Wednesday 27 July 2022

My guide to the 2022 Green Party Deputy Leader & GPEx elections

The 2022 Green Party Deputy Leader and Green Party Executive (GPEx) elections


It's that time of the year again where Green Party of England and Wales members get to vote for members of our national executive (GPEx), including the deputy leader election. It seems that is all I use this blog for these days, and well yes that's currently true. Every year half of the members of GPEx are elected for a 2 year term. This year we are electing our deputy leader as we elected our co-leaders last year and so they're not up for re-election yet. It remains to be seen if or when the leadership elections will be reset so they're taken together. This post is for my endorsements for who I think members should be voting for and why.

It is clear now we are in the run up to a general election and who we elect to GPEx and as deputy leader will really shape how well we do in the next general election. From how well our leadership team performs with the media, to how we communicate with our members, to how our social media is run, to how much of our party's resources are put into winning elections, to how our spokespeople are selected, to being in charge of staff including the party's CEO. These are just an example of some of the things that are decided by GPEx. No individual member of GPEx can promise that they will make the difference between us having a poor general election result and gaining several MPs. However, collectively GPEx runs the day-to-day business of the party. This really makes a difference to influencing new members to join and winning more councillors and eventually more MPs.

As I have stated in pervious years, there are some red lines for which I am unwilling to give a vote preference to. I will not vote for any gender critical or otherwise transphobic candidate - we need to be a party that supports transgender people without question. I will not support any candidate who doesn't think that winning elections is the top priority for the party, and yes there a some candidates I believe to be standing on a platform of deprioritising electoral activity. I will not vote for anyone on the right of the party. There's not too many members who are actually full on right wing, but there are members who are not left wing on social issues or are bad on issues of liberation. The majority of candidates who don't get an endorsement from me fall into one or more of these categories, and in my opinion it would be disastrous for the party to elect these candidates.

Deputy Leader

Zack Polanski


Zack Polanski is the favourite to take over from Amelia Womack as deputy leader. Zack is currently one of the 3 Green Party London Assembly members getting elected in 2021. Zack has shown that he is very capable of performing well in media interviews as he has when he's been on the BBC or on LBC or other news outlets. He is an effective Assembly Member holding Sadiq Kahn and the ruling administration to account. Zack is progressive, supportive of workers struggles, of liberation of marginalized groups. He's been a great electoral campaigner as well, supporting several successful election campaigns in London and further afield. Electing Zack as deputy leader would be a boost to our leadership and would drag it in a left wing direction.

You can find out more about Zack's campaign for deputy leader on his website here: https://vote.zackpolanski.com/

Tyrone Scott


Tyrone Scott is one to watch out for. He's on the up. 6 months ago I'm not sure I had even heard of him. But I've had a whole host of people singing his praises. He's very active in the Young Greens and is a target candidate in Hackney. This May at the council elections in the target seat he was a candidate for he lost out by over 500 votes to Labour. In a by-election in the same seat just 2 weeks ago on 7th July - 2 months after the local elections, he missed out on being a councillor by just 27 votes. He hasn't gotten the experience that Zack has, but that doesn't mean he is lacking in any competency. Tyrone is on the left of the party, an eco-socialist and avid climate activist as well as an anti racist activist. Tyrone has exactly the right values and ideas for this party and regardless of how well he performs in this election he has a bright future in the Green Party and in radical progressive politics.

Chair

Melanie Earp and Ash Routh


My absolute top endorsement for chair is the job share of Ash Routh and Melanie Earp (formerly Melanie Horrocks). I've known both of these women for a few years and they have both done wonderful things for the party. I first met Mel in my local party around 2018 when she was a council candidate for us in a non-target seat. I was then her election agent when she stood for the party in the 2019 General Election in the Manchester Central constituency where she more than doubled the Green Party's vote share. She was later selected to be the candidate for the Mayor of Greater Manchester election and this is where she really stood out. She was very able to give Andy Burnham a run for his money in the many hustings and he even complemented her in his victory speech. Mel has many years experience as a lawyer which is very useful experience for chairing the country's 4th largest political party.

