5 steps to make happy politicians, incl. round-up of sept news, views and action

Mike Childs

02 October 2012

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. The hilarious lampoon of Nick Clegg's 'apology' will be remembered for a long time to come. But what we need is politicians - of all political persuasions - to sing a better tune. This month's review of news, events and action  from Friends of the Earth -  written smack bang in the middle of party conference season -  provides our political leaders with five steps to enable them to sing 'I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm so so happy'.:

1.       Facing up to the truth, it helps - the Arctic ice has reached a record minimum, our blog reports on new research by top British researchers that shows that we are very close to losing the battle against dangerous climate change, a 'beast' of a storm caused widespread suffering across the UK, and even fish are getting smaller. Facing up to the urgency and reality of climate change - which David, Ed and Nick haven't yet done - may not be easy or pleasant, but it is the first step in building a better future.

2.       Back winners - the fledgling offshore wind industry now provide electricity for 1.8 million homes in the UK and the UK is leading the way in Europe. LED lighting at Tesco, solar power at train stations, community wind energy initiatives like that backed by Friends of the Earth at Drumlin in Northern Ireland, all vividly demonstrate a positive vision of the future. As part of our Clean British Energy Campaign, Friends of the Earth have also published our vision of how to generate our energy in the future. The green economy is a winner that that should be backed.  Already, as this CBI infographic shows, the UK already has around one million workers in the green economy. But as Ernst and Young argue, these success stories are under threat as Chancellor George Osborne flirts with a new dash for gas, including unnecessary fracking. Setting a decarbonisation goal in the Energy Bill is the priority ask by Friends of the Earth, RSPB and others, and thanks to our collective pressure both Labour and the Liberal Democrats now support this. As the Committee on Climate Change have said, a dash for gas is incompatible with the fight against climate change.  David, Nick and Ed need to back the real winners.

3.       Fund research and innovation - humans are brilliant and we can work our way out of the mess we've created but only if we do the necessary research and innovation. We need world class researchers, which is why Friends of the Earth is joining with others to save the British Antarctic Survey from Government cuts. We also need innovation. It's great to see British company Ecotricity - who are backing our Clean British Energy Campaign - breaking the land speed record for electric cars. Even in times of recession we should be funding research and innovation. Surely all party leaders can agree with this?

4.       Trust people - successive governments have pointed to our planning system and blamed it for our economic woes, with a particular focus on local democratic decision making. The current Government is suggesting more changes are needed, as our briefing outlines, without even properly consulting people as our blog says. These changes further remove local accountability and public involvement in decision-making. They increase the risk of more high-carbon infrastructure, more building on flood plains and the loss of valuable green space. The lack of democracy in these proposals will further weaken the trust in politicians, which ultimately will prove to be an own goal not just for politicians seeking re-election but also as politicians seeking public consent for action on the environment.

5.       Think big - the UK is part of a globalised economy and a global environment. Being a successful political leader means recognising this and taking global responsibilities seriously. That means we need to work together to protect biodiversity. Saving our bees from pesticides and not shooting our badgers unnecessarily would be a good start. It means we need to work together in ensuring a growing global population is fed, for example putting a cap on biofuels from food crops as our biofuels campaigner Kenneth Richter explains.  

These five steps could change the tune for our leaders. They would demonstrate to people that we have leaders with vision that can walk tall on the global stage, as well be popular at home. They would put us on a better path. Will David, Nick and Ed step up to the mark?

This blog is dedicated to Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, which was published 50 years ago and to the Twyford Road campaigners of 20 years ago. They stepped up to the mark and their spirit lives on, including with new road protestors in places such as Hastings.

STOP PRESS: as I finished this blog Friends of the Earth Europe have published an excellent new briefing on how company reporting can boost efficiency and competitiveness. Will David, Nick and Ed support legislation in this area or shoot themselves in the foot by calling it red-tape?