The results of this year’s elections to the Green Party’s National Executive have just been announced. The results were all close, except for the most striking result: the enormous majority for Caroline Lucas, elected to the position of female ‘Principal Speaker’. Caroline garnered 78% of the vote; her opponent, Jenny Jones A.M., got just 22%.
Caroline is the main standard-bearer for the ‘Yes’ campaign, who are looking to get the Green Party a Leader in the unprecedented binding membership referendum on this topic next month. Jenny is the main standard-bearer for the ‘No’ campaign, who are fighting to preserve the status quo.
So: If this result is anything to go by -- and it may of course turn out that it isn't, but IF it is -- then the ‘Yes’ campaign clearly stands a strong chance of winning the two thirds majority it needs in order to win the referendum, and transform the public image of the Green Party. And then Caroline would surely stand a very strong chance of being elected the first Leader of the Green Party -- tonight's results clearly confirm her status as very much the number one figure within the Party. That would place her in a powerful position to challenge the political status quo in Britain -- it would empower her to lead...
With Ming Campbell’s rapid resignation this evening, political attention will focus strongly once more on the question of who will lead
p.s. For an account of why I chose to leave the LibDems and join the Greens, see http://www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk/voices/read.htm
Comments
Basically what Caroline's election shows is that (as we all know) she is the pre-eminent figure in the Party and would win in a landslide against anyone in any internal election. I don't think it shows that all her votes are going to transfer to the 'Yes' campaign.
If Darren had won as well, I would think you would have a decent case - but as it is, the picture is blurred and uncertain still.
Best wishes,
Matt
Any thoughts on why it is so low? The electorate are GP members so are not exactly disinterested.
Would you expect the turnout for the leader ballot to be higher?
Quite why postal ballots are harder to mobilise (except in exceptional circumstances) is anyone's guess - on an intuitive level I'd have thought it would be easier to vote, but apparently not.
I hope that people will reflect to themselves that, as you say Matt, Caroline is clearly our outstanding figure, and shouldn't we unleash her -- by giving her the chance of becoming Leader...
And to rebut a potential counter: If we ever get a situation in the future where there is no obvious Leader, then that's fine too: because the referendum proposal makes room for Co-Leaders, when desired, too.