Latest news with #Conservative-dominated
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Adrian Ramsay to stand for re-election as Greens co-leader with Ellie Chowns
Adrian Ramsay is to stand as Greens co-leader with another of the party's MPs, Ellie Chowns, amid what the duo describe as an unprecedented fracturing of political allegiances that meant it was vital to have leaders in Westminster with a proven record of winning. Ramsay has already been co-leader for four years, alongside Carla Denyer, who with Ramsay, Chowns and Siân Berry were elected to parliament last year in the party's greatest electoral triumph. Last week, Denyer revealed to the Guardian that she would not re-contest the leadership, instead focusing on her Bristol Central constituency and campaigns such as net zero and affordable housing. While nominations for the leadership do not formally open until next month, the contest is likely to be between Ramsay and Chowns, and Zack Polanski, the current deputy leader, who has already announced a bid to take the party towards what he called a Reform-emulating 'eco-populism'. While praising the outgoing duo's achievements, Polanski said he believed the Greens should be less cautious, and try to emulate Reform in becoming an insurgent, mass-membership political force. Unveiling their joint bid to the Guardian, Ramsay and Chowns dismissed this implicit criticism, saying that their record in winning rural, Conservative-dominated seats in July showed they could win over new supporters. 'We've both won seats that were previously considered unwinnable,' said Chowns, who overturned a near-25,000 Tory majority to win her North Herefordshire seat. Ramsay's Waveney Valley constituency, on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, was made up from parts of previously Conservative seats. 'We know what it means to win against the odds. We know what it means to build the biggest possible, most inclusive possible campaign teams, to inspire people to take action that results in previously unthinkable political change,' she added. Asked about Polanski's criticisms, Ramsay said such results showed they could take the Greens' message 'to people who don't normally vote for you', and that it would be hard for a non-MP to lead the party. He said: 'The reality is the MPs are setting the tone of what the Green party is saying on the issues of the day, because they're being debated in parliament. There's a reason why parties have their leaders as MPs.' The need to focus on electoral growth was all the more vital, he said, with the current 'crossroads in British politics', with polls showing Westminster voting intentions are now closely matched between five parties. In what could be seen as a coded swipe at Polanski, Ramsay warned against the Greens seeking to 'appeal to your existing supporters or to a particular base', adding: 'We're seeing with Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives what can happen if a party elects a leader just based on appealing to a particular base of support.' As a new MP – and the only one of the four Greens in parliament to never lead the party – Chowns is less well-known but also very experienced, having been a councillor and, briefly, an MEP with a background in international development. She said her and Ramsay would be 'a really well-matched pair' as leaders. With the previous team, Denyer was more likely than the slightly quieter Ramsay to be sent into mass-party TV debates, a role Chowns seems set to follow. 'Both of us have got a huge history in the Green party,' she said. 'We are MPs, so we have that credibility of already being there at the heart of UK politics. And I think it's really important for the party that our leaders are MPs, there every day, speaking out on that key political platform.'
The Courier
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
Spanish sunshine break delays new Angus Council power meeting
The meeting to firm up Angus Council's new power coalition is on hold while one of its main protagonists holidays in the Mediterranean. A special full council meeting must be called to set the new administration structure after an opposition vote of no confidence secured the overthrow of the SNP ruling group last week. Former SNP group deputy leader George Meechan will head the Conservative-dominated coalition. He assumes the top post from former nationalist colleague Bill Duff. The council coup came just three weeks after a 17% wage rise took the council leader's salary past £50,000. Arbroath councillor Derek Wann has already been confirmed as the deputy leader of the Tory/Independent/Labour alliance. However, Mr Wann is currently holidaying in Tenerife. He jetted off to the Mediterranean just a few days after the no confidence vote. The Courier understands his absence is one of the reasons behind the delay in the special full council meeting taking place. Mr Meechan and Mr Wann did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. An Angus Council spokesperson said: 'We are looking to confirm the date for the special meeting to set the new administration roles as soon as diaries allow. 'A date will be confirmed this week.' The special full council will decide who will take charge of council committees. It is likely that all 13 members of the new administration will find themselves in a convener or vice-convener role. Also up for grabs is the £32,540 role of Provost. Former Provost Ronnie Proctor and one-time depute Craig Fotheringham are considered likely contenders for the post. The new administration also declined to comment on its nomination for the role of civic figurehead. The change of power has already hit the council meetings calendar. A housing committee scheduled for April 24 – two days after the no confidence vote – was dropped. It was due to consider an options report into Raac-affected housing in Monifieth behind closed doors. The April 29 policy and resources committee will also be rescheduled. The next programmed meeting is a full Angus Council on May 8.
