Rather belatedly : Why I resigned from the Scottish Greens

Letter to Patrick Harvie

Co-convenor, Scottish Green Party

16th February 2016

Dear Patrick

This letter is to let you know why I have decided to leave the Scottish Green Party.

I have been involved in Scottish politics for over 30 years. Throughout that time I have sought to advance democratic, environmental and liberal values in accordance with my belief that those in politics should be committed to principles of honesty and public service.

This is not the first time in my political life I have found myself a member of a party that has put expediency and short-term advantage ahead of the principles it claims  should guide its behaviour.  That doesn't make it any less disappointing to discover that in the Scottish Green Party, the Party's rules can be selectively applied by - and to the benefit of - senior figures.

My concern about whether the Party was following its own stated beliefs started about a year ago as I became more and more worried by the shambolic conduct of the selection ballot for the 2016 Holyrood candidates. As you know, I made my concerns clear at the time and later lodged a formal complaint. It was subsequently acknowledged, for example, that the ballot papers, though apparently randomised as the rules required, were actually alphabetic starting with the third letter of the surname, an ordering method that ensured the Party's co-leader, Maggie ChApman, came first on the North-East ballot paper. My complaint about the conduct of the ballot was delayed by the obstructive behaviour of senior Party figures.  The process as eventually concluded was not conducted according to either the principles of natural justice or the Party's own rules. By the time a verdict was delivered no-one was surprised it endorsed the selection of Maggie Chapman as lead North-East candidate.

Of course, no political party can be held responsible for the day-to-day, individual, actions of all its members. But a party is responsible for requiring its candidates to meet certain minimum standards. For me, and I believe most people, one essential is that a candidate for public office must be honest with the public. Maggie Chapman's clearly untrue statements in relation to a Ph.D. actually abandoned many years ago therefore seriously call into question her suitability to be a Green Party candidate. But that has not been the Party's response. Candidates on the North-East Holyrood list were told they must give unequivocal support to Maggie Chapman as lead candidate. Those who said they were not prepared to publicly defend dishonesty were given an ultimatum to resign (which three did) or face immediate deselection. Effectively, it would appear, the whole Party is expected to act in the interests of senior figures - and not according to the principle that rules should apply equally to all, regardless of position.  That is not healthy or wise. 

I have been privileged to be co-convenor of the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Green Party branch for the last two years.   It has been very saddening to me to see the devastating effect on the Green Party in the North-East of the events and actions described above. Experienced and committed Party members have left or stopped participating. The branch now rarely meets and barely functions at all.

I have now also reached the point where I believe my best chance of advancing the political causes I support is to campaign as an individual or as a member of various environmental and other organisations.  I shall not be voting for the Scottish Green Party this May.

Yours sincerely

Debra Storr

National disgrace, scoundrel and extremist

The untouched dune system.
The mobile sand sheet moved 5-15m north each year, leaving behind a time series of botanical
colonisation, one of the finest examples of such in northern Europe.

I'm often asked why this blogs normal title is National disgrace, scoundrel and extremist.  This phrase evokes to me a significant change in my political life.  And explaining that might also explain how money-politics works. 

In 2005, I was approached by representatives of Trump who wanted to outline to me, as local councillor, their plan to turn the shooting estate of Menie into a golf resort.  What they outlined was a 250 bedroom hotel, a golf course, maybe some staff accommodation and perhaps some other housing.  At this stage, it was clear that they'd been in discussions with the council planners and up to Chief Executive level for some time.

In March 2006, they went public with an announcement that they were in May going to submit an application for a 250 bedroom hotel, two golf courses and a holiday home complex, valued at £300 million, creating 400 jobs and in piled the local business interest saying this would put the north-east of Scotland on the map with Shiona Baird, Green MSP being the only cautionary voice.   

By the summer, the resort has grown to a £1 billion investment with a 450 bedroomn hotel and a thousand holiday homes.  Even more ra-ra from local business interests - obviously £1 billion is three times better than £300m - and there couldn't possibly be any downsides - could there?.

The resort proposal

When finally submitted in November 2006, the resort consisted of a 450 bedroom hotel, 950 holiday apartments, 36 golf villas and a village of 900 open market houses.

Now as councillor, you are stuck with making no comment on planning applications, as you could be deemed to prejudge the application.  So silence from me and meanwhile an enormous PR effort.

In the summer of 2007, I was lobbied by both local MP, Malcolm Bruce to the effect of 'You must pass the Trump thing, else the SNP will get the credit' and in favour of Trump by the then local MSP Nora Radcliffe. It was clear that the Trump PR machine was working at all political levels.  The Scottish Government has already added Trump to Global Scots - a group meant to promote Scotland's interests abroad.   MPs and MSPs had been intensively lobbied.  So had many -but not all - councillors.  And the business and tourist community had been fully briefed and were raising their voice loudly in support. 

