GLD Elections 2019/20 - Chair

Keith Melton

Peter Bruce

We are at a critical juncture for GLD. Rapid expansion in membership has brought great opportunities as well as challenges for keeping our membership engaged. Internally, we need to build a regional organisation to bring members together in action-oriented meetings, developing teams to create inclusive, activist campaigns to challenge Tory misgovernment.
Externally, the Climate Crisis needs an activist response with clear political leadership from the executive team. That political leadership starts with the Chair. My role within the Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Party before that, has centred around politics, and environmental politics in particular.
I have fought 4 general elections and two European elections, with all the experience that entails. I am as comfortable in a TV studio, or knocking on doors, as I am speaking to audiences from 3 to 3,000 and all stops between! As Chair of the Liberal Ecology Group, I became founding Chair of the Green Lib Dems in 1988. Currently Vice Chair (Campaigns)
I have scribed short blogs, leaflets, newspaper articles, textbooks, case studies and an historical Novel. I wrote & published the Green Hero profiles in the 2019 General election. In 1998 I founded the Institute for Sustainable Development in Business, with a team of 22 researchers and admin staff. Team-building is a transferable skill for a voluntary organisation such as GLD.
"Manifesto":

• Lead the party further and faster tackling the Climate Crisis & Biodiversity Loss
• Build a regionally based GLD activist capability
• Carry the momentum forward on GLD membership numbers
• Build on our two recent GLD national conferences - planning 2020 conference
• Develop fund-raising capacity to "professionalise" GLD support for councillors, PPCs and activists
• Establish "expert groups" to build technical advice bank for the Party
• Establish working parties on our website, campaigning and communications.

From my student days onwards I have chaired organisations that have been effective and groundbreaking in their influence, both community based and public/private partnerships up to £1m/yr turnover. I have never held back from implementing major changes in approach, funding or administration and have left these organisations stronger and more focussed. GLD needs to develop the organisation of its strong volunteer community with specific professional services if it is to have more influence to help protect our troubled planet. I believe I am the person to accomplish this and hope you can support me in creating an evolving future together.

As Vice-Chair Organisation for many years I have delivered increasing conference programmes across the committee and have been stand in chair for 6 months. I aim to be a listener, and supportive of the team making shared decisions, optimising each of our contributions through activities. I am also experienced in taking the lead, when necessary, for key direction and decisions with a clear head and heart. I have presented to PLC Strategy boards, run parliamentary briefings/campaigns for Airbus and am skilled in lobbying globally. This should be invaluable in a forward looking GLD facing a time of crisis in our society and environment. We need new voices to push the agenda for working with nature rather than against it.

We need a new vision of society utilising our expertise to engineer renewable ways of travelling, living in our homes, sharing space and controlling industry to not pollute in our name across the world. Our modern society is not working for us or the planet. Fear often makes us look backwards, so we need proactive leaders to take people forward quickly on the better path, challenging norms and helping people find happier answers in their lives. I can help achieve this.