Green Party

For the first time at a General Election, people in every part of Norfolk will have the opportunity to vote Green this year.

The Green Party has announced a full slate of candidates to stand in all nine Parliamentary constituencies in Norwich and across the county.

The Greens’ push comes at a time when the composition of the House of Commons is set to change radically. The number of MPs deciding not to seek re-election this year is higher than at any time since 1945. The Greens believe that the appetite for change amongst the electorate will contribute to the election of the first Green Party MPs in this country.

The Greens have made the Norwich South constituency one of their top three target seats nationally, along with Brighton Pavilion and Lewisham and Deptford. The party’s Deputy Leader, Norwich Councillor Adrian Ramsay, will be challenging Charles Clarke, the former new Labour Home Secretary. Adrian, who was born and brought up in Norwich and studied politics at the UEA, recently stood down as leader of the Green Party City Councillors in order to focus on the General Election. Adrian has an excellent chance of becoming Norfolk’s first Green MP. The party is already ahead in the Norwich South constituency on local and European election vote share.

Laura Biggart will be contesting Great Yarmouth. After an earlier career in parks management, Laura, aged 45, is now a PhD researcher and associate tutor in psychology at the University of East Anglia. She is especially interested in families and work-life balance. In her spare time Laura is chair of the trustees of Norwich and Norfolk Community Arts. She enjoys working on her allotment and is a keen cyclist.

Timothy Birt is a well-known town councillor in Dereham, now stepping up to contest the Mid Norfolk seat. He is a 44 year old electronics engineer with special interests in buildings and energy and in transport. Tim’s current project is proving the viability of electric vehicles and he has developed a fast electric sports car for the Ecotricity company. Tim has lived in the area for twenty years and his two children attend local state schools.

Another experienced local councillor in Norfolk, Andrew Boswell is the North Norfolk candidate. Trained as a biochemist, Andrew, who is 53, worked at UEA for many years in scientific computing. He was first elected as a County Councillor in 2005 and was re-elected in 2009 with 64% of the vote. He is now Leader of the seven Green Party County Councillors – the third largest group at County Hall. He has been a columnist for the EDP and is a governor at Avenue Junior School.

Susan Curran is the candidate for the Broadland constituency. Susan is a writer who established her own publishing house in 1997 specialising in academic and business publishing. Her own published works include novels and non-fiction, notably “The Environment Handbook.” She is aged 57 and married with two grown-up sons. Susan is a former Labour councillor in Norwich, one of a number who have switched their allegiance to the Green Party.

Jessica Goldfinch is to stand in Norwich North. Jess is a 43 year old single mother of one daughter and works as a teaching assistant at a High School in Norwich North. She lives on Connaught Road and has been a Norwich resident for 12 years, during which time she was a City Councillor for Nelson ward from 2003 until 2006. A film fan, Jess is also currently writing a fun children’s book series on mental health.

Self-employed computer support specialist Michael de Whalley takes on the challenge in North West Norfolk. Aged 42, Michael was educated at King Edward VII School, King's Lynn, and is currently studying with the Open University. He has lived in North West Norfolk for much of his life but as a member of the Royal Auxiliary Airforce, he has also served in Iraq. He believes in the principles of the NHS and is a regular blood donor. The Green Party’s record for open and ethical politics inspired Michael to stand.

Jo Willcott is set to fight for South Norfolk. Jo is 37 and lives with her husband and three children in Wymondham. Martial arts play an important part in her life. She has been a gold and silver medal winner in major martial arts tournaments in China and now runs a business with her husband teaching Tai Chi and Kung Fu. Their main studio is in Norwich and there are five branch schools including those in London and Bristol.

It is expected that South West Norfolk residents will be able to vote for Lori Allen. Her selection is pending in a contest in which she is the only candidate. Lori lives in the constituency and works in social services. She is used to listening to individuals' concerns and acting to resolve often complex problems. As a member of her local “Transition Network”, Lori, who is 27, works to encourage sustainability within her local community by supporting local services and assisting in the development of new services. Lori enjoys walking locally and spending time in the garden growing her own fruit and vegetables.

As well as working on issues in their own areas the candidates will be campaigning on the Green Party’s election theme of “fairness”, talking about how new jobs can be created in industries to take us towards a low-carbon future, how the NHS should be protected against expensive and wasteful privatisation, and why cuts in crucial public services should be resisted to avoid the greatest impact falling on poorer people who need those services most.

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