Principal Speaker
Encyclopedia
Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales
but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader. There were two Principal Speakers, one female and one male, who were elected annually at the Green Party's Autumn Conference and held no vote on the Green Party Executive (GPEx).
A referendum passed on 30 November 2007 has abolished the posts and a leader and deputy were elected at Autumn Conference on September 5, 2008.
"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.
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. This left a system that neither side in the 2007 leadership referendum was happy with.
use the Principal Speaker system. In particular, the Wales Green Party
has a Leader, Leila Kiersch, and Deputy Leader John Matthews. The North West of England also appoints a Leader, currently Cllr. John Whitelegg
. 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.
, were struck by the how "constructive" the debate turned out to be.
On Friday November 30, 2007 the ballots were counted and members voted 73% to 27% in favour of the new leadership model with a 48.3% turnout of Green Party members.
MEP, Siân Berry
, Cllr. Darren Johnson
AM (a Green
member of the London Assembly
), environmental commentator and Green
member Mark Lynas
, former Principal Speaker Jonathon Porritt
, councillors from Lewisham, Brighton, Norwich, Leicester and Lancaster, and 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.
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".
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. Darren Johnson
characterizes the lack of single leader as "just a ridiculous barrier in terms of getting our really important message across".
, Cllr. Jenny Jones
AM (a Green
member of the 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 London Assembly
member), councillors from Scarborough, Lewisham, York, Norwich and Hackney, and members of the Green Party Executive (GPEx), including Campaigns Coordinator, Tim Summers, and Pete McAskie (Management Coordinator). Some members, like Cllr. Matt Sellwood, while in favour of a Leader system in principle, were opposed to the current referendum because the term of reelection would be extended to two years.
Supporters of Green Empowerment wanted to "uphold the Green Party's long-standing commitment to non-hierarchical structures and 'grassroots' democracy" through "collective leadership". They believed 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 focused on retaining gender balance in party structures, and avoiding the dilution of their radical policies. They focused 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 at the time of the referendum, where the party has over 100 councilors along with two members of the European Parliament
and two members of the London Assembly
.
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." 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". Wall
also opposed the reduction in numbers of Principal Speakers from six to two in 1992, as advocated by the Green 2000
group.
, without a contest.
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader. There were two Principal Speakers, one female and one male, who were elected annually at the Green Party's Autumn Conference and held no vote on the Green Party Executive (GPEx).
A referendum passed on 30 November 2007 has abolished the posts and a leader and deputy were elected at Autumn Conference on September 5, 2008.
Role and history
The Principal Speakers performed the public and media roles 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. 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 PartyGreen Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
"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.
There were six Principal Speakers in the UK Green Party
Green Party (UK)
The Green Party was a Green political party in the United Kingdom. It has been succeeded by three political parties:* the Green Party of England and Wales* the Green Party in Northern Ireland* the Scottish Green Party- PEOPLE, 1973–1975 :...
until 1991, when changes introduced by the Green 2000
Green 2000
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 by the year 2005.-Overview:...
grouping reduced this to two and streamlined the organisation of the party. This left a system that neither side in the 2007 leadership referendum was happy with.
Regional variations
Not all regions of the Green PartyGreen Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
use the Principal Speaker system. In particular, the Wales Green Party
Wales Green Party
The Wales Green Party is a semi-autonomous political party within the Green Party of England and Wales . It covers Wales, and is the only regional party with autonomous status within the GPEW....
has a Leader, Leila Kiersch, and Deputy Leader John Matthews. The North West of England also appoints a Leader, currently Cllr. John Whitelegg
John Whitelegg
John Whitelegg is visiting Professor of Sustainable Transport at Liverpool John Moores University and Professor of Sustainable Development at University of York's Stockholm Environment Institute....
. However, some regional and local groups have adopted the gender balance principle and emulated the Principal Speaker structure, including the LSE Students' Union
LSE Students' Union
The London School of Economics Students' Union is the representative and campaigning body for students at The London School of Economics and Political Science...
Green Party, who have a Female and Male Co-Chair.
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. Despite the controversial nature of this issue, many participants, such as Siân BerrySiân Berry
Siân Berry is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's Principal Speakers...
, were struck by the how "constructive" the debate turned out to be.
On Friday November 30, 2007 the ballots were counted and members voted 73% to 27% in favour of the new leadership model with a 48.3% turnout of Green Party members.
