Progressive groups, networks and charities have begun to sift through the wreckage of the local English elections which took place on May 7th, along with the polls for the Scottish and Welsh devolved Parliaments. Zack Polanski's leadership of the Green Party saw the party surge by picking up left of entre votes that would otherwise have gone to the unpopular Labour Party. Mr Polanski is both gay and Jewish, and is the first gay leader of a major political party since Adam Price of Plaid Cymru. Plaid did very well at the Welsh Assembly elections, becoming the largest single party. On its one hundredth anniversary year, Plaid now has a chance to forward the radical policies, including a firm commitment to LGBTQIA freedom, that has underlined its development over the last half century. Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali told left wing weekly newspaper Socialist Worker why the party’s message appealed to people. “We were the only party talking about the cost of living crisis and the message cut through,” he said. “Affordable housing, rent controls, higher taxes for the wealthy—all over the country, it is a message that resonated. “The two-party system is dead. It is now Greens vs Reform UK. That means we have to bring people together to defeat the far right and their divisive hatred.”
The Reform Party gained over a thousand seats in the English county and city council elections, and was arguably the overall winner. They have some prominent white gay men on their portfolio, but few people in the LGBTQIA+ movement believe that Reform will bring about positive change for our community. Rather, they will slash funding for Equalities and Diversity projects and charities and normalise right wing discourse. UNISON, the public sector trade union, wrote in its U Bulletin for activists, that where Reform Councillors have been elected, already people are more cautious about raising equalities issues such as pronouns, or sponsorship of Asian melas, or African diaspora issues.
Over the coming weeks we shall continue to focus on the new shape of politics and see how it is impacting LGBTQIA+ communities.
