Principal Speakers are the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales and are the nearest equivalent the Green Party has to a single, national leader. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. There are currently two Principal Speakers, one female and one male (currently Caroline Lucas and Derek Wall), who are elected annually at the Green Party's Autumn Conference and hold no vote on the Green Party Executive (GPEx). Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960 in Malvern Worcestershire) is an English politician Derek Wall is a British politician and former Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales as well as an environmental and social
A referendum passed on 30 November 2007 has abolished the posts after this current term, however, and a leader and deputy will be elected by Autumn 2008.
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Role and history
The Principal Speakers perform the public and media role undertaken by the leaders of more conventional political parties. Green Parties often consider joint leadership of this kind to embody the widely-held Green beliefs in consensus decision making and gender balance. A Green party' or ecologist party is a formally organized Political party based on the principles of Green politics. WikipediaConsensus here as this is the article namespace and that information is irrelevant to the reader It also symbolises their belief in the need for a society in which people are empowered and involved in making the decisions which affect them. In the Party's Philosophical Basis, it states that the Green Party "reject[s] the hierarchical structure of leaders and followers, and, instead advocate[s] participatory politics" and it is "for this reason" that the Green Party has eschewed an individual leader[1]. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. Furthermore, although the Principal Speakers sit on the Green Party's Executive (GPEx), they do not hold a vote.
There were six Principal Speakers in the UK Green Party until 1991, when changes introduced by the Green 2000 grouping reduced this to two and streamlined the organisation of the party[2]. The Green Party was a Green Political party in the United Kingdom Green 2000 was a movement to streamline the constitutional arrangements of the Green Party of England and Wales in the early 1990s with the stated aim of getting a green government
Regional variations
Not all regions of the Green Party use the Principal Speaker system. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. In particular, the Wales Green Party has a Leader, Ann Were, and Deputy Leader John Matthews. The Wales Green Party (WGP Plaid Werdd Cymru is a semi- autonomous regional party within the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW The North West of England also appoints a Leader, currently Cllr. John Whitelegg. John Whitelegg is visiting Professor of Sustainable Transport at Liverpool John Moores University and Professor of Sustainable Development at York University's Stockholm Environment However, some regional and local groups have adopted the gender balance principle and emulated the Principal Speaker structure, including the LSE Students' Union Green Party, who have a Female and Male Co-Chair[3]. The London School of Economics Students' Union (LSESU is the representative and campaigning body for students at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE
2007 Leadership referendum
At the party's 2007 Spring Conference in Swansea, members voted to hold a cross-party referendum on whether the posts should be changed to Leader and Deputy Leader (with the option for Co-Leaders if two candidates chose to run together and were gender balanced, in the event of which there would be no Deputy Leader). The new system would allow the Leader and Deputy (or Co-Leaders) to vote on GPEx and, rather than being elected annually (like the Principal Speakers), the posts would be elected every two years. Provisions for recalling the Leader and Deputy were articulated[4]. Despite the strong passions rasied by this issue, many participants, such as Siân Berry, were struck by the how "constructive" the debate turned out to be[5]. Siân Berry (born 9 July 1974 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire) is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England
On Friday November 30th 2007 the ballots were counted and members voted 73 % to 23 % in favour of the new leadership model with a 48. 3% turnout of Green Party members. [6]
The 'Pro-Leader' side - Green Yes
Critics of the present system and supporters of the 'Green Yes' campaign for a yes vote in the referendum include current Female Principal Speaker Dr. Caroline Lucas MEP, Siân Berry, Cllr. Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960 in Malvern Worcestershire) is an English politician Siân Berry (born 9 July 1974 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire) is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England Darren Johnson AM (a Green member of the Greater London Assembly), environmental commentator and Green member Mark Lynas, former Principal Speaker Jonathon Porritt, councillors from Lewisham, Brighton, Norwich, Leicester and Lancaster, and current members of the Green Party Executive (GPEx), including Jim Killock (External Communications Officer), Elections Coordinator Peter Cranie and Khalid Hussenbux, the party's Financial Coordinator[7]. Darren Paul Johnson (born in 1966 in Southport, Lancashire) is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. Mark Lynas (born 1973 is a British Author, Journalist and environmental Activist focussed on Climate change. Jonathon Espie Porritt, CBE (born 6 July 1950) is an English Environmentalist and Writer.
The Green Yes campaign believe that the Green Party needs a leader to reach its potential and that, if the party does not reach its potential, it will be "selling-short our planet and everything on it". They suggest that the party's success has been too slow and that "a leader would help set direction, political focus and make sure the party gets the resources to grow". The campaign hopes that having a Leader is "about empowering the party" and "about accountability", in that a Leader "will mean we can identify who to hold to account when things need changing". The group adds that other Green Parties in the world have leaders and remain "just as Green as the rest of us"[7]. A Green party' or ecologist party is a formally organized Political party based on the principles of Green politics.
