Ian Martin’s diary

The impending leadership ballot for the Greens - the first to allow members to choose a single leader - is generating a lot of blog chatter and a number of online polls.

It’s a real shame that the two online polls currently running on fellow Green blogger sites only give people the option to choose a leader and a deputy leader but not co-leaders.

Jim Killock’s blog gives Greenies the chance to vote on a long list of potential leaders and deputy leaders… while Peter Cranie has narrowed down the options.

It would be great to see a strong co-leadership team develop rather than the traditional Leader and Deputy Leader route favoured by the uninspiring ‘grey’ parties.

Tescos are opening a new Express store on Bathwick Hill shortly… and is understood to be planning a superstore in the former Bath Press site on Lower Bristol Road - see Bath Chronicle.

This is less than one mile from an existing Sainsburys in one direction and less than one mile from a planned Lidl superstore in the other direction.

The new Tesco Express in Bathwick Hill is next door to an independent retailer which has been trading for years… it is likely that yet another independent retailer will go to the wall because of the increasing takeover by the Tescos of this world.

The British have an obsession with supermarkets despite the fact that one survey after another shows that local markets are up to 50% cheaper for fruit and veg than supermarket chains.

We are certainly paying a high price for the convenience of the supermarket giants…

I have been madly busy over the last few weeks and will be for a few more weeks to come - Corsham Festival is just over two weeks away and I am busy finalising everything.

It is the ninth festival that I have been involved in - the first festival in 2000 still feels like only yesterday in many respects but a lot has happened since those early days.

While that first festival was an entirely voluntary effort, we now have a team of staff and volunteers who help to make it happen - without them it wouldn’t be possible to sustain with our other commitments.

I am looking forward to this year’s festival which I think will be the best yet - I say that every year but I think it is probably true!

Catching up with the post election coverage… here are a few of interest:

Thanks to JimJay and Rupert’s Read for pointing me in the direction of the above.

Great to see that the Green Party achieved some notable successes in the local elections on 1 May, in particular, in Norwich where the Greens leapfrogged the Liberal Democrats to become the official opposition on Norwich City Council.

Our tally of local councillors increased and we retained the two London Assembly members - Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson. Sian Berry did a fantastic job in the Mayoral elections and raised the profile and credibility of the Greens both within London but nationally, particularly as she won the endorsement of two national papers - a first for a Green candidate.

Still working out which is more depressing… the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London or the election of more BNP councillors including the election of Richard Barnbrook to the London Assembly.

Clearly the country is turning blue… even the latest newsletter from the Liberal Democrats in Bath has changed colour from yellow to blue.

I almost mistook it for the Tories’ newsletter!

Apparently for the first time ever, a national newspaper has endorsed a Green Party candidate - the Observer has come out in favour of Sian Berry, the Green Party candidate in Thursday’s London Mayoral election.

The leader recommends that London voters give their first preference vote to Sian and their second preference vote to Ken - see Observer online.

The Independent on Sunday Review magazine also had a very complimentary profile piece - see Independent online.

Footnote: And The Independent also backed Sian too!

For more information visit Vote Green Party

Failed to get to the Green Party spring conference in Reading this weekend as I was unwell but have been catching up on the conference reports at the live conference blog: http://greendespatches.blogspot.com

Happy New Year - I have gone into hibernation and am just beginning to resurface after the festivities.

Having failed miserably to get to grips with the new year, I am postponing making any resolutions for a month - January has simply come to early for me this year!

I have, however, had a good new year clear out and intend to keep on clearing away the clutter, recycle it wherever possible and prepare for renewal in February!

Having blogged a fair bit about the Green Party leadership election, I have not had time since the results were announced to comment on the decision - I have been away for a few days with my family to celebrate my mother’s 60th birthday.

I am pleased that the party had the opportunity to debate the issue and that the result was so decisive - it does settle the matter once and for all and now we can move forward confidently and with renewed energy.

As I have stated before, I am in favour of co-leadership and do hope that prospective co-leaders will emerge as well as single leaders in the future - co-leadership would continue to differentiate the Greens from the ‘grey’ parties.

But as I have said in response to a message from Jim Killock, whether it is co-leaders or a single leader, I am confident that with the calibre of people we have within the party, the Greens will continue to make strong progress at the ballot box.

The critical thing is that the party focuses on the key issues affecting people and the world we live in and communicates radical solutions and policies effectively to the media and the electorate.

And when the Greens achieve greater success and can smell the scent of political power, the party doesn’t water down its policies, shift to the centre (or should I say right) and become the Liberal Democrats MKII !!