Stuart Hill

The crucial democratic change we need is the introduction of Proportional Representation, for both Parliament and Local Government. 

I have represented Unlock Democracy on the Labour4 NewDemocracy Steering Group which helped win Unite and then the Labour Party Conference to support PR. I was a speaker at both conference fringes. 

The last two years I have been an active member of the Council, its Management Board and the Rodell Board. 

My motion to a previous AGM has helped to make Council discussions more diverse bringing additional voices, especially from under-represented groups. 

I am a life-long trade unionist and am secretary of the North Tyneside TUC, as well as being active in my union, Unite. 

My working life has been in local government and, later, in a campaigning Law Firm. I have fought, in particular, for low-paid, part-time women workers achieving equal pay justice for many. 

Running a very successful Community Centre, on a voluntary basis, keeps me busy. We employ no staff but have an army of community spirited helpers. 

In the past, I was active in Charter 88 serving on its council. I was secretary of the Cleveland Branch. 

As co-chair of the Newcastle Palestine Solidary Campaign in the last 12 months, I have organised many demonstrations with thousands participating. One, in the Newcastle Central Station, had 1,000 squeezed in. Another, at the BBC Studios in Newcastle, had about 200 people handing in written complaints of BBC bias. There was not a single arrest at any of the events I organised. 

The Palestine/Israel conflict has drawn attention to the fact that democratic and constitutional reform is overdue at the United Nations. It has not moved on in key respects since WW2. This issue is not a priority for UD but shows that democratic accountability is essential everywhere. 

---