How Brent Greens fared in the GLA and Kilburn elections

There are full details of the Brent and Harrow results on www.wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk.  In summary  we came third in the London Mayoral campaign and Sian Berry achieved the highest number of second preference votes. In the Brent and Harrow constituency contest Jafar Hassan and the Lib Dem candidate jostled for third place with an eventual narrow margin for the Lib Dems. On the London list we won two AM seats for Sian Berry and Caroline Russell with Shahrar Ali just missing out on a third Green seat.

In the Kilburn by-election there was again a narrow margin between Lib Dems and Greens with Pete Murry achieving a 9% vote which is one of our better by-election votes. There was a 7 vote margin between Greens and Lib Dems in the Lib Dem's favour but there was a discrepancy of 14 votes between the total votes cast and each candidate's vote totalled.  A long and arduous recount may have made a difference but it not justifiable for a third place.

This is what the Green Party had to say yesterday:

The Green Party has recorded its best ever election results in London where Sian Berry, the Green Party’s London Mayoral candidate, came third and the Party retained its two London Assembly seats.

On the Assembly, councillors Sian Berry and Caroline Russell replace Baroness Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson, who have both stepped down after 16 years of outstanding service.

The Scottish Greens enjoyed a superb night, growing their representation from two MSPs to six. In winning election, 21-year-old rising star Ross Greer became the youngest-ever MSP .

Reacting to the outstanding results in the capital, Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, said:

The Greens standout results in London demonstrate how a positive campaign with good ideas for London can resonate widely with voters. We thank all our candidates, activists and supporters for delivering our biggest and best campaign in London to date.

Sian Berry said:

Today is a victory for the politics of bringing Londoners together not dividing them. I’m proud that Londoners have voted for good, positive ideas in such numbers. In every vote Greens have cemented our position as the number three party in London, coming third in the vote for mayor, on the Londonwide list and in a majority of constituencies. The immediate priority for Greens on the London Assembly now will be to push the new mayor to make the right decisions on road-building and estate demolitions and to clean up our city’s filthy air.

In the local elections, the Green Party saw strong results in the West Midlands and the South West. In Stroud, where Natalie visited on the eve of the poll, the Party retained five councillors and added three gains. The party retained all its councillors in Solihull and made two gains. The party now have 27 Green Party councillors on 11 councils in its growing West Midlands powerbase (including making a breakthrough in Cannock Chase and winning a hard-fought seat in Worcester that led to the Tories losing control of the council). The party also won a first-ever seat on Weymouth and Portland council.

Reacting to the local election results, Natalie said:

My thanks to everyone who voted Green yesterday, particularly those who voted Green for the first time, of whom I know there were many.

I also want to thank all of the candidates, members and supporters who helped us to stand in the largest-ever number of council seats, 54% in these elections compared to 25% in 2012.

That reflects the growth and development of the Green Party since then, with membership five times larger, and we’re looking forward to the county elections next year to further increase our representation.

The new Green councillors will join a team who are dedicated to standing up for the most disadvantaged, to taking real steps to alleviate the ever-worsening housing crisis, and to helping communities live within the environmental limits of our one fragile planet.

The breakthroughs we have made mean more councils will now have Green voices, voices that scrutinise, challenge, and ask tough questions. Sadly, we have lost some long-term, dedicated, valued councillors in Norwich, Oxford and other places. I thank them for their years of service to their communities and the Green Party and am sure that the parties there will be bouncing back in coming years, with strong representation still on both councils.

The final Green tally of English council seats will not be known until Sunday when the Bristol City council count is completed. Bristol is the Greens’ stronghold in the South-West and the party is poised to increase it representation from 14 councillors.

The Scottish Greens increased the presence in Parliament threefold and achieved almost a 14% increase on their best-ever total in the regional vote across Scotland.

Turning her attention to Scotland, Natalie said:

This was a great night for the Scottish Green Party and they are taking a great team into Holyrood. As well as the much respected Alison Johnstone and Patrick Harvie, Ross Greer will be the youngest MSP and land reform campaigner Andy Wightman will be a formidable force.

