Daniel Wight
Daniel Wight is fifth on the Lothians list
Daniel has lived in the Lothians for most of his 50 years, primarily in Edinburgh but also in rural areas. Horticultural work (briefly) and then research as a social scientist has given him an insight into the wide range of communities in the region. He currently heads a research programme on sexual health for the Medical Research Council, and has led a team developing and evaluating a secondary school sex education programme, now being rolled out across Scotland. He is also involved in HIV prevention in Africa, giving him a strong commitment to international development.
Daniel has been involved in the green movement for over 30 years, both campaigning (e.g. against Torness and for congestion charging) and in formal politics. For several years he was active in the Labour Party but left as they moved right. Since 1998 he has been an active member of the Scottish Green Party, helping Robin Harper get elected in 1999.
Getting progressive initiatives implemented involves, in Daniel’s view, achieving the right balance between optimistic idealism and sober realism. His professional experience analysing social life, evaluating how programmes are implemented in practice and managing projects gives him a bias towards realism. He hopes this will complement the idealism in the Green Party’s clear vision for social and environmental justice. For him the overriding issue for the next parliament is climate change, which is already destroying the lives of people in developing countries least responsible for causing it. The challenge is for the Executive to stop exacerbating the problem while protecting the poorest in society.
Politics compete with many other interests in Daniel’s life, main contenders being his family, (organic) gardening, keeping hens, music and learning the violin, though he has little time for the last, to his family’s relief.