Review: Caroline Lucas, Festival of Ideas

There is a simple solution to climate change. All fossil-fuel consumption could be eradicated overnight, if only someone could find a way to harness the megawatts in Caroline Lucas’ smile. 

Speaking at at-Bristol, the freshly re-elected Green MP for Brighton Pavilion was positively glowing from beginning to end, even when bemoaning the malevolent mean-spiritedness of certain members of the Conservative Party’s life-loathing tendency. Maybe she’s just a really smiley person all the time, despite having all the hopes and expectations of 1.2 million Green voters resting on her smartly tailored shoulders, and even though she has to spend time in proximity to Michael Gove.

Or perhaps it was the sea of adoring faces that left her feeling so happy. Obviously this was never going to be Ms Lucas’ toughest gig, in a city where the number of Green councillors seems to grow almost daily. In fact the punters were so enraptured that moderator Andrew Kelly insisted at the end that the audience remain seated until Lucas had made it safely to the back of the room. Maybe he was worried that she would be mobbed, or perhaps that they would form an honour guard and expect her to walk under an arch made from rolled-up copies of The Guardian.

But there was also an air of sadness. Many of the audience bought their tickets before May 7, presumably anticipating an evening of quiet celebration and revelations of how the new progressive coalition would be pushed to adopt a more Green approach. Instead, with a surprise Conservative majority, the talk repeatedly returned to “how to stop the Tories”.  

Lucas had a number of suggestions, including peaceful protest “as part of the toolbox” (the abrupt pause at the end of her sentence suggesting she might not be averse to more direct types of protest as well). She also repeated several times her desire to engage in “conversations” with other progressive parties about how to keep to Tories out next time. Above all, she championed a politics of compassion, hope and vision over the politics of fears and division.

A lot of her talk – like her accompanying book Honourable Friends – focused on the many defects of the House of Commons. Amidst the tales from the corridors of power, Lucas argued for radical modernisation of what she described as “a cross between Hogwarts and a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta”. One thing did become clear: along with the compassionate and caring side, Lucas has a deeply pragmatic streak: a keen focus on the small practicalities that can make a difference, rather than the big ideals that may never be achieved.

Caroline Lucas is a warm and engaging speaker with a rich seam of parliamentary anecdotes. Her blend of idealism and pragmatism is both infectious and inspiring, and left this audience of the already converted hoping that she might one day be their dream Prime Minister in a Government of the Righteous.

Caroline Lucas spoke at At-Bristol on Wednesday, May 27 as part of the festival of Ideas. For more upcoming FoI events, visit www.ideasfestival.co.uk/whats-on