Sad Stroudwater Degeneration

Apparently local TV news this week covered the story of the local stagnant canal waters.

Photo: Frome with trolley a while back

Basically British Waterways have control over the river which in turn feeds the canal. This has been managed for the past twenty five years pretty successfully with none of the present day disasters. Now we have seen several incidents and indeed also problems with sluice gates at Ryeford. Here is my quick letter to British Waterways and Environment Agency:

I have been very concerned to read that again that stagnant waters in the canal have led to the death of young swans and fish in the Stroudwater Navigation at Ryeford, near Stonehouse. It was only last year many fish were lost and a year or so before that there was another incident. This would seem to be wholly unacceptable and it is no wonder that several local residents have contacted me concerned about this matter. Please can you let me know what measures are being put in place to ensure this does not happen again. I would also welcome the Environment Agencies view on what appears to be a repeat of the problems. Many thanks, Cllr. Philip Booth

Transition Drinks return

Join Transition Stroud folk for drinks and a chat at The Prince Albert (Rodborough Hill, Stroud) - it is hoped to make it the second Tuesday of each month any time after 7.30 - an opportunity to get up to date with what's happening with TS, meet new people, get new ideas and generally have a good time. Ale from the Stroud Brewery will be available and Lotti will welcome us with nibbles and a comfortable area to chat. The re-launch will be Tuesday 10th June, 7.30 - See you there - more re previous drinks here.
www.theprincealbertstroud.co.uk

Ruscombe Brook: flooding report, new MSc student and more

Time races by and I find I haven't covered the last Ruscombe Brook Action Group meeting - 12 of us for the meeting back on 13th May. Well here's some of what we covered:

Photos: more reading on floods - the reports that include my submission to the Government's review on flooding.

Flooding reports - out recently - they include my submission re flooding - I have only just had the chance to digest some of this report - it does take on board a number of the recommendations made but needs to go further - and also we still need to get the Government to sign up to implementation - read what I originally wrote here:
www.glosgreenparty.org.uk/content/view/1897/72/

New MSc study by Ilaria Pretto from Trento University - she gave a short presentation at the meeting about how she will work with us and other agencies like Water 21, until the end of August 2008. She plans to study both Ruscombe and Slad catchments, but will start with Ruscombe - her main focus will be on flood allieviation issues. She will calculate the volumes created in the worst flood ever 100-150 years. She can then recommend measures but these will have to be acceptable to land owners. The LIDAR data which shows aerial views down to Puckshole will be invaluable for Ilaria’s work (more on this soon but put LIDAR into search for previous blogs on this).

Puckshole Issues - a resident reported at the meeting that surface water from the housing development at Wheelers Walk runs into Ruscombe Brook and has eroded the bank due to lack of retention. It seems a Section 106 Agreement to adopt the sewers has not been carried out, which may have reduced the flow of this water into the brook. There is a lack of silt traps and balancing tanks etc because the builder of the development went bust and the sewers remain in private ownership. There was also concern re whether the SUDS system under the hard standing at Archway – an egg-box system – was working effectively. The residents of Acre Place have now formed a residents committee and are working together on these issues with GCC. A meeting with Highways is arranged. The meeting hopes to cover oil interception, unadopted drains, bank erosion, culvert capacity and screen, the Archway SUDS and recent lane flooding.

Smell of sewage - on a couple of sections of the brook has been investigated, but without resolution.

Cattle Poaching prevention measure - the bank at the cattle drinking area has eroded back beyond the fence.

Severn Trent update - Randwick sewer is being surveyed by STW.

Funding - a funding opportunity arose last month, but a bid was not put forward due to the tight timescale. It was agreed that more suitable opportunities could be found in the future, when it was clear what work was needed on the brook. However, funding is required soon to support the Householders Pack. This will be looked at along with funding for an updated website - our current one is very tired and has not been updated. Needs lots of work on it.

Brook Maintenance - the recent walk along the whole length of the brook highlighted the lack of maintenance along many parts of the brook. One option is for RBAG to take direct action and group members to do some of this together. One day every three months was suggested with general agreement. However the group recognised that technical advice was needed – perhaps from Stroud Valleys Project about a sensible maintenance programme and wildlife conservation. There were questions about responsibility for culverts and screens and their maintenance. Further investigation is planned.

Watercourse Wardens - People have been appointed to these roles in Randwick and in Ruscombe and Whiteshill but Cainscross Parish still has a vacancy - but someone is interested - they have all been invited to RBAG meetings to help with identifying maintenance and other problems.

