The news yesterday and today has been dominated by the Stern report. It's theme was the economic consequences of climate change - or more to the point, the costs of not tackling it! It was a powerful report - there have been plenty of "wake up calls" about the need to tackle climate change, but this one is really powerful.
I know that one of the reasons for the production of the report was to help win over the doubters at international level on the need for action. I saw on Newsnight last night that the US government representative was still drawing back from any commitment (although he was better than former Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson who was still pushing the line "many scientists don't agree with this.....!), but all the word from the US is that this is an issue which is going up the political agenda there as well.
Hopefully all this will help to galvanise the world into action - and the feeling I get from reading the Stern report is how limited is the time for action. It will certainly be a powerful weapon in the debate, though; when we discussed the report in the House of Commons there were some signs across the parties that there will be agreement on action. On the other hand, there were also signs that some MPs were all too ready to jump on the bandwagon of saying that "yes, they accepted the need that action - but then there was a lot of special pleading about why some particular interest shouldn't be touched notwithstanding the need for action.."
That's understandable - we have to reflect the concerns of our constituents - but I think the public expect to show leadership on these issues as well.
REMEMBER 4 NOVEMBER IS THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Friday, October 13, 2006
The first week back
Well, that's the first week back at Westminster after the recess. I always find it a wrench going back the first week after the long recess - because it's a reminder that I'll be away from the family for most of the weeks now, right through until Christmas.
For me, it was quite a frustrating start to the week, as there was a debate on the first day back, the Monday, on a subject I'm very interested in, the Road Safety Bill. Unfortunately, the sections I wanted to speak on (about 20 mph limits, drink driving, and on penalties) were never reached, mainly because one back-bench Tory MP went on and on at great length about what he saw as a European plot to make motorcyclists to keep their headlights on all day, and he seemed particularly concerned about what this might mean to the owners of "historic" motorbikes which, apparently, have a different type of battery to today's! Well, I'm sure it's an important issue to some people - and I don't see anything wrong with airing it - but really, it wasn't the type of issue that should have led to so many other important sections not even being debated.
It really does emphasise to me the need to have tighter rules on time limits at Westminster. We do quite often have limits (10-15 mins) put on our speeches, but it doesn't happen every day, but I think we should so as to give everyone a chance to speak.
I was able, however, to meet some trade union representatives who came to lobby Scottish Labour MPs about the new law on "Corporate Homicide" - they welcomed the law, but wanted it toughened up. We'll see what we can do to push this with government.
However, I was able to get in to speak briefly a few times the next few days, in particular to back a call by another Edinburgh MP for a better high-speed rail network in the UK, especially a new North-South line. I was disappointed that the new Transport Minister, Tom Harris, gave a very lukewarm response to the idea, but it was his first speech in his new job, and maybe he felt he had to stick close to his civil service brief! Anyway, I've been talking to a few people about launching a new campaign at Parliament for high speed rail links in the UK, and this debate has certainly spurred me on to do that. After all, most of our European neighbours now have high speed rail links that would mean Edinburgh would be only 3 hours from London - and that would do a great deal to take more traffic from the congested airports and motorways (and would be better for the environment as well!).
At the end of the week, I joined some local campaigners on international debt issues who were meeting and handing over campaign postcards to the International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn. And I had a fascinating couple of hours at a conference on Parliament and the Internet - reminded me again of the incredibly fast way in which the technology of communication is changing, and what that means for MPs communicating with the public - and the whole democratic process!
For me, it was quite a frustrating start to the week, as there was a debate on the first day back, the Monday, on a subject I'm very interested in, the Road Safety Bill. Unfortunately, the sections I wanted to speak on (about 20 mph limits, drink driving, and on penalties) were never reached, mainly because one back-bench Tory MP went on and on at great length about what he saw as a European plot to make motorcyclists to keep their headlights on all day, and he seemed particularly concerned about what this might mean to the owners of "historic" motorbikes which, apparently, have a different type of battery to today's! Well, I'm sure it's an important issue to some people - and I don't see anything wrong with airing it - but really, it wasn't the type of issue that should have led to so many other important sections not even being debated.
