Rationale and History of Green Islands Network

In September 2010, the following was submitted to the European Green Party  by way of recording Green Islands Network activities, since its inception in 1994, in Dublin, at a Comhaontas Glas AGM.

Green Islands Network  1994 - 2010

 The Rationale

The remit of GIN is incorporated in its Statutes as follows:

Green Islands exists to facilitate:
a. communication and contacts between member parties and between
members of different member parties;
b. co-ordination of specific campaigns and policy initiatives between
member parties;
c. co-operation in preparation for and at times of elections;
d. co-ordination of the activities of member parties and their
representatives, in the European Federation of Green Parties; [now EGP]
e. support of member parties’ Members of the European Parliament;
f. communication between member parties and the Green Group in the
European Parliament;
g. support of member parties’ representatives in other supranational
bodies;
h. communication between member parties and Greens in other
supranational bodies.

Green Islands Network agreed early in its history, a series of ongoing, common campaigns. They are to be found elsewhere on the website, but for convenience they are:

·        Climate Change/Energy Emergency ;·Nuclear Matters;·Closing Sellafield (nuclear plant);  Transport of hazardous waste;

·        Nationalism and Identity ; GMOs; Food Safety; Women's Issues; Migration; Local, National and European Election Strategies.

These are updated as the focus changes, or as new common issues arise, by consensus of the Member Parties, who instruct their delegates, through the body which is associated with international affairs.

The History

Green Islands Network was formed in Dublin in 1994, at a Comhaontas Glas Ard Fheis (Annual Convention).  Members of Comhaontas Glas, Northern Ireland Green Party, the Scottish Green Party, the Wales Green Party, the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Jersey Green Party were represented.

Many members attended, and agreed that it would be to the mutual benefit of all, if the parties were to form a loose federation.  It was envisaged that common campaigns and common issues could be addressed; that the sharing of information on policies and the electoral support in the form of canvassers would be useful.  The second meeting, in 1995, was held at the GPEW’s Autumn Convention in Southport, England. Subsequently, statutes were developed and adopted; a Secretary was appointed and the member parties designated delegates.  

In 1997, we held a weekend meeting in Dublin, as guests of Comhaontas Glas, the following topics were discussed and suggestions for action put forth: a. Hill farmers (Wales Green Party); b. Scottish Parliament election; c. Political situation in Northern Ireland. Also discussed was the North Sea Green Forum’s fisheries policy, which was in draft form. Patricia McKenna, MEP, spoke on fishing policy in the EU; the following day, Nuala Ahern, MEP, spoke on nuclear matters.  

 In November, 1997 in South Shield, Newcastle UK, GIN delegates agreed Statutes which stated that meetings would be held in Spring and Autumn, rotating to conferences of the member parties. This weekend-long meeting was the  1997 GIN AGM. It was held, as guests of the Regional Green Party meeting.

[Typically, weekend meetings commenced Friday evening, and finished on Sunday afternoon, and were attended by at least one delegate from each member party].

 Another weekend meeting was held in Swansea, Wales, in 1998, on nuclear matters, and Dr. Chris Busby was amongst the presenters, on nuclear contamination.

In 1998 GIN delegates met to prepare together, a response to the EFGP (European Federation of Green Parties) documents, THE GREEN VISION FOR EUROPE (Draft 6) and : EU COMPETENCIES (Draft 3) for the EFGP Council meeting. 

At the 1999 Paris EFGP Congress a GIN Fringe meeting was held, and delegates attended a Congress workshop on the use of IT in Green Parties. It was at this meeting that the first GIN website, constructed by Ben Ryan, emerged.

 Delegates were usually also the representatives of their parties to the EFGP (later EGP) Council or Congress meetings, and their parties assumed the expenses for travel. Several times, the EFGP Committee as well as GIN met at Member Parties’ Conferences, 1998, Edinburgh; 1999, London, GPEW Conference.  This meant that there was not only good communication amongst the member parties, but with the EFGP Committee. EFGP Committee members participated both in the working meetings as well as the social networking. Secretary General Ralph Mono, Gyorgy Droppa and Marian Coyne were amongst the EFGP Committee members attending.

In 1999, GIN opened an internet forum on Northern Ireland and Nationalism. It was developed and moderated by Comhaontas Glas’ Ben Ryan. All member parties’ members were eligible to participate. The ideas were passed on to the Member Parties, for use in policy development.

 Although in existence since 1994, attending EFGP Councils since 1997, it was only in 2000, with the able assistance and support of EFGP Committee member, Marian Coyne,  that GIN became an affiliate of the EFGP.

There has not been an EFGP or EGP Council meeting that did not host a Green Islands Network meeting, either with a speaker, or to work on common campaigns, and GIN Member Parties are  grateful. 

 In 2000, Green Islands Network member parties gave “tangible” support to the elections in Serbia, and carried back to their member parties, the request for further support. Four years later, GIN hosted a public meeting in Westport, in the West of Ireland, at which the Chair of the Serbian Greens, Borisa Antonijevic spoke on nationalism and identity.

 GIN held meetings in Den Haag, June 2001, and the GIN topic of discussion was Ireland’s rejection of the Nice Treaty, which provoked a motion of censure from the Council; and in Budapest in December 2001.

