Edward Gildea is the Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Essex Constituency

He became a passionate environmentalist as a result of sailing around the world, realising how very small and delicate our planet is.

He is motivated by concern for his children and grandchildren.

A retired inner-city teacher and headteacher, Edward has lived in Saffron Walden since 2013.

He served on the Green Party Policy Development Committee 2020-23, encouraging the development of robust national policies. In 2021 he succeeded in getting 1,000 church bells to ring out their warning on the eve of COP 26 in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.

 He writes regularly in the press on green issues, gives talks locally to Women’s Institutes, Probus meetings and U3A groups and was the environmental stakeholder for the Uttlesford Local Plan.

Getting his hands dirty, he planted the snowdrops and primroses on the sides of Saffron Walden Common and designed and helped to plant the new waves of daffodils on the north side. He was the gardening team leader at the Railway Arms Community Pub and as St Mary’s Eco church team leader is increasing biodiversity in the churchyard.

He is deeply committed to the fight, at all levels, to ensure that current and future generations can live in peace and social justice on a healthy and hospitable planet.

Edward laying the Green Party wreath at Saffron Walden War Memorial November 2023 

 

 

Building Sustainable Communities: The Railway Arms

   

Edward pulls an enormous bramble root from the lawn at the Railway Arms Community Pub. Leading the gardening team there, he was instrumental in turning a tenacious wilderness into a thriving pub garden. “The community pub shows how being sustainable is about building happier, connected, enjoyable communities. The committee have a great vision for all the activities that could thrive here: mother and toddler groups, repair shops, youth club games, coffee mornings, book clubs…. Whatever brings people together and enriches their lives. It’s a great project to be part of!”

 As ye sow, so shall ye reap

 

I greatly enjoyed learning to scythe recently. It is one small way of reconnecting with nature, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and staying fit!

We have faced summers of extreme weather events and a constant stream of storms here in Uttlesford and across the globe. As of April 2024 we have had 10 successive months of record breaking global temperatures. The rate of warming is increasing fast. We are clearly reaping the consequences of our accelerating abuse of the planet over the last couple of centuries.

Conventional politics is failing to deliver. We have the technologies to save us; but generations of politicians have failed in their role.

Political courage is needed to take on vested interests and unleash new private investment to bring new technologies to market. China is out-competing us massively in clean technology manufacture! Our fiscal priority must be to ensure a swift, affordable transition to clean energy and healthy ecosystems.

But democracy is trapped in short termism, each party courting popularity by promising to cut, or not to raise taxes. Our children’s interests are side-lined.

The Green Party is different. It is founded on the need to re-build economic systems that acknowledge realities of our planet.

A strong, Green presence will be needed in the next Parliament to call out the short termism of whichever new Government, to bring about radical change in our systems of taxation and regulation and to make social justice and accessible health a reality.

‘Politics as normal’ simply can’t deliver. Vote Green for Transformation.

A healthy, balanced, fair and harmonious life on our delicate planet.