Fresh from the success of Caroline Lucas in the general election, one would have expected the Greens to be all over St Peters and North Laine defending the seat vacated by Keith Taylor’s ‘elevation’ to the European Parliament.
But Green candidate, Lizzie Dean, has been noticeable by her absence. She hasn’t updated her blog for a couple of weeks, and to date there have been no leaflets from her.
By contrast, the Labour candidate, Tom French, a likable young man, has been out and about, knocking on doors and getting himself known. So too has the Tory candidate, Rob Buckwell.
St Peters and North Laine is the home of the Greens in Brighton, the ward where they gained their first seat over a decade ago. The chances of them losing is remote, but a poor Green campaign and a strong showing by Labour could give that party the momentum it needs going into next year’s council elections.
Filed under: Council Elections 2011, Politics | Tagged: Keith Taylor, Lizzie Dean, Rob Buckwell, St Peters and North Laine, St Peters and North Laine by-election, Tom French |
Brighton Politics Blog 
Hello Baps,
And it must strike you as odd that no Green Party mouthpiece has commented on this post – the ‘we were out there but you didn’t see us’ defence.
One could make inferences, but I wouldn’t.
Best wishes,
Chuck
And I am such a ‘mouthpiece’, oh Charlotte the vanquished one.
Lizzie is certainly ‘on da streets’.
I’ve received about three leaflets already from her.
Simply a swell candidate.
Hope she gets the thumbs up from voters.
It’s ironic that the Labour candidate claims that Green councillors haven’t achieved anything.
One has to ask him, then, why do local people keep voting Greens back in with ever larger majorities?
Surely they must be doing something right?
Does the BPB expect every street to be covered simultaneously?
When canvassing I have found great enthusiasm among voters.
How curious that Charlotte Vere has popped up to comment. She has evidently not shaken the Brighton Pavilion dust from those heels.
Hi BPB
Thanks for interest in campaign…
Saw your post. Do you live in the ward?
My first leaflet was designed, printed and delivered within days of the by-election being called, and a letter to supporters followed soon after.
Plus a thank you leaflet to local voters from Caroline Lucas.
You’re obviously not among them or you would have got one yourself!
And watch this space – another update community news item is being printed as I write and we’ve got some other exciting things planned.
We’ll post the leaflets on line so you can see them.
Take a close look, and you might get to spell my name right 😉
As for canvassing, I and my supporters have been out in Roundhill, Triangle, Seven Dials, North Laine, New England Quarter and Ditchling Rise / Level.
Look at the volume of posters to see the evidence.
Sorry about the blog – http://bit.ly/ar0yHP
Technical issues have been sorted now and the blog will be up and running again shortly.
However we still have a month of campaigning to do which will be very draining and I won’t take anything for granted.
Really proud to have been selected by the Green Party to succeed Keith Taylor.
The Green councillors in St Peters North Laine (which also includes West Hill and Round Hill by the way) have always been hard working – which is why at every election they’ve increased their majority.
Anyone who want to contact me can do so by e mail at:
lizzie@brightonandhovegreenparty.org.uk
or on Twitter
http://twitter.com/lizziedeanebton
Best wishes
Lizzie Deane
Green Party Candidate for St Peters & North Laine
Hi BPB
Thanks for interest in campaign…
Saw your post. Do you live in the ward?
My first leaflet was designed, printed and delivered within days of the by-election being called, and a letter to supporters followed soon after.
Plus a thank you leaflet to local voters from Caroline Lucas.
You’re obviously not among them or you would have got one yourself!
And watch this space – another update community news item is being printed as I write and we’ve got some other exciting things planned.
We’ll post the leaflets on line so you can see them.
Take a close look, and you might get to spell my name right 😉
As for canvassing, I and my supporters have been out in Roundhill, Triangle, Seven Dials, North Laine, New England Quarter and Ditchling Rise / Level.
Look at the volume of posters to see the evidence.
Sorry about the blog – http://bit.ly/ar0yHP
Technical issues have been sorted now and the blog will be up and running again shortly.
However we still have a month of campaigning to do which will be very draining and I won’t take anything for granted.
Really proud to have been selected by the Green Party to succeed Keith Taylor.
The Green councillors in St Peters North Laine (which also includes West Hill and Round Hill by the way) have always been hard working – which is why at every election they’ve increased their majority.
Anyone who wants to contact me can do so by e mail at:
lizzie@brightonandhovegreenparty.org.uk
or on Twitter
http://twitter.com/lizziedeanebton
Best wishes
Lizzie Deane
Green Party Candidate for St Peters & North Laine
There is something very invigorating about going out and campaigning so soon after defeats and with an uphill struggle! Labour’s loving the SPNL by-election.
