Co Co-ordinator
Progressive Vision for the Future
I have always sought to align my work life with my radical politics. In the relatively liberal 1970s and 80s, I managed silkscreen and photography departments at a community resource centre in Sheffield while supporting Chilean refugees and miners during the 1984-85 miners’ strike. Moving to Sutton Hill in the late 80s, I worked for Telford Community Arts and have since held various roles. Over recent decades, I’ve managed a community café in Wellington, worked as a community and environmental projects officer in Madeley, and continue to care for people with learning difficulties.
My politics stem from a critical awareness that emerged in my teens and has never wavered. Defying illogical or unfair rules saw me expelled from school and excluded from university. I’ve since channelled that defiance into challenging the political systems where such injustices arise. I’ve contributed to diverse initiatives, from setting up an Anti-Nazi group in Essex and founding a community centre on a deprived Colchester estate to running a community newspaper in Sutton Hill and organising litter picks across Madeley schools.
I joined the Green Party in 2015, drawn by Caroline Lucas’s principled defence of free movement during the Brexit debate. Her human-focused argument against border restrictions stood apart from the purely economic rhetoric of other Remain-supporting parties, and I’ve never looked back. Since then, the climate crisis has intersected with humanitarian emergencies in Palestine and Ukraine. These crises expose how capitalism exploits nationalism and racism to maintain power. This relentless drive for wealth and authority at the expense of the majority fuels increasingly extreme populist fears.
Additionally, Trump’s rise, alongside figures like Farage and Tommy Robinson, has emboldened fascistic and racist narratives. The UK’s establishment parties have largely responded with appeasement or indifference, leaving the Green Party with the critical task of providing a sustainable and just alternative. As a result, to succeed, we must craft bold, populist campaigns that resonate with truth and inspire collective action.
We are entering an era defined by genocides, community erosion, alt-right populism, authoritarian control, extreme inequality, and environmental chaos. For the Green Party to be effective, we must counter this with a progressive vision—a new narrative for a just and sustainable future. With self-belief, I’m confident we can rise to this challenge and become the force that shapes history.