Q Manivannan

I adore Leith and I live here! I spend my Tuesdays at the Lost in Leith bar in writing groups, I engage with local sustainable businesses including those like the Dreadnought and bookstores nearby, I'm at open mics at the Argonauts bookstore and Typewringer, and I am at the False Widow's music sessions most Mondays. My communities around arts and culture, queer spaces, activism, and my work with racial and faith minorities are in Leith.

I believe that this selection isn't a competition -- I adore Kate and believe she will be an incredible candidate for Leith, and I'll use all my resources here to support whoever is selected for this constituency. But I was keen to run nevertheless, because I know that whether it's with connecting to racially diverse demographics, artistic communities, or queer and trans communities, I will be the Greens' strongest asset as the constituency candidate for Leith: it will offer me a sense of belonging in this election that I can depend on when campaigning across the city. Democracy is messy, but it's also the best part about it.

I have been an active member of the local subbranch, which I know is one of the best in the country. There's a feeling of faith in Leith -- we saw it when a few of us stood for hours one day, at our stall recently on Leith Walk at Monty's Polis Box. We saw friends and family and strangers stop and tell us that they believe in the Greens -- and in a politics that makes them feel like they belong too.