Trump 'sensitively' resculpting the sand
dunes to make his golf course.

The problem with the application was simple: it trashed - literally bulldozed - a site of scientic interest in order to build a hotel and holiday complex.  And it built 900 houses on farmland where no village had been planned into order to pay for it.  Talk of £1 billion pound investment was fantasy - it was the sale of open market housing paying for the development.  Lots of environmental damage.  A thousand, mainly low pay,  jobs - in a area where unemployment was less than 1%, house prices are high and there is a shortage of affordable housing.  None would be included in the 'exclusive' Menie estate development.

In October 2007 there was a planning hearing lasting some 5 hours and in November, there were two meetings, first of the local Area Committee which approved the development and then famous Infrastructure Services Committee where Martin Ford used his casting vote to turn down Trump rather than sending the applicaion back for renegotiation - few councillors wanted to grant outright. 

And that was when all hell let lose.

The leader of the Council vowed 'I will do everything in my power to keep this application alive'.  The media went in to frenzy mode.  Martin took the brunt but I answered the phone to media and did countless interviews that day.   At 8am the following morning, I was scheduled to do a live interview with Radio Scotland.  A woman appeared on my doorstep shortly before this and, shouting obsenities at me, tried to assult me on my own doorstep.  I was too shaken to do the interview.   It was awful.  Thousands of emails.  Front page of the local newspaper with Traitor as the headline.  

By the end of the following week, Martin was no longer the chair of the Infrastructure Services Committee, the application had been called in by the Scottish Government - an unprecendented step for an application that had already been properly determined - and there was a deep rift in the LibDems on Aberdeenshire between those that opposed Trump and those that supported him.

Aberdeenshire Council agreed to permit a 5m tall bund
to built around the Leyton Cottage on the Menie estate

I battled on, doing my job as councillor, especially to protect the rights of the Menie residents not be be harrassed and hemmed in and to maintain open public access to the Menie Estate (see here and here).

It was at this period when Donald Trump, a bit touchy at my opposition, wrote an open letter to the press (and sent me a copy some 6 hours later) where he called me a national disgrace, scoundrel and extremist.  I am patently none of those things - but I rather like the accolade from this birther and climate change denier.   
 
Eventually the rift in Aberdeenshire Council grew so deep and the behaviour of some councillors was so vile, that I left the LibDems, followed by Martin.  Martin joined the Greens immediately: I didn't join the Greens until October 2009.  I loved the welcome I got.  Linda Hendry, who I'd known for years from when I lived in Edinburgh said 'You've taken your time', which I took as a welcome and an indication that she'd regarded me as a green for a long time.  It was coming home.

What happenned at Menie was simple.  Lots of people, whose job it was to contain a crocodile, didn't do their job.  The zookeepers helped the crocodile rather than keeping it in its enclosure.  Why? Because they were blinded by a slick PR campaign and the idea that a couple of golf courses could replace the oil industry.  Laughable, if it wasn't so sad. 

But out of a very horrible time comes good:  

People know who I am.  I am still recognised and approached by people who tell me that I did right in regard to Trump - including by some who say they thought I was wrong at the time but now understand.

People know what I stand for.  I spent weeks looking at the evidence.  The 'right' of the matter was very clear to me at the time and I haven't changed my mind.  And I was left as one of the few voices raised to oppose Trump.  People - the Menie residents - and the environment matter.  And the economy, while important, must make sense in terms of actual benefit and actual investment not just be a matter of £000000000.

And they know I mean it.  Trump doesn't cope with No very well - he doesn't often meet it.  He tried every trick to intimidate me.  It wasn't pleasant but it didn't work. I survived and can smile about it now.  It's good to know that when presented with a choice, I did what was right not what was easy. 

Local - Experienced - Proven

The fallout thereafter at Menie is documented on this blog (Earlier material was lost as I blogged on the LibDem's own platform).  Click on Menie or Trump in the Cloud to the right to read more.  And if you want a fuller, less personal picture, then there are excellent papers by Martin Ford and Andy Wightman.

Tripping Up Trump continue to support the Menie residents.

Trump continues to harrass the residents.  Please support them on the Tripping Up Trump Facebook page.  While a golf course is built and Menie House and the adjacent steadings have been converted to holiday accommodation, the club house is about a third of the original size.   The Menie development hasn't been a success and Trump is now stamping his mark on classic Turnberry and Doonbeg in Ireland.    

