| Discrete Collections | Politics, economics and social science collections |
| Title | The Green Party of England and Wales, 1973- |
| Ref No | GP |
| Level | Collection |
| Date | 1973-2022 |
| Extent | 107 boxes, 47 ring binders and 9 posters |
| Admin Biographical History | For an overview of the Party's history see https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/green-party/ (accessed in May 2022) |
| Custodial History | In 2021 a Greens Archive Project was established by the Green Party to locate historically important material as the Party prepares for its 50th anniversary in February 2023.
LSE Library joined the Project and since August 2021 the Library has been collecting material from activists to form a Green Party archive.
Many thanks to those who have donated material so far:
- The Green Party (material from their store deposited in January 2022, including papers from: Peter Allen, Jan Clark, Michael Crowson [Mike Crowson], Alan Francis, Matthew Ledbury, Chris Rose, Justin Walker)
- Janet Alty
- Peter Frings
- Jonathon Porritt
Other Green Party papers are held elsewhere - notably at Teesside University Library and local record offices - for more information search https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
In addition, many items from the 1970s and '80s have been digitised and are available on the 'UK Green History' website: https://green-history.uk/library/doc-archive |
| Description | In terms of extent, the collection (so far) largely consists of:
- Printed material (in GP/3)
- Election-related papers (in GP/4)
- Jonathon Porritt's collection (PORRITT)
- Local material (in GP/6 and GP/7), especially from Bristol (GP/7/BRL* and GP/ROSE). Many of the election-related papers are also local (candidates' leaflets and ephemera).
Note that LSE Library is not actively collecting local papers as it is concentrating on the national Party and local record offices are more appropriate repositories for such material.
Highlights of this collection include:
COMMITTEES
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National Executive Committee minutes and papers:
- PEOPLE/Ecology Party NEC minutes and papers, 1974-75, are among Peter Allen's collection (GP/ALLEN/2)
- NEC/Council minutes and papers, 1977-1984, are among Jonathon Porritt's collection (PORRITT/1)
- Executive Committee minutes and papers, 2004-9 (GP/1A)
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Regional Council minutes and papers:
- A small selection (about half a box) for the 2000s (GP/1RC)
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Political Committee minutes and papers:
- For 1980-85 see PORRITT/2/1
- Some minutes for 1981-84 are among the National Council/Ecology Party Council papers in PORRITT/1
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Elections Committee minutes and papers:
- For 1980-81 (Elections Standing Committee) see GP/4/1980
- For 1980-82 see PORRITT/2/1
- Minutes for 1983-84 are among the Ecology Party Council papers in PORRITT/1
- For Chris Rose's set of Elections Committee papers, mainly 1985-98 (and some earlier), see GP/4/2-3
- For Chris Rose's set of Election Committee papers (incomplete), mainly 2000-08, see GP/4/14
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General Election Coordinating Committee minutes and papers (re the General Election 1983):
- May 1982-May 1983 see PORRITT/4/14 folders 1-2
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General Election Committee minutes and papers (re the General Election 1987):
- 1985-87 see GP/4/1987A
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European Elections Working Group/European Elections Committee minutes and papers (re the European Election 1989)
- 1987-89 see GP/4/1989A
PARTY CONFERENCES
- For an account of the 8-9 June 1974 Conference see PEOPLE Newsletter, June 1974 (in GP/3/1)
- For minutes of the second National Conference 28/29 June 1975 see Alliance Newsletter, July-August 1975 (not available at LSE but on the Green History website, https://green-history.uk/)
- Some further papers re the 1974 and 1975 conferences are in GP/ALLEN/2
- For a few core papers re Conferences, 1976-78 see GP/2/1
- Conference papers, 1977-1987 see PORRITT/3
ELECTIONS
- Papers re Clive Lord's candidacy as the PEOPLE candidate in Leeds North East constituency in the General Election, February 1974, and some material re Norma Russell's campaign in Leeds East in the General Election, October 1974 (GP/ALLEN/1)
- Election-related material, 1977-86 (PORRITT/4), notably papers re the 1979 and 1983 general elections, and the Greater London Council (GLC) elections in 1981
- The main series for election ephemera (such as leaflets and circulars) is GP/4 - much of which was collected by Chris Rose
- GP/4 also includes other election-related files, including from Mike Crowson, Justin Walker, Alan Leader and Chris Rose (Election Agents). Items include: minutes and circulated papers of Party election committees; information on Party election strategy; feedback from candidates and other activists; mailings; results
[See also under Committees and Print.]
PRINT
This collection (GP) contains much printed material (outputs in series: GP/3), including newsletters, manifestos, pamphlets, activists' mailings, posters and leaflets.
