Opposition to the Joint Proposal.

• Author: Evanoff, Richard
• Position: Joint Proposal of Negotiating Committees of the Association of State Green Parties and The Greens/Green Party USA

November 29, 2000. I am writing to express opposition to the Joint Proposal of Negotiating Committees of the Association of State Green Parties and The Greens/Green Party USA to establish a "unity party" called the "Green Party of the United States." While I whole-heartedly support the idea of creating a "unity party" between the G/GPUSA and the ASGP, the present proposal does not adequately represent all American Greens in the structure of the new party. Specifically it disenfranchises the U.S. Greens Abroad, a local currently affiliated with the Greens/Green Party USA. Following the establishment of the U.S. Greens Abroad in January of this year, our group sought affiliation with both the Greens/Green Party USA and the Association of State Green Parties. Our affiliation with the G/GPUSA was immediately approved (indeed, we were assigned a field worker from the national office to shepherd us through the process). Our approval was based on the fact that the G/GPUSA has an inclusive organizational structure wh ich allows both locals and state parties to affiliate (as well as at-large members), and for all to be fully represented in the national organization, with full delegate status at the Green Congress.

Our application to affiliate with the ASGP was never approved, however, apparently on the grounds that we are not a state party. It was my impression that ASGP was simply not interested in representing the interests of all U.S. Greens, but only the interests of state Green parties. Indeed, the ASGP is simply what its name proclaims it to be: an association of state Green parties. It makes no allowance for the direct representation of either Green locals or Greens living abroad. Unlike the G/GPUSA which aims to be and is in fact a genuine national party that attempts to include and represent all Greens, the ASGP has no such legitimacy as a national party, either historically or in its present organizational form.

When the U.S. Greens Abroad first learned of the negotiations between the G/GPUSA and the ASGP to establish a "unity party," a letter dated August 17, 2000 (well before the negotiations began) was sent by the USGA to the G/GPUSA Negotiating Committee requesting "...that in any negotiations with the ASGP regarding a 'unity party' a formal structure be worked out that would include full membership rights and delegate status for U.S. Greens living abroad." We received no response. A letter was sent to the national office expressing...