29th September 2004

21 August 2008

Tony Blair: party leader?

Democracy in action

The pressure wasn't just on our PM to cement his position as party leader yesterday.

Friends of the Earth hosted two events where we had opportunities to persuade key Ministers why they should support our campaigns.

Wake up to Climate Change

First up was Friends of the Earth's breakfast fringe meeting on Climate Change.

Minister Gareth Thomas MP from the Department for International Development spoke of the Government's "promotion of renewables and other clean technologies" to the developing world.

Dr Camilla Toulmin, Director of IIED, and our own Bryony Worthington, discussed how climate change disproportionately affects developing countries.

Words and speeches do not a good leader make: Mr Blair must absolutely back up his words on climate change, with action.

Bryony Worthington
Friends of the Earth Climate Campaigner

Elliot Morley MP (left) discusses GM

Weighing up GM

Environment Minister Elliot Morley had to dodge pro-fox hunting protestors in order to make our GM fringe!

Speakers from Marks & Spencer and the farming community all concurred that GM would not be good for their business - because, quite simply, consumers don't want GM food.

Mr Morley was sympathetic to their concerns, and insisted the Government was looking at contamination and liability issues related to GM.

I asked the Minister why the Government had not supported our GM Bill this year. He sited political machinations as the key block to their support and claimed that "we're not going to have GM crops grown in this country for years". How about never?

And then there was Blair

I got the last available seat to watch the Prime Minister's speech.

Disappointingly, the environment hardly featured at all - even though issues such as Corporates, Waste, Climate Change, Global Trade and GM, impact on every single person in Britain.

Check back tomorrow for my conference round-up.

Tricia

Tricia Phelan , our Parliamentary Campaigner is sending daily updates direct from the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.