Political possibilities

My response to the view, expressed in an online debate here, that there will only ever be two political parties (ie either Labour or Tory) running the country: Given the huge and interwoven economic, social and environmental problems the country and the world has, new political thinking is now more needed than ever. New political movements, like the Green Movement, do come along and new parties do get into government at a range of levels. Liberals have a share in govt now and they currently run Bristol City Council and other councils - and Liberals have been in govt in the past, albeit a long time ago.The labour movement developed over the last 100 yrs, so there is no reason why other movements and parties cant do the same or better. 

The Green Party addresses the real world where other parties wish 'for exponential economic growth and endless population growth on a finite planet with dwindling resources' (see online comments here). Greens are making political progress - they have their first MP in Caroline Lucas in addition to Green members of the Scottish Parliament, they are now runnning the council in Brighton and Hove, have two MEPs (Jean Lambert in London and Keith Taylor in the South East), and have two councillors in Bristol (Gus Hoyt in Ashley and Tess Green in Southville) in addition to hundreds more on other councils around the country

Boxing clever?

Encouraging children to take up boxing could prevent a repeat of last summer's riots, a Bristol MP says.
Charlotte Leslie...said hopping into the ring was "as close as you'll get to a silver bullet" for harnessing the pent-up frustration of teenagers...(full story)

I wouldn't go as far as to say its a silver bullet but I do think Tory MP Charlotte Leslie's argument that boxing is a good means of  personal development for young people is a sound one. Professional boxing is badly in need of a reforming shake up in terms of its safety, money involved, management and the behaviour of boxers. However, amateur boxing, like many other sporting activities, can if properly delivered be a good activity that people can do together in their community. It requires participants to respect and work within a set of rules. It means those taking part get into a routine for training and planning. It promotes physical health and a focussed mental attitude. Surely it is reasonable to assume that these things help to develop greater social responsibility?

Drag Parliament into the 21st century Caroline Lucas

Yes, yes, yes and yes to these proposals. Great work by Green MP Caroline Lucas on parliamentary reform. Drag that place into the 21st century and make it more accessible, practical, democratic, economic and effective!

...Among the report's proposals are; the introduction of electronic voting, a systematic overhaul of Parliamentary language, measures to prevent the "talking out" of Private Members' Bills, greater use by the Speaker on limits on backbench speaking time and an end to late night sittings...

Green Party MPs to debate Green calls for overhaul of parliament

Ashton Vale stadium: 'MPs call for Councillors to commit unlawful acts'

Some very interesting comments on this post from the Ashton Gate Blogger. For example:

The MPs have written a letter calling on councillors to reject the Town Green Application so as to bring about a football stadium on the land for the benefit of the club and others.
Under the Commons Act 2006, the future use of and aims for the land cannot be taken into account.
By calling for the Councillors to do so, the MPs are asking them to commit “Misfeasance in Public Office”. This is where a public official acts knowing that he has no power to do the act complained of – causing detriment to the legal rights of some, for the benefit (commercial or otherwise) of others.
What a bizarre world we now live in where MPs call for Councillors to commit unlawful acts so as to overide the legal rights that have been given to local people by those very MPs only 4 years ago

says Harry T....rightly in my view.

And following on from this Still Waters says...

Just out of interest, does this act of inciting Misfeasance in Public Office toward BCC come under Misconduct in Public Office for the MPs? Maybe their Chief Whips should be nudged?

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04909.pdf

“there is often an additional offence that can be committed where someone ‘attempts, conspires, aids or abets, counsels or procures’ another offence. The problem with attempting to prosecute someone for such an additional offence is that the intent needed to be proved is both for the alleged attempt, conspiracy, aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring’ the first offence, but also the intent to commit the original offence.”
I think a bloody great big article in a newsrag is ‘proof enough’…

Caroline Lucas...to become the Green MP for Brighton Pavillion

News from the Greens: Caroline Lucas officially launched her bid last night to become the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, at a special event held at Brighton's
Fabrica Gallery.

