Eastern Region Green Party 2004 European Election candidates
First picture:
Back row: (left to right): Cllr James Abbott, Stephen Lawrence, Ingo
Wagenkecht, Cllr Steve Rackett
Front row (left to right): Lydia Howitt, Margaret Wright, Cllr Adrian
Ramsay, Marc Scheimann
1. MARGARET WRIGHT (margaret (at) corona4.fsnet.co.uk)
2. CLLR. ADRIAN RAMSAY (adrian.ramsay (at) norwichgreenparty.org)
3. CLLR JAMES ABBOTT (james-abbott (at) lineone.net)
4. MARC SCHEIMANN (marcscheimann (at) highsoft.fsnet.co.uk)
5. INGO WAGENKNECHT (SRosswag (at) aol.com)
6. CLLR. STEVE RACKETT (nine_stones (at) hotmail.com)
7. STEPHEN LAWRENCE (stephen (at) lawrence.newnet.co.uk)
8. LYDIA HOWITT (lydiahowitt (at) greenmeps.org.uk)
Brief candidate biographies
1. Margaret Wright was born and brought up in Newcastle, read history and later history of art at London University and gained a Diploma in Education at the University of Oxford. She taught and lectured in higher education on Tyneside. In the 1970s and 1980s she was one of the leading activists in the childbirth movement. In 1978 her youngest child was brain-damaged from illness and she was for many years her main carer. Having been lead candidate for the Eastern Region in 1999, she went on to be Principal Speaker of the Green Party, a post she has recently relinquished in order to concentrate on being lead candidate in the region again. She has wide experience as delegate to the European Federation of Green Parties and is now consumer rights spokesperson for the Green Party of England and Wales.
2. Cllr. Adrian Ramsay is the Eastern Region Co-ordinator and one of the youngest principal authority councillors in the UK, and possibly Europe. He was elected to Norwich City Council in May 2003, increasing the Green Group on the City Council to 3. He is a post-graduate student and the national party spokesperson on Planning and Economic Development.
3. Cllr. James Abbott is the Eastern Region Press Officer and the national policy advisor on Space Issues. A Braintree (Essex) District Councillor since 1999, he has wide media experience, particularly on transport issues.
4. Marc Scheimann is a computer consultant based in Luton and a former Councillor. He also was a list candidate for the 1999 European Elections and has wide media experience. German speaker.
5. Ingo Wagenknecht, a married graduate from UEA and a Green Party European candidate in 1999 is a member of the Stop the War coalition, and a campaigner for Peace. He has extensive experience of working at all levels within the party, including the MEPs Trust. German speaker. He is also concerned about the lack of choice for farmers, rural diversity and the imposition of GMOs. He says: 'alternative non-food crops are the future for the agricultural diversification of East Anglia as much as organic farming and it is the Green Parties that have led the way to agricultural reform in Europe.'
6. Cllr. Steve Rackett was elected to Watford Council in May 2003. He has worked in the Green MEPs Office and has considerable media experience including as a professional press officer with national campaigning organisations. Has worked on Eastern European issues.
7. Stephen Lawrence is based in Cambridge where he is a music teacher. He has conversation abilities in several languages and is fluent in Russian. He is a founder member of the Committee for Future Energies www.future-energies.org, campaigning to make clean renewable energy available world-wide.
8. Lydia Howitt is based in Hertfordshire where she has built an eco-house. Speaking a number of European languages, she is the current Green MEP Liaison Officer and stood as a candidate in the 1994 European Elections
