GREEN IS THE COLOUR - CAROLINE LUCAS IS THE NAME

Those that know me well will be aware that my lifestyle cannot be described as representative of a truly Green philosophy. I am something of a petrolhead,  I travel regularly by air on business and cannot declare myself to be a great lover of public transport. But I try to make my contribution to the environment.I recycle as much as possible, I turn down the central heating by that extra degree - and having recently purchased a meter to calculate my kilowatt usage from moment to moment - you will find me running from room to room, turning off lights at every opportunity. However it would be hypocritical of me to declare myself a completely friendly resident of planet Earth. 

My interest in the Green Party started when my aunt put herself forward to stand as the Green Party candidate in Brighton Hove some years ago. She stood at a time that the Greens were mentioned in the same breath as CND and before the ecological crisis was even a twinkle in the government’s eye. Despite the attention being garnered by Green Politicians at European level and within other European parliaments, the UK still regarded the Green Party as a bunch of bear swilling, sandal wearing bearded eco-warriors. It was also apparent that funding was non existent, and the chance of any Green candidate retaining their deposit at a General election (currently £500 and at risk unless you gain at least 5% of the vote) was minimal.

Now the times and the agenda have changed. Enter Caroline Lucas. The leader of the Green Party, the current MEP for the South East and now fighting hard to win her seat in Westminster representing Brighton Pavilion. She’s a smart, intelligent and very able woman - who understands just what it is going to take to make the Green Party electable. If there is such a thing as perfect politician, then Caroline embodies it. Named Politician of the Year 2007 in The Observer Newspaper Ethical Awards, she is the complete antithesis of the moat digging, wisteria trimming greedy MP’s that this election will readily see the back of.  Principled and sharp as a tack - she not only publicises the Green policies effectively and concisely, she truly understands them and their implications too, having written and published papers on a wide variety of environmental subjects. The reality of the situation is that Caroline would be on the front bench of any of the main parties, she would be viewed as a valuable addition to any cabinet - but she has chosen to follow her very deeply held convictions and pursue the less well trodden path.

Some 6 weeks ago - I spent a day filming with Caroline Lucas. The results are now being shown on YouTube (URL’s follow at the bottom of this article).  It’s a relationship that goes back several years. In fact my work with the Green Party predates Caroline, when I was introduced to the previous Brighton Pavilion contender for the Greens - Keith Taylor.

Before the 2005 elections I made a handful of 60 second films with Keith. It was clear to me that many prospective politicians found it hard to get an electorate to even recognise them, let alone understand what they represented. Keith wasn’t able to make enough impact to get himself elected simply by canvassing face to face, he needed to be able to get his message across even when he couldn’t be there in person. It was Noel Coward who once said that “Television was really for appearing on and not for watching.” It’s probably more true now than when he said it 50 years ago - and if mainstream TV won’t offer you a platform - the internet will. The advent of sites such as YouTube on the Net means that reaching voters using video is now very simple.  The original films covered several subjects which were at the forefront of the last election, from the War in Iraq to the attempts by Labour and Conservative parties to bolt on green issues to their manifestos once they had realised that global warming was a reality and of due concern to the public.

When the party chose Caroline Lucas to be their first official leader, and subsequently asked her to stand for Brighton Pavilion two years ago, we repeated the sort of short films that we had done with Keith. Now with a real opportunity to become Britain’s first Green MP, we decided that it was time to create some new promotional videos. After discussion with Tracy Dighton, the Green Party’s communications officer, I suggested that perhaps we should show the personal side of Caroline. As Gordon’s huge faux pas on Wednesday revealed, it’s rare to find a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) politician - and Caroline is just that. “How about filming some interviews with the team that work alongside her day in day out?” I asked. “Fantastic” came the reply. Can you seriously imagine Cameron or Brown’s aides offering free rein to a journalist and a camera to ask what they wish about their employer? Although, right now, Sue Nye’s views (the aide that Gordon Brown blamed for letting Gillian Duffy loose on him) would be well worth hearing.

