Followers

Wednesday 30 December 2009

Happy New Year Reflections

The old year has gone - but what a year. Even though Peter Cranie the NW Green candidate was unsuccessful in winning a seat in the Euro elections the Greens nationally did so well being one of the few parties to increase their overall vote (the BNP vote declined).

It's a real shame though that Nick Griffen took the seat with just 6000 more votes than Peter and that he is now one of our representatives here in the NW. But it's not just the fact that Nick Griffen got in but that Peter would have been an extremely hardworking and competent MEP. He has all the attributes of a caring and knowledgeable politician with the nouse of thinking on his feet!!

Then there was Copenhagen - we'll have to wait to see what happens on this one! And also the continuing economic downturn and the effect it's having on people's lives.

The good news (particularly in relation to these challenges) is that the Greens, according to opinion polls, are on course to win Brighton Pavillion in this year's general election.

Now for me this is the brightest note to start the new year on. A trully green point of view in Parliament will shake things up substantially. It'll be a concentration on real social justice issues both nationally and internationally without the constraints of big business lobbyists. For instance a Green Party input is going to assist on crucial issues like the low payed, poverty, climate change, clean and more democratic politics, getting the green economy properly up and running, and our responsibilities regarding the developing world.

Locally some of the campaigns we have been supporting have not been successful eg Bold Heath Quarry and the incinerator Inch Marsh Frodsham but others have gone well. For example Halton Lorry Watch were our contact and the police's contact with certain hauliers has tended to reduce these firms vehicles from local roads, although the problem is ongoing.

All of these issues and others that are just around the corner in this new year would have been/will be perhaps more effectively dealt with if we'd had Green representation on the council. Well we have a good chance of achieving such this year in Halton View ward were the Greens are just 130 votes behind Labour.

Also for the first time ever in Halton people will have the opportunity to vote Green in a general election.

As usual in life there are challenges we perceive as having either positive or negative outcomes. However it's never the case to say that in any given apparent negative situation that there aren't positives and vice versa - something that makes life that much more interesting and livable.

I sincerely wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope that you will consider voting Green this year for so many positive reasons.

Sunday 20 December 2009

Copenhagen Christmas Present!

Was it a Christmas present? - well perhaps to start off positively everybody was there, present, including a US president. All agreed that global temperature must not rise beyond 2C and as a consequence recognised the need for substantial cuts in carbon emissions. There was the first formal financial commitment by richer nations to help poorer ones to adapt to climate change and the accord committed everyone to adopt within six weeks binding emissions targets for 2020.

But there were no global targets for cuts, no incentives for countries to pollute less and no sanctions for those who pollute more. And many of the commitments are to be "enacted as soon as possible" not a phrase suggesting the sort of urgency needed to avoid perhaps catastrophic climate change.

It could be argued that the developed countries have greater potential than others in pushing an effective climate treaty forward. But the peoples in such countries, with a few exceptions, have not been severely directly affected by the real impact of climate change like some in third world states eg desertification in sub saharan Africa.

We are probably not going to be so severley affected for a couple of decades. However the time for action it seems is now ie within the next six years years. By then if there is no effective global action we will have reached a point were our control of events will be restricted. Carbon in the atmosphere can stay around for up to 100 years. Its not a case of in 10 years or so saying, well this IS really going to affect ME the individual we must stop now! This is the dilemma.

The accord is disappointing but ending positively perhaps out of its percieved failures might come a determined resolve by all concerned to redouble their efforts.

What about us, what can we do? Write or email your MP and prospective parliamentary candidates every month at least till the next general election asking them to ensure that their parties are playing their part in this process.

Perhaps in this you could point out that the current up-personship games being played in the lead up to the election by the different parties attempting to gain the upperhand should place this issue at the top of its must do list. I wonder if any will? I hope to be proved wrong!

One last thing you could do is to vote Green in this year's general election. That would really send a powerful message to the other parties. You now have the opportunity in Halton to do just that!

Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year!

Wednesday 16 December 2009

Eternit Meeting

Attended the Derby Rd Residents Association public meeting last night that was arranged to update residents on the state of play re the proposed Eternit development.

Unfortunately I was only able to stay for a short time but it was long enough to hear Jason Addy talk about his concerns regarding what was going on in relation to the council's handling of Eternit's proposals.

Several requests have been made by the group for information about how the council came to the decision that an Environmental impact assessment was not necessary. Such requests to date have been declined. The group seem to be regarding this response as not being in the public interest.

It was also mentioned that the council owns part of the land. This information I understand is in the public domain. But obviously it places pressure on the council to ensure that the financial gains from any development are optimised. This of course is in the interest of all of us who pay council tax. This said it's to be hoped that this does not unduly influence the council in its decision about the proposal.

The questions I would like answered are as follows:-

What could be done with the site if this development doesn't go ahead? What's happened in other areas? Given the dangers, are unused buildings and other infrastructure just left standing? Are there any cast iron solutions in relation to how to deal with such a situation?

The chances of contracting asbestiosis apparently are minimal but if there's even the slightest possibility should we not act? On balance and without being an expert I feel that the site should have the least amount of remedial work carried out on it given the inherent dangers. I think we should be putting the case strongly for alternative ways of dealing with the site. Unless, that is, council officers can provide sufficient evidence that the present proposal would provide similar safeguards.

Peter Brewin has requested that if anybody who worked at the old Everite site and knows where any material has been dumped to contact him. See earlier blogs for contact details

Saturday 12 December 2009

Halton, HGV paradise?

Recent deals involving Eddie Stobarts (Unilever Widnes and Manor Park Runcorn) it seems will mean even more HGV's using Halton's roads over the next ten years.

These developments and others before and no doubt in the future are part of the council's plans to make Halton a major distribution hub in the north west. Take a look at the very wordy Core Strategy Plans consultative document on the council's website. It would seem that such developments have all party support.

This is occurring in an area which has some of the highest morbidity and mortality rates in relation to chest conditions in England and Wales. It also comes at a time when reports published over the past two years indicate even stronger links between particulates, one of the main emissions of diesel engines, and chest problems in children and older people. Such research indicates that the levels we are currently permitting are too high and should be reduced.

The latest figures regarding the increase in the numbers of HGV's in the next ten years on Haltons roads would seem to be around 1000 HGV's every 24 hour cycle (500 of this figure relates to the Halebank Freight Park which is in the pipeline), if all the developments go ahead.

The council has genuine problems in relation to attracting employment to the area which is out of their control (eg skills base) but it seems to me that their strategies in relation to health and employment are not joined up.

There is going to be an explosion in Green jobs. Maybe the council is looking into this area of potential growth - I hope so, for many reasons

Sunday 6 December 2009

The Wave - Climate Change Demonstration London



Attended the London Climate Change march yesterday.

At Marble Arch on our way to joining the demonstration we came across a monument to animals killed in the second world war with an inscription something to the effect that they had no choice.

Taking a short cut to Grosvenor Square where the rally was to begin we walked through a Mews. There was a tall leaveless tree with a crow's nest at its top. Everything from it gone, although a crow was calling from a nearby place.

These two images made me think that our children, grandchildren and the whole living natural world doesn't have a choice in deciding how the world deals with climate change.

Niaively, I thought, this being the case all the streets of central London ought to have been thronging with demonstrators even though there was an impressive 20000 at the rally.


My memory of the event returns to the plaintive crying of the crow.