Northern Ireland Green Party Leadership Hustings

The Green Party in Northern part of Ireland has a foot in two camps. It's officially part of the Irish Green Party but it also has to deal with the UK government so it has a relationship to the Scottish, English and Welsh Green Parties too. At their recent conference they made a number of decisions, like opposing AV in the coming referendum, and adopting a new leadership structure.

They are currently conducting their first leadership election and the two candidates, Steven Agnew and Cllr Cadogan Enright, have very kindly agreed to take time out of their busy schedules to let me interview them. I've saved one question for a post of its own, look out for that!


Could you tell me something about yourself outside of the Green Party?

Steven Agnew: I have a two year old son and he is my best escape from politics. He’s an absolute dream. He smiles a lot and cries little. If I don’t have another child it will be because I know I can’t get this lucky twice. He has slept through the night since he was four moths old (apart from when he was teething) and he still sleeps from 7pm until 8am. I suspect that every parent reading this now hates me.

Before being a parent and getting into politics full time I went to a lot of gigs. I still do when I can but am now much more choosy about which gigs I go to. I like either heavy, punk influenced guitar music or stripped down singer/songwriters, particularly Elliott Smith and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.

I also starred in an independent film called “I Wanted to Talk to You Last Night” made by my good friend Michael MacBroom. During the summer I played a cameo role in his second film “Endless Life” which will hopefully get some kind of release next year. I have also sang onstage with a few local bands, but I would neither consider myself a singer or an actor.


Cadogan Enright: I am married 30 years and have 5 children between 27 and 4 years of age. My wife Brenda has stood for election for the Green Party in Belfast, as has one of my sons Peter in the Republic. My father had a British Military background, and my mother a Bio-Chemist daughter of an Irish Cabinet Minister of very long standing who had led the war of Independence. After 1 year of primary school in Belfast, I was raised in Africa in the 1960’s by my Irish / British parents and we only returned to NI in 1972 following the Biafran War and a brief sojourn in London.

I left school in 1974 and worked mostly in England until 1977. I got a mature students grant (I totally support the students rebellion - in my day you got a grant that you could live on and your fees were paid) and studied in Derry City and Dublin Computer science and Commerce. Subsequently worked in the Republic, France, NI, Russia (back in the USSR), Britain, USA, Germany, Russia (post coup) mostly developing computer software and re-organising companies to make them more competitive. Qualified as an Accountant along the way.

I spent 10 years reorganising business systems in major multinationals from the mid-90's like Diageo, Cadbury Schweppes, Elan, Aerospace etc and set up my own business in Dublin which was finally killed off by the Irish credit crunch in 2008. We moved home to NI in 2003 and currently run a "Fairtrade and Local Caf矇" in Market Street in Downpatrick where I am a Green Councillor.


Please describe your political experience or history to date.

Steven Agnew: I joined the Green Party in 2003 after meeting then leader John Barry at a protest march against the invasion of Iraq. I would not have considered myself to be interested in the politics of Northern Ireland which was limited to the arena of ‘the trouble’. I was interested in human rights, animal rights and social justice issues such as homelessness. These issues did not seem to fit into the political discourse in Northern Ireland. John seemed to be able to articulate my interests into a coherent political philosophy and soon. I was campaigning for him in North Down where four years later we would get our first seat in the Assembly. I hope to retain that seat next year.

In 2007 I stood as a poster candidate in East Belfast but it was in 2009 when I stood for the Party in the European elections that my political career really took off. A strong media campaign coupled with the message that the Greens were big players in Europe led to the Party getting its biggest vote to date in a Northern Ireland election. Along with the election of Brian Wilson as MLA, this campaign gave the Green Party the credibility that it been previously lacking.

In May of this year I stood in North Down in the general election. It was a tough campaign and I learned the importance of having a good campaign team around you, something I had during the European elections but lacked for this one. I now have a very strong team in place for the Assembly and local government elections next year and am raring to go.


Cadogan Enright: I joined the Greens on the 1990’s in Dublin in Fingal – Trevor Sargent’s constituency – Trevor has a great leadership style of permitting and facilitating people to become involved. I worked on policy documents like energy Download, building control, water (with my wife), economics, Northern Ireland, planning etc etc. I was also involved in Trevor’s election campaigns and helping greens get elected at local Government level. We moved to NI and in 2003/4 I set up the Green Party in South Down (see downgreens.com). I was election agent for our 3 successful council candidates in 2005 and for our successful Regional (MLA) candidate Brian Wilson in 2007.

I have been on the NEC in Ireland for many years, being nominated initially by Fingal and representing NI since the NI party merged with the Irish party in October 2006. I stood in this years Westminster Elections and am standing next May in the Local and MLA elections.

We have copied the Fingal approach to party organisation in my local party, and as Chair I have tried to emulate Trevor Sargent's approach locally. We travel down to Fingal for elections in the Republic, and they travel up for elections here. This connection probably explains why our local party is the only one really thriving to date in NI – but we have promising signs now in Antrim and other areas developing.


What do you think the priorities of the Greens should be in the coming years?

Steven Agnew: In Northern Ireland the first task is to increase our number of councillors, retain our Assembly seat, and hopefully gain one or two more. If we do that we will have cemented our place in Northern Ireland politics but should we lose our Assembly seat and fail to gain any others we will struggle to make any impact for many years to come.

In terms of our message I think it is important that we use this election to put to bed the myth that the Green Party is a single issue party and assert are credentials as a party of the left fighting for social justice.

While it is our responsibility to keep climate change on the agenda now that all other parties have abandoned it in the midst of the economic crisis, we must address the people’s concerns about job insecurity and show how Green Party policies really will help improve their lives.


Cadogan Enright: I had fond hopes during the 1990’s that the need for a Green Party would disappear during my political lifetime and felt fairly sure up until five years ago that our policies would be subsumed by the other parties in countries across Europe and that, in particular, the influence of the EU would steam-roller resistance.

I now feel that the maxim “think global act local” is the way for the long haul, trying to win dozens of small victories locally which others can use as a precedent. E.G. beach by-laws minerstown, Greens announce victory at tyrella beach, Greens welcome news on strangford seals, massive fish kill quoile, Annalong river scandal, Lough

I feel the policy we developed in 2005 in NI of attracting independents, and adding our vote to them to get elected was a waste of time and 20:20 vision. We were never able to integrate the independents and are now paying the price of not developing our own candidates and local parties properly on NI, something I have been trying to ensure we do in my own area where we have a slate of political virgins stepping up to the plate next May who have been campaigning actively for several years as you can see from my website.

Following our election success in 2007, I argued strongly that our priority needed to be the building up of the party around the province. I felt that an over-concentration of our resources in staff at our Stormont-financed offices would mean nothing if we came to the next elections and found ourselves with no organization in the vast majority of constituencies around the province. Sadly, this is the situation where we now find ourselves in today. Employing even a part-time organizer could have transformed the party over these last few years.


Could you outline what lessons Greens should learn internationally from the experience of the Irish Greens in government?

