Being excluded from the TV debates has been the best thing that could possibly happen to the Greens, it seems. Already over 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for the party to be included, and their membership in England reached 21,000 this week. Natalie Bennett and Caroline Lucas have enjoyed more media exposure than they have done for a good long while. The idea that the Establishment is trying to silence the Greens is also really helpful for their insurgent party credentials, as nothing enthuses supporters more than the sense that they are pushing against a Westminster conspiracy.
But in spite of having an MP in the House of Commons – while Ukip, which is invited to the TV debates – didn’t until last week, the Greens have long struggled to get the same level of media exposure as Nigel Farage’s party. This is partly because while Natalie Bennett may or may not be very good at enthusing the growing party membership and organising the Greens to campaign, she lacks the enthusiasm and charisma that Nigel Farage and Alex Salmond both possess.
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