Do even Greens need leaders?

By AviShalom

The UK Greens will decide in an internal referendum later this year whether to move to a more traditional single-leader model. Mark Lynas has an interesting take in the New Statesman on the debate, which pits the fundis (who fear "domestication" of their movement) and the realos (who would like to see the party position itself to make an impact on the British mainstream).

This is, of course, an echo of similar problems confronted by other "outsider" movements, apart from those that are founded by charismatic leaders, which are more typical of the non-mainstream right than of left-libertarian and "eco" movements like the Greens. (The outsiders of the right have the opposite problem: how to institutionalize and get out of the shadow of the leader and carry on after the leader's departure).

Very interesting. Thanks to Natalie at Philobiblon (an excellent British blog on feminist and green issues) for the tip.

(Cross-posted at Fruits & Votes.)