Ash is no stranger to this role having run for GPEx previously, for chair in 2020 and for Equality & Diversity Coordinator in 2021. Ash is a former co-chair of LGBTIQA+ Greens and currently sits on Standing Orders Committee (SOC) which runs many of the democratic processes of the party particularly at conference. She has years of experience helping with local election campaigns and working within the party through liberation groups or conference and now SOC.

Mel and Ash have always championed progressive inclusive politics as well as focussing on winning elections and becoming a credible party with more functional internal structures. The chair of GPEx is such an important role as this role can initiate or hamper getting action taken. There are a lot of problems in the party from funding election campaigning to fighting transphobia in the party to being an inclusive party. In my view, Mel and Ash are the only candidates standing for chair who are willing to tackle all of these issues as much as they are able to with the role of chair of GPEx.

Jon Nott


Jon Nott is someone who I have previously endorsed for GPEx for Finance Coordinator, which is essentially treasurer of the party. Jon currently holds this role and has done for a good number of years and I think he does an excellent job. Jon has plenty of experience relevant to the role of chair such as being a director of several large organisations as well as being the Green Party's first ever Chief Executive. Under his watch as Chief Executive the Green Party elected Caroline Lucas as an MP for the first time. While Mel and Ash are overwhelmingly receiving my first preference for chair because they want to tackle the issues we face as a party, Jon is getting a decent second preference because he is the only other candidate who I have faith in who will not make our problems worse and he may well make progress on sorting out some of the issues. He's progressive and trans inclusive and is someone who I would be happy working with as chair of GPEx.

Campaigns Coordinator

Sadly, nobody is getting an endorsement from me for campaigns coordinator and I might even put re-open nominations as my only preference for Campaigns Coordinator.

Elections Coordinator

Brian Candeland



I'm quite excited to see Brian stand for this role. Brian is in my local party and I work with him a lot in our Target To Win team. I also work with him on the committee of the Greater Manchester Federation of Green Parties for who he is chair. I could tell you a hundred stories about Brian. Such as, he has been standing as a candidate for the Green Party longer than I've been alive (1987 I was born). He's stood for almost everything you can stand as a candidate for, council elections, MEP elections, General Elections. He might hold the record for the Green Party member who has stood in the most elections without ever getting elected. This is not because he isn't good enough, but possibly through lack of personal ambition. Brian is the current elections coordinator for the North West Green Party overseeing record election victories over the last couple of sets of council elections. Brian was the person who taught me all the basics about standing as a candidate for the Green Party and I remember as a student helping him by collecting nomination signatures for candidates in non-target wards. Brian is always supportive of the region's election campaigns, making it to almost all of the action days and playing an active role supporting where he can. He's be in many different roles throughout his years in the party - local party chair, local party elections officer (which I now hold), regional party chair, regional party elections officer and North West rep on the Green Party Regional Council. The Green Party Executive is only of the only bodies he has never run for. Brian has realistic ambitions for the party and will fight for the resources to achieve what is feasible for us to win. There is always a debate in the party about where our election resources should go and how many MPs we will elect at the next general election. Brian isn't promising us that we will gain 3 or 4 new MPs as other GPEx candidates are suggesting we can achieve. Instead Brian will work with the election team (Head of Elections, the field team, etc) to ensure we have an elections strategy that will maximise our chances of winning that second MP at the very least.

External Communications Coordinator

Dylan Lewis-Creser



Dylan is a Young Green who has been in the party for the last 5 years. The former chair of Under 18s Young Greens, Dylan is currently the equality & diversity officer for the Young Greens, the secretary for the LGBTIQA+ Greens, and has been on their local party committee under various roles for the last 2 years. Dylan is a progressive, bringing motions to the Young Greens and to the national party conference to explicitly call the Green Party and eco-socialist party. It's absolutely clear to me that there is only one progressive choice for External Communications Coordinator and it is Dylan Lewis-Creser.

