Latest news with #EllieGomersall
The Herald Scotland
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Greens election official resigned over 'anomaly' in results
She said: 'Hi all, I just wanted to say a couple of things about the situation as I understand it. As I see it, I did two things wrong.' 'Not spotting the anomaly in the results spreadsheets when they were initially sent to me, the cocos of SOC and the cocos of ECC, as well as to staff.' A screenshot of the message, viewed by The Herald. (Image: NQ) 'Going along with a statement yesterday reassuring people that there were no realistic doubts about the results when I was not sure that that was the case.' It is unclear what the 'cocos of SOC and the cocos of ECC' refers to. Last night, The Herald received a statement from the Scottish Greens official communications team which stated: "The party's Internal Elections Officer has confirmed that the process and the methodology used are compliant with our selections procedure, and the lists published are correct. "The IEO has verified that the count was conducted using iterative rounds of STV, specifically the Weighted Inclusive Gregory method, and was done as a bottom-up process." However, Ms Joester later told members she had not approved the statement, and that she was standing down from her position. Today, she said: 'I was not aware that the statement had gone to the media at the point where I expressed my unwillingness to proceed with it. 'I think others involved thought I was aware. Either way, I think I needed to resign as IEO because I hadn't done a good enough job.' Party bosses have come under fire in recent years as a result of the Bute House Agreement. (Image: PA) 'I do not know whether or not there is a problem with the results,' she added in the message, sent at 2.31 PM on Tuesday. 'MiVoice [an electoral counting service] assured the party yesterday that they carried out iterated stages of STV with the votes of excluded candidates transferred between stages. 'That is the understanding I had about what we had asked them to do - while MiVoice were originally commissioned to carry out this ballot before my tenure as interim Internal Elections Officer, 'I have spoken to them to clarify what was needed over the past few weeks. They have offered to clarify their processes in due course, and I think we should wait until that has happened.' Activist Ellie Gomersall challenged Patrick Harvie for the top spot on the list. (Image: Ellie Gomersall) It is understood the party has been asked to review the count in Glasgow, after co-leader Patrick Harvie survived an attempt by activist Ellie Gomersall to remove him as the party's top candidate. It was also asked to review the count in the North East of Scotland, where MSP Maggie Chapman was ousted by former employee Guy Ingerson. A source inside the party told The Herald: ''Honestly, I feel bad for Kate. It's the s******* job in the party. That being said, she should have noticed the inconsistency in the numbers. I think resigning now is a cop-out though, she should have remained in post and fought for those raising issues, It's the IEO's job.' 'It looks like she has been thrown under the bus by the Executive, who have totally shirked their responsibility to oversee and ensure fair party democracy.' Read more: Maggie Chapman ousted as top Green candidate ahead of Holyrood 2026 Scottish Greens release statement on contests after members demand recounts Turmoil deepens as Greens elections officer quits in selection contests row Last night, party executive co-chairs Zoe Clelland and Carolynn Scrimgeour told members: 'We recognise the spreadsheets provided by the supplier may not be very easy to follow, even for members with experience of STV election results…' 'We plan to ask the supplier to provide further guidance and detail to ensure the results can be examined with maximum transparency. Please bear with us while we explore this with the external voting provider.' The Scottish Greens have been approached for comment.
BBC News
19-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Are the Scottish Greens descending into civil war?
