[Youngian]

Tyrone from Hackney won’t do much to dispel popular stereotypes about the Greens

[Killer Whale]

Why are the Cahhhnsihw spraying pesticide on their plants?

[The Weeping Angel]

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Tyrone from Hackney won’t do much to dispel popular stereotypes about the Greens

I think for the demographic this is aimed at, he will go over quite well. His message is clear and logical, and well put, too. If I were the worrying kind I'd be worried for the young Labour vote.

[The Weeping Angel]

[The Weeping Angel]

[Killer Whale]

In local politics, NIMBYism trumps everything. Its a lesson worth learning.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I really wish the Greens well, I really do. They have an important part to play in changing our politics from individual to communal concerns.

But I read (on that Twitter - and according to Paul Stains) that the kid who lobbed eggs at Brian today was a Green candidate, and blamed him for slavery.

If true that'll help your cause, lad...

[Andy McDandy]

Ooh, he looks edgy. Probably got a Now That's What I Call Punk album.

[The Weeping Angel]

One reason why I dislike the Greens so much.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Very surprised by Caroline Lucas leaving Parliament. I would expect the Greens to hold the seat, in spite of doing badly in the local elections. It might be a masterstroke if it creates a second Green with a national platform.

Lots of positive campaigning done, particularly on fracking which did have a head of steam a while ago but is now dead in the water. And of course with green issues more widely and with her opposition to spending cuts. But I've not been impressed with their mastery of transport (I wonder if she really understood how rail worked), and the opposition to nuclear power hasn't worn well. The Green Party is still absolutely nowhere in terms of setting plausible budgets, and more nimby than it needs to be.

But of course, much more good than bad, and she will be missed.

[Arrowhead]

Very surprised by Caroline Lucas leaving Parliament. I would expect the Greens to hold the seat, in spite of doing badly in the local elections. It might be a masterstroke if it creates a second Green with a national platform.

Lots of positive campaigning done, particularly on fracking which did have a head of steam a while ago but is now dead in the water. And of course with green issues more widely and with her opposition to spending cuts. But I've not been impressed with their mastery of transport (I wonder if she really understood how rail worked), and the opposition to nuclear power hasn't worn well. The Green Party is still absolutely nowhere in terms of setting plausible budgets, and more nimby than it needs to be.

But of course, much more good than bad, and she will be missed.

There has already been a lot of talk about how this seat will now automatically become a Labour gain at the next GE, but I'm really not so sure about that at all. The Greens are still pretty strong locally, so a well-chosen candidate could still keep the seat in their hands without too much trouble IMO.

Different matter entirely if this were still the Corbyn era, of course (although I notice the 17/19 Labour candidates actually somehow moved backwards in arguably the most left-leaning seat in England).

[Tubby Isaacs]

I didn't realise quite how enormous the 2019 lead was. I guess their commitment to Remain outranked Corbyn's (which was fine, but the SNP, Greens and Lib Dems all had a headstart in establishing their position).

If the Green councillors aren't popular, they can pick somebody with a national position whose profile this will help a lot.

I think it's looking like a smarter and smarter move.

[mattomac]

Really depends how it is done there.

She carried a lot of personal vote, I think Labour win. You have to remember they’ve pushed others alongside her and they’ve always been universally awful.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Another point about the Greens is that the effect of FPTP cuts both ways. Obviously it massively disadvantages them in terms of representation in Parliament. But with greater responsibility under PR comes much greater realism if they want to be in government. The "spend this much, don't worry, we'll definitely get it all off the rich". easy stuff would have to end, or else they'd have drop it all when they went in government. Which leaves you with what? Jo Swinson 2019?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Green's former "transport guru", Rupert Read, making an arse of himself BTL here. Read isn't any kind of rail expert, but a philosopher. And doesn't he know it.

His big trump card here is "read the article from The Times I just posted". Lots of people think The Times article is bollocks. When pressed on his own proposals, they seem to amount to reopening the Great Central Railway, which he says provides more capacity than HS2 "end of". It's pointed ought to him that there's no capacity South of Aylesbury, or North of Sheffield, and that a big chunk of Nottingham Trams would need to be pulled up. And the Great Central misses out the small matter of Birmingham altogether.

His considered response is "well, it wouldn't have to go exactly the same route". He also says he supports "economic relocalisation", which would doubtless not be very expensive and work very well.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Here's Rupes dealing with 50 year career railwayman, William Barter. As Barter says, Read's crayoning would require the most expensive part of HS2 to be build.

[Boiler]

So, the TL;DR version is: "Greens being arseholes as usual."

Oh, and you'd also have to demolish the Victoria Centre in Nottingham.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He’s also an advisor to Extinction Rebellion. Stopping the scourge of electric mass transport.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I won't miss her from Parliament.