Green Party spring conference diary

 

Darren Johnson

 

email

print

Also in this section:

• Missing you already

Amber Elliott

• Total Focus- Skills and Training

• Total Focus- Education

• Total Focus- Transport

• Top 50 political influencers

• In Conversation with David Owen

Iain Dale

• Striving for equality

Ben Duckworth and Iain Dale

• Our one and only Mo

Simon Walters

• Breaking the last taboo

Laurie Penny

• Total Focus- Energy

The Green Party held its annual spring conference over the weekend. Darren Johnson, London Assembly Member and Green Party candidate for Lewisham Deptford, gives insight into the four days

 

 

 

Day 1

 

Day one of the Green Party's spring conference in Finchley Art Depot. Last time I came to this venue was a decade ago to protest about it being built. But now it's here, let's make the most of it! The early part of the day was all small workshops and fringes. But campaigners from Brighton Pavilion, Lewisham Deptford and Norwich South (the party's top three general election targets) set to work enticing members to help their respective campaigns with rival stalls. Brighton were first to set up, with a lavish exhibition of full colour photos of Caroline Lucas in action. Then came my own seat Lewisham - offering free cakes to any volunteers who signed up. Last on the pitch was Norwich with a big batch of Adrian Ramsay glossy magazines.

 

After some fairly tedious discussions about the order of conference business, we got on to debating policy motions. First off was a motion aimed at reducing income inequality. This was passed and would oblige organisations to pay their highest paid employee or contractor no more than ten times the lowest paid. There's a lot of academic evidence to show that a more equally society is a happier, healthier and more cohesive one so I was delighted to speak in favour of this.  Some of these themes were followed through in the panel debate on low pay I took part in later on. Neil Jameson of London Citizens said some very kind words about working with Greens in the London Assembly on the Living Wage campaign and Rys Farthing from the Child Poverty Action Group was also very inspiring.

 

My partner Dean has gone of home, everyone else is at the Green Party Quiz downstairs while I'm here next to a solitary press officer rattling this off.

 

 

Day 2

 

The day started with me introducing Caroline Lucas for her keynote leader's speech.  An excellent speech that got the crowd going and highlighted the key themes for our general election campaign - creating new jobs, protecting the NHS and tackling inequality. After that much of the day was given over to training events and workshops. I missed all of these in favour of hanging out around the exhibition stalls enticing people to come to Lewisham to help with the general election campaign. Then there was a voting session on organisational business. At various times in the party's history (changing the party's name from Ecology to Green, electing a single leader etc), these have been hugely controversial and stirred up passionate debate. Nothing like that today though. Some modest changes to internal election rules and a few other bits and pieces. I then get called away by the press office to do an interview for Radio 4 on Drax and the failure of the government's energy policy. Evening in a local restaurant with the paid and volunteer crew from the press office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3

 

I'm skiving off conference today. Or rather I'm sensibly prioritising campaigning in Lewisham Deptford. Door knocking with a team of volunteers and getting some good responses. Quite a few people had heard extracts from Caroline's speech on Radio 4, where she name-checked Lewisham. Cheers Caroline. Normally Saturday nights of any party conference are one long night of drunken excess. But at 10.30pm, I'm tucked up in bed waiting to do a phone interview with George Galloway on Talksport - I didn't tell him I was in bed. Sorry George.

 

 

Day 4

 

It's Sunday morning. I'm at the venue bright and early with no hangover and a completely clear head. Yesterday I'd missed a session updating our health policy. Out went some of the more eccentric bits of green party policy (opposing stem cell research, prioritising homeopathy on the NHS and preaching at people to brush their teeth more) and in came a clearer, scientifically-based and mature approach to health policy. The absolute commitment to the NHS as a public service and the opposition to creeping privatisation remains but it's now written in a way I can talk to the people of Lewisham about, not just the hippies of Totnes. Conference ended with closing speeches from myself and deputy leader Adrian Ramsay urging people not simply to go back to their own constituencies - but to come to Brighton, Lewisham and Norwich for the final push.