Nick Clegg’s dramatic and very capable appearance in the first UK televised political debates has ably demonstrated that if you give the minority parties equal airtime to the incumbents, then the field is thrown wide open. Those that felt that voting for a minority was a wasted vote were suddenly encouraged to look at the two party system, so deeply entrenched in this country’s political history, in a very different way. Knowing that this option would not be afforded to the Green Party, Caroline has opened her personal thoughts up on camera and shows that you can be genuine and aspire to political success at the same time.

I think the results speak for themselves. Here is someone willing to stand up for what she believes in, with the experience of local government, European government and the only woman to lead a national political party. What isn’t to like? Caroline knows that if you look past the colour of the party you will find a manifesto that does and always has covered every aspect of government from pensions to the health service, education and immigration. In her quieter moments she wishes that perhaps the party name could be changed to “People”. Including Green in your title may indicate the basis of your beliefs, but it doesn’t give you much room to manoeuvre when voters won’t spend time getting to know you and what you stand for.

These films were made to give you a chance to get to know Caroline better. They were not paid for, I gave my time - and such film making skills as I possess  - for free. Nor are they intended to establish any political bias on my part - they weren’t even made to persuade you that you should vote Green, but more that you should definitely vote Caroline Lucas. Westminster desperately needs her intelligence, her experience and her presence, and the planet needs a real voice in the Mother of Parliaments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF30XUrBYNk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR9NoeBQlh0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NphGaYlf_kA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALp_APT0BVg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALp_APT0BVg&feature=related

WHY GORDON BROWN CANNOT WIN THE ELECTION

The mass of debate, broadcast and written material offering advice and analysis about the outcome of what appears to be one of the closest fought elections for many years is pointless. There is a much clearer reason why the incumbent First Lord of the Treasury cannot retain his position. It has nothing to do with slick television performances, it is not written in the runes, it cannot be accorded to moats, duck houses, second houses or travelling first class. It is the Law of Seconds.

The Law of Seconds states that anyone who has been second in command of an administration and is then promoted to the premier position will never succeed. It is most clearly demonstrated in the sporting world.

Clive Woodward and Andy Robinson took the England rugby team to unsurpassed heights of success in 2003, winning the World Cup in Australia. In all aspects of the job, beside him on the touchline – Andy was deputy to Clive. He had access to all the inside information, he participated in the decisions, he had seen Woodward’s remarkable and divisively different coaching setup at close quarters. When Woodward resigned before the start of the 2004-05 season, Robinson was named as the acting coach and then confirmed as the England head coach. Surely this was just what was needed? Continuity at the highest level, with a man who knew the squad intimately and understood just how much hard work was needed to win a world cup. Robinson won just nine of his twenty two matches in charge. After two test defeats against South Africa in the Autumn of 2006, he resigned, citing lack of support from the RFU management board, something that his predecessor also defined as the reason for his rather more spontaneous departure. Under Robinson’s administration, England slipped to seventh in the IRB rankings and they lost eight of the last 9 matches, one of the worst runs in their playing history.

Sven Goran Eriksson was seen as the saviour of English football. The passion that had sustained Kevin Keegan at Newcastle had not been repeatable at national level and England were desperate for someone who appeared to be less tactically naïve. A remarkably average performance as a player in the lower Swedish leagues had been translated by Eriksson into a successful managerial career in the Swedish, Portuguese and Italian leagues. On leaving Lazio, he controversially became the first foreign manager of the England team. He swiftly turned around England’s bid for qualification for the 2002 World Cup and will forever remain firmly in the hearts of England fans as the man at the helm when England beat Germany 5-1 in Munich. Eriksson saw them through two world cups and Euro 2004. But by 2006 he was making as many headlines on the front of the tabloids as he was on the back. He was duped into thinking that an Arab Sheikh wanted him to manage Aston Villa in a News of the World sting, had an affair with former TV-am weather girl and fellow Swede Ulrika Jonsson as well as his secretary at the FA Faria Alam. It was time for a change and after a protracted and drawn out process during which the FA flirted with Luiz Felipe Scolari, Sam Allardyce, and Martin O’Neill to name but a few, the job was given to Steve McClaren – Eriksson’s deputy.

