About

The iEN is a new group, set up by individuals from Green and Left currents in the UK. The key impulse is the desire to practice “politics without committees”. To avoid getting bogged down in procedures, vying for positions and titles, and engaging in endless internal wrangles.

Instead, individual members can form smaller groups based on a particular interest or project. Everyone is mature enough to follow the basic principles of the network. Yes, there will be room for error or interpretation. Whenever mistakes are made, they will be recognised. However, the point is to get on with it, rather than worrying about protecting a ‘brand’.

Individual projects or campaigns are crowdfunded by members. Progress is reported back to other members online which helps monitoring. There are no membership fees.

The ‘i’ in iEN is intentional. We want to maintain an international perspective. This is important even more so that the UK is set for disconnection from the EU. Morever, our entire philosophy is based on global issues, which cannot be bound by borders.

So what do we expect to achieve? In a nutshell, influence major groups such as the Labour Party and Trade Unions to move ideas about socialism towards eco-socialism, where ecology is not an add-on but an equal partner. Similarly, we want to  show solidarity with like minded groups abroad. Currently, that means the progressive forces in Catalonia in mainland Europe. There will be more.

So what is ‘ecosocialism’?

In 2009, “an Ecosocialist International Network meeting (*) in Belém, Brazil outlined four essential ecosocialist policy areas ……..:

Firstly, the energy system, by replacing carbon-based fuels and biofuels with clean sources of power under community control: wind, geothermal, wave, and above all all, solar power.

Secondly, the transportation system, by drastically reducing the use of private trucks and cars, replacing them with a free and efficient public transportation.

Thirdly, present patterns of production, consumption and building, which are based on waste, inbuilt obsolescence, competition and pollution, by producing only sustainable and recyclable goods and developing green architecture.

Fourthly, food production and distribution, by defending local food sovereignty as far as possible, eliminating polluting industrial agribusinesses, creating sustainable agro-ecosystems and working to renew soil fertility. ”

(extract from Derek Wall’s book, The Rise of the Green Left, page 69. #Plutobooks)

(*) no relation to the iEN nor this website, though clearly the thought processes are similar.

You are welcome to join us on Twitter on @iecosocnet

For specific campaigns, we can connect on Telegram.

Thanks for getting this far!