#GPConf : Leadership election results!: Reflections:
I was interested and (pleasantly) surprised by the Green Party Leadership election results announced here last night. Obviously, Caroline Lucas was re-elected unopposed without a problem. But what was interesting was the Deputy Leadership result. My close colleague and friend from Norwich C'llr. Adrian Ramsay won with a massive 75% of the vote, eclipsing Derek Wall who polled just 25%. Given that in 'the old days' before we brought in the new Leadership model Derek BEAT Party luminaries Keith Taylor (MEP) and Darren Johnson (AM) in successive years to take the Party 'Principal Speaker'ship, and given that Derek ran a vigorous campaign and aimed to win once more, this election result has to be taken as a strong vote of confidence in the electoral success represented by an icon of Norwich Green Party, and as a moving on from days of yore in the Green Party. Like me, Adrian is a radical: he is (as Derek himself pointed out, in a generous concession speech) a man of the Left, and also very radical in areas such as animal rights; but the 'Green Left' would-be-'faction' that _Derek_ represents has I think been knocked back by this unexpectedly decisive outcome.
I think in fact that this may well be the end of an era. The Party has made clear now with this vote that it is a professional Party that is going to elect its best elected politicians to its most senior public-facing posts. In that regard, this has been I think a welcome watershed moment for the Party.
I think in fact that this may well be the end of an era. The Party has made clear now with this vote that it is a professional Party that is going to elect its best elected politicians to its most senior public-facing posts. In that regard, this has been I think a welcome watershed moment for the Party.
It is too late for factions. Just as it is too late to be a pessimist. Rather than factions or purist pessimism, what our Party needs is to capitalise on and build on its success in places like Brighton and Norwich, and move swiftly to obtain and to exercise real, radical political power with responsibility - before it is too late.
posted by Rupert at
Saturday, September 11, 2010
5 Comments:
Rupert,
I recognise you're happy about the result, but this hubris is totally unnecessary, deeply unappealing and much more divisive than the mysterious 'factionalism' you claim is going on in the party.
There is a distinct irony between lauding the new professionalism of the party (something no-one disagrees with) when posting such an unprofessional, unfriendly post; I hope non-Greens do not read this and find themselves turned off for good. I think it's a great shame that this kind of thing is being posted when we should all be uniting behind Caroline and Adrian; indeed, you quote Derek's own kind words about Adrian and, viewing it from outside as I have been, Derek and Adrian have been nothing but comradely and supportive of one another.
Incidentally, Derek didn't beat Keith and Darren "in 'the old days'", unless you count 3 or 4 years ago as "days of yore".
Best,
Aled
Oh yes, count me turned off for good. :)
Disappointed to see Derek go, he was a good source of ammunition against the party.
Congrats to Adrian who I would say something nice about if it wouldn't a) do him harm, and b) turn up in leaflets.
Rupert,
I've been out of the 'internals' of the party for some considerable time. The last conference I was at was Malvern in '86 where incidentally I was not impressed with Derek's 'youth' wing.
You undoubtedly have more insight than me but surely no-one could have seriously expected Derek to win.
But then again Adrian was quite keen for my membership to go through so that I could vote (for him). Which incidentally I still don't have.
Was I not a member on Thursday !
Aled: Am i missing something? In what way was it an "unprofessional, unfriendly post"?
Your embittered response to a perfectly reasonable blog-post on the dep-leader result is quite odd and much more off-putting to a "non-green" like myself.
Thanks Greensen. Appreciated.
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