The Courier
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
Ex-Angus Provost faces watchdog hearing over town hall rant
Former Angus Provost Brian Boyd is to face a Standards Commission hearing over the town hall rant which caused his fall from grace. The public bodies watchdog has summoned Carnoustie independent Mr Boyd to a hearing in Forfar later this year. Notice of the July hearing was posted on the Standards Commission for Scotland website this week. It does not detail any allegations the panel will consider. However, The Courier understands it follows a complaint around Mr Boyd's conduct towards fellow councillor Lois Speed in a meeting last June. His outburst led to Arbroath independent member Ms Speed fleeing the Forfar debating chamber in tears. It came as Mr Boyd shut down her attempts to raise concerns over early years staff being cut in P1 classrooms. He told her: 'When I stand up, everyone here sits down.' Mr Boyd apologised for going 'over the score' when the fraught meeting resumed following a brief adjournment. 'It's a very terse day and this is an opportune time for me to apologise to Lois,' he told the full Angus Council meeting. 'I'm a very dramatic person at the best of times and I did go over the score. I hope she'll accept my apology.' But his conduct was condemned as an 'absolute disgrace' by one shocked colleague. He initially resisted calls to resign, but later stepped down as Provost. 'I recognise that my behaviour fell below my own personal standards,' he said at the time. Mr Boyd said he did not wish to make any comment on the matter ahead of the hearing. In 2019, the frequently outspoken councillor was censured by the Standards Commission It followed a row over an online petition which referred to a local minister as a 'homophobic reverend'. Mr Boyd signed the petition, which then appeared on social media due to the settings on his Facebook page. He described it as a 'regrettable episode'. Mr Boyd is expected to remain a non-aligned councillor following the latest turn of events which saw the SNP lose control of the council. A Conservative-dominated rainbow coalition is now in charge of Angus. It comes after opposition members won a vote of no confidence in the nationalist group this week.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson punches out her frustrations in the boxing ring
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she has found an outlet for the frustration that can result from being in the minority on the nation's highest court: boxing. 'I think that helps you to really get out any frustrations,' said on Wednesday in an interview with at the Supreme Court. Jackson, 54, is one of three liberals on an otherwise Conservative-dominated Supreme Court and knows that the balance of power on the court is unlikely to shift anytime soon. 'Progress is not always a forward march. And so this is sort of part of life. The court goes through cycles, and perhaps we're in one now," she said. 'I mean, you can't pick and choose your time on the court.' While the majority opinions may not always be to her liking, she's also added to her list of personal accomplishments in nearly three years on the court. There have been more than a few dissents for the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, including the end of affirmative action in college admissions and a grant of broad immunity from criminal prosecution to former presidents for their official actions while in office. Jackson's memoir, 'Lovely One," for which she has received an advance of nearly $900,000 from publisher Random House, briefly topped The New York Times bestseller list in the fall. She has been especially gratified by the reaction she has gotten from readers to one particular part of her story, raising her elder daughter, Talia, who was diagnosed with autism as a child and struggled in the kind of traditional school settings where Jackson herself had long thrived. 'Ultimately, we decided that if I was going to tell my story, that I should be truthful about our family and what happened, especially when my daughter was young and our learning about her needs,' she said. Readers have told her how much they identified with her family, especially since it's the kind of story that isn't often articulated on the public stage. In December, Jackson stepped out on another stage, making her Broadway debut in a one-night-only appearance in '& Juliet' on an invitation from the producers who read about her performances in school. The jukebox musical imagines what might have ensued if Juliet hadn't taken her life at the end of Shakespeare's classic play 'Romeo and Juliet.' "I was nervous, going out on stage on Broadway, for sure,' Jackson said, but it fulfilled a double-barrelled aspiration she said she's had since entering Harvard, to be the first Black female justice on Broadway. Jackson, along with the other eight justices, also was part of the pomp and circumstance at President Donald Trump's inauguration, attracting attention for the white cowrie-shell necklace she wore over her judicial robe. 'It happened to coincide with Martin Luther King Day, and I thought I should wear something of cultural significance for that circumstance as well, to honor my heritage on this important day and this important occasion,' she said. The large necklace and earrings had special resonance because the shells have long been associated with African American culture and African heritage. Jackson didn't comment on the Republican president or his pardoning of more than 1,500 of his supporters charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. In her book, Jackson described the protesters as a 'marauding mob.' But on Wednesday, she said she would not comment on the pardons 'because it's out of my lane, because, you know, pardons are executive branch prerogatives, because these issues sometimes come to the court.' Jackson pointed to one decision, in which she sided with the January 6 defendants, as an example of her effort to set aside her personal views when judging and ruling consistently and impartially. 'And sometimes that leads to surprising results, I think,' she said. The results of the 2024 election were clear, allowing the court not to be involved in deciding the outcome, as many people thought possible and some feared. Jackson had said last year the court would be ready if needed, and she repeated that Wednesday. 'We do what we have to do, or are called to do. The court stands ready to resolve important issues, and I'm sure there will be important issues that we have to resolve in the coming months and years as well,' Jackson said. She described herself as proud and honuored to be on the court, as well as aware of her ground-breaking role. She alluded to another Broadway smash, 'Hamilton,' which was the theme for the traditional welcome dinner after Jackson joined the court in 2022. The event was hosted by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is closest to Jackson in age and time on the court, and also is a mother. Drawing on a song in the musical and referring to the private conference room where the justices vote and deliberate on cases, Barrett had a large sign made that read, 'The room where it happens.' Jackson kept the sign and hung it in her chambers.
