Darren Johnson, former "Principal speaker" of the Green party, about what's become of the Greens

In the days when the Green party regarded having a "leader" as too hierarchical, they had two "Principal speakers" and Darren Johnson held that post from 2001 to 2003. He was also a Green member of the London Assembly from 2000 to 2016, the party's candidate for Mayor of London in 2000 and 2004, and a Lewsham councillor.

In December 2024 he resigned from the Green Party after 37 years' membership.

On why most of the people who people who represent what the Green Party traditionally stood for have mostly, unlike himself, remained members as the party changed out of all recognition, he had this to say on X today:

"With the Greens descent into ludicrous left-populism ("Zionism is racism" "abolish landlords") people ask me why other longstanding Greens have remained. After years in the wilderness, you've got to remember how intoxicating winning can be, even if your new activists are batshit."

Challenged in relation to yesterday's by-electon by someone who asked him "Imagine if Reform had won!" he replied

"It's a fair point. Much as I can't stand the modern-day Green Party, I'd much rather they won the by-election than Reform, just as I'd much rather have salmonella than botulism."

In response to questions and comparison between current hard-left entryism into the Greens and the former Corbynista period in the Labour party, he posted,

"The big difference is Labour's traditional wing, through its parliamentary party and longstanding activists and members, remained a significant presence even at the height of Corbynism. The Green Party's traditional wing is miniscule by comparison and is numerically swamped."

Another person who called themselves "Observant Green" commented that

"Some remain, hoping the Party can be wrangled back to focussing on ecological and humanitarian concerns. That hope fades, as a second wave comes in. The internal fight now will be Islamists vs Trans Activists. When they have reduced the Party to rubble, ecologists will rebuild it."


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