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Post by greenchristian on Apr 8, 2022 18:48:18 GMT
Are there any Green councillors who have been around for 20 years? A bit of an unfair question I know because the Green Party has only become relatively successful much more recently, but I do get the impression (and it is not based on any analysis) that Green councillors tend to be more ephemeral than their opponents. John Raine in Malvern Hills was first elected for West ward in 2000, and is still there. |
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Post by andrew111 on Apr 8, 2022 18:58:53 GMT
Susan Mallender (nee Blount) in Lady Bay, Rushcliffe has been for at least 19 years. In Scotland, if re-elected and serve their full term, both Martha Wardrop (Glasgow) and Steve Burgess (Edinburgh) will hit 20 years (considering we only had our first councillors elected in 2007, this is as early as could be). Quite. 20 years ago we would have had well under 100 councillors nationwide (probably less than 50). But there will be a few who are still around, e.g.the Blackburns in Leeds and Andrew Cooper in Kirklees must have been councillors for about that length of time by now. The reference above was to John Marjoram in Stroud who retired after having served as a Green councillor for at least 30 years. Andrew Cooper was first elected to Kirklees in 1999 cv.democracyclub.org.uk/show_cv/2182 |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2022 19:32:40 GMT
Does the ward border the increasingly legendary Knepp Estate? A hotbed of alternative farming thinking and an astonishing lesson in wildlife recovery. Knepp is 5 or 6km north east of the ward. It's a brilliant place to visit, and _very_ popular. Last year the had their first breeding pair of storks, this year there are several pairs. Got some excellent pictures a few weeks ago. Are there any Green councillors who have been around for 20 years? A bit of an unfair question I know because the Green Party has only become relatively successful much more recently, but I do get the impression (and it is not based on any analysis) that Green councillors tend to be more ephemeral than their opponents. There was someone down in Somerset or Gloucestershire wasn't there? Retired fairly recently. But in general you're right, I think. A combination of recent progress, requiring the right circumstances to hold a seat once won, and candidates who aren't as committed to the grind of committees and agendas. Sarah Sharp in Chichester is another one who won't be moved until she chooses to go. I had to persuade her to stand first time, and now she's an absolute force on both borough and county. John Marjoram in Stroud, Trinity (Stroud DC) goes back to before the 74 reorganisation in various parts of the country (or at least very soon after it) but retired last year |
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Crimson King
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Post by Crimson King on Apr 8, 2022 22:05:01 GMT
Are there any Green councillors who have been around for 20 years? A bit of an unfair question I know because the Green Party has only become relatively successful much more recently, but I do get the impression (and it is not based on any analysis) that Green councillors tend to be more ephemeral than their opponents. Martin Love in Bradford was elected in Shipley West in 2002 - I imagine that was his first time |
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Post by tonyhill on Apr 9, 2022 5:51:01 GMT
I suspect that in most cases people strongly motivated by idealism and a desire to change the world are not going to find being a member of a local authority particularly rewarding, particularly given the increasingly limited powers that councils have to do anything except struggle to maintain the status quo. In Brighton the Greens are a reflection of the sort of place that Brighton is rather than having done anything to create a political environment favourable to them. Most people who vote Green do so because they are seen as a cuddly alternative to the other parties - "green is good", a gesture a bit like recycling - rather than with any intention of changing their lifestyle in a way that would make a difference to the future of the planet - giving up driving, foreign holidays, or becoming a vegan for example.
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David
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Post by David on Apr 9, 2022 8:52:21 GMT
Are there any Green councillors who have been around for 20 years? A bit of an unfair question I know because the Green Party has only become relatively successful much more recently, but I do get the impression (and it is not based on any analysis) that Green councillors tend to be more ephemeral than their opponents. Martin Love in Bradford was elected in Shipley West in 2002 - I imagine that was his first time |
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David
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Post by David on Apr 9, 2022 8:53:21 GMT
Are there any Green councillors who have been around for 20 years? A bit of an unfair question I know because the Green Party has only become relatively successful much more recently, but I do get the impression (and it is not based on any analysis) that Green councillors tend to be more ephemeral than their opponents. Martin Love in Bradford was elected in Shipley West in 2002 - I imagine that was his first time |
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David
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Post by David on Apr 9, 2022 8:56:54 GMT
Martin Love was indeed elected 2002, followed by Kevin Warnes in 2003. Both are still councillors in Shipley. The ward first went Green in 2000 when I took it from the Conservatives (served til 2007). Many of the Yorkshire Green cllrs quite resilient!
