Andrew Johns Politics 💚

Dad, IT person, East Londoner, interested in the politics of people, climate and justice.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@faizashaheen Frankly I'm embarrassed that my local green party stood down to back him back in 2017. Since then he's repeatedly shown he wasn't who we thought he was.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@faizashaheen @ZackPolanski A shame the independents in Larkswood and Valley didn't quite get over the line, I know they and the Greens would have worked well together.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@ShahrarAli Plenty. this isn't coming out of nowhere. The Greens have been the obvious second party in that borough for a decade. There were plenty of commited environmentalists in the party when I joined in 2014, and most of them haven't gone anywhere. A few of them are now councillors.

[Aaron Bastani @AaronBastani]

Waltham Forest had no Green councillors until today. Not one.

Now they have majority control of the council!? 🤯

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

I missed that Higham Hill hadn't declared! They now have 31, this is a spectacular result. Waltham Forest council is now a majority Green Party council, wiping out Labour's previous and almost totally dominant control.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

Green Party now two short of majority council control in Waltham Forest, from 0. I suspect they will remain short, though. Larkswood and Valley will either be tories or Independents, I reckon. I think those are the only two wards still to declare.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@emreadsthebooks It's probably not a surprise to people within the party, tbh. The last few elections have shown there's huge green support - when canvassing you'd always hear "I want to, but they can't win here" or "I don't want the tories getting in." Seems the message finally cut through.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

On a national level, how significant is what is happening in Waltham Forest? Greens have gone from 0 councillors to 20 and counting. The council was pretty much dominated by Labour, except for a handful of tory/reform in Chingford.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

Waltham Forest is going a lovely shade of green, William Morris would be proud.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@adam_graff I feel ashamed that I used to vote Labour.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

So I think that's 8 Green Party councillors in Waltham Forest so far, 9 for Labour, 2 for Conservatives. Greens have long been clear second across the borough, but didn't have the councillors to show for it. Seems that's changing in a big way.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

The country falling over itself to talk about Hannah Spencer's maiden speech. There are 650 MPs, how many maiden speeches usually get even a small amount of news coverage? They're so rattled, and I love it.

[Owen Jones @owenjonesjourno]

I'm calling it.

The Greens have won the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Hannah Spencer will be the constituency's new MP.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@Oldgregsnads @ZackPolanski He didn't run for Gorton because he lives in London and is an elected member of the London Assembly. The local party gets to pick their own candidate so they can ensure the right person is picked, not just parachuted in by the national party.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

Every time @ZackPolanski is interviewed and a whole bunch of people on social media moan that the Greens aren't what they were before, is exactly WHY Zack was needed. Green Party policy never changed. The problem was always how to get that message across, and Zack is succeeding.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@AlexPanton1 @jimthegiant All it takes is good local people to stand up and act. That's why you see pockets of green activity in the countryside, in suburbs and in inner city areas, but without resources (money and people) it's difficult to maintain presence against bigger political machines.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@PeterShoreite @AlexPanton1 @jimthegiant It sounds like you’re assuming it's being highlighted because it's unusual. I'm saying it's being highlighted because the stereotype exists. Those aren't the same thing.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@AlexPanton1 @jimthegiant Oh absolutely. Labour die hards are one of the worst at painting the Greens a certain way. I saw that when I stood as a candidate myself, and I still see it now. They can't challenge on policies legitimately so they resort to character assassination. Boils my piss, frankly.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@PeterShoreite @AlexPanton1 @jimthegiant fetishising? lmao. So we just let all the lazy stereotypes about greens being a) treehuggers b) students c) middle class d) unemployed slide, is that it? If we challenge that narrative and show a different side, suddenly it's fetishising and out of touch. Don't make me laugh.

[Andrew Johns Politics 💚 @JohnsOnPolitics]

@AlexPanton1 @jimthegiant I don't see it like that. Perhaps because I'm working class, surrounded by working class family and friends, and hearing the lazy stereotypes about the Greens being repeated by them, I also use examples like Hannah to show that their view of the party is outdated.