Darren Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson in 2008 | |
| Principal Speaker of theGreen Party | |
| In office 2001–2003 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Woodin |
| Succeeded by | Mike Woodin |
| Lewisham Borough Councillor for Brockley Ward | |
| In office 2 May 2002 – 22 May 2014 | |
| Member of the London Assembly as the10th Additional Member | |
| In office 4 May 2000 – 6 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Assembly created |
| Succeeded by | Siân Berry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1966 (age 58–59) Southport, Lancashire, England |
| Political party | Green Party (1987-2024) |
| Alma mater | Goldsmiths, University of London |
Darren Paul Johnson (born 1966)[1] is a former English politician who was a prominent member of theGreen Party of England and Wales. He represented the Green Party on theLondon Assembly from 2000 to 2016 and was a Green councillor in theLondon Borough of Lewisham. He is now a writer and has had several rock music biographies published.
Johnson was born inSouthport, 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 schoolmock election in 1979 as aConservative Party candidate.[1]
He lived inHull for three years before moving with a friend toWembley in London in 1990. He also lived inFinsbury Park andGolders Green before settling inLewisham. His first job in London was "in accounts with an advertising firm inGoodge Street". He took a degree atGoldsmiths College (part of theUniversity 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 toFriends of the Earth".[4]
Johnson joined theGreen Party in 1987 at the age of 20[2] "after theChernobyl Disaster",[1] which "had a big impact" on him.[5] He was MalePrincipal Speaker of the party in 2002.[6]
According to theKnitting Circle (a website with "resources on lesbian and gay issues"), his campaigning experience includes infiltrating "the military base at Aldershot dressed asIvan 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 withMonopoly money".[3]
In2000, Johnson was elected to the inauguralLondon Assembly as part of a three-strongGreen Group, includingJenny Jones AM andVictor Anderson (who resigned in March 2003 and was replaced byNoel Lynch for the remainder of the term). The2004 elections would see the Greens lose the seat held by Lynch, leaving Johnson and Jones as the two remaining members of theGreen Group.[2] Both won re-election in the2008 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 theLondon Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).[8] Johnson issued a report on the sustainability measures involved in planning for London's hosting of theOlympics 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] He also proposed a same-sex partnership registration scheme for London during the first Mayor's Question Time in 2000, which was later established in 2001 by MayorKen Livingstone as theLondon Partnership Register.[14] Along with his long-standing colleague Jenny Jones, he stood down at the2016 election.[15]
In the2002 local elections, Johnson was elected as a councillor for theBrockley ward in theLondon Borough of Lewisham, the Greens' first councillor inLewisham,[2] polling 1026 votes and coming top in the ward.[16] 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.[17] 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 aFair Trade policy. He opposed the closure ofLadywell Leisure Centre and put forward alternative sites for a new school. He also successfully campaigned for a new pedestrian crossing onBrockley Road, secured improvements to the traffic calming scheme and managed to halt evictions at St Norberts Allotments.[18] 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 theLocal Government Association General Assembly.[19]
Johnson was theGreen Party's candidate forMayor of London in 2000 and 2004. In the2000 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 the2004 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 LondonGreen Party voted to selectSiân Berry as their mayoral candidate in the2008 mayoral election, replacing Johnson.[20] The winner in this election wasBoris Johnson.
Having foughtBrent South in1992, Johnson was theGreen Party's parliamentary candidate in theLewisham Deptford constituency in 2001, 2005 and 2010. He came fourth in the constituency in the2001 general election, polling 1,901 votes (6.5%). In the2005 general election, Johnson, backed by theFire 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 the2010 general election he came fourth again, but his vote slipped back to 2,772 (6.7%).
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 theCass Review.[21][22] In December 2024 he resigned from the Green Party after 37 years' membership.[23]
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.[24] His bookThe Sweet in the 1970s was published by Sonicbond Publishing[25] on 30 July 2021. This was followed by a second bookSuzi Quatro in the 1970s published by the same publisher in July 2022; and a third bookSlade in the 1970s published in May 2023.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales 2001–2003 | Succeeded by |
