Our sister party in England and Wales just elected their leader, and duly chose the magnificent Caroline Lucas MEP. She's smart, passionate, engaging, radical, and absolutely the right choice. If I were a member and if I had as many votes as Jack McConnell apparently does up here, I'd have voted for her seven times.Looking around the internet for responses, Tom Harris regrets the diversification of British politics, Iain Dale is more charitable despite being a climate change denier "not [being] convinced by all the arguments on man made global warming", ASwaS backs Caroline to win in Brighton and urges the party up here to change, some Liberals are worried (rightly, I hope), and Jim Jay is naturally delighted.
Note: the update follows comment from Iain Dale below, and I'd be pleased to read any thoughts on the distinction he's describing. I'd also welcome Iain filling me in on the specific arguments he isn't convinced by.
I'm delighted too. Some of the criticism of her has been pretty weak, but then I remind myself that two bloggers is no kind of indication of anything, and despite any perceived factionalism she still got 92% of the vote (I don't know how many RONs there were, though).
Next to no re-open nominations - 79 in the leadership race, according to Jim Jay. Solid as you like.
I really do object to being called a climate change denier. It equates me with being a holocaust denier. I do not and never have denied climate change. I am sceptical about what causes it. Scepticism does not mean denial.
Glad to see our sister party daan sarf is showing some pragmatic common sense over gender balancing - i.e. ditching it. Best person for deputy would be either Sian Berry or Jean Lambert IMHO.
Ian B - they're not ditching gender balance exactly, just the m/f co-conveners. The rules are that leader and deputy must not both be male or female, so I think that means if Ashley had won they'd have had to reopen nominations for a female deputy. Which would indeed presumably have been Sian or Jean.
Also, I think Adrian is an inspired pick. Both of them could be in Westminster after the next election, for one thing, and he's made such an enormous difference in Norwich - winning his ward last time with 62%. Utterly inspirational bloke.
Iain D - sorry for over-simplifying, but I really am curious to learn which of the arguments you don't accept. You're certainly cuddling up to the actual deniers, helping make them feel more comfortable with their resistance to environmentalism. I looked back on your site, and Chris Huhne's explanation of why the Durkin C4 programme was wrong here was spot on. It's come to something - you've made me agree with a Liberal!
James - OK maybe not ditching it wholesale, but certainly chipping away.
Iain D - so what do you think might be causing the fastest increase in global temperature, which computer models can only explain by the known effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide?
There is still gender balance, yes. In that respect it's not a lot different to the situation before, except that the Green electorate are now able to choose who is the more senior office holder (unless they run as co-leaders).
Re: Ashley winning and Siân or Jean (or Jenny) being Deputy Leader... what a situation that would have been. It makes me shudder to think.
Someone (I?) would have tried to organised a recall, probably...
Re Rons, I'm confused by Jim Jepp's post, as you don't RON the candidates, you choose RON as your preference in a round. For instance some people would have voted to RON the whole contest, or vote for one candidate and then RON. Anyway, it's all a bit academic.
Iain D - also, I'm certainly not suggesting that people with your views are on a par with Holocaust deniers. Neo-Nazism is hardly comparable to the scientific illiteracy.
"Denier" is simply the right word for someone who denies (but cannot refute) a fact, however grave.