green party is split between two factions but there is a strategy that could bring them together | Joe Todd

"The Greens are jubilant after sweeping through Labour heartlands in last week's elections, winning Norwich, Hastings, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Lewisham, while becoming the largest party in Haringey and Lambeth too. At the same time, there are reports that Zack Polanski is plotting to water down the Green policy platform. That's not quite true. As leader of an admirably democratic party, Polanski doesn't set the policy programme, and he knows it. It's in the hands of the members."

"But his comments do speak to a real debate in the Green party: how to consolidate its newfound success and extend the coalition so it can replace Labour from the left. To put things very simply, there are two emerging positions. The maximalists, often newer members who have cut their teeth in protest politics and social movements, want to seize on the radicalism of the moment, pushing controversial policies that grab attention and move the Overton window further left. Then there are the moderates... who are generally supportive of the politics but worry that seeming too radical or out there will hurt the party's chances electorally."

"Employing the Ming vase strategy, they want to tiptoe the Greens' newfound popularity over the finish line. Both these camps are half right. The maximalists are alive to the sheer crisis and instability of 21st-century politics. When support for the status quo is at such a low ebb, what is deemed unrealistic or impossible can suddenly become reality. Just look at the polls: who would have predicted Reform UK polling first and the Greens often polling second less than two years after a Labour landslide?"

"They are also in tune with how attentional our politics has become: what Anton Jager calls an era of hyperpolitics in which everyone is politicised through consuming content rather than being a member of a political party. In this context, causing controversy, defining the news agenda and"

The Greens won multiple elections across Labour heartlands, becoming the largest party in Haringey and Lambeth. Reports claim leadership plans to dilute the policy platform, but policy decisions are described as member-driven rather than leader-set. A debate centers on how to consolidate new success and broaden a coalition to replace Labour from the left. Two positions emerge: maximalists favor pushing controversial, attention-grabbing policies to shift the Overton window left, while moderates prefer cautious messaging to avoid harming electoral prospects. Both sides are presented as partly correct, with maximalists pointing to political instability and low support for the status quo, and moderates emphasizing the risks of appearing too radical in an attention-driven political environment.

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