There are good (but often incomplete) sets of:
- PEOPLE Newsletter / Alliance journal, 1974-76 (GP/3/1)
- Ecology Party Newsletter/Econews, 1976-92 (GP/3/1ECO)
- Ecology Party National Newsletter, issues 1-3, 1980 (GP/3/1980)
- Ecobulletin / Eco Bulletin: The Bulletin of the Ecology Party, 1980-81 (GP/3/1ECOB)
- European Elections 1989 Campaign Mailings, 1988-89 (GP/4/1989A)
- 'Policy Pointers', 1989-93, information sheets produced by the Party's Policy Committee (GP/3/1989)
- The Green Activist: newsletter for Green Party members, 1990-91, 1997-2010 (GP/3/1GA)
- General Election 1992 Mailings for PPCs containing news and information for the general election campaign, 1991-92 (GP/4/1992C)
- Real World: The Voice of Green Politics, 1992-93 (GP/3/1GW1)
- Green Link / Greenlink: magazine for local Green Parties and activists, 1993-99 (GP/3/1GL)
- Green World newspaper/magazine, 1993-2012, 3 boxes (GP/3/1GW1-GP/3/1GW3)
- Greens for Europe '94 candidates' mailings, 1993-94 (GP/4/1994A)
- Target to win (local election mailings, containing news, information and tips for local campaigning), 1994-2000 (GP/3/1TW)
- File of papers summarising the Green Party's position on various policy matters, late 1990s-2000 (GP/3/2000A)
- Euro '99, European Election Mailing for candidates and campaign team members, 1998-99 (GP/4/1999B)
- MEP News: Newsletter of the UK Greens in the European Parliament, 1999-2003 (GP/3/1X)
- The Greens/European Free Alliance in the European Parliament also published material from Jean Lambert and Caroline Lucas (as MEPs), 1999-2009 (GP/9/GEFA)
- General Election 2001 Support Mailings 1-5, 2000-01 (GP/4/2001D)
- European Election 2004 mailings (GP/4/2004D)
PRINT (Drafts)
- Papers relating to the drafting of the 'Manifesto for a Sustainable Society', 1974-75 (GP/ALLEN/3-4)
- Some draft Ecology Party publications, 1978-83 are in PORRITT/5, including discussions with Council members and others on Party philosophy
LOCAL COUNCILLORS
- Green Gazette (journal) and Green Councillor (The Newsletter of the Association of Green Councillors), 1987-2001 (GP/3/2GC)
- Various papers re Green Councillors, including lists, information on support for Councillors and some AGC papers, 1983-2007 (GP/4/11-12)
- Selected local election leaflets (GP/4) and newsletters (GP/6 and GP/7), mainly 1980s-early 2010s. Most of the newsletters are short, usually 1 sheet or 4 pages.
LOCAL/REGIONAL PARTIES
Papers re Leeds branch, 1973-75, including campaigning in the two General Elections in 1974 (GP/ALLEN/1)
Papers re Bristol branch, 1978-2000s, and elections in the Bristol region, 1979-86 (GP/ROSE)
Local/regional papers, especially newsletters (GP/6 and GP/7). Many of those dating from the 1980s-2013 were collected by Chris Rose. Includes (for example):
- Shipley West (Bradford) Green Party newsletters, 1995-2002 (GP/7/BRAD)
- Brighton and Hove newsletters (GreenLeaf), 1987-2011 (GP/7/BRH)
- Bristol newsletters, 1978-2008 (GP/7/BRL1-GP/7/BRL2)
- Lancaster newsletters, 1990s-2000s (GP/7/LANC)
- Leeds newsletters, 1990s-2000s (GP/7/LEEDS)
- Londonletter, 1980-84 and other London newsletters (GP/6/LON)
- Manifestos for London elections, 1981-2008 (GP/6/LON)
- Norwich newsletters, 2000s (GP/7/NOR1-NOR3)
- Oxford newsletters, 1990s-2000s (GP/7/OXF)
- Witham and Braintree Green Party, Essex, 1990s-early 2010s (GP/7/ESSEX)
- York newsletters, late 1990s-2012 (GP/7/YORK)
- Selected local election leaflets (GP/4)
OTHER PAPERS
- Some papers re the Green Party and Europe (among GP/9).
- There are also some non-Green Party background papers (mainly GP/20). There is some early print material (c.1972-75) of Transport 2000 - now the Campaign for Better Transport - in GP/ALLEN/4 Folder 7.
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Abbreviations used in the catalogue include:
GPEW - Green Party of England and Wales
GPEX - Green Party Executive Committee
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For dating purposes (many of the items don't have the year on them) it may be useful to have a list of the addresses for the Ecology Party/Green Party's central office in London:
- The NEC started to look seriously for a London headquarters with full time staff in May/June 1979 (NEC report to Econews No.3, July/August 1979)
- This was approved by the Keele Conference in September 1979 (Econews No.5, November 1979)
- Late 1979: Paul Ekins' house at 42 Warriner Gardens (Econews No.6, January 1980 includes a summary 'of the London office during its first six weeks of existence')
- c.December 1980: 36/38 Clapham Road (see Ecobulletin, December 1980/January 1981)
- By June 1987: 10 Station Parade, Balham High Road
- c.September 1994: 1A Waterlow Road, Archway (see Green Link, September 1994)
- By Spring 2011: Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street [this is the address given in Green World, Spring 2011]
- By 2016 it had moved to its current address (March 2022): The Biscuit Factory, 100 Clements Road |
| Related Material | ---
Elsewhere in this archives catalogue are details of the Library's extensive collection of leaflets published by Ecology Party / Green Party candidates in general elections.
