The 5-Minute Interview: Caroline Lucas, Politician

'Politics happens on the streets and in classrooms'

Caroline Lucas, 46, is one of two principal speakers for the Green Party, which has no leader, and MEP for South-east England. On 8 January she takes part in Faslane 365, a one-year peaceful blockade of the Trident nuclear submarine base in Scotland.

On the day I will be...

Risking arrest, trying to highlight Britain's position on nuclear weapons, which is immoral, expensive and counter-productive in terms of security.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

On a muddy walk with my husband and children in the Peak District.

I wish people would take more notice of...

The Green Party. The reason is that we've been coming up with the right questions 30 years longer than the other parties.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was...

Finding myself addressing a million people at the great anti-war march in 2003. Concern about weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons got me active in politics, and I found myself catapulted on to the stage.

I am a politician but...

I don't think politics just happens in Parliament. It happens on the streets and in classrooms. Non-violent direct action is a legitimate form of political activity when traditional forms are blocked.

The ideal night out is...

Wondering down the hill to my favourite Moroccan restaurant in Brussels. A lot of people come to visit us for the chocolate and beer.

In moments of weakness I...

Watch my favourite episodes of The West Wing. It reminds me what world leaders could be like.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

One I borrow from Gandhi: "Even if you are in a majority of one, the truth is still the truth."

Sara Newman