Darren Johnson

Last updated

Audio-input-microphone.svg
Darren Johnson's voice
recorded February 2013
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Darren Paul Johnson (born 1966) [1] is a former English politician who was a prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. He represented the Green Party on the London Assembly from 2000 to 2016 and was a Green councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham. He is now a writer and has had several rock music biographies published.

Contents

Early life and career

Johnson was born in Southport, Lancashire, and at school, studied A-Levels in English, Theatre Studies and Journalistic Studies. Johnson admitted to his "shame" that his first foray into politics was standing in a school mock election in 1979 as a Conservative Party candidate. [1]

He lived in Hull for three years before moving with a friend to Wembley in London in 1990. He also lived in Finsbury Park and Golders Green before settling in Lewisham. His first job in London was "in accounts with an advertising firm in Goodge Street". He took a degree at Goldsmiths College (part of the University of London) in 1994, eventually gaining a first-class BA (hons.) degree in Politics and Economics. [1] [2] He apparently "started to work on his PhD until the London Assembly distracted him". [3] He was also once a "paid consultant to Friends of the Earth". [4]

Political career

Johnson joined the Green Party in 1987 at the age of 20 [2] "after the Chernobyl Disaster", [1] which "had a big impact" on him. [5] He was Male Principal Speaker of the party in 2002. [6]

According to the Knitting Circle (a website with "resources on lesbian and gay issues"), his campaigning experience includes infiltrating "the military base at Aldershot dressed as Ivan the Terrible during an arms fair. He was saluted by the guards as he drove through the gates in a large limousine with tinted windows. He tried to buy arms with Monopoly money". [3]

London Assembly member

In 2000, Johnson was elected to the inaugural London Assembly as part of a three-strong Green Group, including Jenny Jones AM and Victor Anderson (who resigned in March 2003 and was replaced by Noel Lynch for the remainder of the term). The 2004 elections would see the Greens lose the seat held by Lynch, leaving Johnson and Jones as the two remaining members of the Green Group. [2] Both won re-election in the 2008 election, when the Greens held on to their two seats. He served as Deputy Chair of the Assembly 2008–09 and again in 2012–13 and was elected Chair of the Assembly in May 2009 and again in 2013. [7] [8]

As a London Assembly Member, Johnson was Chair of the Housing Committee and a member of the Business Management and Administration Committee, Budget and Performance Committee and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA). [8] Johnson issued a report on the sustainability measures involved in planning for London's hosting of the Olympics in 2012, [9] and also chaired an inquiry on nuclear waste trains for the London Assembly. [10] He was previously Chair of the Environment Committee (between 2004/9 and 2010/11). The committee produced a number of reports, [11] including investigations into the loss of street trees, [12] and the effects of paving over front gardens in the city. [13] Along with his long-standing colleague Jenny Jones, he stood down at the 2016 election. [14]

Lewisham councillor

In the 2002 local elections, Johnson was elected as a councillor for the Brockley ward in the London Borough of Lewisham, the Greens' first councillor in Lewisham, [2] polling 1026 votes and coming top in the ward. [15] He was re-elected in 2006, when the Greens gained a further five seats in Lewisham. [2] He came top of the ward again, polling 1583 votes. [16] In 2010, he was the only Green councillor in Lewisham to be re-elected and served until 2014 when he did not seek re-election.

In his time as a councillor, Johnson was successful in getting the council to adopt a Fair Trade policy. He opposed the closure of Ladywell Leisure Centre and put forward alternative sites for a new school. He also successfully campaigned for a new pedestrian crossing on Brockley Road, secured improvements to the traffic calming scheme and managed to halt evictions at St Norberts Allotments. [17] In addition, he served as a member of Lewisham 's Housing Select Committee, Sustainable Development Select Committee, Council Urgency Committee, Elections Committee, Licensing (Supplementary) Committee, Licensing Committee, Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Marsha Phoenix Memorial Trust. He has represented Lewisham on the Local Government Association General Assembly. [18]

Mayoral candidate

Johnson was the Green Party's candidate for Mayor of London in 2000 and 2004. In the 2000 election, he won 2.2% of first preference votes (38,121 votes), taking sixth place. He also came third in unallocated second preference votes with 192,764-second preferences (13.6%). In the 2004 election, he received 57,331 votes in the first round (2.9%) taking seventh place, and took 10.9% of unallocated second preferences (208,686).

Johnson chose not to seek selection as mayoral candidate for a third time. On 12 March 2007, the London Green Party voted to select Siân Berry as their mayoral candidate in the 2008 mayoral election, replacing Johnson. [19] The winner in this election was Boris Johnson.