Steven Agnew: I am proud of the achievements of the Irish Greens in government. There is no doubt that the current Irish government is unpopular, but we knew our vote when we went into government with Fianna Fail, a party whose policies we had opposed for many years.

We were a party with six TDs in government with a party with over seventy yet we managed to secure the Civil Partnership Act despite much opposition. We increased investment in renewable energy and electric vehicles, and we extended the broadband network to many rural communities. One of our major achievements was the reform of the planning system which had allowed the building of what are now ghost villages during the housing boom. The Green Party has ensured that the type of irresponsible rezoning that was one of the major causes of Ireland’s economic crash will not happen again. We get very little credit for this as few recognise its importance.

But there are lessons to be learned. In the first year we were seen as too cosy in our relationship with Fianna Fail. I remember when Bertie Ahern announced his resignation; Green Party Leader John Gormley was at his side. This literal closeness suggested that the Greens were all too comfortable in government with Fianna Fail. I think Nick Clegg is making the same mistake, although in his case I believe that his and Cameron’s ideologies are not that dissimilar. We changed tact somewhat after the first year and Dan Boyle, the Party’s Chair, became the voice of protest at the senior Party level.

Any party going into government as a junior partner will find it difficult. The question every member has to ask themselves is “is it more important that the Party stick to its principles or is it worth making compromises if we can make a real difference to people’s lives?”. I believe the compromises were worth it, though no member is happy with the ECB/IMF imposed budget that has just been announced.


Cadogan Enright: On the positive side, making a clear list of the deliverables and making program-managers responsible for their delivery during the course of the government was a good idea.

However it is clear that our Fianna Fail partners managed to long-finger a lot of our important legislation and we should not have let them. EG Incineration Aarhus convention, Party Political Funding Reform. We are still awaiting the publication Climate Change Bill and it will be pretty scandalous if it does not get passed before the Government falls in February or March. FF have allowed us to get issues that they see as “damaging” – only damaging to their supporters though – not to ours! Hunting, animal welfare and Lesbian and Gay Partnerships being legally recognised.

I also feel that there was a long list of “no-cost” items in our programme for Government that could have been delivered given the lack of interest in FF is such items – competition between Mobile Phone companies North and South – feasibility studies for reactivating railways severed by the partition of Ireland, failure of the banks in the RoI and NI to compete effectively driving up costs and other regulatory style issues. Even simple issues like making Irish Language TV available in NI as per the peace agreement took way too long – and even now is only promised when digital takes over from Terrestrial TV.

The purchase of the NI Grid by the RoI was a big gain, enabling the Grid to be re-engineered to accommodate much higher levels of renewables and greater links to Britain and the rest of Europe.

Clearly as a member of the NEC during I carry collective responsibility here, and I particularly regret the vote to support the rescue of the Irish Banks. Even if we had left Anglo Irish bank out on the basis that it borrowed abroad, lent abroad and had no infrastructural benefit to the Irish Economy the IMF rescue and the damage to the economy in the Republic would have occurred.

The terms agreed with the EU central bank clearly favour big German bond-holders who lent to Anglo. An average borrowing rate of 5.8 to 6% was an insult given that Ireland is paying it to the very German banks that lent to Anglo. Clearly with the EU central bank rate at 1% Ireland's borrowing rate should have been no more that 3%. That being said the manufacturing and exporting base of the Irish Economy is hale and hearty so all is not lost.

I also regret our inability in Government to throw our weight about on issues that cropped up after we went into Government. For instance the Irish Government is clearly either breaking or about to break the Bern Convention on the Badger Cull issue. Our Minister could quite simply rule the application for a new cull licence out or order based on International Law – there are some things you don’t need to tip-toe around the civil service on. See here.

stay tuned for part two...

Camden Labour Leadership Hustings

There was a very strong turnout in Camden Town Hall tonight to hear a joint Labour Leadership and London Mayoral hustings. I was only able to stay for the leadership bit but thought it was rather interesting.

Almost the first thing that happened was the mere mention of Oona King provoked a stirring boo from the crowd as she'd pulled out at the last minute, something that a fellow attendee told me "She'd been making a habit of round London."

That doesn't seem very wise as, with a room full of Labour members, losing a dozen votes at a stroke (if you discount all the Ken supporters) is just a bit silly and arrogant.

We then heard that Andy Burnham had pulled out at last minute too which left just Diane Abbott as the only candidate present. The other pretenders to the throne were represented by substitutes of varying quality. David Miliband pulled in Charlie Faulkner, which I think counts as a big hitter and taking the hustings seriously, but the other candidates had more modest substitutes.

Ed Miliband even had a spokesperson who said *three times* that he'd already voted Diane 1 Ed 2. My partner thought this was a tactic and about winning second preferences, personally I thought it was just a poor, poor choice of advocate.

Anyway, as to content it was all a bit of a disappointment. Abbott was strong on name checking all the bugbears of the left: ID cards, the war, ten pence tax, detention of children, bankers are evil, housing et al. As she said in her closing statement "On all those big issues I called them right and every other candidate got them wrong."

Faulkner/David Miliband essentially put up a defence of the Labour government's record and made a clear pitch as the continuity candidate. Balls' speaker was very strong on the economy and robust in her advocacy of more investment, not less, as well as surprisingly supporting the Robin Hood Tax.

It was left to Diane though to say that Labour "should not roll over and die in the face of Tory assaults" and accept the idea that cuts are inevitable, nor that *these* cuts are inevitable. She said "we will not cut our way out of the recession, we have to grow our way out of it." I agree.

Compare that to Faulkner who said a) he opposed all the Tory cuts he'd heard about b) cuts were inevitable and c) if only it was Labour doing the cutting! Both morally reprehensible *and* logically inconsistent, good work Charlie.

The excitement of the evening came with a sharp question on youth justice and the failure of the criminal justice system when it came to young people. "Andy" and Diane made good cases for economic and social justice reducing crime although it was only Diane who got a round of applause for her very clear "Prison - does - not - work".

Again Faulkner defended the record of the government and was duly rewarded by a slanging match from the floor. Frankly it was good to see some passion and good to see a room full of Labour members uncomfortable with Labour's record.

All in all it was clearly Diane's (and Ken's) audience, and not just because she was the only candidate present, but because the audience liked what she had to say. When she finished with a rousing speech about whether she "looked like a Labour leader" I can't have been the only person to have been surprised at the vociferous applause she received.

Sadly she's hardly got any MPs backing her so she can't win, after all what would a leadership contest be if it wasn't stacked massively against individual members having a proper say? I'll give her this though - she was much stronger than I'd expected and I would not be surprised if she did well in the membership part of the ballot.

If you want to know what happened in the Mayoral half check out Richard Osley's tweeting.

Diane's alright, but...

So today they've sent out the ballot papers for the Labour Party leadership fight. It looks like Vote Match is telling me I'm a strong Abbott supporter, but truth be told none of them get me very excited.

It's absolutely true that I share a number of political positions with Abbott, and she's likable enough, but I just don't think she'd be a very good leader.

