Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Once dragged along to a festival in Kent organised by Green Party high ups. The air of smug sanctimony was unbearable.

Still not sure why they have two leaders, does the other bloke do the minutes or something?

I dare say that the Greens' approach to whipping is informed by the fact that that they've only ever had one MP.

mattomac wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2024 1:23 am Still not sure why they have two leaders, does the other bloke do the minutes or something?

I can't work this out either. Think it's a big error, because the public struggle to recognize more than one or two politicians from opposition parties. Reform don't make mistake.

In fairness, she's not the only local candidate that's saying this rubbish. But it always seems worse to me when it's Greens. Luckily no rail projects round here for them to oppose.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2024 11:45 am

mattomac wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2024 1:23 am Still not sure why they have two leaders, does the other bloke do the minutes or something?

I can't work this out either. Think it's a big error, because the public struggle to recognize more than one or two politicians from opposition parties. Reform don't make mistake.

My understanding is that it's supposed to be more democratic but all it does is confirm my suspicions that the Greens aren't serious people.

Well, well. This is why I'm not a fan of this lot. I'm hoping Ellie Chowns doesn't go down this road. In fairness to her, the campaign wasn't nimby.

Good article here in (to me) an unlikely place.

https://novaramedia.com/2024/07/08/the- ... sciplined/

In the two rural seats where the Greens won, they had strong candidates, had built an extremely effective electoral machine, and had worked hard for a very long time – but it’s safe to say that many people in those places voted for the party because they wanted an alternative to the Tories rather than necessarily backing unilateral nuclear disarmament or a sizeable increase in national insurance for higher earners.

Nor did they likely back big increases in inheritance tax, judging by the size of some of the houses with Green signs up. I'm still amazed that the Tories didn't attack the Greens properly.

The author doesn't quite say it, but the logic is that the rural seats ought to be written off. I wouldn't be surprised if Ellie Chowns became an Independent Green at some point. I've no doubt she'll be a good MP, and if that's what she needs to do, then do it, and I'll still vote for her.

Seems they can't stop leaving a hair in the soup they serve.

I'd like to see their 10 points printed in a format I can see. White on green? Fuck off with your disability access fail.

Less than 2 weeks in, and Adrian Ramsey is already getting a kicking over his oppostition to pylons that will carry green energy through his consttuency. Sure, local MPs of all parties oppose stuff like this. But it's the Greens' main thing, and he's the deputy leader, not an obscure backbencher. You wonder what the point of the manifesto was if anyone elected can basically defer to a bunch of their constituents (is it even the majority? It's a large constituency, I'd guess than most people who voted for him who won't see the pylons don't care, and probably some who can see it are OK with them.

I think the rural part of the Green coalition is going to be very hard to maintain. I hope Ellie Chowns can do it.

I see Carla Denyer is finding out the hard way what happens when you let cranks into your party

I sense that Tim Shipman is well acquainted with which corpses are neatly stackable as a matter of political convenience.



That said, I’ll own to being torn as to whether Mandelson’s weapons grade crookedness is excusable on the grounds that nobody gives a shit about Epstein and dubious oligarchs anymore, or the fact that he’s minted, or his anti-left politics, or some combination of the three.

Well Mandelson is right though embracing this lot was always going to lead to problems and this is one of them. I mean when you stop to think about it I find it hard to get worked up by the first statement as frankly it's abog standard anodyne statement but the fact that Denyer had to backtrack show's that they're a problem.

That’s broadly true but for another day. Could make a bigger list than that of unsavoury realism in US foreign policy. And some positive contributions to the region as well.

For decades successive US Governments have supported the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land

Be interested in seeing the Greens and Reform work together on how to make depopulation work. Both believe in it for different reasons but haven’t heard anything practical from either as to how you avoid an economic nightmare in towns suffering from falling populations. And both parties are localists as well.

I’m all for the Green Party trying to look mainstream but I can actually see the point of the critics here. It was a bit fulsome, and Gaza is ongoing.

Carla Denver has done a couple of fairly ordinary bits of communication since the election. I wish they’d ditch the joint leader stuff. Pick one (from the urban bit of the Green Party, that’s the bread and butter) and get your best team in her office.

See how she responds. It would be very bad if she couldn’t criticise bin collection in Tewkesbury without being told the real issue was the end of capitalism.

Saw some analysis of Green support. It wasn’t broken down by where they live, but there’s a large group who look to me very like Lib Dems. More socially liberal than the Tories and fairly centrist on the economy. I think this could work. Ed Davey’s fiscal conservatism isn’t popular.

Davey has a careful balancing act ahead if he wishes to hold on to the dozens of blue wall gains. Criticising the Labour government but not enough to lose its left of centre tactical vote.