Parliamentary candidate

Having fought Brent South in 1992, Johnson was the Green Party's parliamentary candidate in the Lewisham Deptford constituency in 2001, 2005 and 2010. He came fourth in the constituency in the 2001 general election, polling 1,901 votes (6.5%). In the 2005 general election, Johnson, backed by the Fire Brigades Union (after being the only London Assembly member to vote against cuts in the brigade), received 11.1% of the votes (3,367 votes), coming fourth. In the 2010 general election he came fourth again, but his vote slipped back to 2,772 (6.7%).

Suspension by the Green Party

On 28 May 2024, Johnson revealed he had been suspended by the Green Party, following social media posts criticising the Green Party's response to the Cass Review. [20] [21] In December 2024 he resigned from the Green Party after 37 years' membership. [22]

Personal life and writing

Johnson, who is gay, lives in St Leonards, East Sussex. Johnson is a keen supporter of live music (rock and folk) and writes a live review blog. [23] His book The Sweet in the 1970s was published by Sonicbond Publishing [24] on 30 July 2021. This was followed by a second book Suzi Quatro in the 1970s published by the same publisher in July 2022; and a third book Slade in the 1970s published in May 2023.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Party (Ireland)</span> Irish political party

The Green Party is a green political party that operates in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It holds a pro-European stance. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and adopted its current English language name in 1987 while the Irish name was kept unchanged. The party leader is Roderic O'Gorman, the deputy leader is Senator Róisín Garvey and the cathaoirleach (chairperson) is Pauline O'Reilly. Green Party candidates have been elected to most levels of representation: local government, Dáil Éireann, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the European Parliament.

The Green Party of England and Wales is a green, left-wing political party in England and Wales. Since October 2021, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay have served as the party's co-leaders. The party currently has four representatives in the House of Commons and two in the House of Lords, in addition to over 800 councillors at the local government level and three members of the London Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Jones, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb</span> Green Party of England and Wales politician and life peer

Jennifer Helen Jones, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, is a British politician who served as Deputy Mayor of London from 2003 to 2004. A member of the Green Party of England and Wales, she was until September 2019 the sole Green Party member in the House of Lords.

Noel Lynch was an Irish politician living in England and a member of the Green Party of England and Wales. He represented the Green Party on the London Assembly between 2 May 2003 and 10 June 2004, after replacing Victor Anderson who resigned. Due to a fall in the Green vote, he did not retain his seat at the 2004 London Assembly election, leaving Darren Johnson and Jenny Jones as the remaining members of the London Assembly Green Group. He was Co-ordinator of the London Federation of Green Parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales</span> Head of the Green Party in England and Wales

The Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales is the most senior political figure within the Green Party of England and Wales. The role was introduced alongside that of deputy leader in 2008. Prior to this, the party's public spokespersons were principal speakers. There were two principal speakers, one female and one male, who were elected annually at the Green Party's Autumn Conference and held no vote on the Green Party Executive (GPEx).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 London Assembly election</span>

An election to the Assembly of London took place on 10 June 2004, along with the 2004 London mayoral election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Taylor (British politician)</span> British politician (1953–2022)

Keith Richard Taylor was a Green Party of England and Wales politician who was MEP for South East England from 2010 to 2019 and was the Party's animal rights spokesperson until his retirement in 2019. He was one of the two Principal Speakers of the party from August 2004 to November 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wales Green Party</span> Political party in Wales

The Wales Green Party is a semi-autonomous political party within the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). It covers Wales, and is the only regional party with semi-autonomous status within the GPEW. The Wales Green Party puts up candidates for council, Senedd, and UK Parliament seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Greens</span> Political party in Australia

The Victorian Greens, officially known as the Australian Greens Victoria, is the Victorian state member party of the Australian Greens, a green political party in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 London mayoral election</span>

The 2008 London mayoral election for the office of Mayor of London, England, was held on 1 May 2008. Conservative candidate Boris Johnson defeated incumbent Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone. It was the third London mayoral election, the previous elections being the first election in May 2000 and the second election in June 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siân Berry</span> British politician (born 1974)

Siân Rebecca Berry is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion since July 2024, succeeding Caroline Lucas. She was a co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales alongside Jonathan Bartley from 2018 to 2021, and was its sole leader from July to October 2021. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's principal speakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 London mayoral election</span> London mayoral election

The 2012 London mayoral election was an election held on Thursday 3 May 2012, to elect the Mayor of London. It was held on the same day as the London Assembly election, and used a supplementary vote system.