Patrick Harvie has been a Green MSP for more than 20 years - but now a group of his own local activists want to replace just one of the latest twists in a series of internal disputes that have been rumbling away in the Scottish this is going on as the party searches for two co-leaders to take it into the next Holyrood Harvie is standing down from one of these positions. He's proud of his record, though he believes political circumstances kept him in the role for too longest-serving leader in Scottish politics still wants to go back to Holyrood at the 2026 a group of "radical" Green activists are now looking to replace him as the party's top MSP candidate in Glasgow, a position that more or less guarantees part of what some in the party are calling the "Glasgow Faction", and they're critical of how the Greens have operated in recent contest has become something of a proxy battle for the direction of the party. In a social media campaign video, three activists - Ellie Gomersall, Iris Duane and Councillor Seonad Hoy - argue that "a fresh start" is needed, and that internal power has been "consolidated into a smaller and smaller group of people".They're critical of the time the Greens spent in government with the SNP, saying there was a lack of investment in communities during that period.I contacted all three to try and speak to them for this article but couldn't secure any Harvie spoke to me for 30 minutes near his office in gave a passionate defence of the Bute House Agreement – the deal that took the party into government with the SNP between 2021 and outgoing co-leader insisted that politics requires compromise, adding that "for a long time the Greens sometimes were guilty of - and sometimes even felt satisfied about - just saying 'we're right, everyone else is wrong'."Sometimes that can make activists feel satisfied. But it doesn't achieve very much. And I think to a lot of voters it comes across as smugness."He won't name names but says some individuals "never accepted the legitimacy of the decision on the Bute House Agreement and set out to try and undermine not just the position of the party but some of the individuals [involved]. That behaviour is out of order". But one party insider, who wanted to remain anonymous, accused the Green leadership of using "a made-up tale about 'factions' to shore up their own position and drive out any minor dissent".They added that a lack of tolerating alternative views about the Bute House Agreement made the Greens look "petty".The disagreements go beyond this one selection battle in vocal critic of the party leadership, Niall Christie, was a candidate in Glasgow at the general election last complaints, he's been suspended as a member while candidate selections are under way. Some have questioned if there's a political motivation behind this party refused to comment on this disciplinary Green Party figure told me that despite a "happy clappy" reputation there's been a "civil war" going on for some time, with members leaking material to journalists and briefing against one said the culture had become "much worse" since the recent leadership contest began. And they claimed that arguments framed as policy disagreements were actually more to do with "personal beefs".The same individual was critical of the "Glasgow Faction", saying these activists believed "if we go out with our banners and flags eventually we'll win. They think we can activate the proletariat, but that's not how the world works". These divisions may well spill into the ongoing leadership co-leader Lorna Slater is seeking re-election to one of the two positions. And fellow MSPs Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer have also launched Greer is close to outgoing party leader Patrick Harvie and was involved in the drafting of the Bute House Agreement. Ms Mackay said she was "upset" when that deal came to an co-leaders don't have to be MSPs, and some are predicting a challenge from a grassroots Scottish Greens are perhaps suffering from the inevitable consequences of their own they're an important political party - with a taste for government and a cohort of engaged relevance can often intensify internal disagreements. There's more at stake for each "side" in these do these internal squabbles really matter to anyone beyond the 7,000 members the party has?When you cast an eye over at the polls looking ahead to the Holyrood election in 2026, it's looking likely that any government will need the support of at least one other Greens have the potential to be kingmakers. And whether or not they will support a government – and the terms on which they will do so – could ultimately have a much broader direction this party takes in the coming months, and how these arguments play out, may have an impact well beyond the Scottish Green membership.
The National
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israel and Iran agree ceasefire after attack on US air base
The news came after Iran attacked American forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base on Monday evening. No casualties were reported, and the US was made aware of the attack in advance. Just hours later, US president Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement had been reached on his social media platform Truth Social – although it took some time for both Iran and Israel to confirm. READ MORE: Ellie Gomersall: Banning a protest group as authoritarian as it gets At around 11pm UK time, Trump posted: "CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!" Around an hour later, a senior Iranian official told the Reuters news agency that it had agreed to the ceasefire, which was proposed by the US and mediated by Qatar. Shortly before 6am UK-time, Iranian state television said the ceasefire had officially begun – but there was no word from Israel on whether it accepted the deal until just over an hour later. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that it has agreed to the proposal, adding that Israel would respond "forcefully" to any violations from Iran. The statement added that Israel had agreed to the deal after "achieving the objectives" of its attacks, claiming that the "immediate existential threat" of Iran's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles had been removed. READ MORE: I was at the protest for Palestine Action – here's what happened The UK Government has welcomed the news. Speaking on the Tuesday morning media round, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden told BBC Breakfast that it was "good news, if the ceasefire holds". He said: 'I welcome the Israeli statement. It's obviously a fragile situation in the Middle East. 'A number of people have been killed overnight in missile strikes, but I think the whole world will hope that the ceasefire will hold and that Iran will come forward with a credible plan that shows that it will not pursue the development of a nuclear weapon.' At the time of writing, there has been no official statement from either Foreign Secretary David Lammy or Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is heading to the Netherlands on Tuesday for a two-day Nato summit.
