Siân Berry
Encyclopedia
Siân Berry is an English
politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales
. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's Principal Speaker
s. She was the party's candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election
.
, Berry attended the selective Pate's Grammar School
(where her father, John Berry, is a teacher). She attended Trinity College, Oxford
, where she studied Metallurgy and the Science of Materials. Upon graduating in 1997, she moved to London.
but quit this job in order to focus on her mayoral campaign.
In her first major party political role as the Green Party Campaigns Co-ordinator, Berry spearheaded the Green Energy Works Campaign, calling for low carbon, non-nuclear energy to tackle climate change
. She also led a campaign against the renewal of Britain's nuclear weapon, the Trident submarine
, which saw her travel to the nuclear submarine base in Faslane, Scotland, to protest.
Berry has narrowly missed being elected to Camden London Borough Council
three times in local elections: once during 2002 and twice in 2006. In the 2002 local elections, she came fifth in the Highgate
ward with 811 votes, just two votes behind a Conservative
candidate in fourth place and 38 votes behind the third place required to gain a seat. The 2006 Local Elections would see her contest the Kentish Town
ward, in which she gained 1,057 votes and came sixth, 156 votes short of third place. A 7 December 2006 by-election in the Kentish Town
ward saw her come second with 812 votes, behind the Liberal Democrat
winner who polled 1093 votes.
In 2005, Berry was the Green Party's parliamentary candidate for the Hampstead and Highgate constituency in the General Election
. She polled 5.3% of the vote, coming fourth.
Berry was elected as the Green Party's Female Principal Speaker
unopposed in Autumn 2006, succeeding Dr Caroline Lucas
MEP and, working alongside male Principal Speaker Dr Derek Wall
, served until Autumn 2007 when Dr Lucas resumed the post following an election. She wrote a regular blog for the New Statesman
current affairs magazine from November 2006– July 2008.
On 12 March 2007, the Green Party announced that Berry would be the party's candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election
, after she received 45% of the votes in the London Green Party's internal election. Berry recommended that her voters back Labour Party
candidate Ken Livingstone
as their second preference and Livingstone did likewise. Berry was endorsed by The Independent
and The Observer
newspapers, with Ken Livingstone as second preference. Berry came fourth, with 3.15% of first preferences and 13.50% of second preferences. Fourth place is the highest the Green Party has come in a London Mayoral election, with her predecessor Darren Johnson
coming sixth and seventh in the 2000
and 2004
mayoral elections.
Berry was a founder of the Alliance against Urban 4×4s, which started in Camden in 2003 and became a national campaign demanding measures to stop 4x4s (known in the United States
as sport utility vehicle
s) "taking over our cities". The campaign is notorious for its "theatrical demonstrations" and spoof parking tickets, credited to Berry (although now adapted by numerous local groups), some 150,000 of which have been placed on 4x4 vehicles by campaigners. The group was successful in getting the Mayor of London
, Ken Livingstone, to adopt one of its founding principles when he introduced a higher congestion charge for vehicles with high emissions. The Alliance campaigns further for greater taxes and stricter controls on advertisements for 4x4s. An international '4x4 Network' has now been founded.
In her local borough of Camden
, Berry has also campaigned against the Iraq war, genetically modified foods and air quality problems, and supported local services threatened by redevelopment projects. She has advocated "green development" in Kings Cross
Railwaylands (the largest brownfield site in the UK) to provide more family-housing.
She initiated the Census Alert campaign to stop Lockheed Martin
from running the UK Census
, and is a Patron of the Fair Pay Network.
Most recently she was a driving force behind the Reheat Britain campaign for 'boiler scrappage' which secured funding to replace some of the most inefficient boilers in the UK through the 2009 annual Pre Budget Report.
On 15 September 2010, Berry, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian
, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's Principal Speaker
Principal Speaker
Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader...
s. She was the party's candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election
London mayoral election, 2008
The London mayoral election, 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson....
.
Early life and career
Born and raised in CheltenhamCheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, Berry attended the selective Pate's Grammar School
Pate's Grammar School
Pate's Grammar School is a voluntary aided, selective grammar school in the Hesters Way area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England catering for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was granted Language College status in 2001, is a Beacon school, and in February 2006 was one of the first in the country to be...
(where her father, John Berry, is a teacher). She attended Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, where she studied Metallurgy and the Science of Materials. Upon graduating in 1997, she moved to London.
Green Party politician
Berry joined the Green Party aged 28 whilst working as a medical copywriter for large pharmaceutical companies, which she then decided "conflicted" with her principles. She resigned, becoming increasingly politically active and beginning a new career in an ethical temping agency that dealt with a wide range of charitable organisations. She was, until recently, a website manager at Imperial College LondonImperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
but quit this job in order to focus on her mayoral campaign.
