Lindsey German

Lindsey Ann German (born 1951) is an English left-wing political activist. A founding member and convenor of the British anti-war organisation Stop the War Coalition, she was formerly a member of the Socialist Workers Party, sitting on its central committee and editor of its publication, Socialist Review.

She has twice stood as a left-wing candidate for Mayor of London, coming fifth in 2004, and as the Left List mayoral candidate in the May 2008 elections. In February 2010, following "increasing disenchantment" with the leadership, she resigned from the SWP, after 37 years membership.

Early life and activities

Lindsey German was born in London in 1951 and educated in Hillingdon at Vyners, then a grammar school. In 1970 she attended the "Stop the '70 Tour" demonstration organised by Peter Hain against the tour of the all-white South African cricket team.

German joined the International Socialists in 1972, the same year she began to read law at the London School of Economics. She was part of the original National Abortion Campaign in April 1975 in response to a parliamentary private member's bill put forward by Glasgow Labour MP James White, and was involved in struggles to achieve equal pay for women. German had become a full-time official by 1977 for what was now the Socialist Workers Party and a member of the party's central committee.