Internal Elections

You might have guessed from earlier posts who I have supported for the Leader and Deputy positions within the party, so I'll limit this post to the other contested positions.

I'll start with the Equality and Diversity post, which has an array of talented individuals, all of whom would do a great job. Shahrar Ali, my nemesis in a number of games of pool, has been instrumental in getting better BME representation on electoral lists within the Greens. He is a charismatic and dynamic individual. If elected, he'll get on with doing the job brilliantly well. My only disappointment is that he did not stand for either Leader or Deputy. The contests would have benefitted from his analytical and debating prowess.

Cllr Maya De Souza has been superb as one of our first Camden councillors, firstly in a group of two, now in a group of three after our recent byelection win. She has been influential in the Association of Green Councillors and although I don't know her that well, she is widely respected. Lyndsay McAteer has been one of the driving forces in getting Warrington Green Party established and active. I know her well and she would also be very effective in the role, alongside Linda Duckenfield who has been one of the voices of reason on a sometimes ranty and paranoid Green Left email list.

The other contested post is Chair. I am a friend of Jim Killock's as well as a colleague and we have shared many jokes from student politics and we will often talk political strategy and about how to get the Greens to become a genuine political force. Jim has been visionary in his role as External Comms officer, and has given four years to the national party, sacrificing his own business in pursuit of making the Green party a more organised and electable force.

James Humphreys is someone I've met on a few occasions. James is serious, focused and has a rounded understanding of how politics works in practice. His own experience outside of the Greens, with a continuous environmental focus, is awesome and he has the outward focus we need to develop into a serious parliamentary political force. Having been seconded to Downing Street during his time at the Department of the Environment, he has a real understanding about what it will take to bring us up to a level where we are ready for and capable to govern.

In terms of the reforms within the party, the work done by Jim has been incredible, and the legacy of Direct Debit is something the party will look back on and thank him for. However, as I often said to Jim when we were on the Executive together, part of our job was to get the party ready for people with different skills and a different focus, who would enable the growth we've seen in income and membership to continue and increase. For that we need continuity and with just one year of eligibility left for Jim on the Executive, that means my vote for Chair will be going to James Humphreys this year.

As someone who stood for Chair last year, and lost, I'm delighted to see that once again we have a contest. It is vital that we take internal democracy seriously. However, I can also say that losing that election was one of the best things that happened to me, and the time I've now had to invest in local and regional politics has been very worthwhile. So for the candidates that are unsuccessful, it isn't all bad, and in fact, it might prove to be very good indeed.