The Herald Scotland
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Meet the 'radical' Greens challenging Harvie and Chapman
Tall and gregarious, the environmental campaigner has a disarming nature. Yet, speaking about his decision to stand in the party's selection contest against leading Green MSP Maggie Chapman — his former boss — Ingerson's voice crackles with passion. Indeed, he is just one of the party's foot soldiers to express dissatisfaction with the status quo in recent weeks. In Glasgow, a self-described 'unashamedly socialist' slate of candidates are looking to unseat long-time party boss Patrick Harvie. I spoke to Iris Duane, 22, earlier this week. Guy Ingerson is standing against Maggie Chapman. (Image: Supplied)'We are at a monumental crossroads,' the Glasgow University Vice President for Student Support notes. 'This election process is about having that conversation, seeing where we want to take the party and what we want to do in the future. 'All three of us,' Duane says, referring to co-conspirators Ellie Gomersall and Seonad Hoy, 'are working class and often feel quite discontented by the political class. 'Our message is very clear. We are unashamedly socialist. We are members of an eco-socialist party and we believe that that should be reflected.' Here too, the passion is evident. This perspective, that Scottish Greens leadership is out of touch with rank-and-file members, is shared by Hoy, a Hillhead councillor elected in a by-election upset last March. She remarks: 'A change of direction is needed. We've achieved a lot from our current MSP team. But now we need practical change that will impact peoples' daily lives. The mum and social housing advocate, who has been involved with the party since the independence referendum drew her into the political fray a decade ago, adds: 'I think we have a bit of an image problem. We're seen as quite middle-class and establishment. We need to be speaking to people." Scottish Greens councillor for Hillhead Seonad Hoy. (Image: Seonad Hoy) 'The Bute House Agreement was a major issue for the party and our external image,' Hoy concedes. 'I was in favour when we signed it, but there were a couple things which upset me, especially Humza Yousaf announcing a council tax freeze without consulting us. 'That should have been a red line.' The feeling that the Scottish Government has sold out local councils is shared by Ellie Gomersall, the third member of this radical triumvirate. Gomersall, formerly the president of student union NUS Scotland, will be challenging Harvie directly, asking Green members to select her number one on the party's list. She tells me: 'Everyday in Glasgow, I see the impact that cuts are having. There's a lack of ambition coming from the Scottish Parliament. I believe the Greens are pushing the parliament to go further, but we need more Green MSPs and fresh voices. 'Although we accomplished a lot, many members have lost trust in the party after signing the BHA due to issues like cuts and the council tax freeze.' Ellie Gomersall is also standing. (Image: Ellie Gomersall) Duane agrees. Asked what her priorities as an MSP would be, she pauses, before continuing. 'We often speak about wealth distribution and progressive taxation. But often what isn't raised is just how battered our local authorities have been in recent years. There are many, many local champions across many parties who are fighting for their areas. 'They've basically got two hands and two legs tied behind them. Councils need more money and whilst they're doing things like raising parking prices or raising council tax, it's simply not enough.' The Aberdeen-based Ingerson also brings up local government cuts, which have struck the Granite City hard in recent years with the closure of six libraries and a leisure centre in 2023. 'The North East has seen cuts to services and workers feel they aren't being listened to,' he remarks. 