In a joint press conference with Ken Livingstone this morning, Siân urged Green supporters to vote "Siân 1, Ken 2" as insurance against a Boris Johnson mayoralty. At the same press conference, Livingstone asked his voters to back Siân second.
London Green Party members voted at a meeting on Monday night (17th March) to issue the second vote recommendation, in response to the threat to London’s progressive and environmental agendas represented by Boris Johnson. Siân underlined the double threat of a Tory monopoly over the GLA: while Livingstone must negotiate with the Green AMs to pass his budget, requiring oversight, discussion and compromise, Johnson would enjoy the support of enough Conservative AMs to push whatever he wanted through an emasculated Assembly.
This is a change since a similar meeting last month, at which the party decided Livingstone needed to do more to reduce overreliance on financial services and build a more diverse, green, resilient economy. The Mayor has since signalled movement towards the Green position on this in response to questioning at City Hall from Green AM Darren Johnson, opening the door to Monday’s decision.
Siân Berry said:
"Boris Johnson has real contempt for Londoners. He hates that we celebrate each other’s heritage; he hates that we try to pass on a healthy environment to our children; he hates that we look after our most vulnerable neighbours; and most of all he hates that we all expect to share in our city’s financial success. And if he’s elected he will do his best to destroy all of that.
"I cannot bear the idea of living under Boris Johnson. What I am urging Green supporters to do is this: vote Green on the Assembly, vote for me as Mayor, then use their second Mayoral vote as an insurance policy to stop Boris Johnson by giving it to Ken Livingstone.
"We face a double threat to London: a vote for Johnson is not only a vote for a disastrous Mayor, but also a vote against oversight and accountability. The Mayor has needed the votes of the two Green Assembly Members to pass his budget this term, requiring real discussion, negotiation and compromise. Johnson, on the other hand, would command enough Tory AMs to drive anything he liked through a powerless Assembly. If you want democratic oversight to continue, you need to vote Siân 1, Ken 2, and elect more Green AMs."
Siân herself is placed fourth on the Green list, and is expected to be elected to the Assembly if she loses out in the Mayoral race.
At the press conference, Ken Livingstone said: "Were it not for the support of Green Party members on the London Assembly, funding for many of my key environmental policies would have been blocked by Boris Johnson’s Tory colleagues. In this mayoral election, Sian Berry and I stand alone among the mayoral candidates in our commitment to implement further groundbreaking environmental initiatives such as the £25 a day CO2 charge on gas guzzlers. With the Green Party calling on its supporters to cast their second preference votes for me they are saying do not permit a candidate who would take London backwards on green policies to get elected on May 1st."
Siân Berry and Ken Livingstone have issued the following joint statement:
"Tackling climate change and creating a fairer London must be at the top of any serious Mayor’s agenda. Boris Johnson, who supported George W. Bush in opposing the Kyoto Treaty and would scrap the CO2 charge on gas guzzlers, cannot be trusted with London’s environment. Nor can a man who opposed the minimum wage be expected to promote fairness or tackle poverty.
"London – with a committed Mayor and Green Party representation on its Assembly – has taken a global lead on environmental and social justice over the last eight years. Let’s keep it that way."
Sian talks about the issue on her New Statesman blog: www.newstatesman.com