If you want more Green Assembly Members vote Green on the orange ballot paper

6 days to go! May 5th isn't just about the Mayor. Here's an amusing video about voting Green on the orange paper..https://t.co/PHUBmEr5ld

— Sian Berry (@sianberry) April 29, 2016

Greens elect Sian Berry as their Mayoral candidate and name their GLA Assembly list

The candidiates book-ended by Jenny Jones and Natalie Bennett

The London Green Party announced this afternoon that Sian Berry will be their candidate for the London Mayoral election in 2015.

She declared,  "London and its land belongs to all of us."

This is what she said in her campaigning statement:
 

For too long our city has been run for the powerful and privileged. But people are refusing to sit quietly. London is full of amazing communities and campaigns building a new kind of politics. In Europe’s other great cities, citizens are voting for real change on the crest of this wave of activism. Why should London miss out?

I ran for Mayor in 2008 taking us from 7th to 4th, winning endorsements from the Independent and Observer. Back then, London Green Party had around 1,000 members – now we have the talent of 12,000. I’m determined we give Londoners the big, open, inspiring campaign they deserve.

As Green candidate for Mayor, I’ll stand up for the 99%

I want Londoners to shape our manifesto, holding open meetings with communities and campaigners on:

• Making housing and rents affordable – brutally neglected by the current Mayor
• Rethinking policing – do we want officers spying on campaigners or investigating tax fraud?
• Reinventing the City – our international finance experts should be creating new ways of doing business that don’t exploit the majority
• Getting to grips with killer air pollution – cutting traffic, reducing fares, and making cycling safe

The Green Party List as voted by members was also announced. Seats are allocated on the position on the list and the overall number of vote for the Green Party in the GLA election. The more votes we get the more canadidiates from the list become Assembly Members,  In the last GLA election the top two, Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson, were elected to the Assembly.

List in order:

1. Sian Berrry
2. Caroline Russell
3. .Jonathan Bartley
4. Noel Lynch
5. Shahar Ali
6. Rashid Nix
7. Tom Chance
8. Benali Hamdache
9. Dee Searle
10. Andrea Carey Fuller
11. Rosemay Warrington

Green Party Mayoral candidates set out their stalls

The six candidates competing to be the Green Party’s London Mayoral candidate came head-to-head yesterday in their first major hustings event.

Councillor’s Sian Berry and Caroline Russell, Party Spokespeople Benali Hamdache, Tom Chance and Jonathan Bartley, and activist and mentor Rashid Nix were quizzed by an audience of over 200 at London’s Birkbeck University.

Debating their campaign priorities and vision for the future of London, the discussion ranged from solving London’s housing crisis, tackling wage inequality, and action on climate change.

Jonathan Bartley said:

"This is a make or break moment for the Green Party in London. It must seize the moment and demonstrate it has come of age. We must reach out beyond our usual core issues and strongholds, and show that we have an offer for every Londoner in every borough.”

Sian Berry said:

“If selected I'll work with campaigns and communities across London and help bring their energy into our campaign. Jenny and Darren’s nearly sixteen years in City Hall have turned the Greens into an established and respected voice, and we can help make this Mayoral election about the people, not just a person.”

Tom Chance said:

“I will work with campaigners and community groups for a London with genuinely affordable housing, more equal pay and streets for people instead of cars. Greens can give people hope of radical changes, with credible policies. I have the experience and expertise to win London to our cause.”

Benali Hamdache said:

“Every day in this city brilliant ideas are formed, great projects realised and creativity flows. We must preserve this dynamism. Inaction over soaring housing, rising costs of transport and toxic air pollution can only threaten our city. Only a Green mayor can deliver the change needed to keep London great.” 

Rashid Nix said:

“The Greens represent an idea whose time has come. After 16 years of red and blue politics, London has become a tale of two cities teetering on the edge of a social and environmental abyss. London makes dollars, but not much sense! The Green message should be broadcast from every rooftop without a solar panel.”

Caroline Russell said:

"I love London, but I believe it can be even better.  It can be both the world's greatest city and the world's greenest city – but only if everyone, from the wealthiest to the poorest, shares in its success. I want London’s dynamic economy to lead a worldwide revolution in social innovation and green technology, with a Mayor committed to ensuring that the benefits are truly shared with everyone who lives here."

The candidates will each now take part in a series of local party hustings. Members have until the end of August to vote for their preferred candidate. The party expects to announce the winner of the ballot in the first week of September.