When it comes to war, privatisation, racist immigration policy or a refusal to take the environment seriously the Labour Party is in the grip of the right, and there's no immediate prospect of that changing any time soon.

Of course there are some Labour politicians I respect a great deal, admire even, but right now all the leadership contest has drawn out is how far Labour has to go before it seriously reassesses where it's going. Nor does there seem to be any significant grassroots revival taking place.

Even moderate figures like Harriet Harman or Jon Crudas could have substantially improved this contest and given members an opportunity to vote for someone who can articulate left of centre politics. That said they'd have been pretty thin gruel for those with firmer politics or more principled ways of doing things.

It's going to be a long road back to power for Labour I think, and I have my doubts that they'll be a meaningful break with neo-liberalism in the meantime. If it's worth anything if I had a vote it would be Diane Abbott 1 and Ed Miliband 2 but I'd cast that vote with a weary sigh. (h/t Iain Dale for Vote Match)

A look at the online Deputy Leadership election

Let's take a closer look at the two campaigns for Green Party Deputy Leader. Specifically I thought I'd take a peek at the on-line campaigns. The obvious place to start are the websites for Adrian (who is running on a joint ticket with Caroline Lucas) and Derek.

Adrian and Caroline's site is comprehensive to say the least with candidate statements and biographies including their extensive electoral experience, recent videos, an explanation of how the election works for new members, Caroline's work and Adrian's campaigning as well as an FAQ.

The site is clean and well laid out and, apart from the landing page, is very similar in design to the Green Party national site.

Adrian outlines his political priorities as public services, green economy, reforming politics, and protecting animals. There's a particularly strong element on his site called supporting local parties which outlines concrete party organising and building local campaigns. For me these kinds of specifics will decide my vote.

When it comes to Adrian's endorsements we have respected party members Peter Cranie, Jean Lambert, Peter Tatchell, Patrick Harvie, Darren Johnson, as well as a host of cllrs and moderately well known party activists. The 32 endorsements don't include every senior elected Party member, but it's pretty close.

Derek has less on his site, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and his opening statement is succinct and clear. However the formatting is all over the place and the design far more clunky with misaligned photos, a grey colour scheme and sloppy use of paragraphing which could be sorted out in literally two minutes rendering the endorsements in particular far more accessible.

The site includes videos from his time as principal speaker and an old video with Frost debating a climate denier which are interesting but do feel quite dated. He also includes links to his writings in the Morning Star, the Australian Green Left Weekly and his academic work.

Derek lays out the themes of his campaign by talking about going 'beyond the crisis', that he's a natural communicator, a global green and has thirty years of experience. There is no specific section on what Derek would actually do as Deputy Leader, although having said that some of the endorsement texts are very interesting and well worth a read.

Derek has 21 endorsements most significantly from Comedian Mark Steel and union activist Jerry Hicks. The rest of nominations are all, I think, from Green Left members like the stupendous Jonathan Buckner and serious party stalwarts such as Joseph Healey. Derek only has two elected Greens in his endorsements (two councillors) which, combined with the politically narrow support, does look like a weakness to be honest.

Moving on to the Facebook fan pages we see that Adrian currently has 139 fans for the election and Derek just pips him at the post with 143.

The first thing that grabbed me was that Derek's photo has him relaxed in an informal pose with open shirt and the info page focuses on policy. Adrian's page has him in a far more formal pose complete with tie, and photoshopped in with Caroline, which seems a little unnecessary as there are plenty of pictures of the two of them together.

Adrian has pledges on what he'd do as deputy, and casting an unscientific eye over the members of the group it looks like Adrian has broader support in the party and Derek a clearer left constituency with more non-party members as fans. However, Adrian's wall is more interactive with lots of messages of support while Derek's is mainly messages from the campaign to supporters.

Checking out their non-campaign feeds I notice Adrian has basically a press release style page with a slower cycle of pieces than Derek's blog which has quite a frenetic rate of posting. Looking at the last ten things the candidates have posted on (at the time of writing) I see that Derek has four pieces on Latin America, two pieces from the Morning Star, two pieces on the Australian election and two on the cuts/campaigning for Caroline Lucas. Certainly very internationalist!

Adrian on the other hand has articles on factory farming, VAT, schools, Tesco, open democracy, the first Green Lord Mayor (in Norwich), the ConDem coalition, the Lib Dems and where we stand after the election. As I say this is two months worth of content compared to Derek's week's worth due to the rate of posting but I think the different focus is still instructive with Adrian taking up far more mainstream issues that are closer to home and Derek focusing on more international or ideological subjects.

On twitter both Adrian and Derek are having conversations with supporters, although it doesn't look to me that the candidates are prioritising this part of their online campaigns.

Green bloggers seem to be split roughly fifty fifty each way. The articles I've seen supporting either candidate come out at four a piece, although I may well have missed some (feel free to forward any I've not seen). I think both sides have articulated their positions very well on the blogs and, if you've not yet made up your mind, these posts are a good place to go to to draw out the differences between the candidates.

Adrian: Nishma Doshi, Jason Kitkat, Adam Ramsay (no relation), Peter Cranie
Derek: Joseph Healey, Jane Watkinson, Adam Pogonowski, Red Green Nick

For me both Adrian and Derek are left candidates, but they have very different approaches to politics. Derek often highlights the fact that he is a self-defined 'eco-socialist' and name drops the thinkers he approves of while Adrian almost always focuses on content and has a more task orientated approach to politics.

When I eventually decide how to vote I'll be looking at their politics, their personal capabilities and focus as well as their ability to put out a decent campaign - which has quite a lot of bearing on how effective they will be if elected to the role.

If Green Party members want to submit a question to the online leadership hustings send an email to ero@greenparty.org.uk with the subject header 'hustings question'. Put your name and local party in the email and if your question is for a specific position (either leader or deputy) remember to specify that. You need to do this today to meet the deadline!

Official recommendations in internal elections

There's been an interesting debate developing around whether or not it's anti-democratic for the official top brass to endorse candidates running in a contested election. For those who are opposed it seems to say 'Sure, you *can* vote for the other candidate, but really, it's against policy'.

Let's look at the current Green Party deputy leadership election. Here we have Derek Wall running against Adrian Ramsay, both known and respected figures in the party, but of course Adrian is not just the incumbent he is also running as a joint ticket with the uncontested (and currently unbeatable) Caroline Lucas. Some people clearly think this is a problem.

Personally I'm OK with this because, to me, it seems like useful information to know who Caroline's preferred deputy is. Also the fact that they are running as a team implies a shared political vision or approach, which again is useful information to those deciding where to place their support. The fact that it is overwhelmingly seen as an (undue?) advantage to Adrian is simply because Lucas is well respected in the party - but doesn't this mean her opinion counts and should be heard? Members should have received their ballot papers this week and will still have the option of voting for Derek as deputy, no matter how official Caroline's endorsement may feel to some.