 In,2002, GIN hosted a public meeting at which Mark Ballard, MSP and a representative of CND addressed the Fringe meeting at Dundee -Scottish Green Party conference - on Transport of Nuclear Waste. Earlier in 2002, GIN organised a workshop at GPEW’s Conference at. Weston super Mare at which Jean Lambert, MEP and Councillor Bronwen Maher spoke on Women in Politics.

 In addition to the GIN Fringe meetings, workshops at the Congresses at Berlin, 2004 and Rome, 2006 speaker panels on Nationalism, and on Electoral Systems  and the Problems for Green Candidates were organised by GIN. Amongst the speakers were Peter Emerson of the Borda Institute and Borisa Antonijevic of the Serbian Greens, etc.

 A day long workshop was organised in 2003, at Queens University, Belfast. Beyond Nationalism included Trevor Sargent, TD; Dr. John Barry; Peter Emerson and John Merritt of UNPROFOR. Following this public event, the First Belfast Summit was organised by Green Islands Network, in June 2003. This  public meeting brought together, for the first time, the seven newly elected MSPs (Members Scottish Parliament), the six Irish Green TDs, the four MEPs from England and Ireland, as well as numerous elected local councillors, and the ‘Party Leaders’ (the parties had not as yet elected leaders, but had recognised chairs) from the Member Parties. The purpose was to highlight the increasing Green profile in the GIN islands.

At this point, that should inform the interested reader of the nature of GIN in its early days.  From 2003 – 2008, Fringe meetings were held, not only at the EGP Council, making at least two more meetings per year in addition to those held  according to the Statutes at member parties’ conferences.  These Member Party Fringe meetings addressed various  common campaigns: Nationalism , Policies in Parallel (Dublin 2004) was an all day meeting to present and discuss Animal Welfare/Animal Rights policy( Comhaontas Glas) and Northern Ireland, (Northern Ireland Greens and Comhaontas Glas) this meeting was held in conjunction with the EGP’s First Council meeting.  

Then in 2005,GIN sponsored a speaker panel on Nuclear Matters, with a speaker from Ireland, journalist Colum Keena, and Dr. Chris Busby, Wales, who addressed the GPEW Autumn Conference at Lancaster University, Lancaster.

 In July 2006, an important weekend meeting was held in Queens University, at which a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to East-West as well as North South cooperation in Northern Ireland was drafted and launched in November 2006.

 In November 2008, in Edinburgh, a two-day GIN Conference Identity, the nation state, and global changes , featured Mark Ballard, MSP; Patrick Harvie, MSP Scotland; Dr John Barry, GPNI and Dan Boyle, TD, Comhaontas Glas. It was sponsored by GIN and the Scottish Green Party.

The following month, December 2008 in Dublin, Comhaontas Glas and Green Islands Network co-hosted a Public meeting, a Speaker Panel on Migration in an Extended EU featured speakers from the Green Parties of France, Mme Jocelyne le Boulicault; Malta, Prof. Arnold Cassola; the UK, Dr. Richard Lawson; and Ireland Ciaran Cuffe,TD; Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs.

 In March 2009, as part of its effort to support the sitting MEP, Jean Lambert, The Green Islands Network jointly with the London Federation of Green Parties, sponsored a two part afternoon conference - 1. Surveillance in Europe, followed by 2. Surveillance and Security in Europe. It was held in Jean’s constituency in central London on Saturday March 14th Jean Lambert MEP will speak at both sessions of the conference. She was joined Tony Bunyan, director of Statewatch, and Guy Herbert, director of NO2ID, for the opening discussion. 

In May 2008, GIN organised a Speaker Panel in Dublin, aimed at capacity building of the three MEP candidates for Ireland –Steven Agnew Northern Ireland, Senator Deirdre de Burca and Senator Dan Boyle, Ireland  In addition,  Miriam Kennett Director of the Green Economics Institute, UK ,spoke. The meeting was chaired by the Irish [Greens] Minister for the Environment John Gormley. The presented their views on Green Economics –People Matter.

Whilst this may appear a long document, it does not touch on all of the activities of the past sixteen years. A sizeable archive exists, in both paper and virtual form, should anyone be interested in the smaller details.  Green Islands Network is as strong as its member parties. We work together, not only at meetings, but through the contacts established by elected Greens at all levels of government. We must also acknowledge is the work of the Young Greens in the GIN Member Parties and remind that we made a commitment to establish a Young Greens wing of GIN, so as to extend the scope of GIN’s work.  This should also include acknowledgement of the Green Seniors, a branch of which has been established in Comhaontas Glas in 2010.

Green Islands Network has not been highly visible in the wider membership of EGP. As a small, but important group of islands off the coast of continental Europe, we work diligently to make our presence felt. We feel that we have presented a good template for other networks, emphasizing that it is important to work together in the Green Way – at the lowest effective level.  This has been evident over the years with the willingness of the members to travel, usually at their own expense, sleep on floors, canvass in areas wherein they are  badly needed; put themselves forth for elections in the past of ‘paper candidates’, and see the fruits of their dedication in the recognition by another Party of their hard work.  We  persevere.

Compiled from the

Green Islands Network Archives

by the Treasurer,

Dr Lucille Ryan O’Shea