Mothin Ali has the sort of personal qualities that would make him – and any other aspiring leader – an effective deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. He can connect the clearly articulated policies with the emotions of the electorate. So as the Greens once again go to the polls (the party elects new leaders every two years), now’s the time to introduce Mothin to a wider audience.
In Howard’s End, E M Forster argues for a deep connection between the ‘head’ and the ‘heart’, between intellectual thought and emotional experience. ‘Only Connect’ became a mantra for those interested in developing the whole child in education and a watchword for those interested in joined-up thinking. Coincidentally, and entirely unconnected, Drew Westen argues convincingly in ‘The Political Brain’ that voters make decisions with their feelings, not their brains.
In the Green Party, and other parties, we need leaders who can impress the membership and their colleagues with the clarity of their thought and superhuman work rate, but simultaneously impress voters with the warmth of their emotional appeal.
Meeting Mothin Ali
It was a satisfactory Green Party meeting. We’d been busy trying to ensure that we could get a full slate out in next May’s local elections in Leeds. With a bit of shoehorning, arm-twisting and luck, we’d managed it. One of the last to be settled had been the very deprived ward in East Leeds called Gipton and Harehills. In May of 2021, our ‘paper candidate’ had come third with 318 votes, but a long way behind Labour with 3,854 votes with a 73.4% share.
So I was slightly amused, slightly irritated by our newly selected candidate, Mothin Ali, who said he wanted to fight a full campaign in 2022. No chance. He had no idea what he was talking about. Apart from the fact that we had no money, the party’s ‘Target to Win’ mantra and supporters would never allow it. I’d seen us waste too much money in the past on candidates’ hunches and optimism.
In the following year’s local election, Mothin came second in that ward, with 1,001 votes. It was still over 1,700 votes behind Labour, but Mothin had pushed our share of the vote up to 22.3% from 6.1%. Obviously still not winnable, but pleasing nonetheless.
Campaigning Mothin style
By 2023, Mothin was pulling out all the stops with some intensive campaigning. He WhatsApped me at one point saying, “We’re going to win. I can feel it in my bones”. I replied, “Unfortunately, that’s probably just lumbago”. I was pleased with that reply. It was the sort of humour he enjoys and at the same time left me firmly on the side of the politically obvious.
Nobody but Labour could win in Gipton and Harehills. White, working-class Gipton was Labour through habit and generational loyalty; south Asian and increasingly multi-cultural Harehills was Labour through habit and family loyalty. However, Mothin did increase the Green vote to 1,484 (or 31.2%) but Labour held the seat with 2,655 votes or 55% of the turnout.
Winning in Gipton and Harehills
In 2024, Mothin was up against “the big dog”, as he called him. Labour’s Arif Hussein had been a councillor in the ward since 2007, was incredibly well known in the area, was largely liked, and had members of his very large, extended family in other seats in Leeds. To unseat ‘the big dog’ would take a Herculean effort.
I can remember distributing leaflets outside the very large Bilal Mosque after Friday prayers one evening (Mothin did it every week). Hussein was very influential here, and as the hundreds of men came out hearing so many of them saying that they were going to vote Labour. They weren’t unfriendly, and they were increasingly frustrated with Labour’s inaction over Gaza, but they didn’t seem persuadable to me.
But Mothin put in a Herculean effort. Long hours, often on his own despite an increasingly large local team drawn to him, until late in the evening. He put out an extremely good and highly professional leaflet/postcard about Gaza which must have made an impression, as it was so well argued and emotionally powerful.
Mothin won with 3,070 votes (or 51.1% of the vote) compared to Hussein’s 2,323. It was an amazing result. This was in early May 2024 when Labour was at the height of its popularity before the general election of July 2024.
How does Mothin ‘connect’?
Mothin is a great, natural communicator. Whether it’s via his numerous TikTok videos – produced at the drop of a hat with no rehearsal or preparation – his YouTube ‘My Family Garden’ channel, BBC’s Gardener’s World, speaking tearfully at the Green Party national conference in September 2024 about his Gaza motion or in Leeds Green Party meetings, Mothin commands respect.
He’s a ‘good listen’. One of the reasons for this, and we haven’t really discussed this, is his strong Yorkshire accent. Research suggests that the Yorkshire accent is the most trustworthy of all UK regional accents. Most people associate it with evoking a sense of reliability, honesty, a hard work ethic and ‘no nonsense’ common sense. In Mothin’s case, that would be entirely accurate.
Intellectually too, Mothin connects. Maybe it’s because he’s a good listener and so responds using the timbre and vocabulary he’s just heard. Walking along the street in Harehills with him is a slow business as he talks to everyone.
Carving up fallen trees with him in Harehills Cemetery (like Lincoln and Gladstone, Mothin is fixated with chopping up wood) was also an interesting experience. The only other people in the cemetery were those coming to pay respects to their departed friends and family. Surely they wouldn’t want to be button-holed by their new Green Party councillor? Wrong again!
So, what of the future?
At the time of writing, early June 2025, it is not known if Mothin will win his attempt to become deputy leader of the Green Party. Win or lose, he has something that all politicians can usefully learn and especially those in positions of authority or in leadership roles. Think about how to connect with voters’ feelings.
