As a former lifelong member of the Labour Party, I do support Jamie Driscoll’s aim to challenge the current leadership of the party that has served him and us so ill. However I do not think that is a sound basis for standing down a Green candidate. Indeed, it feels all the more important to distinguish the Green message and prioritise the environment over other issues, however related they be. The ‘soul of the Labour Party ‘ can only be won back by and in the Labour Party & its current objections to PR are aimed at being a party of the ‘status quo’ not of change.
We as Greens cannot take on a slave relationship to even ‘the soul’ of another party, particularly when that party has abandoned the politics of principle on nearly every issue but particularly on green issues. Indeed, Labour currently manifest little prominence even for the ‘sustainable’ word these days when they promote economic growth. So Position 2 in the current options for me: the Party should stand a Mayoral candidate.
All the best
Steve
Steve_Bamlett_blog 