Taylor and Lucas key note speeches

The Green Party has no leader, but it does have two principle speakers - one male and one female.

Up until this conference they have been Keith Taylor and Caroline Lucas who both made keynote speeches on Friday and Saturday respectively. Where Caroline is universally regarded as some sort of perfect Earth Mother figure Keith is often regarded as a more conservative figure.

It's certainly true that Caroline is attractive and speaks very well (obviously I'm not saying is not attractive, despite his potato like appearance, cough, apologies) comparing the two speeches was quite instructive I thought.

Both speeches were very strong on the war, Caroline on specifics about the casualties in the middle east and the human cost of war - and Keith damning Bush and Blair and calling for Tony to be tried as a war criminal - and attacking nuclear weapons.

Keith used the C word of course - by which I mean capitalism (blushing, that was genuinely unintentional, but I'll leave it in none the less) - and attacked neoliberalism (naming it as such). He said it was a myth that "the market will deliver environmental and social solutions."

In terms of content in other words both of them were excellent, interesting and on the left of the left. It would be a nonsense to describe Keith as on the right I think, despite his respectable councilor's image. This is a man who gained 22% at the general election and may be the first Green MP ever in this country whose ideas revolve around social and environmental justice, neoliberalism, opposition to the market and imperialism. Not too shabby well all is said and done.

In terms of style Caroline is, I suppose rather more accomplished. Keith came across slightly breathlessly and perhaps a little bit self consciously - speaking like a man making a speech, if that makes sense. Adopting some of the politician's manner, without corrupting the radical message.

I don't know what I think about that. I do think image and style are important - but I also think it's worth having a clear separate identity. Blair's image is of a spinning, lying, corporate snake - that's not the road I'd like us (us!) to go down - not that Keith was anywhere near that.

As he said the main stream parties are hopelessly out of touch with the aspirations of this generation and have no sense of responsibility to the generations to come. It's worth avoiding stupid cosmetic mistakes but any carefully crafted image has to be one that looks and feels like participation and democracy. It should feel humane rather than slick and organic and sincere rather than manufactured.

At least that's my view on that. I'm not against the "power dressing" that one delegate complained of (by which I think she meant people wearing shirts and looking like they had jobs) but it's worth ensuring we don't go down the road of thinking that in order to beat New Labour we have to act and look like them. Thankfully we're a million miles from that right now.