'We need someone on the top of the list who is from Mastrick (a neighborhood in Aberdeen) and has really good insight into the community.' Iris Duane stood for the Greens at the general election last year. (Image: Scottish Greens)The just transition is also a concern for the ex-oil and gas worker, who says: 'We desperately need a good plan. People need to know the timescale and need to know where the jobs are going. 'Right now, there is not a clear plan, we need to be led by the workers who are being affected.' Asked about the rise of Reform, Ingerson says the political malaise created by mainstream parties provides the Greens with a 'unique opportunity'. He tells me: 'We are well placed to pick up on disaffected voters but the key thing is we need to select the right people. 'Those attracted to Reform are people who are f***ed off' — I can quote that, he quips — 'with the way the dominant parties are treating them and we have a unique opportunity to offer them an alternative.' Maggie Chapman, who is currently involved in an internal bullying complaint lodged by Ingerson, has made similar comments. Read more: 'I'm just a wee bam from Grangemouth' How Gillian Mackay aims to lead Scottish Greens Greens activist to challenge Maggie Chapman for top spot on Holyrood list Green activist urges Harvie and Greer to make way for 'radical women' at election In her pitch to party members, she said: 'As your MSP, I have consistently demanded radical change, standing firm for our values and principles. I want to continue using my voice and experience to fight for the transformations the North East desperately needs and create a fairer, more peaceful world.' Indeed, Chapman has been a constant presence at events across the North East, protesting everything from shuttered libraries to job losses at Aberdeen University. Chatting to me a day later, Gomersall echoes Ingerson's language, noting: 'People are so tired of the political class, they are turning to Reform because they are scunnered with the status quo. 'When it comes to the issues working class people face, the Greens have the solutions, but that's not cutting through to people. So we need to change the narrative and priorities surrounding the party. On the ground, the reality is that our party is much more working class than people would expect. 'But that needs to be reflected in Holyrood.' Patrick Harvie (L) has been in Holyrood since 2003. (Image: PA) In a statement, Patrick Harvie praised the work of the party in the last several years, calling it the most successful period in their history. He told The Herald: 'In this session of Parliament we've delivered free bus travel for young people, wiping out school meal debt and expanding free school meals, saving people who rent their homes thousands of pounds through the rent freeze, investing in energy efficiency and increasing the Scottish Child Payment... and much of this paid for through progressive taxation that the Greens achieved, so people on high incomes pay their fair share. 'If I think back to the many long years when Greens could only campaign for change while achieving nothing, there can be zero doubt that we have been taking the right path in recent years. 'Greens are here to make a difference for people, not to be just a party of protest that gets nothing done.' One party source said Harvie remains popular among the Greens' 'significant passive membership' and that the race for the top spots on the Glasgow list could come down to Duane, Gomersall, Harvie and Langside councillor Holly Bruce, who was praised as having a 'good track record which appeals to lots of our members'. Early next month, party members will be asked to make a decision on the future of the Scottish Greens. Will they reaffirm long-time grandees or embrace fresh, working-class voices? Their decision, whatever it may be, will reverberate through the halls of Holyrood for years to come.
