Jim Killock’s blog

I want the party to work and make a difference. I’ve done everything I can to make that happen – including leaving my full time paid job to push things forward. I would be honoured if you would give me your vote to help me make the Green Party more effective.

A track record of building success and fundraising

Over the last four years on the Executive, three as External Communications Officer, I have had a track record of building success. I have:

• Written the motion to create a Leader and Deputy create and campaigned for it
• Overseen the introduction of Direct Debit, which now 1600 members are using, worth £65,000 a year, due to double in the next two years
• Secured two full time press officer posts and sorted out their office
• Pushed…

A short note: more of this later. I’ve decided to stand for Party Chair, in what what would be my final year of GPEx.

I’m up against the very talented James Humphreys. I possibly expect to be standing against Penny Kemp, but I’ve no confirmation that her nomination was received.

I’m standing on a straightforward agenda of sorting the party out.

More of the same, in other words: now we have a leadership and a professional communications operation, I am standing in particular to build on the excellent Direct Debit work we’ve already done, and to get professional support for our elections.

[UPDATE: Penny did not submit a nomination]

We have official confirmation that Ashley Gunstock will be standing for leader, from Weggis. It’s good to have a contest.

UPDATE: Ashley now has a blog.

Just seen this from Weggis. This is very concerning news.

It had to happen … find official Green Party updates here, Adrian Ramsay, Rupert Read, and a host of other members too. The Green Party is subscribing to a lot of supporters on Twitter so that’s a good place to start. You can find staff members like Head of Office Jon Nott and press officers Gary Dunion and 

Rayyan Mirza, one of the very promising new generation of Young Greens, has started a blog. Rayyan has strong and interesting views as a Muslim and a Londoner. It’ll be interesting to follow his opinions.

Meanwhile, Adrian Ramsay has launched a blog on his campaign website, which he says he expects to be continuing after the leadership elections, in the run up to the next General Election.

Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay have kicked off the leadership election campaign in earnest, by launching their campaign websites this week. This has sparked off comment on a number of blogs, including reviews by Jim Jepps here and here, Peter…

A number of bloggers including quite a few Greens were at a meeting organised by Sunny Hundal of Liberal Conspiracy yesterday, discussing the future of Liberal-left blogging.

It was a very interesting discussion: all of the bloggers felt that MPs and the political establishment as a rule just ‘doesn’t get it’ (as several of them said, self-consciously echoing Howard Dean’s online campaigner Joe Trippi).

For instance, the editor of Comment is Free said that their pieces are now read in much greater volume than those in the paper itself, but this has not broken through into the…

We’re all feeling the pinch as fuel prices go up, making travelling by car and public transport more expensive.

Jack Straw a few days ago put into parliament a proposal aimed at stifling Tory and opposition activity in the run up to the General Election.