Julia Erskine
Green Party Candidate for the Tynemouth Constituency

Julia's brief Biography:
I was born in Wallsend, grew up in Benton and have spent most of my adult years living and working in the North East. I count myself as a true Geordie by birth, and am very proud to do so. I have worked in a variety of situations, mostly in admin, for both council and private companies and have also been involved in fund raising for charities. I currently live in West Monkseaton.

Julia's Green Activism:
I became involved with the Green Party in Newcastle after seeing a clip on television about the movement in the late 70's. At that time I also learnt about Friends of the Earth, and also became involved in the North Tyneside group. For a while I took an active role in both groups, helping produce newsletters, increase membership, and for a while coordinating North Tyneside Friends of the Earth. Although I took a break from active involvement for a few years, I have always totally believed in the founding principles of a green life, and was delighted to learn of the Green political progress being made. I truly believe that our country is now ready for real change, and the Green Party are the only ones who can effect that change.

The Key Issues as Julia sees them:
Overall, I believe that the western world is coming into a period of great enlightenment. We have been confusing 'over-production' with 'progress', 'greed' with 'growth'. The recession has given us a marvellous opportunity - we are now able to use the lessons of our grandparents during the two World Wars and combine those with the great advances in science and technology, the ancient lessons of previous civilizations, and the awareness that our planet and its resources are finite, to bring us to the possibility of combining our global efforts to give our planet and its inhabitants a real chance of survival.

For me, this translates into local actions.

I believe in the strength and talents of the individual, and that every possible effort should be made to bring these out to encourage a stronger community. This I believe can be achieved in several ways:

Education: Through education for all ages, about the issues and subjects that are relevant to us now and in the future. Our society is so jam-packed full of information, that there is too often a danger of information overload. I believe that the prime function of our education system should be to help direct our learning in an effective way, so that pupils of all ages feel that they are spending their time productively, not just to get through a stage, or to qualify them for benefits. Individuals need to be encouraged to build on their often latent talents and passions.

Communities: I would like to see the heart brought back into our communities. Empty shops, houses and other derelict premises in the middle of housing estates should be given life, to bring work to people in those estates, and to provide resources for those who haven't the means of transport further afield. They could be used to house interest groups and clubs, possibly satellites from larger enterprises that are based elsewhere, chatter groups for the elderly, disabled or otherwise isolated members of our society. Transport pools could be used to help with this, be it individual cars, or commercial vehicles that stand unused for a period of time. A combination of paid and donated labour and resources, bartering schemes and other ideas could bring this about.

Business: Small businesses should be encouraged and supported. A return to locally grown and produced food, in-season fruit and vegetables, home bakeries, humanely produced meat and dairy products, sustainable fishing. I count myself lucky living in Whitley Bay as we have quite a lot of this already, but these things should be available for everyone in North Tyneside, and the more we support it, the more prices will be affordable. I also believe that the shop-keepers and staff working in the shops should be encouraged to 'know their products', so that shoppers can be better informed about what they are buying and that shopping can be a more enjoyable experience.

Secondary Resources: Secondary resources are what we used to call waste. Recycling these secondary resources is very important, and great strides have been made in this direction. However, we have only partly achieved what is possible here. I would like to see weekly recycling collections, and also the expansion of products that are recycled from secondary resources, for instance, polythene wrapping. Industries and services that re-use and recycle secondary resources should be encouraged and supported, and I am very keen to see the North East become a leader in this area. I do not believe that our weekly "domestic waste" collections should be reduced, however, I would like to see more work done on the safe disposal of what really is waste.

Transport: I would like to see a more united public transport system. To many, the day our buses were privatised was the day our public transport went belly-up - it became disjointed and under-funded, and no longer supported the needs of the people. I also would like to encourage car sharing, car pooling and other schemes that give people the means of getting where they want to get to when they want to get there. I would encourage the use of bicycles, both privately and commercially, possibly by way of cheap, regulated cycle hire with convenient pick-up points, and linked to that, education in the safe use of cycles on the road, both for young and older cyclists; also the growing trend in cycle taxis, especially as a way of enjoying our more rural and coastal areas. Taxi firms should be given support to make use of greener fuels and more efficient cars, and to work with other forms of public transport. A comprehensive, integrated, frequent public transport system is a green system, which would not only encourage more efficient use of cars, but improve the quality of all of our lives, and also the quality of our air and ultimately the planet.

Social Welfare: We have an increasing elderly population, as medical science and our living conditions improve. Our care of the elderly needs also to improve, to ensure that as we reach old age, our society has the facilities to continue to maintain our quality of life, both mentally and physically. Successive governments have reduced the provision for our frailest and most dependent senior citizens, at a time when they most need our support. There needs to be support for as many as are able to live in their own homes for as long as they are able to and want to. For many, this support should not only to be in the form of meal provision and aids around the home, but also in the form of physical supervision at whatever time of day or night is required. Night time is when some are at their most vulnerable and prone to falls, and yet is the most difficult form of help to obtain. I would like to see an increase in the availability of this sort of support, so that couples may continue to live together in a way that can maintain the quality of life for both.
     However, there is also a real and pressing need for good care homes that allow couples to continue to maintain their relationship. In some cases, a husband or wife may actually fare better in the care home environment, especially when the care home provides social activities and a fulfilling lifestyle for each individual in their care. This can mean that the pair can maintain a good relationship and spend quality time together, while being in a safe environment and be able to obtain adequate rest. I want to see more attention given to increasing standards in our borough, and ensuring that people who choose care of the elderly as a career path are given adequate support and training opportunities, with salaries to match their commitment. More emphasis needs to be given to the importance of entry level care, so that workers on all rungs of the profession are reminded regularly of the importance of their role in lives of the individuals they are working with.

Somewhere to Live: One of the biggest problems our society faces is the shortage of affordable housing. The Thatcher years encouraged councils to sell off council houses to its residents, in the mistaken belief that owning your own home was the only financially sound way to live. However, nothing was done to replace the stock that was lost this way, and the true meaning of the word 'affordable' has also' been lost, with property developers asking in excess of £120,000 for their own so-called 'affordable' flats and houses. In an age when mortgages are still only 4 x an annual salary, someone who earns £15,000 pa could still only raise £60,000 - so making owning your own property an impossibility in the lifetime of many working people.
     We need to find ways of helping people who are struggling financially to find low cost housing. Social housing stocks need to be dramatically increased, and retained in the ownership of the council, so that it is available for those in need. Government needs to increase its partnerships with housing associations, encouraging improvement of existing housing and development of new housing on brown field sites.

Space Management: Instead of using up all our available green space, development of new homes, business and leisure premises should be on brown field sites, but only when there are no existing properties which can be modified or developed. In addition, the use of these sites will help to put the heart back into communities, rather than fragmenting them. Too much of our green space is being eaten up for buildings and car parks, instead of being used to improve the quality of our lives and maintain habitats for our wildlife.
     New buildings should be only given permission if they fulfil certain environmental criteria, such as energy efficiency, use of alternative and sustainable fuel supplies, are built of materials that are not from finite resources, and that once the construction comes to the end of its useful life, must be deconstructed in a way that will not harm the environment. More consideration also needs to be given to infrastructure, for example parking and other facilities, prior to new buildings being given the go-ahead.

Help us get back to the REAL grass roots of what our country (and the world) needs
Help us make a REAL change
VOTE GREEN PARTY
VOTE for JULIA ERSKINE in TYNEMOUTH

on
6th May 2010