The Green Party of England and Wales has its roots in the PEOPLE Party started in Coventry in 1972/3 by four professional friends. It then changed its name to the more descriptive Ecology Party in 1975, and to the Green Party ten years later. In the 1990s, the Scottish and Northern Ireland wings of the Green Party in the United Kingdom decided to separate amicably from the party in England and Wales, to form the Scottish Green Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland. The Wales Green Party became an autonomous regional party and remained within the new Green Party of England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Croydon North by-election</span>

On 29 November 2012, a by-election was held for the UK House of Commons constituency of Croydon North in the London Borough of Croydon. The by-election was caused by the death of its Member of Parliament Malcolm Wicks. It took place on the same day as by-elections in Middlesbrough and Rotherham. The by-election was won by Steve Reed of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 London mayoral election</span> London mayoral election

The 2016 London mayoral election was held on 5 May 2016 to elect the Mayor of London, on the same day as the London Assembly election. It was the fifth election to the position of mayor, which was created in 2000 following a referendum in Greater London. The election used a supplementary vote system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 West Midlands mayoral election</span> Mayoral election held in the West Midlands, England

The inaugural West Midlands mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the Mayor of the West Midlands, with subsequent elections to be held every four years from May 2020. The election took place alongside five elections for English metro mayors and other local elections, and ahead of the general election on 8 June 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 London Assembly election</span>

The 2021 London Assembly election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the members of the London Assembly, alongside the 2021 London mayoral election. The mayoral and Assembly elections were originally to be held on 7 May 2020, but on 13 March 2020 it was announced the election would be postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the sixth election since the Assembly was established in 2000. Due to the previous term being extended to 5 years, those elected would only serve a three-year term until the next election in 2024. The election was held on the same day in 2021 as other elections in the UK; the UK local elections, Scottish Parliament election, and Welsh Senedd election.

A by-election was held in the UK Parliament constituency of Lewisham East on 14 June 2018, following the resignation of Labour MP Heidi Alexander. It was the second by-election held during the 57th UK Parliament, which was elected in June 2017.

Phélim Mac Cafferty is a former Green Party of England and Wales politician and the former leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, in Brighton and Hove, England. He served as a councillor for the Brunswick and Adelaide ward from 2011 until 2023 when he lost his seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Lewisham London Borough Council election</span> 2022 local election in Lewisham

The 2022 Lewisham London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 54 members of Lewisham London Borough Council were up for election. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "My London: Darren Johnson". BBC News Online . 28 May 2004. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Darren Johnson's Green Party Biography". Greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  3. 1 2 knittingcircle.org.uk https://web.archive.org/web/20071030191036/http://www.knittingcircle.org.uk/darrenjohnson.html. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ "Battle for London | Candidates | Darren Johnson". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  5. ↑ "Green World Interview". Greenworld.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Green Party News Johnson's final address to conference". Greenparty.org.uk. 17 March 2002. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "Darren Johnson | London City Hall". 3 May 2012.
  8. 1 2 "London Assembly Biography". London.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  9. ↑ "On the Right Track?" Report Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Darren Johnson, 2009.
  10. ↑ Nuclear Waste Trains Investigative Committee Scrutiny Report Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine 2001.
  11. ↑ "London Assembly Environment Committee". London.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  12. ↑ "Chainsaw Massacre: A review of London's street trees" Report [ permanent dead link ], Environment Committee, 2007.
  13. ↑ "Crazy Paving: The environmental importance of London's front gardens" Report Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Environment Committee, 2005.
  14. ↑ "Green Party's Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson to step-down from London Assembly after 16 years". Green Party. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "Lewisham Council Election Results 2002" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  16. ↑ "Elections and voting". Lewisham Council. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006.
  17. ↑ "Lewisham Green Party". www.bijutsu.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008.
  18. ↑ "Darren Johnson's Lewisham Council Biography". Lewisham.gov.uk. 4 May 2002. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  19. ↑ "Politics | Berry is Green mayoral candidate". BBC News. 12 March 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  20. ↑ Johnson, Darren [@DarrenJohnson66] (28 May 2024). "Looks like I've been suspended from the Green Party" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 November 2024– via Twitter.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Darren (30 May 2024). "I stood up to the Greens' trans ideology, then they kicked me out". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  22. ↑ @DarrenJohnson66 (14 December 2024). "My resignation from the Green Party. After 37 years the deed is done. I decided that in all honesty, even if my suspension was lifted, I could no longer remain a member following the behaviour of Green MPs this week" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ↑ "Darren's music blog". Darrensmusicblog.com. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  24. ↑ "Sonicbond Publishing - Books for Music Fans". Sonicbond Publishing.
Darren Johnson
Darren Johnson 20080906.jpg
Principal Speaker of the Green Party
In office
2001–2003
Political offices
Preceded by Principal Speaker of the
Green Party of England and Wales
2001–2003		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.