Management Coordinator

Stacy Smith



Stacy Smith is a member living in Greenwich, London. Until she announced her candidacy, I have to admit I had never heard of her. However, after the endorsement of many members in London and researching her I'm absolutely convinced she is the only candidate for Management Coordinator worthy of our support. At this May's council elections she missed out on getting elected as a councillor by just 68 votes. She runs a women's charity in Greenwich providing many services for women and girls. This involves dealing with managing staff and a budget of medium sized organisations far larger than the Green Party. She supports decent progressive and trans inclusive politics and is well worth our support.

Internal Communications Coordinator

Georgie Oatley and Nannette Youssef



Internal Communications Coordinator is another role where I wasn't that aware of the candidates that I'm choosing to back. Nannette Youssef is probably the person I'm more familiar with. She was elected as a councillor in Norwich and served a 3 year term 2019-2022, she's been chair of her local party, and been on the committees of the Young Greens and Green Party Women. Georgie Oatley is on the committees for the Young Greens and for the Eastern Region. Georgie and Nannette are the candidates who again will do what they can in their role as Internal Communications Coordinator to tackle the issues we have in the party and ensure that our internal communications are managed in the right way. They have the right progressive politics and the right ideas for our party. They both have professional experience working within communications or policy for ethical or progressive organisations.

David Farbey


David Farbey is another candidate for Internal Comms that I'm happy to give my support to. David is very active in his local party and in the London regional party, being treasurer for both. He has over 25 years of professional experience in communications in the technology industry but is now retired so will have time to dedicate to the role. I hadn't heard of David before this election, but I've heard a lot of good things from people in the party I trust. If elected David would like to better coordinate emails that members receive from their national party, regional party and local party and ensure that there are a lot fewer emails and that it is easier for party members to opt in and out of whatever emails they wish to receive from the party. David would also like to see an improved members' website that is easier to navigate with easier to find information.

International Coordinator

Elise Benjamin and Frank Sheridan



There's only one candidate for International Coordinator and that is as a job share, and one I'm delighted to support. I've known Elise Benjamin for the majority of my membership of the Green Party after meeting her at several Green Party conferences. Elise is a former councillor for 15 and Lord Mayor in Oxford. She is a former chair of the Association of Green Councillors, active in Jewish Greens and on the Equality & Diversity Committee. Elise has represented the Green Party of England and Wales at various international events including the most recent European Green Council meeting. Frank is active with the Global Greens and the Green Party's International Committee as well as working internationally. These two candidates are well placed to do an excellent job as International Coordinator. Knowing Elise (I've never had the pleasure of meeting Frank) I know she is fully committed to ensuring the Green Party is committed to inclusion and progressive politics and has been active in the party since the late 1980s.

Trade Union Liaison Officer

Matthew Hull



Matthew Hull is one of my favourite members of the party and he is a constant inspiration for me. I'm a union rep at my workplace and have recently taken over as secretary of my union branch. Matthew has always encouraged my trade union activity and has encouraged me to write about my union for Bright Green and has asked me to join the committee for the Green Party Trade Union Group (which I couldn't commit to at the time). Matthew is chair of the Green Party Trade Union Group and does a fantastic job of organising trade unionists in the party. He is also the trade union liaison officer for London Green Party. I couldn't think of a single member more suited to the role of Trade Union Liaison Officer than Matthew Hull. Matthew is always letting me know of solidarity action that I could get my local party involved with in Manchester (such as supporting strikes) and I was so impressed with his work on providing information on how the Greens can support the recent and ongoing RMT strikes. Along with another member he lead the Green Party's work on supporting the NHS Pay 15 campaign as well as supporting the campaign for £15 an hour minimum wage. Matthew is a true socialist and a true progressive. I just can't sing his praises enough. Matthew is the only candidate I am voting for for this role.

Go and Vote!

Green Party members can vote from 1st August through until the 30th of August 2022. An email will be sent to members.

There are several hustings that have taken place from various groups such as regional parties and liberation groups that have been posted online on the members' website. There may be one or two more hustings left to go but I'm not aware of any. It's so important that we get members to go out and vote, and to vote for the right candidates. Please speak to members in your local party about voting. The turnout in these elections is often less than 10%. Please share this blog post and spread the information around. Results will be announced in September and by Autumn Conference we should have a new Deputy Leader and members of GPEx.