Green Party candidate for London Mayor, Siân Berry, has been an active member of the party for nine years. She is one of the founder members of the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s and has seen that campaign deliver on the city’s congestion charging. As well the Mayoral Campaign, Green Parties in London are working to gain more seats in the General London Assembly. Siân tells us how a Green Capital would look...
How did you
first become involved with the Green Party?
I’d been thinking about getting involved in politics for a couple of years. In 1999, there was the big Mayday protest in London, which took place near to where I worked. So I went down to check out what was happening. It was generally peaceful with a great carnival atmosphere and, while I walked around, I kept thinking: ‘Wow, this is great!’ That this was what I had been looking for. And then I picked up a Green Party leaflet. There couldn’t have been that many Greens there, but I managed find them amongst all those people. As with most protests, I left with lots of leaflets but the one that really struck me was the Green Party one. It was really clever and the message about raising awareness really got through to me. So by the time I joined, I was really into the whole thing. The first thing they got me to do was stand for council. I was lucky that where I lived was a target ward, with a well-run local party. Within a short space of time of joining, I was forty votes short of being on the Council.
The next big role I took on was during the 2001 general election. I was a copywriter at the time and I volunteered to do the web-related promotions. I was sent all the biographies of all the candidates that we had for the general election and used this to provide material for the website. It was a lot of fun. And I learned a lot about the party while I was doing it. This was over a year and, it made me even more motivated to be active. After this, I set up my own campaign. I was living in Highgate at the time and 4x4s were a massive problem. But no one was doing anything. So I came up with my own idea - the alliance against urban 4x4s. We started the parking ticket campaign and then there was the Chelsea mud wash, which is still used on documentaries. This all got national attention pretty quickly. Because this was such a success, I was asked to be campaigns co-ordinator for the Green Party in 2005. So I went on telly a lot and I was doing a lot of debates. Then I became Female Principal Speaker when Caroline Lucas stepped down.
When did you decide you wanted to stand for Mayor?
Darren Johnson had done it twice previously and we felt it was time for a new face. It was a hard-fought selection process, with five of us wanting the post. And there were some fierce debates. It’s harder to debate with other members of the Green Party than it is with the other mayoral candidates because, while the other candidates are good campaigners, the Green Party members really know their stuff. I might not have been the best candidate amongst those from the Green Party, but I know I’m the best candidate amongst those for Mayor.
London is a huge city, how are you managing to reach the capital’s population?
I’m going all over the place. I’ve been North, East, South and West to get our voice heard. While it’s important to get out to all the boroughs, it’s just as important that we have policies that will help them all. The transport policy we’ve launched does this. Only half of households in the centre have a car because it is very well served by public transport - there are lots of bus lines criss-crossing it. But outside Central London there are real problems, and outer London deserves to have the same level of public transport enjoyed by the centre. One of the policies we’ve developed is to create an orbital rail route that will go all the way around London. There are sections of track going most of the way around and they just need linking up. This would cost about £1b, whereas crossrail, while still a good idea, will cost £16b. So an orbital rail route is an absolute bargain and it will really help people in the outer boroughs. We also want orbital bus routes so people don’t have to come central only to go out again. It needs to be better. And it needs to be cheaper.
How have you seen London develop in recent times?
I’ve lived in London for eleven years. There have been some positive changes over that time. Green members of the London Assembly have helped to provide better buses and bus information, better cycle routes and safer roads. Air quality hasn’t gone down, because London hasn’t managed to stop transport growth, but it’s not getting worse. Affordability is a big issue though. Where I live at the moment the landlords are raising the rent because a new Sainsbury’s has opened. This means that the rent on the local shops has gone up as well and they can’t afford it. Small businesses are being priced out.
How has London benefited from Green involvement?
As well as the obvious benefits to transport, the introduction of the Green Grid is really making a difference to quality of life in the city. With all the developments that are going on, and with the Olympics coming, it’s important to create sites for wildlife and recreation. There are areas that haven’t been developed and old industrial areas that are real havens for wildlife. We’re working on connecting these with green corridors for wildlife to use. Some of these will be developed; others will just be left wild. Making sure that these areas are protected will preserve them for future generations to use. We’ve also managed to secure £35m over three years for Greener homes, which will provide free insulation for low-income homes.
I’d been thinking about getting involved in politics for a couple of years. In 1999, there was the big Mayday protest in London, which took place near to where I worked. So I went down to check out what was happening. It was generally peaceful with a great carnival atmosphere and, while I walked around, I kept thinking: ‘Wow, this is great!’ That this was what I had been looking for. And then I picked up a Green Party leaflet. There couldn’t have been that many Greens there, but I managed find them amongst all those people. As with most protests, I left with lots of leaflets but the one that really struck me was the Green Party one. It was really clever and the message about raising awareness really got through to me. So by the time I joined, I was really into the whole thing. The first thing they got me to do was stand for council. I was lucky that where I lived was a target ward, with a well-run local party. Within a short space of time of joining, I was forty votes short of being on the Council.