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The archives catalogue also contains details of other collections relating to the environment/sustainability more generally. For example:
- Some printed papers re the enclosure of common land, late 18th century (COLL MISC 1047)
- Some discussion of water supply / sanitation / rivers pollution among the Health Committees of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, 1860s-80s (SSA, especially minute book SSA/7)
- Comments re London's urban environment in Charles Booth's notebooks, late 19th century (BOOTH) - i.e. Dust* (i.e. dust removal); Open Spaces; Overcrowding; Sanitary; Sanitation; Water Supply
- Land Club League, 1907-11 (COLL MISC 0052) - set up in response to the introduction of the Small Holdings Act of 1907 and to aid "the renewal of country life"
- Papers on Distributism, 1910s- (AAC)
- Land Utilisation Survey, 1930s (LUS)
- National Parks Committee, 1945-47 (COLL MISC 0299)
- Papers re the Committee on Air Pollution (chaired by Sir Hugh Beaver, 1953-54) and the Clean Air Act, 1956 (BEAVER)
- Keep Britain Tidy, 1950s-2000s (BRUNNER and 5FWI collections)
- The Women's Institute (5FWI) collection has other relevant material, for example: in relation to rural issues (including rural transport); its Countryside Conference in 1968; the book, 'God's Acre: the flowers and animals of the parish churchyard', 1985
- Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 1950s- (CND) has much material on its opposition to nuclear power
- Papers on transport, mainly 1960s-70s, in the Greater London Group collection (GLG)
- Government Working Party on Sewage Disposal chaired by Lena Jeger, 1969-70 (JEGER/9/1)
- Papers re fuel poverty, including some on energy conservation (insulation etc.) among the Child Poverty Action Group's papers (CPAG)
- Some papers re the Conservation Society, c.1973-74, in Pamela Anderson's archive - she helped organise their Annual Conference in 1974 (7PMA)
- The Liberal Democrats also have policy papers on this topic, 1988- (LD).
- Fourth World Review (journal) for small nations, small communities and the human spirit, edited by activist John Papworth (HCA/LGCM/13/4)
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There is also much material by/about the Party on the main Library catalogue, especially manifestos and pamphlets.
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In addition, the Library catalogue lists many items on the environment/sustainability generally. Examples include:
- 'A computation of the increase of London and parts adjacent' (London, 1719) - many other works on 'population history' are also available in the Library
- A 1798 edition of Thomas Malthus', 'An essay on the principle of population'
- 'Is it impossible to free the atmosphere of London, in a very considerable degree, from the smoke and deleterious vapours with which it is hourly impregnated?', by W. Frend (London, c1819)
- 'A guide to the proper regulation of buildings in towns as a means of promoting and securing the health, comfort and safety of the inhabitants', by William Hosking (London, 1848)
- 'Outline of a comprehensive plan for diverting the sewage of London and Westminster from the Thames: and applying it to agricultural purposes, for improving the navigation of the river, and for establishing a supply of pure water to the metropolis', by John Martin (London, 1850)
- 'The prevention of smoke', by Lilian Harris (Co-operative Women's Guild Public Health Papers, No.3, Manchester, 1897)
- Report... on the subject of air pollution, [Manchester Sanitary Committee], 1915
- 'Save our rivers and inshore waters', Pure Rivers Society, London, [1926] - there are a few other pamphlets in the Library from this organisation
- 'Noise abatement exhibition', Anti-Noise League, London [1935]
- 'Silent spring', Rachel Carson (New York, 1962)
- Resurgence (journal), incomplete set, 1966- (founded by John Papworth and edited from 1973-2016 by Satish Kumar)
- 'The costs of economic growth' (London, 1967) and other works by LSE academic, E J (Ezra) Mishan
- 'The eco-activists: youth fights for a human environment', by Michael Allaby (London, 1971)
- 'Can Britain survive?' (London, 1971) and 'A Blueprint for survival' (London, 1972), edited by Edward (Teddy) Goldsmith
- 'The limits to growth : a report for the Club of Rome's Project on the predicament of mankind' (New York, 1972)
- Printed material relating to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference), June 1972 (the first world conference on the environment, which led to the creation of UNEP)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) material
- A radical approach to pollution, population and resources by Richard Segar Scorer [meteorologist and an expert on air pollution] (a Liberal Party "Strategy 2000" pamphlet: 1st series; no. 1), [1973]
- 'The energy crisis: growth, stability or collapse?', by Lord Avebury, Conservation Society Presidential Address delivered at LSE on 16 November 1973
- 'The hole in the sky: man's threat to the ozone layer', by John R Gribbin (London, 1988)
- United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) material, including international reports to the conference, 1992
- '50 years on: the struggle for air quality in London since the great smog of December 1952', Greater London Authority, 2002
- 'The economics of climate change: the Stern review', by Nicholas Stern, 2006 |
| Access Status | Open |