The 'Pro-Leader' side - Green Yes
Supporters of the 'Green Yes' campaign for a yes vote in the referendum include the then Female Principal Speaker Dr. Caroline LucasCaroline Lucas
Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...
MEP, Siân Berry
Siân Berry
Siân Berry is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's Principal Speakers...
, Cllr. Darren Johnson
Darren Johnson
Darren Paul Johnson is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales...
AM (a Green
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
member of the London Assembly
London Assembly
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 majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
), environmental commentator and Green
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
member Mark Lynas
Mark Lynas
Mark Lynas is a British author, journalist and environmental activist who focuses on climate change. He is a contributor to New Statesman, Ecologist, Granta and Geographical magazines, and The Guardian and The Observer newspapers in the UK; he also worked on the film The Age of Stupid...
, former Principal Speaker Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Espie Porritt, CBE, is an English environmentalist and writer. Porritt appears frequently in the media, writing in magazines, newspapers and books, and appearing on radio and television regularly.-Early life and family background:...
, councillors from Lewisham, Brighton, Norwich, Leicester and Lancaster, and 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.
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".
Mark Lynas
Mark Lynas
Mark Lynas is a British author, journalist and environmental activist who focuses on climate change. He is a contributor to New Statesman, Ecologist, Granta and Geographical magazines, and The Guardian and The Observer newspapers in the UK; he also worked on the film The Age of Stupid...
, in several editions of his New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
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. Darren Johnson
Darren Johnson
Darren Paul Johnson is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales...
characterizes the lack of single leader as "just a ridiculous barrier in terms of getting our really important message across".
The 'Anti-Leader' side - Green Empowerment
Supporters of the 'Green Empowerment' campaign for a no vote in the leadership referendum include the then Male Principal Speaker Dr. Derek WallDerek Wall
Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having...
, Cllr. Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones (Green politician)
Jenny Jones is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. She currently represents the Green Party in the London Assembly, and is standing to be Mayor of London in the 2012 elections. She was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2003 to June 2004...
AM (a Green
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
member of the London Assembly
London Assembly
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 majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
), the late Lord Beaumont of Whitley
Timothy Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley
Timothy Wentworth Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley was a United Kingdom politician and an Anglican clergyman. He was politically active, successively, in the Liberal Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party...
(Green
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
), prominent human rights campaigner and Green
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
member Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell
Peter Gary Tatchell is an Australian-born British political campaigner best known for his work with LGBT social movements...
, Noel Lynch
Noel Lynch
Noel Lynch is a politician living in England and a prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. He represented the Green Party on the London Assembly between 2 May 2003 and 10 June 2004, after replacing Victor Anderson who resigned. Due to a fall in the Green vote, he did not retain...
(London Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
Coordinator and former London Assembly
London Assembly
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 majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
member), councillors from Scarborough, Lewisham, York, Norwich and Hackney, and members of the Green Party Executive (GPEx), including Campaigns Coordinator, Tim Summers, and Pete McAskie (Management Coordinator). Some members, like Cllr. Matt Sellwood, while in favour of a Leader system in principle, were opposed to the current referendum because the term of reelection would be extended to two years.
Supporters of Green Empowerment wanted to "uphold the Green Party's long-standing commitment to non-hierarchical structures and 'grassroots' democracy" through "collective leadership". They believed 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 focused on retaining gender balance in party structures, and avoiding the dilution of their radical policies. They focused 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 at the time of the referendum, where the party has over 100 councilors along with two members of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and two members of the London Assembly
London Assembly
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 majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
.
Derek Wall
Derek Wall
Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having...
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." 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". Wall
Derek Wall
Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having...
also opposed the reduction in numbers of Principal Speakers from six to two in 1992, as advocated by the Green 2000
Green 2000
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 by the year 2005.-Overview:...
group.
Incumbents prior to 1992 (six elected annually)
- Sara ParkinSara ParkinSara Parkin is a former Green Party of England and Wales activist and politician. She rose to prominence during and after the 1989 European election, in which the Green Party received 15% of the vote...
- Jim BerreenJim BerreenJim Berreen was a prominent member of the Green Party in the 1980s and 90s and an academic. He remains a member of the party. He became a special needs teacher in the mid 1990s and retired from full-time teaching in 2010...
