Interview 4 - Shiona Baird (Green Party top of North East list)

[AlanG]

Name: Shiona Baird

Party: Scottish Green Party

Position in Party: Local Co-ordinator

Years within Party: 18 years

Other relevant groups: (i.e. local residents group, Brownies leader, or other community groups) Community Councillor, on the Board of Tayside recyclers a community recycling company

Where running: North East Region

Previous Terms of Office: Secretary, rolling Convenor

Reason for joining party: Looking after the planet is such an eminently sensible thing to do, seeing as we all rely on it plus the way the Party cares about all the people who live on the planet.

1. What is your position on the war, and why have you adopted that position?

War is not the answer to conflict - we must find a better way

1a. WMD, whether chemical, biological or nuclear, have been getting lots of press, what will your position be on the UK’s own WMD many of which are stored at or near Faslane?

Ban them all. No place for any of them in our fragile world

1b. If anti-war, what action have you taken part in or support others taking part in?

been on marches and silent protests

2. What is your position on student fees/grants/loans?

Education should be free for all. Our Citizens income would take care of this.

3. What are your policies on coalitions within the parliament, are there any parties you would rule out joining with to form government and equally any you would happily join with.

Very difficult - we are a party of principle and we would not be able to compromise our main principles very easily.

4. What is your position on PFI and PPP? Will you be fighting for or against any current or future planned projects in your area?

Against - not the way to go for public services, putting shareholders before the needs of the community is not on.

5. What is your positioning on drugs? Would you support any "Met" like softening on cannabis possession, or opening of cannabis cafes in your area?

I would like to see a society where no-one needs to take any drug to make them feel better. As that is probably unattainable I would be happy to see a more responsible attitude to cannabis and more effort in dealing with the problem of alcohol abuse

6. What are your plans for youth employment? Not only New Deal/YTS type schemes, but also minimum wage and how this does not fully protect youth under 18/21 from exploitation.

Again our Citizens Income would go a long way to answering this. Would like to see more vocational training in schools.

7. What is your position on the building of mobile phone masts within your constituency, especially when near schools or other controversial buildings?

Against

8. As you probably know Dundee is twinned with the city of Nablus in Palestine. Given the recent trouble there what can you do and plan to do for the building of stronger ties and supporting of the people of that city?

Too big a question but we must continue the links with working towards a resolution of the whole Middle East crisis.

9. Finally are there any policies you wish to implement and I have not addressed?

All the policies which put the environment at the top of the agenda - public transport, good local and if possible organic food, warm dry homes for everyone and not just recycling and re-using but reducing the amount of waste especially the litter which is clogging up out streets. If everyone just binned their own litter, what a much more pleasant place out world would be.

[Gary V1]

Oh aye it all sounds lovely in a perfect world