The National
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Green leaders abandoned the radicalism they ran on
Yes or No, I doubt many left that campaign period with a shining love for the British state, even if we diverged on the best way to fix it. But while No campaigners settled down for the promised package of sweeping constitutional change that was promised and never delivered, many Yes campaigners turned to the political party system. The fight was not over. READ MORE: SNP leadership must bite the bullet on independence or step aside The SNP, to the detriment of the Yes movement, hoovered up a lot of that talent and has spent the last decade burning through what remained of their energy and the goodwill built on the near miss of independence. But for many like myself, the vehicle to change was not going to be the managerial talk-like-a-leftist-act-like-a-centrist SNP. The party's vision for an independent Scotland was too 'continuity' focused. Same money. Same monarchy. Same ineffective tax plans. What was independence for, if not to take a different path? Enter the Scottish Green Party. My relationship to parliamentary politics has, let's say, changed somewhat in the intervening decade, but at the time – and with that frustrated momentum of a job unfinished – the Greens were my home when everyone was getting comfortable for the long fight. They were unapologetic in their support for fair taxation, real land reform and more, issues that seem positively nostalgic in this time of being on the backfoot to populist far-right rhetoric. Where the SNP were afraid to rock the boat with their messaging on independence, the Greens painted a picture of what a better Scotland could be – and for years now I've watched as Green leadership trampled and undermined every principle that brought people to the party in the first place. What credibility can a party have for building a better future when its limited time with power was used to wave through government budgets that devastated local communities? READ MORE: The SNP's current strategy is political suicide. Here's what needs to change And yes, I'm sure some could argue that without Green influence these cuts would have been deeper, more significant. But if the choice presented is between a kick to the head and a kick to the face, you don't pick the 'lesser evil'. You reject the choice itself. It's not quite the same territory as the LibDems backing benefit sanctions to secure a 5p bag tax from the Tories, but the Greens should never have been in a position of passing on those cuts to local communities and services. If that's the price of being in government, I have to wonder why any Green was willing to pay it. In its quest to professionalise, Green leadership has morphed into the very thing that people joined the Greens to avoid; red lines drawn in shifting sand, consolidated power amongst the high heid yins, and an aversion to the very radicalism that brought relevance in the first place. At a party conference in 2024, a motion amendment from Green activist Ellie Gomersall and Glasgow councillor Anthony Carroll was passed to bind MSPs into voting against any future Budget that made further cuts to local councils. This did not come from the leadership, but from activists within the party who had watched their MSPs support cuts in opposition to everything the party stood for. The membership backed the amendment, putting itself at odds with the leadership – and not for the first or last time. Humza Yousaf did the party a favour by prematurely ending the SNP's power-sharing deal with the Greens (and his career with it). The SNP's chaotic search for its post-Sturgeon identity threatened to take the Greens with it, while party leadership refused to let go. The bitter end to the Bute House Agreement was the best outcome for the Greens, and it created a useful distance between the party's leadership and the SNP's centrist failures – but I'm not sure I can say that it was deserved. In the end, it'll be down to the Greens to look at their victories in government like a new national park (cancelled by the SNP) or the creation of more Highly Protected Marine Areas (also cancelled by the SNP) or plans to get more homes using green heating systems (cancelled) or the ban on conversion therapy (take a guess) and ask themselves if the cuts they passed on (not cancelled) were worth it. Where I criticise, I want to make two extremely clear points – first, my aim is at the party leadership and not the membership who have, frankly, been steamrollered these past few years. And second, even with these criticisms, it doesn't diminish my respect ultimately for the graft put in to bring the Greens to where they are today, for better and worse. Many in positions of power in the party have stuck with the Greens through dire times, and have put endless sweat and tears into providing an alternative to the mainstream political machine, which only makes these last years all the more sour. READ MORE: Scottish council issues statement amid row over whether Union flag is 'sectarian' I do think it is time for a change in the Scottish Green Party, not only for the reasons I've listed, but also more pragmatically from the fact that an ostensibly radical alternative to the status quo has failed to make real hay out of the rise of Reform UK. When people are crying out for anti-establishment politicians, and Green polling isn't shifting, there are questions to be asked. MSP candidate selections have begun in the Greens, and it seems to be shaping up to a fight between the old guard and more radical voices within the party. Cards on the table, some of those challengers are good friends of mine. But I don't support them for that reason. They represent the change I want to see in the Greens, and the change we need to see in politics full stop. What use is another establishment party when the possibility of real change is right in front of us?