Mark Lynas, in several editions of his New Statesman blog, further claims that the name 'Principal Speaker' is not transparent to the public, that it wastes valuable time in explaining the system to the media and that it lacks credibility[8]. Mark Lynas (born 1973 is a British Author, Journalist and environmental Activist focussed on Climate change. The New Statesman is a British Left-wing political Magazine published weekly in London. Darren Johnson characterizes the lack of single leader as "just a ridiculous barrier in terms of getting our really important message across"[9]. Darren Paul Johnson (born in 1966 in Southport, Lancashire) is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales
An internal poll conducted on behalf of party chair Andrew Cornwell showed that a majority of Green party councillors polled were in favour of change.
The 'Anti-Leader' side - Green Empowerment
People in favour of the current system and supporters of the 'Green Empowerment' campaign for a no vote in the leadership referendum include current Male Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall, Cllr. Derek Wall is a British politician and former Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales as well as an environmental and social Jenny Jones AM (a Green member of the Greater London Assembly), the late Lord Beaumont of Whitley (Green member of the House of Lords), prominent human rights campaigner and Green member Peter Tatchell, Noel Lynch (London Green Party Coordinator and former GLA member), councillors from Scarborough, Lewisham, York, Norwich and Hackney, and current members of the Green Party Executive (GPEx), including Campaigns Coordinator, Tim Summers, and Pete McAskie (Management Coordinator)[10]. Jenny Jones AM is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds Timothy Wentworth Beaumont Baron Beaumont of Whitley ( 22 November 1928 - 8 April 2008) was a United Kingdom politician and an The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is an Australian born British Human rights activist who gained international celebrity Noel Lynch is a politician living in England and a prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds Some members, like Cllr. Matt Sellwood, while reportedly in favour of a Leader system in principle, are opposed to the current referendum because the term of reelection would be extended to two years[citation needed].
Supporters of Green Empowerment want to "uphold the Green Party's long-standing commitment to non-hierarchical structures and 'grassroots' democracy" through "collective leadership". They believe that a single leader "would not only draw attention away from other speakers and the wider Party, but would bring with it risks that the other parties in this country are all too well aware of". The campaign focuses on retaining gender balance in party structures, and avoding the dilution of their radical policies. They focus on success under the Principal Speaker system, seen in the steady build up of support from the low point of the 1992 General election to the situation today, where the party has over 100 councilors along with two members of the European Parliament and two members of the Greater London Assembly[10]. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds
Derek Wall counters pro-leader arguments by stating that "if you are a clear speaker, there's no problem getting coverage and explaining the party's views. Derek Wall is a British politician and former Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales as well as an environmental and social " He is concerned by the history of past political parties that started off as being participatory until they adopted a single leader system in which the members became "puppets"[9]. Wall also opposed the reduction in numbers of Principal Speakers from six to two in 1992, as advocated by the Green 2000 group[2]. Derek Wall is a British politician and former Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales as well as an environmental and social Green 2000 was a movement to streamline the constitutional arrangements of the Green Party of England and Wales in the early 1990s with the stated aim of getting a green government
Previous incumbents prior to 1992 (six elected annually)
- Sara Parkin
- Jim Berreen
- Andrew Simms
- Jean Lambert
- David Spaven
- Derek Wall
Previous incumbents after 1992
- Jean Lambert 1992-3, 1998-99
- Dr Richard Lawson 1992
- Mallen Baker 1992-3
- John Cornford 1993-4
- David Taylor (Green politician) 1994-97
- Jan Clark 1993-95
- Peg Alexander 1995-
- Margaret Wright: 1999 to 2003
- Darren Johnson: 2001-3
- Mike Woodin: 1997-2001; 2003-4
- Dr Caroline Lucas 2003-6, 2007-now
- Keith Taylor: 2004 to November 2006
- Sian Berry: 2006-7
References
- ^ The Green Party of England and Wales' Philosophical Basis
- ^ a b Wall, Derek, Weaving a Bower Against Endless Night: An Illustrated History of the Green Party, 1994
- ^ Young Greens: LSE
- ^ Green Yes Website - Copy of the Full Motion to Conference on Creating a Leader and Deputy Leader or Co-Leaders
- ^ Siân Berry's New Statesman Blog - A leader for the Greens?
- ^ The Electoral Returning Officer's blog 'The Daily (Maybe)' on the result
- ^ a b Green Yes Website
- ^ Mark Lynas' New Statesman Blog - Even Greens need leaders
- ^ a b BBC News | Politics | Greens consider getting a leader
- ^ a b Green Empowerment Website
See also
External links
- Derek Wall on why the GP needs to keep the Principal Speaker system
- Darren Johnson AM on BBC site explains why the Green party needs a Leader
- Siân Berry describes the debate and her preference for Co-leaders
- Green Yes Website
- Green Empowerment Website
- Caroline Lucas: The greens need a clear voice – and a leader
- Jenny Jones: A political party with a leader? - How 20th century
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