Scottish Green Party Conference

You can really see how Caroline Lucas so deserved to be elected to Westminster.  She is a very convincing speaker and engages with people so well.  Definitely the highlight of the conference this weekend.  Full text of her speech is here.


But conferences are not all about speeches so some good solid work honing policies and putting in place structures to manage the situation if the Greens are part of the equation for government at Holyrood next May.  There are good grounds for believing that Greens will be represented across Scotland next May - certainly we are the only Party likely to be challenging cuts in our public services and a new economics rather than the expensive repair of the old. 

And ultimately, the Greens will be talking a message of hope.  Not hope for a return to a discredited system of greed and consumption.  But hope for a more human scaled world where we recognise our interdependence and work together to make our lives better.  Happiness can't be measured just in cash.

On the Holyrood road

Congratulations to my good friends Cllr Martin Ford and Rhonda Reekie who have been selected as the No.1 and No.2 places on the Regional List for the North East of Scotland by the Scottish Green Party.


While a Green, Shiona Baird, was elected for the seat in 2003, 2007 saw a retreat everywhere to the 4 establishment parties of Scotland.

I know Martin and Rhonda would both be very effective MSPs and I hope that Martin's high public profile will make voters consider voting for a politician whose views are well known and based on strong principle.

I wonder why the P&J failed to carry any news item about Martin's selection?  Are they that frightened of him? 

Policies not tribes

Choices in thsi General Election for some may be hard.  Neither Labour nor the Tories look attractive and I have lost faith in the LibDems.

What I do this time is clear,  I have the opportunity to vote for Sue Edwards who is a woman of principle with a big heart.   It's interesting watching someone new to politics grapple with doorsteps, hustings etc.  Sue takes it all in her stride and stays beautifully herself.

There are big issues.  Clearly "business as usual" won't be enough to solve problems with the economy, the environment and help people live high quality lives.  And I worry that people will vote out of fear of "the other" rather than hope to create a future they really want.

Just as a matter of interest, try looking at the policies at http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/  and see how your views align to the various parties.  The result are more than interesting.  You might surprise yourself!

National disgrace, scoundrel and extremist

To celebrate my formal acceptance into the Scottish Green Party, despite their being warned that, according to the Trump Organisation, I am a national disgrace, scoundrel and extremist, I have decided to rename this blog - and share a view of those famously beautiful dunes.

Enjoy!

Friends, old and new

I have had a delightful weekend at the Scottish Green Conference in Dumfries.  It was lovely to be greeted by old friends from my days of political activism in Edinburgh in the late 80s and early 90s.  And new friends came to the fore when flooding meant that the last leg of the return journey from Edinburgh to Aberdeen had to be abandoned.

I think I shall enjoy working in my new political home.  It is a smaller party than I have been used to but it is not that different to the Liberals in the 80s so there is a familiararity.  But also a positive engagement in trying to find real solutions and a new way forward that will benefit people and the environment.  The issues are huge, the answers are difficult and putting these into action harder still.  But I saw a real determination to align principles and practise and to engage with people - including the driver of the bus to Edinburgh who I suspect will never forget meeting Robin Harper.  I left the driver with a membership application form - from such seeds does a party grow.      

So thanks to everyone for a great weekend - and thanks for Maggie for her organisational skills and Moira for her hospitality.  Their actions turned a bad end to a wonderful weekend into a positve pleasure.

Now back to transport ....

Why I am joining the Scottish Greens

I have been thinking about joining the Scottish Green's for a while now. 

Patrick Harvie and Robin Harper have been among the few MSPs that have been clear about supporting the human rights of the residents at Menie. Contrast this with the disgraceful silence from the north-east political establishment and the shameful refusal to offer my constituents any comfort supported by the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and SNP alike at the recent meeting of Aberdeenshire Council.

It is clear to me that our current crop of politicians in Aberdeenshire are not up to the job. We need people who have the courage to stand up for what is right to lead us. The time has for a new direction. I want to see Aberdeenshire's credibility and reputation restored - which means replacing those in charge at the next election.

I am joining my friend and colleague, Cllr Martin Ford, in the Scottish Green Party because, like him, I want to work for the restoration of public trust in politics. That means being honest with people about difficult issues like climate change. None of the four main parties is doing that.

In my experience, the public respect and trust politicians who stick to their principles and tell the truth, however hard that is. I see that approach in the Green Party. I certainly don't see it anywhere else in north-east politics.

I urge others disgusted at the failure of political leadership amongst current elected representatives in the north-east to join me in the Scottish Green Party as a first step to giving the north-east a better set of representatives for the future.