In her first major party political role as the Green Party Campaigns Co-ordinator, Berry spearheaded the Green Energy Works Campaign, calling for low carbon, non-nuclear energy to tackle climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. She also led a campaign against the renewal of Britain's nuclear weapon, the Trident submarine
Vanguard class submarine
The Vanguard class are the Royal Navy's current nuclear ballistic missile submarines , each armed with up to 16 Trident II Submarine-launched ballistic missiles...
, which saw her travel to the nuclear submarine base in Faslane, Scotland, to protest.
Berry has narrowly missed being elected to Camden London Borough Council
Camden London Borough Council
Camden London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Camden in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London...
three times in local elections: once during 2002 and twice in 2006. In the 2002 local elections, she came fifth in the Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
ward with 811 votes, just two votes behind a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate in fourth place and 38 votes behind the third place required to gain a seat. The 2006 Local Elections would see her contest the Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
ward, in which she gained 1,057 votes and came sixth, 156 votes short of third place. A 7 December 2006 by-election in the Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
ward saw her come second with 812 votes, behind the Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
winner who polled 1093 votes.
In 2005, Berry was the Green Party's parliamentary candidate for the Hampstead and Highgate constituency in the General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. She polled 5.3% of the vote, coming fourth.
Berry was elected as the Green Party's Female Principal Speaker
Principal Speaker
Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader...
unopposed in Autumn 2006, succeeding Dr Caroline Lucas
Caroline Lucas
Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...
MEP and, working alongside male Principal Speaker Dr Derek Wall
Derek Wall
Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having...
, served until Autumn 2007 when Dr Lucas resumed the post following an election. She wrote a regular blog for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
current affairs magazine from November 2006– July 2008.
On 12 March 2007, the Green Party announced that Berry would be the party's candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election
London mayoral election, 2008
The London mayoral election, 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson....
, after she received 45% of the votes in the London Green Party's internal election. Berry recommended that her voters back Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
as their second preference and Livingstone did likewise. Berry was endorsed by The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
and The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspapers, with Ken Livingstone as second preference. Berry came fourth, with 3.15% of first preferences and 13.50% of second preferences. Fourth place is the highest the Green Party has come in a London Mayoral election, with her predecessor Darren Johnson
Darren Johnson
Darren Paul Johnson is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales...
coming sixth and seventh in the 2000
London mayoral election, 2000
The first election to the office of Mayor of London took place on 4 May 2000.-Results:¹Under the Supplementary Vote system, if no candidate receives 50% of 1st choice votes, 2nd choice votes are added to the result for the top two 1st choice candidates...
and 2004
London mayoral election, 2004
The 2004 election to the post of Mayor of London took place on 10 June 2004. It was being held on the same day as other local elections and the UK part of the 2004 European Parliament elections, so Londoners had a total of five votes on three ballot papers. Polling opened at 07:00 local time, and...
mayoral elections.
Non-party activism
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
s) "taking over our cities". The campaign is notorious for its "theatrical demonstrations" and spoof parking tickets, credited to Berry (although now adapted by numerous local groups), some 150,000 of which have been placed on 4x4 vehicles by campaigners. The group was successful in getting the Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, Ken Livingstone, to adopt one of its founding principles when he introduced a higher congestion charge for vehicles with high emissions. The Alliance campaigns further for greater taxes and stricter controls on advertisements for 4x4s. An international '4x4 Network' has now been founded.
In her local borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, Berry has also campaigned against the Iraq war, genetically modified foods and air quality problems, and supported local services threatened by redevelopment projects. She has advocated "green development" in Kings Cross
Kings Cross, London
King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...
Railwaylands (the largest brownfield site in the UK) to provide more family-housing.
She initiated the Census Alert campaign to stop Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
from running the UK Census
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
, and is a Patron of the Fair Pay Network.
Most recently she was a driving force behind the Reheat Britain campaign for 'boiler scrappage' which secured funding to replace some of the most inefficient boilers in the UK through the 2009 annual Pre Budget Report.
On 15 September 2010, Berry, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom from 16 to 19 September 2010 was the first state visit by a pope to the United Kingdom...
.
Author
Berry is also author of a number of books, including 50 Ways to Greener Travel, 50 Ways to be a Greener Shopper, 50 Ways to Save Water and Energy and 50 Ways to make your house and garden greener. Her most recent book is Mend it!External links
- Official website
- Archived mayoral website
- Biography on the Green PartyGreen Party of England and WalesThe Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
website - Sian Berry's blog at the New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
- Alliance Against Urban 4x4s