Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Grace Blakeley has joined the Greens

It'll be more than Corbyn outriders switching to the Greens if Starmer joins Trump bombing raids on Iran.

Last time I saw Blakeley she was being schooled by Frances Coppola on basic banking. But the Greens should be formidable in lots of seats where they are second to Labour- see Bristol Central last time, wasn't even close. I wonder if we might see their vote get a lot more efficient, with some "Stop Farage" where they can't win, but an Ed Davey like focus on where they can.

Last time I saw Blakeley she was being schooled by Frances Coppola on basic banking.

Sounds like interesting viewing, Coppola is a better economics communicator. Unusual for someone from the left to be a regular unchallenged pundit on the BBC but would rather it was Grace B then Richard Tice or similar. Very good at preventing mansplainers from butting in but find Blakeley hard work to follow.

Article on the Greens' leadership election.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... pulism-bid

Green party leadership race is between joint-MP ticket and deputy’s ‘eco-populism’ bid

I find Ellie too populist, so God knows what Polanski would be like. Hope she and Adrian Ramsay win. I think we have to increasingly take the possibility of them getting lots more seats seriously. Could be in coalition on that basis. See how long the populism lasts in that case.

The standard of communication here doesn't suggest any great populist flair. I could do better than this.

The Epsom staff used to be contractors, but were taken in house 4 years ago, Their pay, quite wrongly, is still lower than those who've always been NHS staff. What's that got to do with MPs anyway? Or private healthcare? It's a shitty decision by the NHS.

This means another group chasing the same voters, as far as I can see.

You really want to be running all over the country as the "Jeremy Corbyn candidates"?

I suppose £22bn is better than claiming £24bn.

But since she mentions Brighton and Hove, I had a glance at RightMove. First place I looked at-

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/ ... el=RES_BUY

£750k. Council tax Band D. That sounds a low band for such an expensive place. How about we revalue to reflect Brighton becoming much richer since 1991?

Isn't council tax just about relative values within a local authority area? If property price inflation has been relatively consistent across Brighton and Hove, revaluation will have no effect, will it?

I've heard something like that, but there are exact figures given for the bands (in 1991). So I don't understand it.

But you could revalue and revalue on the bands nationally. Brighton and Hove overwhelmingly be in the high bands, and Stoke mostly in lower ones. Progressive change that would redistribute to poorer areas, no? I think the Greens tax policies are going to get a lot more attention, and they need a broader type of redistribution than they seem to have at the moment.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understand- ... e-assessed

Some leadership endorsements listed on wiki. Polanski's supporters are either people I've never heard of or Momentum.

Everyone who's held meaningful office is for Chowns/Ramsey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Gree ... p_election

Zack Polanski, deputy leader of the Green party, said: “Right now, we subsidise jet fuel instead of trains. That’s a political choice and it’s time for this government to make different ones. Rosebank is totemic. It’s bigger than anything else currently planned, and far more catastrophic. It’s no good just saying ‘one last one’ and then opening a new huge oilfield. If we want lower bills, we need investment in renewables and a national insulation programme, not doubling down on fossil fuels.”

The Government spent £12.5bn on rail last year, more than passengers contributed.

And whatever you think about Rosebank, the logic in the second bit is hopeless. The Rosebank income could be used to fund more renewables. I think that's what the Government will end up doing, ringfencing income for renewables. Nor could Government policy fairly be seen as doubling down on fossil fuels.

eco-populism= vibes bollocks.

Yesterday, Ed Miliband defended Net Zero in Parliament. I've noticed that Zack Polanski and the other candidates haven't been rushing to the defence of Net Zero.

They're too busy serving up leg stump half volleys for Farage about the cost of Net Zero being unfair on the average tax payer.

"We want renewables. Just not near where we live."

I do wonder how some of these misguided twerps would get on if you went into their house and just took away the service cutout.

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Wed Jul 23, 2025 8:40 pm

How are they treating something they didn't do and have actively campaigned against as a win.

Not that I'm a fan of Zack Polanski, you understand, but I think it's possible he shifts their position so they support more of this stuff. His general pitch seems more "Bristol" than "countryside".

Ellie Chowns plays down the prospect of working with the Corbyn party.

She doesn't fancy being on the hook for a life time of Jez bollocks.

Polanski says leadership contest not about strategy or policy, but who is best communicator

Why might anyone think strategy and policy are important, eh?