The Green Party

Monica, that makes sense to me

Caroline Lucas does lots of good work in parliament.
If she was just another Labour member she would not be noticed as much.
I think she gets asked by the speaker more often than many Labour MPs because she is on her own.
Hopefully after this election she will not be.

Jalima, I meant you still haven't said why you said that Natalie Bennett is no longer the leader.
Why did you say that?

This is interesting.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/30/labour-figures-call-for-candidates-to-step-aside-for-greens-in-two-seats

I swear I hadn't read it before I wrote the post about Caroline Lucas.

I like the Tory response.

'A Conservative spokesman said: “This is proof that Jeremy Corbyn’s MPs are already building a coalition of chaos to prop him up in Downing Street. The result would be nonsensical policies that would crash the economy, weaken the union and put Brexit at risk – in contrast to the strong and stable leadership of Theresa May and the Conservatives.” '

So original.

They need some new spin doctors!

Jalima, I meant you still haven't said why you said that Natalie Bennett is no longer the leader.
Why did you say that?

Although she was quite high profile she did not engage people as Caroline Lucas can.
Perhaps her approach was off-putting to many people.

That is the kindest thing I can say.

I agree with you there. I could never understand why she was chosen.
I do like Jonathan Bartlett. He'd make a good MP.

Sorry, Bartley. You'd think I could get his name right.
Must be the gin.

I liked Natalie Bennett but I think Caroline Lucas is an exceptionally likeable and courteous who is nevertheless able to put her argument across very effectively without becoming unpleasant.

Caroline Lucas may get more chances than average to speak in the Commons, but does anyone there actually take any notice of what she says on any particular topic?

By the way, who is the leader of the Green Party? In the last election it was Natalie someone or another. Is she still the leader, if not who is?

Come on, Monica, keep up. The answer is in the thread, and it's not that long.

Caroline Lucas has started quite a few EDMs. She is on the energy bill committee and the affordable homes bill committee, both rather important in my view.

She has never voted against her party line!

she is the only MP for the Green Party, there is no one else there who can ask questions for the greens

I think we all know that, Annie.

www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24910/caroline_lucas/brighton%2C_pavilion/votes

Jen, you said you think she gets asked more than etc, is not 'I think ' an opinion and not a fact

There is no easy answer, Teetime. This thread shows some of the issues. We have to wait, first of all, to see which candidates are standing in our constituency. You would never know it from the media, but we can only vote for our own local representative, not Mrs May or Mr Corbyn. We don't have a president. Voting Green may not be an a option for you.

More waiting — until we can see the manifestos. Remember, these are only lists of wishes and dreams. No Party can guarantee to do what it says. And when you look at the two or three main policies, decide based on those, because those are all that may possibly be carried out. Don't reject any party on the content of page 50! You will never agree with everything any Party says.

Then there is the question of sleeping well after the election. If you want to change the system, you may have to watch someone you didn't support go to Westminster, but be sure that the numbers of votes cast for each Party will be given lots of publicity. Compare the number of votes cast for each party with the number of MPs elected under their banner. It is clearly unfair. We need to change the system, but in a carefully considered way, not to AV which we wisely rejected. In a marginal seat, put you convictions on one side, and vote for the best candidate who has a chance of stopping what you DON'T want.

We only have one vote. We have to use it as best we may and hope that someone in the madhouse of Wesrminster may notice that (sadly) most of us vote 'not-***' -- fill in the relevant blank for your area — not positively for anything. No wonder things are in a mess!

Personally I would vote for anyone who didn't keep churning out the nursery rhyme chants they seem to think pass for policy. I have stopped listening to 'strong-and-stable' and 'the-many-not-the-few'. Just like 'take-back-control'!

Do you know about Make Votes Matter, shinyredcar?

www.labour.org.uk/index.php/shapeourmanifesto/

Interesting. I wonder how that link managed to change.
Try this one.

www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/labour4pr/

Re our voting system, there are different types of proportional representation voting systems. The one that the Lib Dems opted for in exchange for reneging on their promise to abolish student tuition fees, was, according to most experts, the worst of all possible methods.

I would like to see proportional representstion but I think I and the general public would benefit from some real education as to how the various systems operate.

The Lib Dems never favoured AV, although it would have been an improvement on FPTP. The system the Lib Dems preferred, and still do, is STV - single transferable vote in multi-member constituencies.

Tuition fees were introduced by Labour, and raised by the Tories. In a coalition policy promises cannot always be kept, especially when one party is dominant. The LibDems acquiesced in the Tories demand to raise the fees (which I think was a mistake). In return the LibDem policy pupil premium was enacted. Nothing to do with PR.

Not to do with AV or anything, but something Green Party members might be interested in.

globaldivestmentmobilisation.org/

There are certain meetings over the rest of the month to do with divestment of fossil fuels, etc., in particular with your pension funds and banks.

Can you be a member of two political parties? Just interested, really, and I wondered if you are a member of Labour and of the Greens djen. Is it possible?

I would not join any one because my allegiance is not to any party in particular.

You cannot be a member of the Labour party if you are a member of any other political party.
That's why Annie's accusations of people being communists in the labour party is fatuous. She knows it, too, if she is a member, so I don't know why she carries on saying so.

I have no idea if it's the same for other parties.

I don't know as I have never felt inclined to join any party.

Did you have to resign from the Green Party then?