Some of you may have noticed a comment on an earlier post from Gordon outing himself as far left. Now, if he is the Gordon I think he is, and I think he is, he is also an eminently sensible fellow. Calm down I’m not trying to give you all a dose of Cognitive Dissonance merely pointing out the pitfalls of stereotyping, whether they be Greens, Tories, Jews, Muslims or anybody else.
So, to put my previous post into the overall context I have to point out that the vast majority of Green Party members do not indulge in internal bun fights, and of the activists most are focussed on campaigning, winning elections and getting Green Party policies (the vast majority of which I approve) onto the political agenda.
There is the excellent Andrew Cooper up in Kirklees, the Norwich Greens and of course our London Assembly members and MEPs. Unfortunately, here in London we got squeezed last May by the General Election turnout and lost some really good councillors, eg Sue Luxton in Lewisham and Katy Dawson in Islington.
And now I have the onerous task of completing three ballot papers using STV, damn that’s hard. First up is the ballot for the Green London list for next year’s Assembly election and a full slate of Premiership contenders we have too. Jim over at the Daily Maybe has given his recommendations but he is biased. However, he does seem to be playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order.
So, here’s my top four Champions League contenders.
1. Caroline Allen (Jim’s Ref) (Website)
2. Darren Johnson (Website)
3. Sue Luxton (Jim’s Ref) (Website?)
4. Natalie Bennett (Jim’s Ref) (Website)
Did I mention the Norwich Greens? Oh yes. There are two of them on the next ballot paper which is another List but this time for the House of Lords, which we greens want to abolish, or at least reform. This one is much more difficult because it includes candidates from the Scotland and Northern Ireland Green Parties whom I know noting of and candidates with beards. I never vote for anyone with a beard.
So, here’s my top three Cup contenders.
1. Jessica Goldfinch (Derek’s ref) (Website)
2. Stuart Jeffery (Website)
3. Rupert Read (Website)
Yes, I know I’ve not seen eye-to-eye with Rupert on occasions and he does come across as a bit of a Dandy, but I have a soft spot for him.
And that Final ballot paper? Some of you may be wondering why Jenny Jones is not on either of the lists above. That’s because she is going to romp home in this ballot for Green London Mayoral candidate and will be officiating at the 2012 Olympic games. It’s called tactical voting! See, you can still do that with STV.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Party's Over
The Green Party's Conference starts today in Cardiff. No doubt one of the topics of conversation in the corridors and bars will be the resignation of Toby Green after 10 years of membership.
Bob from Brockley has Toby's full statement. Lucy lips has the story too with some extra details but I couldn't possibly comment on the accuracy.
One interesting feature is the intervention of Darren Johnson in the comment stream after Bob's post. Reproduced in full at Greens Engage. Darren is a senior figure in the party, a local councillor in Lewisham and a London Assembly Member. But, it seems he is a voice in the wilderness which gives even more credence to Toby's analysis.
The situation is quite simple: anyone who raises the issue of anti-Semitism within the party is immediately labeled a "Zio" or an "apologist for Israel" and accused of trying to stifle criticism of Israel. The fact that these people are also critics of Israel and empathise with the Palestinian cause does not register on their barometer. They are blind to any evidence that contradicts their obsession. Debate, or rational discourse, has become a pointless and futile exercise.
If the Green Party cannot see, understand or deal with it's own problems what chance have they of resolving anybody else's?
Bob from Brockley has Toby's full statement. Lucy lips has the story too with some extra details but I couldn't possibly comment on the accuracy.
One interesting feature is the intervention of Darren Johnson in the comment stream after Bob's post. Reproduced in full at Greens Engage. Darren is a senior figure in the party, a local councillor in Lewisham and a London Assembly Member. But, it seems he is a voice in the wilderness which gives even more credence to Toby's analysis.
The situation is quite simple: anyone who raises the issue of anti-Semitism within the party is immediately labeled a "Zio" or an "apologist for Israel" and accused of trying to stifle criticism of Israel. The fact that these people are also critics of Israel and empathise with the Palestinian cause does not register on their barometer. They are blind to any evidence that contradicts their obsession. Debate, or rational discourse, has become a pointless and futile exercise.
If the Green Party cannot see, understand or deal with it's own problems what chance have they of resolving anybody else's?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Double standards?
Fury as 'anti-Semitic' banker is invited to speak at LSE
Sabby Dhalu, the joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, called for Mr Sarrazin to be banned from the UK. "There is grotesque double standards in the implementation of bans on people entering Britain. There is no doubt that a known Muslim spouting similar views would be denied entry," she said.
Oh I don't know. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign [in particular the Scottish ones] and "Green Left" have been known to share platforms with such people on several occasions. Even the Leader of the Green Party has done so.
Where were Unite Against Fascism then?
Sabby Dhalu, the joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, called for Mr Sarrazin to be banned from the UK. "There is grotesque double standards in the implementation of bans on people entering Britain. There is no doubt that a known Muslim spouting similar views would be denied entry," she said.
Oh I don't know. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign [in particular the Scottish ones] and "Green Left" have been known to share platforms with such people on several occasions. Even the Leader of the Green Party has done so.
Where were Unite Against Fascism then?
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