Dr Lucas, who is also leader of the Green Party and a Green MEP, used
a speech at the event - hosted by BBC Radio 4's Marcus Brigstocke - to
unveil core Green Party campaigning themes around the economy and
public services.

In a stinging attack on the Government, the speech highlighted
Labour's poor handling of the current economic crisis and its
systematic failure to regulate the activities of banks and other
financial institutions.

Highlighting issues of concern both at a national level and specific
to Brighton and Hove, Dr Lucas also used the speech to reinforce the
Green Party's commitment to building a fairer society and to tackling
a spiralling inequality that sees as many as one in five UK children
living in poverty.

Caroline Lucas said: "In recent years the Green Party has gone from
strength to strength, securing unprecedented victories in both the
European Elections and local by-elections, and now we intend to secure
the first Green seat in Westminster for Brighton Pavilion.

She added: "Greens are about delivering a dynamic economy, and one
that benefits people waiting tables at restaurants in Preston Street,
or those working in Brighton and Hove's unique digital media sector -
not just a handful of people in the Square Mile.

"Greens are also about defending the Royal Sussex hospital as a local,
free-at-the-point-of-delivery public service - so that everyone can
access decent healthcare, and so that we aren't paying extortionate
fees to private shareholders."

She continued: "With the economy and public services in crisis, and
traditional Westminster politics perpetually mired in sleaze, only the
Green Party offers the people of Brighton and Hove - and beyond - a
future built around honest politics and common sense policies."

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/10-09-2009-Lucas-campaign-launch-for-Brighton-Pavilion.html

Government incompetence over car emissions forecasts

Not only do we have Government and political system incompetence in running the economy, or in making decisions over what to do about MPs expenses (to put it very kindly), we also have official incompetence in pollution forecasting - a very important part environmental decision making.

This report from FT.com shows that the Government's Highway's Agency, part of the Dept of Transport, thought new roads schemes since 2002 would produce an extra 11,240 tonnes of carbon emissions. The actual increase turned out to be 21,870 tonnes - this is clearly a whapping inaccuracy not just an underestimate, given that its almost twice as much!

Conclusion: their method is rubbish and they dont know how to work out what carbon emissions will be. How can we have decent trust in any official estimates of carbon emissions that will result from major developments, local or national, eg road traffic due to expanding Heathrow or building a South Bristol ring road??

MPs and jokes

MP Kerry McCarthy has a quiz on her blog that I've been looking at. All questions are about identifying main party frontbench MPs - Q14 "As sharp as a blade and currently underrated" is one I've puzzled over (after having a good laugh at the Bristol Bloggers joke answer of Dan Norris!). There aren't many I regard as sharp!

Is Dan Norris MP as sharp and underrated as Roger Bailey of BBC comedy My Family fame? Well there are certain similarities.

Stop the scandal of MPs pay and expenses: find out what MPs needs are and meet them, no more and no less

I strongly object to the way MPs pay and expenses are handled. Its not independent and its not ethical by any acceptable standard (see 'MPs scrap plan to cut expenses', Bristol Evening Post, 4 July). We need to stop the scandal of MPs pay and expenses: find out what MPs needs are and meet them, no more and no less.

I recently posted about the work of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation who looked at what various categories of people need in order to live at an acceptable standard and participate in UK society. I propose that this sort of method should be applied to all MPs, including members of the Government - get a fair, independent body to examine what is needed for MPs to do their jobs well and also live decent, reasonably rounded lives and pay them and/or provide them with appropriate facilities as required.

