As we reported last month, Pauline Pearce – the ‘Hackney Heroine’ – standing as Lib Dem candidate in May’s elections. And last week she explained to The Guardian exactly why she is standing for the party: “because I discovered their commitment to poor communities is genuine”. Here’s an excerpt from Pauline’s article:

I announced earlier this month that I am planning to stand for election as a Liberal Democrat councillor in Hackney, yet I’m still posed a common question by journalists and friends alike: why the Lib Dems? Following the riots, all the major political parties courted me. But when the bad press came out about me having being a drug fixer after a sting in November 2011, hardly anyone wanted anything to do with me any more. The Liberal Democrats, however, didn’t turn their backs like others did.

The Lib Dems promote opportunities amongst the disenfranchised, and this is crucial to people living in poor communities, like mine, many of whom only know of criminogenic lifestyles. I had already been a fan of their ideas, but when the whole issue came about and they still were prepared to take me under their wing, that’s when I really considered the party.

For me, this is all about a second chance. I’ve been in gangs, I’ve dealt with drugs, I’ve been in prison and I’ve experienced the most rubbish of lives at one stage. As I’ve been at both ends of the field, I hope that my input will make the youths look up and say: “You know what? If she can do it, I can do it. I can turn my life around. I can look for that second chance in life.” It doesn’t have to be about being out there dealing on street corners and getting involved with gangs, and doing all the things that lead you to prison.

You can read Pauline’s post in full here.

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