Um, Doiuglas? I went to Rupert’s Read, and his post entitled ‘Lib Dem turmoil latest’ is about a story in the Murdoch Times and a post to Lib Dem Voice from July. Given it’s about the Bones Commission (debated to death in the Lib Dem blogs and up for discussion at Conference next week), his ‘latest’ is anything but. Plus he’s talking out of his posterior.

To save those wanting to click, here’s my comment made over there, as the very idea that under FPTP the Greens have a chance of getting real reform is so laughable it has to be debunked:

“an important dispute between Nick Clegg and Lord Rennard has been in the [lying Murdoch rag that replaced The] Times”

Added in a clarification there. The Bones Commission report is a recommendation that will be going to conference next week. Clegg appointed Bones in consultation with Rennard (the appointed cheif exec) and Hughes (the elected leader) as well as the (elected) Federal Executive.

To criticise the democratically elected people in the party for possibly reducing the power of the non-elected Cheif Exec and (finally) making him accountable and then spout off about how democratic the Greens are in comparison is an interesting use of rhetoric.

“We in the Green Party have a new leadership structure; we have a Leader, are serious about power and are professionalising our Party;”

All true, and I wish you luck in getting either an MP or breaking out of the ‘Others’ category in election results.

“but we are not centralist / anti-democratic.”

Good, because I wouldn’t be involved in any political party that was either.

“The Lib Dems under Clegg are becoming more and more a rightwing party”

???

Where on earth do you get that idea from? Shifting the tax burden from the lowest income earners to the wealthiest and the most polluting is right wing? Decentralising policy making, giving local communities real control, democratising or abolishing quangoes is right-wing? Define your terms or give me a palpable example of this right wing shift?

“ without serious scope for the members to engage and exercise power.”

So the national conference that has sovereign power of party policy doesn’t exist? Federal Policy Committee isn’t elected to draft the resolutions? Federal Conference Committee isn’t elected to sort out the agenda?

Oh, wait, they’re all still there.

“ Clegg already has huge leverage over policy (whereas the Green Party Leader is quite properly subject to the will of the party in terms of policy-making which is exercised by its twice yearly conference of members).”

Um, your second clause just described the Lib Dem policy making structure—as leader, Clegg quite rightly has influence, but everything he proposes is subject to a vote of conference, and he’s in no way guaranteed to win them.

“ Now Clegg wants to centralise the Lib Dem organisation too.”

Well, if you want to read the Bones Commission report as ‘centralising’ then in some way, yes. Reality is he’s taking out a necessary streamlining reform in order to allow quick decisions by having each existing committee send its chair to an officers group in order to actually get things done.

Taking delegated powers from a bunch of (central) committees to give to a different (central) committee made up of reps from each committee is only centralising if you like tilting at windmills. Have you actually read the report rather than the biased Murdoch-press version of its effects?

“I say to Liberal Democrats: Come and join us”

The need for electoral reform means I have to support the only party in Parlt that has a chance of getting somewhere on STV. After that, I’ll consider your offer. Until then, the party that might, if it’s really lucky, manage to get two MPs next time is effectively, in the FPTP system that we both want to replace, splitting the reformist agenda, FPTP encourages a two-party system, for a 3rd to exist takes effort, a 4th that is effectively not more than an extreme version of the 3rd?

No thanks.

“if you want to be part of a democratic party, where you can have a voice, and a party that is going somewhere”

I already am. Plus mine has already got somewhere, yours has more potential to move forward, naturally, as it’s currently nowhere.

Seriously, tilting at windmills is fun, but FPTP requires broad church coalition parties, under FPTP the Greens are a waste of time. Sort the system out, then we can talk.

I’m open with LD friends that I’m in the party as electoral necessity requires a broad church—the need for reform of the system beats all other issues. But this guy is blowing smoke.