An alternative on offer from activist

WHEN Diane Greer was a girl, her late father Billy Young used to tell her ‘No-one should have two coats until everyone has one’. All these years later, the mother-of-two still feels passionately in equality for all, which is why she is contesting the upcoming city council elections as a candidate for the People Before Profit party.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Apr 2011, 12:43 BST

Standing in the rural ward, Diane - often to be found on her trusty raspberry scooter - is not your run-of-the-mill candidate and neither is her political stance.

“My father was a socialist. He wouldn’t have called himself that but he definitely was one and he was such an influence on me,” Diane told the Sentinel.

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“I came from a strong Unionist family - my aunt Marlene Jefferson was the first woman Mayor here - and you could say I was always an activitist, from when I was in the junior tartan gangs to becoming a founding member of the Women’s Coalition. I have worked in the voluntary and community sector for 25 years, so from early on I was building relationships that were not about political or religious issues but about need.

“I’ve had a long involvement with women’s issues even though I have never been a victim of discrimination or felt that I have ever been disadvantaged. I have just followed my instincts and ended up in places where I have been able to do really interesting things, things that light a fire in my belly. I’m now involved in adult education and have worked for the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) for the last 15 years,” said Diane, who also sings with Paddy Nash and the Happy Enchiladas.

“Community development and community relations have been a big part of both my working and private life but it has only been in the last couple of years that I thought about running for council. I’ve been attending meetings of People Before Profit for last few years as I have been acutely aware that the gap between the rich and poor has been getting wider. Looking back at what my father said to me as child, that message has been at the core of everything I believe and I found in People Before Profit a political hearth at which to warm my hands.

“We have worked out only a handful of core policies but I honestly believe we need to move beyond ‘green’ and ‘orange’ which leaves the decision-making process paralysed. I also believe if we went after the unpaid taxes of the wealthy, we wouldn’t need to make any cuts. The wealthy are getting away with it and the most disadvantaged are being penalised more and more but I’m a very positive person, I believe there’s a way through everything.”