The hard-left example

This is a far cry from the way far-left groupings organise their internal leadership elections. These are decided by the hardcore activists (usually by show of hands) at conferences under the watchful eye of organisers, rather than by post to all members in a secret ballot. They also always use slate systems which suffocate debate, reducing members' options to being in favour or opposed to the official party selection. This gives tremendous weight to a self-perpetuating leadership and all but declares even nuanced disagreement on (or among) candidates as an automatic ticket to political Coventry, which is even worse than the actual Coventry - if you can imagine such a thing.

That's better than CAAT though. I was horrified when I discovered that the Campaign Against Arms Trade has no elections at all but some sort of nebulous self-selected body of elders. It ticks along pretty nicely without all that fuss of members deciding how their money is spent or anything. They still manage to make a worthwhile contribution to the movement, but I think that's inadequate for any organisation that does not want to get mired in conservatism or risk becoming a self-sustaining clique.

For me tickets, like the Lucas/Ramsay combined candidacy provide a useful function as long as members have the power to buck the recommendations if they so choose, which in the Greens they do because they still vote for individuals, not lists. However, I would draw the line at 'official' tickets, which seem inappropriate, painting those unlucky enough not to be on that list as unrepresentative of the organisation, when surely that's what the election is there to decide.

Official recommendations

An interesting variation on this is the Fawcett Society's internal trustee elections, which are taking place at the moment. Here members are being asked to elect six of nine candidates (using the completely inappropriate STV system). The existing Fawcett board provide their recommendations of which six they want members to elect to help to run it which goes out with the candidate statements.

While I'm not informed enough to quibble with the out-going board's recommendation which is probably sound (and the London Library use the same system) this process does seem to have a few ethical issues when it comes to accountability and openness.

Caroline Lucas endorsing Adrian may *feel* like the official endorsement of the Green Party to some members but it falls far short of the Fawcett option of the organisation actually telling members who it wants them to elect to hold it to account.

Note: If Green Party members want to submit a question to the online leadership hustings send an email to ero@greenparty.org.uk with the subject header 'hustings question'. Put your name and local party in the email and if your question is for a specific position (either leader or deputy) remember to specify that.

Green Party: What leadership model?

It's been a few years now since the Green Party made its decision to adopt a leadership model. At the time it was a hotly contested issue and, in a high turnout, the referendum resulted in more than 70% voting to reform the old system.

However, since then there has been little discussion of how to implement the new system, I believe in order to help heal some of the wounds and concentrate on politics, funnily enough. That's all very sensible but the fact is with poorly contested elections the party has essentially allowed inertia decide for it what we want from our leader.

I'll get out of the way right now that Caroline Lucas is a superb politician and that I've taken a decision not to publicly back either deputy candidate (Adrian or Derek) and I shall be voting after the conference hustings in order to mull my decision over in the most fulsome manner possible, although I'm happy to hear your opinions on the election. So this post is not about them but about the roles they seek to fill.

What this post *is* about is whether our reluctance to talk about what we want from our leadership team has left us in a situation where we use the posts simply to raise the profile of our two candidates best placed to win a Parliamentary seat. I'm not sure that's what they should be for.

Two years ago we elected Caroline and Adrian not just on the basis of their excellent personal qualities but also on the basis that we wanted them to become MPs and the added national media profile of these positions undoubtedly helped. We were right at the time, I think, but this shouldn't be the ongoing model which would end up prioritising two Parliamentary seats above the rest of our work.

Now Caroline is elected, for example, there is a good case that she definitely should not be the leader so that we do not become a one person party. Caroline's role as MP gives her the highest profile in the Greens regardless of internal position and if Adrian had run for leader with a new running mate, for example, we'd have upped his media profile and given the job to someone with time to do it. Heresy you say!

I'm not just saying this because our one woman/one man rule means that the only way any woman in the entire party could become part of the leadership team is to beat Caroline - although I do think we need to change the rule to 'at least one woman' so that half the party that is currently denied a realistic shot at a leadership role can be admitted to the club.

The facts are that Caroline is a very busy person. She’s being excellent in her constituency, in the House, in the press, radio and on TV. As someone who provides inspiration to party members she is absolutely second to none. However, in terms of day to day party leadership we’re far less well served. Politically, organisationally and in simple terms of having time to just listen to party members across the country she just does not have the time.

I probably don't need to point out that this is not a criticism of Caroline but a statement of what it means to have our one MP attempt to take on the job of party leader too. Inevitably it means we don't think our leader needs to devote any time to the role, but if it's important then they clearly do.

We need to seriously address what the consequences are of having a leader who has no time to listen to the party she leads or devote serious time to members. We need to flesh out the responsibilities of leader and deputy so our structures are more meaningful than simply ways of getting press attention while the party drifts politically.

The thing is if we were consciously saying that the leader faces outward, providing a shining light to the public, while the deputy takes an organisational role, providing more internal leadership this would be fine. We need someone who provides traction between the disparate and decentralised local parties and the party centre - but we don't say this.

The deputy role is used as a lesser version of leader. That's fine for Norwich South but not so great for the national party who are essentially left to their own devices. I think we can do better than that and right now a lot of people in the party feel that they, their local party and even their region doesn't matter to the party.

I have to say that I think it's strange that we took such a radical shift in our structures and then devoted no time afterwards to making sure they actually worked for the party in practice. Perhaps the bigwigs have discussed it, but not with us if they have. I think we need to start exploring some of these questions, although I certainly don't claim to have all the answers.

Do we have a leadership model where local parties and activists think they are taken seriously? Has the role of leader and deputy changed in wake of the election? How do we support Caroline in her phenomenally difficult task? And of course how can she ensure that what she's doing is what the party wants of her?

Who is running for the Green Party executive?

I've just finished putting together the hub page for the Green Party national executive (GPEx) elections where you can read the candidate statements from the small, select band of hopefuls. You can see it in its full glory here and you never know, it might tempt you to stand.

My comparison chart of the deputy leader candidates here. Derek Wall now has a site for his deputy leadership campaign here and Adrian and Caroline have their's here.

You might also like to know that the party will be conducting an online hustings for the leadership candidates. Submit your (single) question to ero@greenparty.org.uk clearly marked 'Hustings question' in the subject header.

In the run up to September's conference a bit of a pre-conference discussion has started up and I thought I'd highlight a few of the posts I've spotted before finding time to contribute myself. Do let me know if I've missed any out.

• Earlier tonight Peter Cranie posted on the leadership election.
• Rupert Reed has two pieces on Bright Green Scotland one on where we go from here the other on building the membership.
  
• Tom Chance writes on turning green shoots into roots.
• Doc Richard talks about restating the political roots of the Green Party.
• Jane Watkinson writes on how the Greens must resist mainstream pressures.
  
• On a related note Peter McColl of the Scottish Greens has a piece on campaigning out of our comfort zone.
  

Deputy Leader Contenders Announced

The contenders for the post of Deputy Leader of the Green Party have been announced and it's going to be a run off between Adrian Ramsay, the incumbent, and Derek Wall, the ex-male Principle Speaker and doyen of the Green Left.

