| Discrete Collections | Politics, economics and social science collections |
| Title | Papers of Jonathon Porritt (1950-), sustainability campaigner and writer |
| Ref No | PORRITT |
| Level | Collection |
| Date | [1974]-1990 |
| Extent | 27 boxes and 5 posters |
| Admin Biographical History | Jonathon Porritt joined the Ecology Party in 1976.
He was the Party's candidate for Marylebone in the Greater London Council elections on 5 May 1977.
He was elected to the Party's National Executive Committee (NEC) at the AGM/Conference in September 1977. That year (1977/78), he was particularly responsible for liaising with other organisations (the Secretary's Report for that year notes that these included: National Council for Civil Liberties; Nuclear Information Network; Turning Point; CND; Save London Alliance; World Information Service on Energy (WISE); SCRAM (Scotland anti-nuclear); the Liberal, Conservative and Labour Parties' ecology groups; Conservation Society; Friends of the Earth; Commonwealth Human Ecology Council; Green Alliance).
On 4 May 1978, Porritt stood as the Ecology Party / Save London Alliance candidate for Hamilton Terrace Ward in the City of Westminster elections.
For the year 1978/79, Porritt was the Vice-Chairman of the NEC and the Party's Election Campaign Co-Ordinator.
He was one of 53 Ecology Party candidates who stood in the general election held on 3 May 1979 (St Marylebone constituency, the seat won by Kenneth Baker).
In June 1979, he was one of the three Party candidates in the European Elections.
Porritt was elected to the renamed 'National Council' in September 1979 and replaced Jonathan Tyler as its Chairman.
At the time there was a limit of three consecutive years for those elected onto the National Council, so he could not stand for re-election again in September 1980 (and was replaced as Chairman by Alec Ponton).
From 1980, Porritt was a member of the Party's Political Committee.
He was election agent for John Foster, Ecology Party candidate in the Croydon by-election held on 22 October 1981.
By 1982, he was Convenor of the Party's Foreign Policy Working Group (being replaced early in 1983 by Steve Dawe).
In 1982 he was also Convenor of its General Election Coordinating Committee.
On 6 May 1982, he again stood for Hamilton Terrace Ward in the Westminster City Council elections.
He was re-elected to the 'Ecology Party Council' in September 1982 and became its Co-Chair (with Jean Lambert and Alec Ponton).
He had a high-profile role during the 1983 general election, both within the Party and in the national media. He stood as candidate for Kensington (won by Brandon Rhys-Williams, whose papers are also held by LSE Library - RHYS WILLIAMS B).
In September 1983, he was again appointed Co-Chair of the Party Council (this time with Paul Ekins and Jean Lambert), as well as continuing his role as a member of the Party's Political Committee.
Porritt's final campaign as an Ecology Party candidate was to be in the European Elections held on 14 June 1984, when he stood for the London Central Constituency.
He became Director of Friends of the Earth in September 1984, so did not stand that year for re-election to the Ecology Party Council.
For more on Jonathon Porritt see his website: http://www.jonathonporritt.com/ |
| Custodial History | Papers deposited by Jonathon Porritt in August 2021. Printed material from this deposit has been added to the GP collection. |
| Description | Jonathon Porritt's papers relating to the Ecology Party (later the Green Party).
PORRITT/1
Ecology Party Council minutes and papers (and its predecessors, the National Executive Committee and National Council), 1977-84. There are not many papers for early 1981.
(4 boxes)
PORRITT/2
Council sub-committees (Political Committee, 1980-85; Elections Committee, 1980-82).
(1 box)
PORRITT/3
Party conferences, 1977-87.
Circulated papers and some correspondence.
(3 boxes)
PORRITT/4
Elections, 1977-86. Papers re Ecology Party election campaigns, including the 1979 and 1983 general elections, the 1979 and 1984 European Parliament elections, and local elections.
Includes material on Porritt's candidacy in these elections.
(9 boxes and 4 posters)
PORRITT/5
Draft Ecology Party publications, 1978-83.
Includes discussions with Council members and others on Party philosophy.
(2 boxes and 1 poster)
PORRITT/6
Speeches, 1978-84.
Speech notes and papers re arrangements.
(2 boxes)
PORRITT/7
General correspondence, 1977-85.
Mostly letters to Jonathon Porritt (there are few letters from him).
(1.5 boxes)
PORRITT/8
General papers arranged by file generally chronologically including:
- Ecology Party membership lists
- Subject files
- Greens in Europe
- Strategy weekends (Spode I, 1982 and Spode II, 1984)
- The Other Economic Summit (mainly 1983-87, but mostly on the 1984 TOES held in London)
(4.5 boxes) |
| Access Status | Mainly open; some items closed |