- Andrew Simms
- Jean LambertJean LambertJean Denise Lambert is an English politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the London Region. A member of the Green Party of England and Wales, she has been an MEP since 1999...
- David SpavenDavid SpavenDavid Spaven was a Scottish Green Party Speaker before the separation of the English/Welsh and Scottish parties in 1991. He worked as a British Rail manager for 18 years until 1995....
- Derek WallDerek WallDerek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having...
Incumbents after 1992
| Year | Male principal speaker | Female principal speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Feb-Sep 1992 | Richard Lawson Richard Lawson (Green politician) Richard Lawson is an environmentalist and politician in England.Born in 1946, Lawson became a doctor in 1969 and joined the Ecology Party, forerunner of the Green Party, in about 1977. In 1979, he joined a general practice in Congresbury, Somerset. He was elected to Woodspring District Council in... |
Jean Lambert Jean Lambert Jean Denise Lambert is an English politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the London Region. A member of the Green Party of England and Wales, she has been an MEP since 1999... |
| 1992–1993 | Mallen Baker | Jean Lambert |
| 1993–1994 | John Cornford | Jan Clark Jan Clark Jan Clark is an environmentalist and politician in the United Kingdom.Living in South Ferriby, North Lincolnshire, Clark worked as a deputy headteacher. In 1982, she joined the Ecology Party, following concerns about nitrate levels in drinking water... |
| 1994–1995 | David Taylor David Taylor (Green politician) David Taylor is an environmentalist and politician in England.Taylor was a founder member of the Green Party of England and Wales. In the 1980s, he founded the Green Gatherings festival, and also organised the litter picking at the Glastonbury Festival... |
Jan Clark |
| 1995–1996 | David Taylor | Peg Alexander Peg Alexander Peg Alexander is a former politician in the United Kingdom.Alexander worked as the co-ordinator of the National Group on Homeworking. From 1995 until 1997, she served as Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales, alongside David Taylor... |
| 1996–1997 | David Taylor | Peg Alexander |
| 1997–1998 | Mike Woodin Mike Woodin Michael Edward Woodin was the Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales and a city councillor for Oxford from 1994 to 2004... |
- |
| 1998–1999 | Mike Woodin | Jean Lambert |
| 1999–2000 | Mike Woodin | Margaret Wright Margaret Wright Margaret Wright is a Green Party politician, since 2008 a city councillor for Abbey Ward on Cambridge City Council in England. She was one of the Principal Speakers of the Green Party, a post she held with Darren Johnson, from 1999 to 2003.... |
| 2000–2001 | Mike Woodin | Margaret Wright |
| 2001–2002 | Darren Johnson Darren Johnson Darren Paul Johnson is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales... |
Margaret Wright |
| 2002–2003 | Darren Johnson | Margaret Wright |
| 2003–2004 | Mike Woodin | Caroline Lucas Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom... |
| 2004–2005 | Keith Taylor | Caroline Lucas |
| 2005–2006 | Keith Taylor | Caroline Lucas |
| 2006–2007 | Derek Wall Derek Wall Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having... |
Sian Berry Siân Berry Siân Berry is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's Principal Speakers... |
| 2007–2008 | Derek Wall | Caroline Lucas |
2007
| Female Principal Speaker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Caroline Lucas Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom... |
1,190 | 78.0 | |
| Jenny Jones Jenny Jones (Green politician) Jenny Jones is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. She currently represents the Green Party in the London Assembly, and is standing to be Mayor of London in the 2012 elections. She was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2003 to June 2004... |
335 | 22.0 | |
| Male Principal Speaker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Derek Wall Derek Wall Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having... |
752 | 49.6 | |
| Darren Johnson Darren Johnson Darren Paul Johnson is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales... |
625 | 41.3 | |
| Ashley Gunstock Ashley Gunstock Ashley Gunstock is a British actor, political activist and schoolteacher.-Career:He is best known for playing the role of PC Robin Frank in the long running drama television series, The Bill, on ITV.... |
138 | 9.1 | |
2006
The Female Principal Speaker post was won by Sian BerrySiân Berry
Siân Berry is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's Principal Speakers...
, without a contest.
| Male Principal Speaker election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Derek Wall Derek Wall Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having... |
767 | 52.1 | |
| Keith Taylor | 705 | 47.9 | |
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