For your reading pleasure I have put together some information on each of the candidates to help you decide. I won't be plumping for either candidate until nearer the time. There will be hustings and candidate statements to follow;

Candidate:	Adrian Ramsay	Derek Wall
Employment:	Politician	Teacher in economics
Age:	28	45
Length of Party membership	12 years	3o years
Internal roles	Deputy leader from 2008, leading roles in Green Group on Norwich council	Male principle speaker 2006-08 A number of leading positions in party from 1989 through 90's.
Electoral highs:	Local councillor in Norwich's Nelson ward since 2003, 14.9% in Norwich South in 2010	2.46% in Windsor at the 2005 General Election.
Support base:	The Norwich machine, "respectable" Greens	Green Left and the indigenous peoples of Latin America.
Personal factlets:	Adrian is a vegan who likes to go walking on the Scottish islands	Derek is a Zen-Buddhist, non-driver with three children
Last two statements on current issues	Party funding reform	Proportional representation
.	The coalition government	Polish elections

Prisons round up

• Norway's liberal jails. Time.
  
  
• What have prisons got to do with justice? Jock Coats.
  
  
• Do prisons need religion? Guardian.
  
  
• Police pay out to protesters they illegally detained. Guardian.
  
  
• What do the Tories plan for prison places? Left Foot Forward.
  
  
• Lastly, a quick reminder of the excellent Ben's blog, Britain's only blogging prisoner.
  

Leadership election results!

The results are in and the Green Party of England and Wales has it's first ever leader and deputy leader.

On a turnout of 37.9% (up from 20% for the principal speaker posts last year) of the 7,565 members I can announced that the results are as follows;

For leader;

Caroline Lucas 2,559
Ashley Gunstock 210

And for deputy;

Adrian Ramsay 2,785

Congratulations to the candidates. In her acceptance speech Caroline spoke of the "honour and responsibility" leading the party in a period when there is "such a vacuum in the mainstream parties" who have no answers for the extra-ordinary problems facing the world today.
Green politics she said was essential to counter "the politics of paralysis".

Ashley, conceding defeat gave warm praise to his opponent. He also described himself as a "Green Party member and will do my best to make the leadership work - but you never know I might be back."

Adrian Ramsay, accepting the post of deputy leader said that up until this point he had been concentrating on building the party in Norwich but we were gaining ground all over the country. Adrian left us with the thought that son we'd have seats in Parliament and the opportunity to put policies into practice.

I can also reveal, in confidence, that there were barely any re-open nominations - which I was really surprised about. Just 79 RONs for Caroline/Ashley - fantastic! (edit: there seems to be some confusion over the RON figures for Adrian although all the numbers I've heard have been very low, but I thought in light of the difference of opinion I'd remove my possibly inaccurate version)

You ask the questions: Adrian Ramsay

The last in my little series on the candidates for the Green Party executive elections. Adrian Ramsay - who's running for deputy leader of the party and is likely to be one of a select band of Green MPs after the next election answers the questions that you put (via me).


What are the candidates' own personal experiences of leadership in the Party, both in themselves and of others in the Party. - Gordon Hodgson

Over the last ten years I have played a leading role in building Norwich Green Party from a dormant local party when I joined to being the first local party to become the second largest party on a principal authority council this year. I am now Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the 13-strong Green Party Group on Norwich City Council. A wide range of leadership skills have been necessary to achieve this, especially team building, enthusing current and new members and helpers and strong organisation.

In all areas of the country where we have elected councillors there are individuals who have played a leadership role on the ground in securing the election of Greens and in working to get Green policies implemented. Seeing people like Elise Benjamin, Andy Cooper and Jon Barry making a real difference in their areas was part of what inspired me to stand for election as a councillor and build up a strong local party in Norwich. Our MEPs and London Assembly members also play leading roles in the party and are inspiring champions of Green policies. The work done by all these individuals shows that green leadership can and must be about inspiration and working effectively with others.


If you had to choose between spending £500 on placards for a big national demo (which may get TV coverage and we wouldn’t want to be outplacarded by the SWP) or £500 on a newsletter for a winnable target ward, which would it be and why? - Sue Luxton

I would go for the newsletter in a winnable ward because it would have the biggest impact on securing the election of more Greens and putting us in a position to implement more Green policies, as well as increasing our credibility as a party. That said, it is important for the Green Party to be well-represented at national demonstrations on key issues and I am pleased that Caroline Lucas is often asked to speak at such demonstrations. I believe that we have a supply of placards with the Green Party logo at the top and bottom but where the main message in the middle can be adapted at little cost from demonstration to demonstration according to the issue of the day!


Did you support our candidacy in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election? Please explain why you held your position. In what circumstances do you believe that the national party should have the right to prevent a local party from standing in elections? - Matt Hodgkinson

I was against us standing in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election. I felt that, in the absence of Labour and LibDem candidates, there would be a strong expectation from the media that we would take many of these votes and I knew it would be difficult for us to deliver this in a constituency where we do not have a history of campaign on the ground. I also felt that it was best to group ourselves with the serious political parties that did not want to play David Davis’s game than with the also-rans that did stand.

Because of the national attention on this by-election and the way in which some other parties and the media would inevitably use the results to draw conclusions about the political mood of the country as a whole, clearly the Green Party as a whole had a big interest in whether or not we stood in this seat (far more so than for this seat in a General Election). I have heard different interpretations of the current rules about when GPRC can prevent a local party standing in a by-election, suggesting that clarification is needed. I would like to see a situation where decisions on elections such as this, where the national party has a major interest, are made jointly between relevant individuals and bodies in the national party and the local party. I appreciate that the details of such a system would be crucial. I know that Elections Committee will soon be considering a draft new strategy on Parliamentary by-elections and it could perhaps consider at the same time and alongside GPRC how the decisions over particular by-elections should be made.


What policies would you support to address issues of domestic violence? - Natalie Bennett

I was disappointed to see that our existing policies say very little about this important issue. Having researched the issue, and from my limited experience in the field as a councillor, I would recommend the following:

More support services: far more Government funding to provide a comprehensive network of refuges and services for victims of domestic violence. At the moment, around one third of local authorities have no domestic violence services. This lack of services and refuge is one of the greatest obstacles to women finding the support they need. Measures are also need to provide better support and services for children staying in refuges with their mothers.

Preventative measures: prevention of domestic violence needs to start early with education in schools about the issues, the early warning signs and how to deal with domestic violence.
Successful prosecutions: only a small percentage of domestic violence arrests reach the prosecution stage. Policies are needed to ensure that domestic violence is addressed seriously and sensitively by both the police and the criminal prosecution system, and that victims feel safe and confident enough to proceed with prosecution.

Joined-up approach: domestic violence is a serious issue that can only be tackled through a joined-up approach, with Government departments working jointly with the police, the criminal justice system, and the education system to ensure it is addressed seriously and effectively at all levels.


Will an academic and cultural boycott of Israel speed up or delay a settlement? - Alan Howe

That sounds like an essay question for a Masters’ degree course in International Relations! There are obviously strong views on each side and it would be very difficult to come to a firm conclusion without a great deal of research and analysis. All I can say is that I don’t have strong views on this complex and sensitive issue and would not have an axe to grind in either direction if elected as Deputy Leader.