If I was ever elected as an MP (I wish!!) I would certainly work on this basis, whether or not this kind of system was the official one. Are any local MPs willing to have an independent body go over what their actual needs are? Are they happy that the following will still be happening (as listed by The Guardian) after the recent House of Commons vote:

• MPs can continue to claim for furniture and household goods for their second homes, known as the "John Lewis list" as the Commons only authorises payments in line with the prices charged by that retailer;
• Additional costs allowance will remain, and not become an overnight expenses allowance with a £19,600 ceiling;
• No outside audit of MPs' expenses;
• No receipts for claims under £25;
• Claims for outer London MPs will not be cut.

Nice to have such a local Conservative candidate??

Are you local? I dont want to sound like someone out of the League of gentlemen but this is in fact just the right question to ask of Dr Mark Lloyd Davies the newly selected Conservative Candidate for the Bristol South constituency at the next general election ('Tory pair prepare for election bid', Bristol Evening Post, 9 Feb 2008). The answer to my question is a very big NO - the 32 yr old lives in south west London and works in Surrey!! As far as I can gather the nearest he gets to local knowledge and connection is the fact that he went to school in Somerset (according to the Evening Post at least). Even on the 'independent but supportive of the Conservative Party' website Conservative Home one person (Amand H) commented thus after the selection was announced:

Here we have another career politician being "shoehorned" into a seat. What does someone from Guildford know about Bristol?

I would have liked to see Dawn Parry take on Dawn Primarola - A New Dawn!

We need local people who understand local issues to represent Bristol at Westminster.

Why is it that people who work at Westminster or live in the SE have carte blanche to apply for seats anywhere in the country and yet local candidates can only apply in their area? This skews the system against local candidates and towards political types who have no understanding of the real world of work.

There is more that interests me about Dr Davies: his scientific background and interests; the importance of religion to his life and politics; how on Earth he squares his scientific training with his religion (there being no evidence that there is or ever has been a god); and his work for a major multi-national pharmaceuticals company and interest in climate change. How do I know these things? Helpfully, the Conservative Christian Fellowship website contains this biography (links to his PhD and employer added by me):

Mark Lloyd Davies is Government Affairs Manager for Europe’s largest pharmaceutical company sanofi-aventis. Previously, Mark was the Conservative Research Department Health Policy Advisor (2004 to 2006). In addition to Health, Mark has interests in climate change (PhD Glacial Geology, Universiteit van Amsterdam), post-modernism and rugby where he serves as co-president of Egham Hollowegians RFC. Mark worships at St Stephen’s Church, Twickenham and in his spare time enjoys fine food and wine, rugby and the company of friends and family.

I wondered what the Conservative Christian Fellowship was all about, thinking that this would shed some light on Dr Davies views. The following phrases come direct from their website's About page:

The Conservative Christian Fellowship…exists to be a vibrant Christian witness within the Conservative Party… to follow Christ with our hearts, souls, strength and minds; playing our part in the redemption of culture and individual lives…to train, equip and support our members…a relational bridge with the Conservative Party…is a fellowship founded on prayer…when parliament is sitting…holds a prayer meeting to pray together for the Fellowship, parliament and the nation….denominational diversity…has been hosted within Conservative Campaign Headquarters…aim to be the best servants of Christ and the party.

I hope to get the chance to debate all sorts of issues with Dr Davies and the other Bristol South constituency candidates (Labour's Dawn Primarolo, the Greens Cath Slade, and the Lib Dems Dr Mark Wright, so far, all with strong local connections!) as we approach and go through the general election campaign. The role of mulitnational companies in causing and in solving climate change is one issue that springs to mind (his employer sanofi-aventis has a website on sustainable development which I'll look over). The role of evidence in what we believe to be the truth (whether it is climate change, or the effectiveness of various approaches to health, or indeed god...) also springs to mind!

More on the Conservative Christian Fellowship here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Christian_Fellowship
and on sanofi-aventis here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanofi-aventis.

Targets in the Climate Change Bill are too low and dont match with the best scientific evidence

Just sent this request:

Dear Kerry McCarthy MP

Please add your name to a new Early Day Motion (EDM 736) that has been tabled by Nigel Griffiths MP on the Climate Change Bill.