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The Bishop
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Post by The Bishop on Apr 9, 2022 9:09:56 GMT
Knepp is 5 or 6km north east of the ward. It's a brilliant place to visit, and _very_ popular. Last year the had their first breeding pair of storks, this year there are several pairs. Got some excellent pictures a few weeks ago. There was someone down in Somerset or Gloucestershire wasn't there? Retired fairly recently. But in general you're right, I think. A combination of recent progress, requiring the right circumstances to hold a seat once won, and candidates who aren't as committed to the grind of committees and agendas. Sarah Sharp in Chichester is another one who won't be moved until she chooses to go. I had to persuade her to stand first time, and now she's an absolute force on both borough and county. John Marjoram in Stroud, Trinity (Stroud DC) goes back to before the 74 reorganisation in various parts of the country (or at least very soon after it) but retired last year I thought he was first elected in 1986? |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Apr 9, 2022 9:32:26 GMT
John Marjoram in Stroud, Trinity (Stroud DC) goes back to before the 74 reorganisation in various parts of the country (or at least very soon after it) but retired last year I thought he was first elected in 1986? He was. For many years after I had kept a newspaper cutting of the 1986 local election results from the Telegraph (probably the first of many years when I did this) and there was a picture of him with a caption that he was the first elected Green councillor (not entirely accurate I think) |
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The Bishop
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Post by The Bishop on Apr 9, 2022 10:08:25 GMT
Somebody got elected for the Ecology Party in the 1970s didn't they. Greens also gained Congresbury in the 1986 elections.
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Post by iainbhx on Apr 9, 2022 10:25:44 GMT
Somebody got elected for the Ecology Party in the 1970s didn't they. Greens also gained Congresbury in the 1986 elections. Yes, a J Luck was elected in 1976 for the Rye ward of Rother District Council, he narrowly lost in 1979. |
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Crimson King
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Post by Crimson King on Apr 9, 2022 10:31:14 GMT
Martin Love was indeed elected 2002, followed by Kevin Warnes in 2003. Both are still councillors in Shipley. The ward first went Green in 2000 when I took it from the Conservatives (served til 2007). Many of the Yorkshire Green cllrs quite resilient! hello there, nice to hear from you. |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Apr 9, 2022 11:20:17 GMT
Somebody got elected for the Ecology Party in the 1970s didn't they. Greens also gained Congresbury in the 1986 elections. They certainly had one in Rye in the 70s - possibly elsewhere and yes, Richard Lawson won Congresbury in 1986. I had to check this as I thought the old Woodspring district (as the current North Somerset) always had all out elections which would have put it at 1987 but evidently it elected by thirds up until then. |
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Tony Otim
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Post by Tony Otim on Apr 9, 2022 11:27:30 GMT
I thought he was first elected in 1986? He was. For many years after I had kept a newspaper cutting of the 1986 local election results from the Telegraph (probably the first of many years when I did this) and there was a picture of him with a caption that he was the first elected Green councillor (not entirely accurate I think) Was he maybe a town councillor before? |
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Post by minionofmidas on Apr 9, 2022 16:48:34 GMT
He was. For many years after I had kept a newspaper cutting of the 1986 local election results from the Telegraph (probably the first of many years when I did this) and there was a picture of him with a caption that he was the first elected Green councillor (not entirely accurate I think) Was he maybe a town councillor before? doesn't mention anything of the sort. His Ecology Party membership though goes back to 1975 and his activism to before that, maybe that's what you're thinking of. (Then again, can we trust someone who can't spell Landkreis Göttingen?) |
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Post by tonyhill on Apr 9, 2022 18:38:32 GMT
Well johnloony probably wouldn't.
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Post by andrew111 on Apr 9, 2022 19:36:01 GMT
I suspect that in most cases people strongly motivated by idealism and a desire to change the world are not going to find being a member of a local authority particularly rewarding, particularly given the increasingly limited powers that councils have to do anything except struggle to maintain the status quo. In Brighton the Greens are a reflection of the sort of place that Brighton is rather than having done anything to create a political environment favourable to them. Most people who vote Green do so because they are seen as a cuddly alternative to the other parties - "green is good", a gesture a bit like recycling - rather than with any intention of changing their lifestyle in a way that would make a difference to the future of the planet - giving up driving, foreign holidays, or becoming a vegan for example. Well, Andrew Cooper is 100% entrenched in Newsome ward and is also a Parish Councillor, so I guess he likes it? He learnt his trade as a Young Liberal and the cv I posted above shows he was a Lib Dem constituency organiser, and the playbook is certainly the same. He is also Huddersfield born and bred. |
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David
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Post by David on Apr 10, 2022 6:58:06 GMT
Martin Love was indeed elected 2002, followed by Kevin Warnes in 2003. Both are still councillors in Shipley. The ward first went Green in 2000 when I took it from the Conservatives (served til 2007). Many of the Yorkshire Green cllrs quite resilient! hello there, nice to hear from you. |
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David
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Post by David on Apr 10, 2022 7:00:08 GMT
hello there, nice to hear from you. So who are you "Crimson King"? An old Bradford colleague? |
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