Tom’s a great candidate: energetic and passionate and he’s out every day with other activists. A Labour gain in this Green stronghold is a big ask but that’s no reason not to campaign hard
I think what’s telling about the experience on the doorstep is how May 6th has changed everything. When you have a Green MP, only Green councillors, a conservative council and a Conservative-LibDem govt, it’s quite an easy sell that they need a bit of Labour in their lives.
It’s also livening not to be the party of the establishment and be the insurgents.
Gosh, amazing how just 4 weeks of ConDemmery can wipe out 13 years of Labour warmongering rule in some (thankfully not everyone’s) memory 😉
Anyone else wondering where (Dr!) Lucas has gone. Last I read she was marching through London to show her solidarity with Greek public sector workers.
Does she still live in Oxford?
There seems to be some Labour sneering here. I do not think that one need delay over that. When that happened during the General Election – the mystery of the garden boards and posters, along with Lord Bassam throwing a wobbly – I thought, “shucks, better go out and get some more votes”, and, lo and behold, in Patcham up went a Green board next to a Charlotte Vere one: “go for it, Mum,” said a teenage son when I suggested to his mother the notion of countering next door’s horror with a tasteful Green board. Two days later, I found that the conjunction of the boards had caused such merriment in the street that another twenty people there said that they would vote Green, and the road was rather a thoroughfare.
Not that one can claim total success. Another evening, in some sheltered accomodation, I got to a door, through which a woman’s voice was rather loud, and I assumed she was talking with somebody inside. As the door opened, it turned out that she was on the telephone, so I gave out a leaflet, and a quick few words before the door shut again. And I then creased with laughter, as through the door came the assertion, “no, that’s all right, it was a man from the Green Party, wasn’t worth getting up for, was it?” And, even better, not only that but there then came the glorious non sequitur of “… and I only had fish cakes for lunch.” I can only assume that if she had eaten steak, or lentils, then she could have dealt with me in no uncertain terms. Alan Bennett could not have invented it.
Come Election Day, I heard that Labour had sent a mini bus round there to take people to the polling station, and, who knows, the ballot is private, but I rather like to thiink that others took advantage of such generosity to go along and… vote Green.
Meanwhile, early in the morning outside a Patcham polling station I found myself in the company of Geoffrey Theobald, who was fifteen minutes late. Before long there arrived a resident who saw my rosette and then, his thumbs aloft, he proclaimed, “I’m voting for you. Up the revolution.”
I treasure Geoffrey Theobald’s horrified expression at that moment. It was almost as wonderful as the result.
Guy,
I live up near Seven Dials and Dr Lucas (with her husband) has been spotted viewing one bed flats in the Clifton Hill environs.
So it looks like Brighton will be good for a crashpad but not somewhere she wants to make a family home.
Which is a bit of a shame, really. She’s first and foremost a Brighton MP for the Green Party rather than a Green Party MP for Brighton.
Dan
Hi Dan,
Caroline’s family will be moving over to Brighton once her eldest’s final year of school is completed. The full details are published on her site at:
http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl/about/biog.html
It’s disappointing, but not altogether surprising, that Labour activists are already busy trying to find ways to undermine Caroline. Dan you said in your blog you wanted to find ways to work together with Greens – do you think gossiping about flat hunting is conducive to that?
All the best,
Jason
Green leaflets have arrived in my street. I also had a pleasant doorstep chat with the delightful Tom
Cllr Kitcat,
It’s hardly gossip. I live a life where being “based” somewhere means living where I live. That’s Brighton. It’s unambiguous. I live where I live. Even some Greens I know say that Dr Lucas lives in Oxford as well as Brussels. Neither is Brighton.
I hope that she does indeed decide to settle full tme in our great city. She’ll love it! I do. This is my home town. Brighton born and bred. She’s very welcome. But any previous suggestion that this is her home is insulting genuine Brightonians who send their kids to Brighton schools or who do actually lve here.
I have expressed a keen desire to cooperate with the Greens not just on my blog but on this blog here, personally down the pub and to chums too. More than that. I have debated the point at Labour party meetings. I think Green and Labour cooperation is vtal for the future of this city.
But I’d also say two other things.
1) That doesn’t preclude scrutiny of the Greens. Indeed, Greenos need to get used to a bit more criticism (and criticism can be postive as well as negative comment if we take the word accurately). Dr Lucas is my MP. I have Green Councillors and I have a Green MP. As a citizen I have every right to scrutinise what the elected res who are (supposed) to be fighting my corner say and do.
2) Greens love attacking everyone. And Labour is your favourte target. I offered examples in an earlier comment. We both need to change.
If Labour and Green don’t work together Brighton and Hove will pay the price. Labour people are extending the hand of friendship. When will the Greens accept it?
Dan Wilson
[…] accusations of running a low-profile campaign, Lizzie Deane secured more than twice as many votes as anyone else, winning 56.8% of the vote. […]