The next big role I took on was during the 2001 general election. I was a copywriter at the time and I volunteered to do the web-related promotions. I was sent all the biographies of all the candidates that we had for the general election and used this to provide material for the website. It was a lot of fun. And I learned a lot about the party while I was doing it. This was over a year and, it made me even more motivated to be active. After this, I set up my own campaign. I was living in Highgate at the time and 4x4s were a massive problem. But no one was doing anything. So I came up with my own idea - the alliance against urban 4x4s. We started the parking ticket campaign and then there was the Chelsea mud wash, which is still used on documentaries. This all got national attention pretty quickly. Because this was such a success, I was asked to be campaigns co-ordinator for the Green Party in 2005. So I went on telly a lot and I was doing a lot of debates. Then I became Female Principal Speaker when Caroline Lucas stepped down.
When did you decide you wanted to stand for Mayor?
Darren Johnson had done it twice previously and we felt it was time for a new face. It was a hard-fought selection process, with five of us wanting the post. And there were some fierce debates. It’s harder to debate with other members of the Green Party than it is with the other mayoral candidates because, while the other candidates are good campaigners, the Green Party members really know their stuff. I might not have been the best candidate amongst those from the Green Party, but I know I’m the best candidate amongst those for Mayor.
London is a huge city, how are you managing to reach the capital’s population?
I’m going all over the place. I’ve been North, East, South and West to get our voice heard. While it’s important to get out to all the boroughs, it’s just as important that we have policies that will help them all. The transport policy we’ve launched does this. Only half of households in the centre have a car because it is very well served by public transport - there are lots of bus lines criss-crossing it. But outside Central London there are real problems, and outer London deserves to have the same level of public transport enjoyed by the centre. One of the policies we’ve developed is to create an orbital rail route that will go all the way around London. There are sections of track going most of the way around and they just need linking up. This would cost about £1b, whereas crossrail, while still a good idea, will cost £16b. So an orbital rail route is an absolute bargain and it will really help people in the outer boroughs. We also want orbital bus routes so people don’t have to come central only to go out again. It needs to be better. And it needs to be cheaper.
How have you seen London develop in recent times?
I’ve lived in London for eleven years. There have been some positive changes over that time. Green members of the London Assembly have helped to provide better buses and bus information, better cycle routes and safer roads. Air quality hasn’t gone down, because London hasn’t managed to stop transport growth, but it’s not getting worse. Affordability is a big issue though. Where I live at the moment the landlords are raising the rent because a new Sainsbury’s has opened. This means that the rent on the local shops has gone up as well and they can’t afford it. Small businesses are being priced out.
How has London benefited from Green involvement?
As well as the obvious benefits to transport, the introduction of the Green Grid is really making a difference to quality of life in the city. With all the developments that are going on, and with the Olympics coming, it’s important to create sites for wildlife and recreation. There are areas that haven’t been developed and old industrial areas that are real havens for wildlife. We’re working on connecting these with green corridors for wildlife to use. Some of these will be developed; others will just be left wild. Making sure that these areas are protected will preserve them for future generations to use. We’ve also managed to secure £35m over three years for Greener homes, which will provide free insulation for low-income homes.
What could
you achieve in the Mayor’s office, what would you be
setting out to do?
‘Quicker’ is the key word. I would want to speed up the changes that we are currently plodding towards. The mayor has set the target for London to make a 16% cut in carbon emissions by 2025, and has said that we need Central Government intervention with policy to do this. What I would do is make greater savings much more quickly on our own. Simple steps can achieve this: making public transport cheaper and by making insulation universally available. Central Government to make some of the larger changes, but there are many steps we can take on our own to get closer to the 2025 requirement.
How is the campaign developing now?
We are doing very well. Obviously, two big personalities like Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson initially received a lot of press attention. In some ways this helped as the press quickly picked up on the ‘Crazy Boris Fantasy’ of building an airport on the Thames. But people quickly tired of coverage of the same people, and we’ve managed to stick to the big issues, so it’s starting to change. Jenny and Darren’s achievements on the Assembly have really focussed attention on the Green Party. My energy, commitment and determination, coupled with the right policies, have meant that I’m now considered to be one of the four main candidates. By April, we will have enough momentum to make a real impact on this election. And we will win.
Are there any particular success stories?
The recent low emission zone was a huge achievement. One of the first policy changed that the alliance for urban 4x4s wanted to see was a higher congestion charge. The fact that we’ve now got it is great. When the owners of high-emission vehicles have to pay £25 to come in to the centre, they will make more efficient use of their cars. It will also have a huge impact on the types of cars people choose to buy. I’m a practical politician and I realise that some people genuinely need their cars. Giving people an incentive to buy cleaner cars is a better option than banning them outright. Moreover, I would like to see the emissions requirement continually reviewed and lowered to send the message to car manufacturers that they need to develop cleaner cars.