The introduction of a legal framework for tackling climate change is a step in the right direction. The current targets in the Bill mean it will not lead to the cuts in carbon emissions scientists say are needed, which is a great worry though. We need to cut emissions by a factor of ten to adequately tackle climate change according to best science.

A United Nations report mentioned in EDM 736 says much the same thing. Recently leading scientists, including current and former heads of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, have signed a letter making it clear they agree too. This was published in newspapers. Even Gordon Brown has implied that the evidence is now that we need larger cuts than the targets in the Bill.

In opposition to the evidence the Bill as currently drafted has targets that are too low. Worse still a loophole in the Bill means emissions from international aviation and shipping will not be included – clearly its not that these don’t cause climate change is it?

I urge you to sign EDM 736. Press for changes to be made to the Bill, so that it is consistent with the evidence provided by the best available science. This would then be a Bill to be much admired.

Support the Planning and Energy Bill - for efficient and renewable local developments

Today sent the letter below to my MP (with a similar version sent to Housing Minister Yvette Cooper). Its really important that local decisions on the nature of developments can be taken to boost energy efficiency and small scale use of green and renewable technologies.

Dear Kerry McCarthy MP

I'm writing to ask you to support the Planning and Energy Bill being promoted by Michael Fallon MP. To do so you would need to be present in Parliament on Friday 25 January. If you cannot be present then I hope you will agree to support the Bill at other opportunities.

The Planning and Energy Bill is important because, in the spirit of the Sustainable Communities Bill which is now law, it enables local decision-making for new developments to:

* set high energy efficiency standards

* require local, on-site energy generation by green methods such as solar and photovoltaic panels, heat pumps and small-scale combined heat and power plants

This would be a great move for cutting carbon dioxide emissions, cutting fuel bills, creating jobs in neighbourhoods and building local sustainability.

I hope you will agree to support the Bill, am very interested in your views on it and look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely

Glenn Vowles


Further information from the Association for the Conservation of Energy (though today on their website they wrongly call Michael Fallon a Labour MP!!) and also the Micropower Council.

Good work from Kerry McCarthy MP but Govt policies on rail are inadquate

Good work from my MP Kerry McCarthy putting the spotlight on the need for much better rail services. We need more of this more often from all our MPs.

I'm afraid the current Labour Govt are not likely to adopt the policies or make the investments needed to achieve the vast improvement I'd like to see however. The last ten yrs have seen significant real terms increases in the cost of rail travel just when we need it to become cheaper, to help get people out of their cars much more.

EU Reform ('Constitutional') Treaty - let the people decide on it!!

Not really that big on direct democracy in todays Labour Party are they - Labour MP for Bristol East Kerry McCarthy has backed the EU Reform (or 'Constitutional') Treaty and backed PM Gordon Brown's policy of denying the people a referendum on it. This is despite the fact that this month the TUC voted for having a referendum.

Politicians from EU member states have given public statements that the Reform Treaty would have substantially the same effects on the EU as the EU Constitution (which the EUs people rejected after referenda). Since the government previously promised a referendum on the constitution (in its manifesto at the last election) it follows that we should have a referendum on the treaty that replaced it. Greens passed a motion to this effect this month.

Caroline Lucas, Green MEP - Politician of the Year!

The Green Party website today reported the following:

Caroline Lucas 'Politician of the Year'

GREEN Party Euro-MP Caroline Lucas has beaten Gordon Brown and David Cameron to be named 'politician of the year' in the 2nd Observer Ethical Awards in association with Ecover.
The MEP, who serves on the Parliament's Environment, International Trade and Climate Change committees, was chosen ahead of the other two shortlisted politicians by readers of the Observer.
She was presented with the award last night at a central London ceremony hosted by TV presenter Simon Amstell.

She got my vote in the contest! Caroline is a great role model for any aspiring green campaigner. Well done to her! Find out more about her work at: http://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/