It really does emphasise to me the need to have tighter rules on time limits at Westminster. We do quite often have limits (10-15 mins) put on our speeches, but it doesn't happen every day, but I think we should so as to give everyone a chance to speak.
I was able, however, to meet some trade union representatives who came to lobby Scottish Labour MPs about the new law on "Corporate Homicide" - they welcomed the law, but wanted it toughened up. We'll see what we can do to push this with government.
However, I was able to get in to speak briefly a few times the next few days, in particular to back a call by another Edinburgh MP for a better high-speed rail network in the UK, especially a new North-South line. I was disappointed that the new Transport Minister, Tom Harris, gave a very lukewarm response to the idea, but it was his first speech in his new job, and maybe he felt he had to stick close to his civil service brief! Anyway, I've been talking to a few people about launching a new campaign at Parliament for high speed rail links in the UK, and this debate has certainly spurred me on to do that. After all, most of our European neighbours now have high speed rail links that would mean Edinburgh would be only 3 hours from London - and that would do a great deal to take more traffic from the congested airports and motorways (and would be better for the environment as well!).
At the end of the week, I joined some local campaigners on international debt issues who were meeting and handing over campaign postcards to the International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn. And I had a fascinating couple of hours at a conference on Parliament and the Internet - reminded me again of the incredibly fast way in which the technology of communication is changing, and what that means for MPs communicating with the public - and the whole democratic process!
Monday, October 09, 2006
The last week of the recess
I mentioned in one of my first posts on this blog that one advantage of the long Parliamentary recess (and there are disadvantages as I also said!) is that it does give me a chance to get round a large number of community groups in the Edinburgh North & Leith area. Well, the recess is now over - and last week I was pretty busy getting round the constituency. I spent quite a bit of time again in the Pilton/Granton area, and also went over to the new Telford College building again. I've arranged to hold a surgery in the college, which I hope will be useful for students and staff - and also local residents in the area. The same day I met local people at the Prentice Centre (in West Granton opposite the college), who although pleased at the new college, have got a number of issues as a result of the new development. I was back at the Prentice Centre a couple of days later, as part of a visit to the area from people from HBOS bank, who were following up their promise to instal "free" cash machines in areas which didn't have them. I suggested a number of locations in the Pilton and Granton area, which local people had pointed out to me.
I met some of the community activists from the Pilton area again the next day! - when I called in at the annual Volunteer Recruitment Fair held in the Assembly Rooms. This is a "shop window" for volunteer groups from all over Edinburgh who want to attract volunteers, and it's always a very uplifting day to see so many people and organisations involved in volunteering in so many different ways.
Two other meetings of special interest which I'd like to mention. Last Wednesday, along with Capital City Partnership, I arranged a meeting (held in the Thomas Morton Hall, Leith) to look at the proposed changes to the Welfare system. Edinburgh is one of a dozen or so cities throughout the UK that has been given money by the government to look at ways of providing a better opportunity for people on benefit to get into work. We had the Work & Pensions Minister Jim Murphy MP to speak to us, and people at the meeting were I think genuinely impressed by his willingness to consider any reasonable proposal to try out changes in the pilot cities like Edinburgh if they did a better job than the present arrangements.
Completely different was the launch of the Leith Open Space group's "Shadow" scheme, where five or so people from different communities in Leith will be "shadowing" me, Malcolm Chisholm MSP, and local councillors, over the next few months.
And the recess ended with me going along with some of the family to watch the Dusherra celebrations on Calton Hill, organised by members of the local Hindu communiity. A good event for all the community - and a wonderful firework display at the end!
I met some of the community activists from the Pilton area again the next day! - when I called in at the annual Volunteer Recruitment Fair held in the Assembly Rooms. This is a "shop window" for volunteer groups from all over Edinburgh who want to attract volunteers, and it's always a very uplifting day to see so many people and organisations involved in volunteering in so many different ways.