For a number of years, the Green Party's membership was growing, albeit from a low base. Over the last year or two, this trend appears to have reversed. What, as part of the leadership team, would you do to address this extremely serious issue? - Matt Selwood

Peter Cranie informs me that (according to the Electoral Commission website) our membership went up by 400 between 2006 and 2007, although I appreciate that this is still nothing to be complacent about. The Executive has already done some good work on this by, for example, encouraging members to join and renew by Direct Debit. This will see a significant increase in the membership renewal rate in the future.

In terms of encouraging new members, I don’t think there’s an easy answer about what can be done at a national level to significantly increase our membership. Good media interviews by our leadership team and other speakers plus strong attendance and stalls at demonstrations, festivals and other events that likely new members will be at will certainly help. The only proven way to secure significant increases in membership is where local parties are very active on the ground in campaigns and target ward work. In Norwich, for example, our membership has quadrupled in the six years since we gained our first council seats – because potential members want to know that they will be part of a serious, successful and well-organised political party. At a national level we need to project the same image.

If elected as Deputy Leader I would work with the Local Party Support Co-ordinator to spread best practice on recruiting new members and active helpers in local parties.


I voted for a leader and I meant a green, enabling leader. How would you ensure you were an enabling leader? - Shan Oakes

I would make a concerted effort to have a good working relationship with all members of the Green Party Executive to try to ensure we work well as a team. I would play a role in our efforts to communicate how elected Greens are making a difference on the ground. This is an important message for the public but it is also one of the best ways of inspiring members (including councillors and potential councillors) to make a difference in their area.

We also need to do more to spread best practice as far as winning elections is concerned. The relevant Executive members have started work on this but we need to do more to communicate how our current success stories have come about. With my experience in Norwich I am well placed to help with this.


Everyone has a sense of humour - how would you describe yours? - Douglas Coker

This is probably best answered by saying what makes me laugh: satire (especially Bremner, Bird and Fortune), various sitcoms (especially Only Fools and Horses) and the antics of my nieces and nephew.


You might also like to check out the online hustings for the leadership candidates and this post on the positions of equality and diversity and chair. You might also like to know there is an "official" online hustings now available here.

Who'll be the next Green Party Chair

Following on from the online hustings for the leader post and equality and diversity here the candidates for Green Party Chair, a key position on GPEx in my view, on how they see the role;


Question 1: What do you feel the main priority of the Chair of GPEx should be?

Jim Killock: The main priority has to be to get the party working together and focused on the elections.

We have our biggest elections coming up, and our biggest opportunities politically. Breaking through at Westminster will change the party’s future prospects dramatically, so we have to do all we can to make sure that happens.

The big challenge to making all this happens is always finance, and membership. However, I feel the main task is to take advantage of our rising support, and the enthusiasm out there for green politics, and harness this support in terms of new members and new funds. The party will grow now we have Direct Debit, the question is how fast and how well we involve and empower our new members with tools and projects.

James Humphreys: The Chair has a practical role in making sure that GPEx works effectively – preparing for meetings, chairing them properly, following up on action points and making sure that decision-making is transparent and open to everyone in the Party.

There is also a representation role – in the media, but also behind the scenes with organisations such as the Electoral Commission and the BBC, so that the Green Party gets a fairer deal. And the Chair also needs to be able to resolve tensions or disagreements within the Party, so that we can concentrate on increasing our impact.


Question 2: The Green Party has many different strands within it. Sometimes there can be a tension between a chair's role in officiating impartially over, in this case, GPEx and the fact that they will naturally be likely to personally favour one position more than another. How do you propose to square this circle between having your own strong opinions and arbitrating over the formal running of GPEx?

Jim Killock: I believe I am fair to people, and always look at what the underlying issues are when people take differing positions. It is usually clear where the balance of opinion lies in GPEx, so the important job for the chair tends to be making sure that everyone’s concerns are dealt with, rather than simply overriding any minority views.

In general, GPEx has had a very difficult job, as it has lacked good information on finance, membership and local activity. This is inevitable when party management is entirely voluntary, as only the most pressing tasks are completed.

I sincerely believe that with our increased number of professional staff, decent information can reach those with responsibility on GPEx and GPRC and better, more effective decisions will be made.

James Humphreys: The Chair cannot be partisan: they have to work for the Party as a whole, not taking sides but seeking ways in which differences can be minimised or resolved.

As a civil servant, I had plenty of experience under both Conservative and Labour of setting aside my personal views to serve the government that had been democratically elected, and would have no difficulty in doing the same as Chair of GPEx. For example, I was not part of the “Yes” campaign for the creation of a single leader but now that the Party has decided on this course, I would be whole-hearted in working to make this a success.


Question 3: The Party has a number of democratically elected bodies which all have their own particular role within the organisation. The relationship between the roles of GPEx, SOC and GPRC specifically has not always been clear, even to members of those bodies. What can we do as a party to help smooth the relationship between these bodies and what role do you see yourself playing in that?

Jim Killock: Conference plays the vital role here. SOC should only be implementing Conference made rules, but up to now Conference has, for instance, never set GPEx election rules. This needs to change.

With GPRC, I believe each Executive member should attend at least one GPRC meeting a year, to explain what they are doing, and GPRC should receive much more and better information about how the party is getting along. Much like GPEx, GPRC has not been given the information it needs in order to do its job properly, because it hasn’t existed.

I would be very keen to attend GPRC meeting as Richard has, which I believe has been of great help.

James Humphreys: It’s inevitable in a Party dependent on volunteers and spread right across England and Wales that communications will be a problem. It’s so easy – particularly with email – for misunderstandings or for genuine disagreements over policy to develop a bitter or personal edge.

As Chair, I would seek to build the kind of relations between GPEx and the rest of the Party – not only GPRC and SOC, but the local parties too – that would reduce these tensions. There may also be scope for the three central bodies to work together to bring more clarity to their respective roles. As someone who has not been active at national level before, I would be well-placed to act as an honest broker, if that was needed.


If you've not already seen them you might like to read what the candidates for leader and equality and diversity have to say too.

You ask the questions: Green Party Leadership

Thanks to everyone who contributed questions to this online hustings. I've put your questions to the contenders for the Green Party leadership post (and also deputy leadership, although those responses are to follow), Ashley Gunstock and Caroline Lucas.

Readers should note that the candidates will not be monitoring the comments box for additional questions that you might wish to put.


Q1. What are the candidates' own personal experiences of leadership in the Party, both in themselves and of others in the Party. - Gordon Hodgson

Ashley Gunstock: In my experience being the Leading Spokesperson for my local party carries a great deal of responsibility. Therefore I have found that the best form of leadership is conducted by adopting a ‘hands on approach’ which encourages those better equipped, in certain situations, to take the lead. Sadly some of the ‘leading lights’ of our Party consider their positions as those for the use of control.


Caroline Lucas: We’ve all been inspired by others in our time in the Green Party. Jean Lambert’s record on fighting for human rights for the Kurds, for instance, is exemplary, while Jenny Jones’ work in London on promoting healthy local food is remarkable. Then there is leadership by example, with Darren Johnson in his role with the AGC supporting efforts to get Green councillors elected not just in Lewisham, but across London and beyond.

