One year ago there were less than 1000 Green Party members in Sheffield, but this month, membership has surpassed 3000.
The social media campaigning from the new leader of the party, Zack Polanski, has been a driving force for some of the new Sheffield members, as the party reached 175,000 members nationally this week.
Florence Kilby, 23, lives in Crookes and joined the Green Party last week. She said:
“I’ve seen a lot of Zack Polanski on social media. The leadership and the direction that he’s come with is absolutely amazing. He’s very clear on what he wants and what the fundamental values of the Green Party are. That clarity is really important so you know you’re standing behind something you believe in.
“Equality, bringing people together, reinvesting into the community, into social causes, making rich people accountable for the massive disparity in wealth. Those things are pertinent in this day and age where there are people who earn £10,000 a day and there are people who can’t afford a meal.”
Ms Kilby said she had not come across a political party that she strongly agreed with before, but now she feels she has “a party I can align with”.
Another new Green Party member is a Sheffield-based teacher, and his experiences at secondary school motivated his decision to sign up three weeks ago.
He said: “One thing I found, which has been quite disconcerting, is the prevalence that the right wing parties have with kids between 11 and 18. A lot of what used to be fringe ways of viewing the world have now become quite mainstream. Really quite misogynistic attitudes towards women and their positions and opportunities in life. Some borderline fascist ideologies as well.
“I think the Green Party has been quite successful in disseminating the feeling of optimism and positivity for the future. I think that’s something that is way more powerful than negative rhetoric.”
Eamonn Ward, 66, has been a Green Party member in Hillsborough for 25 years and has been monitoring the surge in membership.
He said: “I’ve spoken to people on the doorstep who have joined who never heard of the Green Party before, literally never heard of us. Zack Polanski is definitely reaching a different audience, a younger audience, and of course 16-year-olds are going to be voting in the next election.”
Mr Ward also pointed to concern for the future as a motivating factor. He said:
“A lot of people are concerned about the future of the country, where the country’s headed, seeing the direction influenced by Trump, concerned about what’s going on in America, concerned that Reform are heading up the opinion polls. There are people who actively want to do something about that. That seems to be the key.”
Photo courtesy of Eamonn Ward.
