I’m 67 years old. Born in South Tyneside. I have lived all my life in the borough apart from when I served for 17 years in the British armed forces.
I have worked in a variety of jobs, roles and sectors, most were low paid with long hours and lots of stress.
I have been unemployed several times and found that being unemployed was even more stressful than being in work lol. I understand very well the meaning of ‘climate of fear’ and yes it is a real thing and is a deliberate policy overseen by the department of Work and Pensions and the Home Office.
I have never been politically active before but as a trained Freelance Journalist with an interest in Human Rights and miscarriages of justice and having been asked to stand as a GREEN PARTY local councillor candidate I believe now is the time to step up and serve.
My intuition, listening and investigative skills combined with my own internal sense of what’s right and what’s wrong should enable me to get to the heart of any problem that I am asked to help with.
I am unjudgemental and believe we are all a work in progress. I am spiritual and know the value of all religions although I don’t ‘belong’ to any. I know how much harm can be caused by unscrupulous people when they manipulate political and religious dogma to suit themselves and control the thoughts and actions of others. That kind of deception always involves creating false narratives, causing fear, anger and hate and directing that hate and anger at minorities.
Hate never did anyone any good, it destroys everything it touches.
My own moral code is simple. I believe Love is true life and our own internal sense of Right and Wrong is our Humanity. I suppose it’s because I believe in the inherent goodness which is in the hearts of the majority of our diverse people that makes me want to help improve the quality of life for all of us. Human Beings all need and want the same thing for themselves, their family and loved ones.
I don’t know if this makes sense to anyone. I usually keep myself to myself and am a very private person. I’m sure we all go through the same emotional turmoil in life. Past events shaped us and made us who we are in the present. The past is gone but we all have the power to shape our shared future. We all know the World is changing. It’s up to us to decide what kind of future we want. The billionaires see wealth as power. I believe that Love is the ultimate power and we don’t need to be wealthy to have love in our hearts.
I believe that putting people ahead of profit is the way forward in both national and local politics. Putting people first means doing all we can to improve the quality of life for the whole community. To me that means finding solutions to the problems we face at a local level. I also believe that social justice and protecting our local environment are closely linked to our well being, quality of life and general health.
We GREENS are guided by HOPE not hate.
I am willing to serve the whole of our community in all its wonderful diversity as best I can.
Lots of love.
Pauline Stoker.
xxx