We are at the forefront of a battle of ideas between the reality of Climate Change and the huge and devastating impact it will have on poor communities around the globe, and a political and economic system that - through inertia and a lack of leadership - has missed opportunity after opportunity to address this crucial issue. We need Green leaders in every local council area in Britain, and I hope to help support that effort by providing a national profile that will promote the excellent work being done by our local councillors and local election candidates. In my role as MEP, and Principal Speaker, I've tried my best to give leadership, for example by showing that I will participate in peaceful direct action events, and by forcefully arguing for opportunities to put forward Green ideas wherever possible.

Some of my best experiences of leadership in the Party have been at local level, where local parties and their officers have been very clear about their roles and objectives. The people in question generally know each other well, meet one another often, and have time to agree the best way forward. Leadership at national level is often hampered by the fact that different roles aren’t always clear, we have little time to make good decisions, and people are often less familiar with one another.


Q2: If you had to choose between spending £500 on placards for a big national demo (which may get TV coverage and we wouldn’t want to be outplacarded by the SWP) or £500 on a newsletter for a winnable target ward, which would it be and why? - Sue Luxton

Ashley Gunstock: A newsletter for a winnable ward, in keeping with my belief that longer lasting change is better achieved by a bottom up, rather than a top down, approach.

Caroline Lucas: A big national demo is a great arena to show that Greens are involved in important campaigning. Visibility helps raise the profile of the Party, associates us with key ideas, but it doesn’t always mean change.

However, a good Green councillor, particularly one that gets elected as the first Green councillor in a Local Authority, can have a huge impact in terms of policy and public perception.

So, while I’d like to do both, if forced to choose, I’d definitely go for the newsletter for a winnable target ward. I believe our priority absolutely must be to increase our number of elected representatives – that way we build credibility, authority, and influence – all things that would set us apart from the SWP even more effectively than our respective number of placards!


Q3. Did you support our candidacy in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election? Please explain why you held your position. In what circumstances do you believe that the national party should have the right to prevent a local party from standing in elections? - Matt Hodgkinson

Ashley Gunstock: I believe in the autonomous right of all Local Parties to conduct their own affairs, to best serve the constituents of their area, as they see fit. The national Green Party should only intervene in such actions that would, in any way, bring it into disrepute.

Caroline Lucas: As I understand it, the national party doesn't currently have the right to prevent a local party from standing in an election. But that doesn't mean that the nationally elected committees should simply abdicate from making recommendations when there is a political judgement call to be made. In future, I think we need to agree a clear process whereby both the national and the local party are involved in the decision-making, which should be guided by our overall democratically-agreed election strategy.

I didn't think standing in Haltemprice and Holden was the right decision from a national perspective, since it was clearly outside our election strategy. We have had no candidacies at General or Local Election level there for at least 20 years, and no local government target ward, existing or imminent. As I expected, the media treated the campaign as little more than a media circus and our hard working candidate was excluded from the chance to engage in real debate with David Davis. We were in fact lucky that neither the BNP nor UKIP contested the seat and, as it was, we were very nearly beaten into an embarrassing 3rd place by the English Democrats.

An important contrast can still be drawn between our democratic decision making, and those of the other parties. Nick Clegg, for example, simply announced the Lib Dems wouldn't stand on the basis of a few phone calls and his own decision. That is the difference between us as Greens and the other parties.


Q4. What policies would you support to address issues of domestic violence? - Natalie Bennett

Ashley Gunstock: Policies which would, in the short-term provide more state funded refuges for victims of domestic violence and, in the long-term, an holistic education for would-be and existing partners to learn how to make the correct choices of and with each other and respect each others differences.

Caroline Lucas: Domestic Violence continues to be one of the most insidious and overlooked forms of violence. Two women are killed in domestic violence incidents every week in the UK. Research has shown that the criminal and justice systems consistently fail to recognise the complexities of domestic violence, and do not address the safety of the victim or hold offenders properly accountable.

Essentially, we need better protection, provision, and prevention. Stronger measures under the Domestic Violence Bill will ensure fewer perpetrators go unpunished. Abused women need a range of services, and we need to ensure additional funds are channeled into more services which recognize women’s varied needs. And we need to raise awareness among all ages that violence is unacceptable. We also need to make sure that existing legislation is properly implemented. For example, the government still hasn’t implemented the domestic violence restraining orders that were promised four years ago. I think it would be helpful if Greens supported groups like Refuge, which is launching a poster campaign this month to highlight the early-warning signs of abuse. Research shows a worrying lack of awareness among women of the techniques used by violent men to control women - eighty-seven per cent of women said they received no information about domestic abuse when they were in school, and yet nearly all the women questioned say they would have liked to have.

As an MEP I have been pushing the EU to take action to eliminate violence against women by making sure the issue is on the agenda for bilateral meetings with other nations, drawing up an action plan for tackling the problem, and pushing member states to make good their commitments under international agreements to eradicate domestic violence in all its forms. Greens in the European Parliament have worked tirelessly with the police, home office officials and other EU governments to stamp out 'silent slavery' by arguing trafficking victims should be treated as victims rather than punished as illegal immigrants.


Q5. Will an academic and cultural boycott of Israel speed up or delay a settlement? - Alan Howe

Ashley Gunstock: An academic and cultural boycott of Israel would delay a settlement as there would be no dialogue between (and with) groups, existing on both sides of the divide, who wish to broker for peace. More is to be gained from speaking with your enemies than just simply talking to your friends.

Caroline Lucas: Israel/Palestine is one of the most complex foreign policy issues which the international community faces. The ongoing Israeli siege of Gaza, and the continuing house-building programme by the Israeli government on West Bank territory, makes an academic and cultural boycott a legitimate proposal – my position has always been that it should be debated. But clearly it must also be weighed up against other tactics, and assessed in the context of the current political climate.

My own position is that while I support calls made by Palestinian civil society for an economic and cultural boycott – since diplomatic pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories has manifestly failed - more thought needs to be given before extending it to an academic boycott. Academic freedom and independence is a long-held fundamental principle, and there is a strong argument that jeopardising it would be both wrong and counter-productive. Some would also make the case that, if we are to look at Israeli society, it is within the academic community that we've seen the most progressive pro-peace views, and that therefore this sector should be the last one to be approached.

Boycotts are never the tool of first resort. But after so many years of occupation, I believe it is entirely legitimate to search for other peaceful means of resisting it, including boycotts. We all want to see a genuine push for peace on all sides – the question is how best to help achieve it.


Q6. For a number of years, the Green Party's membership was growing, albeit from a low base. Over the last year or two, this trend appears to have reversed. What, as part of the leadership team, would you do to address this extremely serious issue? - Matt Selwood

Ashley Gunstock: In my opinion the membership has recently dropped due to the ever more centrist attitude adopted by the Party over the last few years. Our membership steadily rises when we employ our traditionally strong grassroots strategy, which is sadly being abandoned of late. I would address this issue by ensuring that all Local Parties were party to decisions made by any leadership team of which I was a part.

