The Results Are In! (Part 3 - Green Party Male Principal Speaker)

Pleased to announce that fellow Green Left blogger Derek Wall (of Another Green World) has just been elected Green Party of England and Wales Male Principal Speaker. (The Party has two principal speakers, one male and one female - the female principal speaker is currently Sian Berry who is also an occasional blogger and is curently the Green candidate in a hard fought local council by-election in Kentish Town, North London)

Congratulations Derek - I am sure you will do a good job!
Derek, a former principal speaker from the Green Party's electoral breakthrough year of 1989, has written and co-written a number of books, including one which encouraged me to get active in the Green Party once again.

Derek's election statement -

Statement.

I am pleased, flattered and surprised to be elected as Green Party Male Principal Speaker. I have dedicated my entire adult life to the promotion of green politics since realising as a 14 year old back in 1979 that green politics is the politics of survival. Infinite economic growth is impossible on a finite planet, today we consume on average globally 85 million barrels of oil a day. This cannot continue, to sustain the diversity and beauty of life on our planet means we must think deeply about how we transform our economy, our lifestyle and our political institutions.

Green politics based on the four principles of ecology, social justice, non violence and grassroots democracy is the only way forward. The greenhouse effect is just one symptom of an unsustainable and unjust system.

I have taken direct action against road construction in the 1990s, written five books on green politics, contested numerous elections and I look forward to promoting the Green Party with energy and creativity.

For me environmental concerns are vital but they can only be solved through social and economic change. Green Party policies in the Manifesto promote such an understanding and I aim to publicise them as widely as possible.

Finally I would like to thank everyone involved in the election process, in contrast to the Labour Party where challengers face huge obstacles to even getting on to the ballot paper, democracy in the Green Party is vigorous and open to ordinary members.


My success was inspired by the people I consider my mentors especially Nandor Tanczos, New Zealand MP who prefaced my book Babylon and Beyond, and the late Walt Sheasby who sadly died in 2004 as result of the Nile Virus, spread in California by rising temperatures. Walt’s commitment to the US Green Party and his ecosocialist activism must never be forgotton.

I would call on all those who oppose war especially the suicidal conflict in Iraq, who believe that people are more important than profit, who oppose assaults on civil liberties and care about the natural world, to join the Greens and work for change.

I blogged some time ago about the Sustainable Communities Bill Campaign
Many Green Party members have been working hard to support the Sustainable Communities Bill. Yesterday, the Tory Nick Hurd, MP for Ruislip-Northwood, was the first MP drawn in the Private Members Ballot and he has agreed to adopt the Bill and take it through Parliament. The Local Works campaign wishes to express its thanks to all of the Green Party members who have supported its work, and asks for their continuing support.