Eriksson’s record on the field was sadly blighted by his subsequent cartoon like personal life – but there was no doubt that McClaren would have observed a man who despite his personal failings, knew what was required to get a National team to perform. McClaren took over in 2006, choosing former England manager Terry Venables as his assistant. After the comedic appointment process, the papers nicknamed him “Second Choice Steve”. McClaren immediately hired Max Clifford to manage the media and you don’t involve Max unless you’re expecting a bumpy ride. He dropped the experienced players such as Beckham and Campbell and allowed the team to be on first name terms with him and the coaching staff. Between October 2006 and March 2007, England scored just one goal in five matches. A poor win against footballing minnows Andorra resulted in McClaren walking out of the press conference after two minutes stating “Gentlemen, if you want to write whatever you want to write, you can write it because that is all I am going to say to you.” England were then fourth in the qualification group for Euro 2008. Despite recalling Beckham – England’s fate was taken out of their hands after losing to Russia. A final loss against Croatia in November 2007 meant that England did not qualify for a major tournament for the first time in 14 years and a nation turned to vilifying McClaren. The shortest tenure of any England manager to date, McClaren was perhaps the most criticised manager by the press, even eclipsing Graham Taylor by some accounts. After protecting himself from the rain in that final match he was dubbed “The Wally with the Brolly” by The Daily Mail. Enough said.

We can turn to a third sport for our final Law of Seconds example. Despite Duncan Fletcher’s Ashes series win that united the Nation to celebrate – even though many celebrating had little idea of the rules of the game – he had come under pressure when the Ashes were returned to Australia after a lacklustre England display in 2006 and a subsequent poor performance in the World Cup. Peter Moores coaching success at County level took Sussex from the 2nd division in 2000 to winning the premier title in 2003, the first time in their history that they had ever won the Championship. The ECB, recognising these skills took Moores under their wing and appointed him as an England A coach. Moores established himself as a more than capable replacement for Rod Marsh as the director of the ECB’s academy in 2005 and when Duncan Fletcher’s reign ended in 2007, it came as no surprise that a man already so involved with the England Cricket setup should be appointed in his place.

While it could be argued that Matthew Maynard wore the official title of deputy to Fletcher, it is generally agreed that the more valuable and prestigious job involves heading up the ECB academy. The point was proven when Moores was handed the job of England coach without so much as a formal recruitment process. It was clear to the committee that Moores spoke their language and was the man for the job.

Moores initial selections were bold, bringing in Matt Prior and Ryan Sidebottom for a tour of the West Indies. But despite his knowledge of the new talent that he had helped rise to the top, it wasn’t enough to repeat his success with Sussex. England lost their first home test series in six years against India and were then beaten by Sri Lanka. Another series loss to South Africa at home and the cracks were becoming clear. This wasn’t just a coaching problem, it was also personal. Moores rarely saw eye to eye with rising star Kevin Pietersen, and when Pietersen was appointed captain in 2008, the relationship became unsustainable. Emergency meetings were held and rumour was rife. Pietersen added fuel to the flames of Moores demise by refusing to deny anything the newspapers suggested. The ECB had no choice but to remove him as coach on the 7th January 2009 and in an unexpected double whammy, Pietersen resigned as captain at the same time. By June the team was a far happier place for Moores’ absence. His nemesis and former captain announced that “The team wasn't happy, things weren't right, and England cricket was going nowhere, but I believe in the last six months the team has made big progress before a huge, huge series against Australia. I'm very happy, and everyone's happy.”

The Law of Seconds can strike at any time regardless of previous track record or experience. It heeds not prestige, industry or activity. The facts point the way ahead for those that are unelected, but simply chosen to succeed as if their predecessor’s brilliance will rub off on them. Whether it is a desire to prove their own skills and ability, in contrast to those that they have watched so closely and advised alongside, it is impossible to say. The unanswered question remains, that if they thought that their team was being run so badly that they should do it differently when they came to power, why did they sit in silence on the touchline?

As a voter, don’t peruse manifestos or ponder over gold sold at a loss, ruined pensions or illegal wars, simply look at the position of a man who sat at his leader’s right hand side throughout his tenure, champing at the bit to be given his turn. He was handed the reins in a transfer of power without recourse to those that he represents. He is therefore beholden to the Law of Seconds. In such a position, it would be an unwise man who failed to book a removals firm for May7th.

©Jon Briggs 2010