Two other meetings of special interest which I'd like to mention. Last Wednesday, along with Capital City Partnership, I arranged a meeting (held in the Thomas Morton Hall, Leith) to look at the proposed changes to the Welfare system. Edinburgh is one of a dozen or so cities throughout the UK that has been given money by the government to look at ways of providing a better opportunity for people on benefit to get into work. We had the Work & Pensions Minister Jim Murphy MP to speak to us, and people at the meeting were I think genuinely impressed by his willingness to consider any reasonable proposal to try out changes in the pilot cities like Edinburgh if they did a better job than the present arrangements.
Completely different was the launch of the Leith Open Space group's "Shadow" scheme, where five or so people from different communities in Leith will be "shadowing" me, Malcolm Chisholm MSP, and local councillors, over the next few months.
And the recess ended with me going along with some of the family to watch the Dusherra celebrations on Calton Hill, organised by members of the local Hindu communiity. A good event for all the community - and a wonderful firework display at the end!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
The Blog is Back!
The avid readers of this blog - well, there are at least four - will have noticed I've been silent on the blog for the last couple of weeks. Nothing major - it's just I've been very busy both in the constituency, and at home - and I've also had a few "technical difficulties" with my computer!
I'm not going to try and do a run-down of all the issues and activities over the last two weeks - it's been a busy time: the Labour Party conference; the opening of the new Telford College campus, a wonderful building, with real potential for the area (although the transport issues need to be addressed urgently! - not Telford's fault!); the big Pilton Partnership seminar, where local people and local organisations rightly demanded more action on local jobs and training, local affordable housing, and involvement in the local decision-making process (and I've started working on those issues that particularly relate to my role as a UK MP, i.e. jobs and training); a big meeting (400+ people) at the local mosque just before the start of Ramadan, because of concerns over a number of domestic and international issues); my coffee morning in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Biggest Coffee morning in the world, where we raised £275 (thankyou Tony Crolla at Vittoria restaurant for helping to make it possible - great coffee!); setting up the Edinburgh Community Energy Partnership; meeting with groups campaigning on international debt and corporate responsibility issues; meeting a number of local trade unionists, about a lot of issues ranging from their work with migrant workers, to the future of local bus services (I'm a strong believer in keeping Lothian buses publicly owned), and the new legislation on corporate killing: and a lot of individual casework - surgeries always seem to get busier after the summer!
So that's a brief picture of some of the things I've been up to (for more, have a look at my main website ); and hopefully I'll soon get back to the habit of putting up posts about what I've been doing, and the news of the day!
I'm not going to try and do a run-down of all the issues and activities over the last two weeks - it's been a busy time: the Labour Party conference; the opening of the new Telford College campus, a wonderful building, with real potential for the area (although the transport issues need to be addressed urgently! - not Telford's fault!); the big Pilton Partnership seminar, where local people and local organisations rightly demanded more action on local jobs and training, local affordable housing, and involvement in the local decision-making process (and I've started working on those issues that particularly relate to my role as a UK MP, i.e. jobs and training); a big meeting (400+ people) at the local mosque just before the start of Ramadan, because of concerns over a number of domestic and international issues); my coffee morning in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Biggest Coffee morning in the world, where we raised £275 (thankyou Tony Crolla at Vittoria restaurant for helping to make it possible - great coffee!); setting up the Edinburgh Community Energy Partnership; meeting with groups campaigning on international debt and corporate responsibility issues; meeting a number of local trade unionists, about a lot of issues ranging from their work with migrant workers, to the future of local bus services (I'm a strong believer in keeping Lothian buses publicly owned), and the new legislation on corporate killing: and a lot of individual casework - surgeries always seem to get busier after the summer!
So that's a brief picture of some of the things I've been up to (for more, have a look at my main website ); and hopefully I'll soon get back to the habit of putting up posts about what I've been doing, and the news of the day!
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