How are you persuading the electors of London to vote for you?
One of the most successful tools we’ve created is the London Green Paper. We set up an ethical code for advertising and managed to use this revenue to pay for the first edition. As well as reaching individuals, it has helped us to make links with businesses in London. There are now many local and national businesses that are interested in sustainability and social justice and it’s very important that we foster links with them. Our internet campaigning, through tools like facebook and Youtube, have helped us to recruit new members, particularly young people. Many of these are now turning up for our ‘Super Saturdays’ where we go out campaigning.
Your support for Peace Protestor Brian Haw is widely known, what is your reaction to his recent arrest?
He’s a personal hero of mine. He’s lived in a tent for nearly seven years and has had to endure a lot of hardship during that time in order to make a stand for peace. They have tried everything to get him to move. And he now has to stay there for 24 hours a day, or someone has to stay on his behalf. What has come as a result of the Serious Organised Crime and Policing Act (SOCPA) is that the police have become more accommodating of the protestors once they’ve got all the documentation they need. But Parliament Square should be the one place where we are allowed to protest.
What is your vision for London?
My vision is of a more affordable, efficient, greener place. It is of a city where it is possible for residents to be self-sufficient. Where we have an economy that is self-reliant, not an economy that is based on cheap oil that is only going to become more expensive. At the moment, everything that Londoners use has to come from elsewhere, using oil and oil-based products to do so. Most, if not all, of the food we eat relies on oil to get to our plate. I want to see a city with thriving smaller businesses, with local manufacturing and more recycling closer to home. With a creative and vibrant population of eight million, we should not need to rely so heavily on external sources.
‘Quicker’ is the key word. I would want to speed up the changes that we are currently plodding towards. The mayor has set the target for London to make a 16% cut in carbon emissions by 2025, and has said that we need Central Government intervention with policy to do this. What I would do is make greater savings much more quickly on our own. Simple steps can achieve this: making public transport cheaper and by making insulation universally available. Central Government to make some of the larger changes, but there are many steps we can take on our own to get closer to the 2025 requirement.
How is the campaign developing now?
We are doing very well. Obviously, two big personalities like Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson initially received a lot of press attention. In some ways this helped as the press quickly picked up on the ‘Crazy Boris Fantasy’ of building an airport on the Thames. But people quickly tired of coverage of the same people, and we’ve managed to stick to the big issues, so it’s starting to change. Jenny and Darren’s achievements on the Assembly have really focussed attention on the Green Party. My energy, commitment and determination, coupled with the right policies, have meant that I’m now considered to be one of the four main candidates. By April, we will have enough momentum to make a real impact on this election. And we will win.
Are there any particular success stories?
The recent low emission zone was a huge achievement. One of the first policy changed that the alliance for urban 4x4s wanted to see was a higher congestion charge. The fact that we’ve now got it is great. When the owners of high-emission vehicles have to pay £25 to come in to the centre, they will make more efficient use of their cars. It will also have a huge impact on the types of cars people choose to buy. I’m a practical politician and I realise that some people genuinely need their cars. Giving people an incentive to buy cleaner cars is a better option than banning them outright. Moreover, I would like to see the emissions requirement continually reviewed and lowered to send the message to car manufacturers that they need to develop cleaner cars.
How are you persuading the electors of London to vote for you?
One of the most successful tools we’ve created is the London Green Paper. We set up an ethical code for advertising and managed to use this revenue to pay for the first edition. As well as reaching individuals, it has helped us to make links with businesses in London. There are now many local and national businesses that are interested in sustainability and social justice and it’s very important that we foster links with them. Our internet campaigning, through tools like facebook and Youtube, have helped us to recruit new members, particularly young people. Many of these are now turning up for our ‘Super Saturdays’ where we go out campaigning.
Your support for Peace Protestor Brian Haw is widely known, what is your reaction to his recent arrest?
He’s a personal hero of mine. He’s lived in a tent for nearly seven years and has had to endure a lot of hardship during that time in order to make a stand for peace. They have tried everything to get him to move. And he now has to stay there for 24 hours a day, or someone has to stay on his behalf. What has come as a result of the Serious Organised Crime and Policing Act (SOCPA) is that the police have become more accommodating of the protestors once they’ve got all the documentation they need. But Parliament Square should be the one place where we are allowed to protest.
What is your vision for London?
My vision is of a more affordable, efficient, greener place. It is of a city where it is possible for residents to be self-sufficient. Where we have an economy that is self-reliant, not an economy that is based on cheap oil that is only going to become more expensive. At the moment, everything that Londoners use has to come from elsewhere, using oil and oil-based products to do so. Most, if not all, of the food we eat relies on oil to get to our plate. I want to see a city with thriving smaller businesses, with local manufacturing and more recycling closer to home. With a creative and vibrant population of eight million, we should not need to rely so heavily on external sources.
