Tories' sham-green shame

Many thanks to The Independent news paper's exclusive - Backlash grows over Camerons green sellout  for the following list of the promises that have gone sour as the Govt back-tracks on environment policies and plans.

Planning New rules will strip away protection of the countryside from development – the Government has so far resisted a continuing, widespread campaign against the plans.

Motorway speeds To the horror of environmental campaigners, the Government is raising the limit to 80mph, adding more than two million tons a year to carbon emissions.

Forests Ministers announced last year a mass sell-off, despite no reference in the Conservative manifesto or coalition agreement, but a public campaign forced a U-turn.

Green investment bank A flagship environmental policy has been severely undermined by a Treasury block on it providing loans. It will not be allowed to borrow until 2015.

Eco-homes Another legacy of Labour, but any new homes built with "zero carbon" credentials will not have carbon emissions from electrical appliances counted, undermining the definition.

Quangos The Forestry Commission, Natural England and the Environment Agency have all been prevented from policy-making, while the Sustainable Development Commission and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution have been axed.

Illegal tropical timber Ministers have scrapped a Conservative manifesto pledge to criminalise the possession of illegal tropical timber.

Aggregates The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, which diverted £20m in taxes raised from the sand and gravel industry to 200 green projects, has been scrapped.

J K Rowling - "I've never voted Tory before...

"I've never voted Tory before," writes J K Rowling in The Times, "... and they keep on reminding me why."

Fab article - short, cut to the point - brilliant - The Single Mother's Manifesto

EU-Yes!

Last night's hustings event in Lapford - very well attended after good organisation by David Bragg and the Lapford Churches Together Initiative - again saw attacks from the  UKIP candidate and sceptical comments from the Tory candidate regarding this country's membership of the EU.

I said then, what I've said at other hustings events, that it hugely benefits this country to be in the EU.

It is crucial that our Country should be at the centre of things in the EU, as we are now, making sure British business and social interests are at the forefront and that the power of the EU can be directed at global problems like the financial crisis, climate change, poverty, sustainable energy, fighting diseases such as malaria and Aids, opposing extremists.

Here are just a few of the very many highly important reasons why our central involvement in the EU must be maintained  -

What would the media say if...

What would the media say if Labour candidates were driving round in lush liveried vehicles? I've seen the cars of two of the Tory candidates now - styled in similar fashion to promote the visibility of the candidate. Do all the South West candidates of every other party  have the same expensive styling? No.
Why hasn't this splashing of cash been questioned?

Just suppose that after any election there was a system whereby the amounts spent by each party were compared - and the party that spent the most had to give an amount to charity that was equal to how much more they had spent than the next highest spending Party.....?

And the voting paper would have a space where we could name our favourite charity so that the charity that got the most votes nationally would get that money....?

A fantasy of course.
But the reality of vastly unequal party spending power goes on.
It shouldn't be possible for any party to hugely 'spend its way' towards a victory it desires.

Foxhunting Tories Go To Ground

Perhaps feeling hounded by the media, and belatedly beginning to sense

what a vote-loser it is, every Tory candidate in the SW played foxy

on their own issue of voting to repeal the Hunting Act.

Not one of them was prepared to appear on yesterday's

BBC Politics South West Show.

Why?

At issue was – their own Tory proposal

to hold a free vote in Parliament on repealing the Hunting Act.

Supposing they win the election, that is.

Given the total Tory appearance turndown the Politics Show

Red Rose with a Green Stem

Labour is committed to action on climate change and the creation of a new low-carbon economy

Our current first-past-the-post voting system means that Green Party votes have next to no chance of putting a single MP into Parliament, let alone the Green Party into power.
With the Tories being as  Eco-sceptic  as they are Euro-sceptic only Labour will do.

The Green Party Candidate for Central Devon couldn't make the Devon Heartlands Q&A session in Okehampton last Monday but it was pleasant to share the evening with his substitute Catherine Simmons.

Tories 'heart' bypass - NOT

For a rural town Crediton has some of the worst inner-city level type of pollution.

Too much traffic in too confined a space.

Not surprisingly Crediton was due to get a bypass. In 1985/6 Devon County Council earmarked funds to get it done, but at the last minute the money got diverted to help draw in large funding to projects elsewhere.

Don't worry, people were assured at the time - we'll have the money next year and do it then.

BUT -  the next year the Tory Government