In a new film to be released by the Green Party on Tuesday 20 April, party leader Caroline Lucas speaks about balancing family life with the pressures of being the only female leader of a UK political party on the brink of a breakthrough. (1)
In the 5-minute film, Jon Briggs, a broadcast journalist of 25 years' standing, asks South East England's Green MEP:
Jon Briggs first made short films for the Green Party several years ago when his aunt, the Rev Anthea Ballam, was the Green Party's candidate in Hove. Jon made several short films of Keith Taylor, who was then the party's Principal Speaker - the role the Greens had for many years before they decided to create the post of leader. Jon says he "wanted to help a party that doesn't have the funds that bigger parties have."
His films helped propel Keith Taylor to take 22% of the vote in Brighton Pavilion, the highest ever Green vote in a UK general election, in the constituency now contested by Caroline Lucas herself.
Building on that success, the Greens have outpolled all other parties in every election in Brighton and Hove ever since - and recently Caroline Lucas has been tipped by pollsters YouGov and ICM to win the Brighton Pavilion seat on 6 May. She is also odds-on favourite with the UK's biggest online betting site, Betfair.
"Any party would be proud to have Caroline Lucas as a spokesperson"
Jon Briggs commented today: "We've seen from last week's televised debate that giving a relatively less well known party leader a voice can alter people's perceptions.
"We've seen proof that if you give the minority parties a chance to be heard, people can see that there's a lot more that we could vote for than just Labour or the Conservatives.
"The Green Party is a party that has some real answers. It's a party that deserves to be heard, and there is a need for a Green voice at Westminster. Any party would be proud to have Caroline Lucas as a spokesperson."
Jon Briggs concluded: "I hope a lot of people will watch this film, and the others the Greens will be releasing soon. If more people get to know Caroline Lucas and the Green Party's policies better, we're more likely to see Caroline and some of her colleagues get elected. And that can only be good news for British parliamentary democracy."
At the same time, another new film is being released (2), based on interviews with senior members of Caroline's campaign team, who are asked why Caroline Lucas would make a good MP for Brighton Pavilion.
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Notes
1. This film can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn9cG3FVUEQ.
2. This film can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlS89Abk_jQ.