Caroline Lucas: Membership has been roughly stable, despite nearly 1,000 totally new members being inspired enough to join every year. The problem has been that new people join, and then lapse, after only a year or two. A lot of this has been about our administration being overstretched and a lack of capacity for good management. But with over 20% of the membership now on Direct Debit, and over 65% of new members joining by Direct Debit, they should stay members longer and we should see both membership and income increase.

The challenge will be to turn these new members into activists. We need to create a welcoming, energising and proactive atmosphere to encourage them to stay and be active. We also need to support new members and new parties with the resources to put Green ideas into practice.

If the party elects me as its leader, I hope that I can reach out to all potential activists, who in turn can help build the Party.


Q7. I voted for a leader and I meant a green, enabling leader. How would you ensure you were an enabling leader? - Shan Oakes

Ashley Gunstock: By ensuring that all Local Parties were offered the opportunity to seriously have an input into Green Party policy and rule making.

Caroline Lucas: I don’t see the role of leader to be to sit at the top of an imaginary pyramid, but to inspire and enable others. If elected, one of my priorities would be to continue to support the good work being done up and down the country by local Greens. For example, enabling the target candidate in a marginal council ward to show they have the backing of an identifiable Green figurehead, someone who voters will recognise at a national level, should help to raise our vote. This is something that, as one of the current Principal Speakers, I have tried to do wherever possible.

Secondly, a Green leader should be using their profile to reach out to other campaigning organisations, NGOs and Green groups, to enable us to engage and agree on joint campaigns that increase our collective effectiveness. I've seen just how powerful this can be during my time at the Kingsnorth protests, and it’s something which we as the Green Party really have to improve.

Finally a Green leader has to lead the way forward electorally. Unless we get Greens elected to Westminster, we will remain a party consigned to the margins of British politics. As the candidate for Brighton Pavilion, I am putting everything I can into the efforts we need to make to get that breakthrough moment in British politics, when we win our first Westminster seats. If we can contest many more parliamentary seats at the next General Election, hold many more deposits, and improve our results in many of the other constituencies, I hope that Brighton Pavilion, Norwich South and Lewisham Deptford will become the first of many Green held seats in the House of Commons.


Q8. Everyone has a sense of humour - how would you describe yours? - Douglas Coker

Ashley Gunstock: Satirically, sardonically and occasionally (I must confess) sarcastically dry.

Caroline Lucas: I’d like to think of it as sharp and witty….but my children might not be so kind about it!


As part of this "series" on Sunday I'll have an interview with both candidates for chair - so watch this space. You might also like to check out politics.co.uk who have interviewed both Caroline and Ashley.

Exclusive: How I'm voting

Green Party national executive ballot papers hit people's doormats today. We got a lovely booklet for the candidates' statements (which was very professionally put together and extremely useful) along with the two ballot papers for the leadership posts, chair, equality and diversity and external communications. Other posts will be elected at conference.

After long and careful thought I've decided to vote Adrian Ramsay for deputy leader. After all where was RON during the council strike whilst Adrian was providing solidarity to the workers? What's RON done to help a whole swathe of progressive councillors get elected - nothing? Whilst RON stood quietly by as Tesco tried to seep its way into every nook and cranie of the UK it was left to Adrian to campaign against the lumbering capitalist monstrosity.

Frankly RON is a lazy, reactionary candidate and does not deserve my vote whilst we have capable candidates such as Adrian on the ballot paper.

For the other posts the decision is much more difficult and I'll probably take a bit more time to think about those - although I've probably made my decision on equality and diversity.

If you've not yet made up your mind how you are going to vote you may want to hold off posting your ballot papers for a couple of days as I'm on the verge of posting your "you ask the questions" online hustings from Ashley and Caroline - it promises to be fascinating.

Ashley Gunstock launches leadership bid

Yes, I can confirm that the election for Leader of the Green Party will definitely be contested. Caroline Lucas will have at least one opponent, that of Ashley Gunstock, a veteran of many Principal Speaker elections and a member of the Green Party for a whacking twenty years (before I go on: a declaration of interest, I signed Ashley's nomination papers).

You can read Ashley's launch statement over at his new blog that's been set up for his leadership bid. I think this is clearly not something he'd been initially intending to do, so it's great to see the candidates raising the bar for these elections, hopefully making for a livelier and fuller debate than we may have had in previous years.

The design of his blog is quick and simple - and to my eye uncluttered, svelte and readable. It's impressive to think that something like this can be set up in an afternoon and for free. I was particularly glad to see that all of the obvious pitfalls of the novice blogger have been avoided (Son of Moto template, five hundred different shaped logos in the side bar, bells and whistles that add nothing except clutter). Good stuff.

There are probably a couple of the tiniest of niggles or improvements that could be made to the design but I've sent them on direct as to immortalise what are essentially minor points seems a little disproportionate. Now obviously it doesn't quite stand up to Caroline's site - but then they've spent some money and put someone with serious skills on the case, what I think Ashley's site shows is that these days you can create a decent info point on the web without much difficulty - which he has done.

On to the content. He's posted up a number of press items - including annoying Starbucks, calling for cheaper tube travel, opposing nuclear weapons and climate change. All good stuff I'm sure you'll agree. There's also a call for something called a "compassionate charter" calling for councils and the GLA to promote animal rights. I doubt this would be the way I'd lay out my red-green manifesto but that's not where Ashley's coming from.

If we look at Ashley's statement I think he outlines the kind of credentials that would play very well when seeking to get elected locally, although again not having had the leading role Caroline has had, nor her level of electoral success (although he's fought hard and improved the Green Party performance in his area) it's always going to be something that's difficult to match her on.

I'd also point out that the campaigning areas he outlines in this statement (on homelessness, fair trade, road safety, anti-fascism and others) indicate a consistently compassionate set of politics, one that promotes the desire for a better, fairer world but on a human scale.

I don't quite know why it tickles me so much but I love the fact that he's a soccer coach and that he says this "attun[es] me to what is happening with today’s youth". In fact, although I happen to quite like that flourish if I were to look for something to nitpick it would be in this area of style rather than the substance of what he has to say. I wonder how positive the reference to a "Green agenda" and "our agenda" would look to someone newer to the party, or more hostile to Green politics generally. Also the terms "televisual" and "resolute" don't quite flow, but I'm torn between enjoying the rhetorical style and wondering how this might play more generally.

But these are niggles, and I'm sure you don't expect me to lavish praise without a few critical thoughts thrown into the mix. At the end of the day Ashley is going to have his work cut out for him over the next month and a bit. I suspect he'll improve on his result from last year for Male Principal Speaker where he got just under ten percent of first preference votes, but it certainly indicates a big hill to climb.

NB: Don't forget that I'll be hosting an online hustings for the leadership candidates early next week. If you want to submit a question for that simply email me, you don't have to be a Green Party member or resident of England or Wales to take part, but you can't submit anonymously. What do you want to ask the candidates?