Bold, invigorating and visionary

I made a promise to myself to largely avoid posting about (or indeed thinking too much) about politics in the run-up to the general election - that way madness lies. But I'm compelled to point out that - amid all the cynical point-scoring, power games, spin and poisonous rhetoric - the Green Party's manifesto really is a breath of fresh air, offering hope for a brighter future rather than stale promises and dog-whistle policies.

The proposal of a Rights of Nature Act, "giving rights to nature itself", will probably grab the headlines, but it's a travesty that a party with such a forward-thinking social and economic agenda - and the guts to be transparent about the need to generate tax revenue to pay for the huge proposed investment in public services - is still seen as something of a pressure group.

As George Monbiot rightly argues in his assessment of the manifesto for the Guardian, "[i]t's everything the Labour party should be doing ... but is too frightened to propose. No one expects the Greens to form the new government but we need them to hold Labour to account and press it to raise its level of ambition." When Keir Starmer is proudly putting "wealth creation" rather than wealth redistribution at the heart of the Labour manifesto, then you know they need a good, hard kick up the arse.

Of course, the chances of the Greens making deserved headway hinge to a large extent on their visibility - so it's hardly helpful that major media outlets such as the BBC continue to refuse to allow the party a seat at the debating table while happily platforming representatives of Reform...