AGM - I have just confirmed the hall booking so it will be on Tuesday 8th July in Randwick Village Hall at 7 pm. The programme to include:
• A summary of RBAG achievements - Helen
• 15 min talk from Julian
• Report from Ilaria
• Election of officers for the following year – Philip and Zarin
• Food

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday 17th June. 7.30 Julia’s House - call me on 755451 for details.

IT does not reduce bureaucracy

I was forwarded a comment about why IT does not, as some have claimed, eliminate bureaucracy. I liked the comment as it has a real truth - am sure this is not the first person to say it - anyhow here is what the blog by the name of mopsos said: "IT merely increases the productivity of bureaucracy. The only thing that eliminates bureaucracy is trust. A real paperless organization is not one that uses electronic files instead of paper, but one who does not need to keep track of everything it does."

Another aspect of IT that concerns is the growing disparities in access to information and communication technologies - a digital divide is a new cause of social disparity which risks further excluding populations that are already vulnerable. Indeed new digital technologies have become an essential tool in all areas of life, including employment, education, and in personal leisure activities, yet not all have access. It was therefore good to see the Green party policy of Open source software (i) being pushed again last week in the EU by Caroline Lucas MEP. Some EU Member states have already implemented the technology to great effect, but more could be done. See more re Caroline Lucas' call here.

(i) Open source software is computer software which makes its source code available under copyright, allowing users to use, change and distribute it freely. This is in stark contrast to the kind of closed source, or proprietary software produced by companies such as Microsoft.

Southampton must say no to water fluoridation

I have been concerned by moves in Southampton to consider water fluoridation - if they accept it then it will make things easier for it to happen elsewhere. See more re fluoridation here and questions answered here.

Anyhow The Echo in Southampton is running an online story on fluoride - it is producing lots of comments - including one from me - see here or here - fluoride story is top left but may well change within hours?

My comment left in haste: Aside from the crucial ethical issue here of mass medication, let us not forget the Government's York Review (as mentioned in the last comment) did not conclude that water fluoridation was safe and called for more research. The review also found water fluoridation to be significantly associated with high levels of dental fluorosis which was not characterised as "just a cosmetic issue". Tooth decay in 12- year-olds has reduced across Europe irrespective of whether there is fluoride in the water. Indeed most countries have ended the practice of water fluoridation, some because of possible health risks. I am dismayed that Southampton, a city where I used to live, should be considering such an unethical move based on such poor science.

Call on Stroud District Council to look at more measures re oil price rises

This evening's Cabinet had a number of interesting issues - like an excellent presentation by Youth Council members about the hopes for using a council property in May Lane, Dursley for a youth centre. There was also a look at the Severn Power Feasability Study and I was delighted that the Council looks set to make a submission re the Environmental impacts - more of this in a blog soon.

Anyhow when it came to the District Council's Environment Strategy I welcomed the report and the steps that have been achieved like the Council's 'Warm and Well' free insulation scheme to over 65s and some other groups (i). This is a good start in tackling fuel poverty and climate change, however the impact of oil price rises mean that more people are now facing fuel poverty. I made the point that across the District virtually all of us are coming to terms with rising bills and many of us are very worried by news that oil prices are likely to continue to rise.

I sought from the Cabinet a commitment to consider what additional emergency measures could be put in place to help lessen the impact of oil price rises on the council, businesses and residents. I was pleased that the Cabinet said they will look at this issue.

Kirklees Council for example ( an example I've mentioned many times) are giving free insulation to all householders paid for by the utility companies. This measure is set to cut average household bills by £150 a year - bigger savings now with the fuel price rises. We need to encourage more people to insulate and take other energy efficiency measures.

As I said to an SNJ journalist after the meeting the fact is that cheap oil has made possible much of what we take for granted: our food, heating our homes and the way we work, travel and entertain ourselves. Greens have, for years, been warning that the era of cheap oil will be over. We don't know when the oil will run out, but indications are that we have reached the peak and scientists say we will be the first generation to reach the end of one fuel source without another. It is tragic that not more has been done by our Government to lead on this issue. We should not underestimate the enormity of the problem, nor the urgency required to implement solutions.

Note:
(i) Grants available for energy efficiency and renewable technology measures. If you are considering installing insulation measures or renewable technologies, there are several grant possibilities available. For loft insulation and cavity fill insulation, phone Warm and Well on 0800 512 012. These measures are free to the over 65s, and to various other groups. For advice about energy efficient boilers, and any help or discounts that may be available, contact the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC) on 0800 512 012. For non-standard insulation measures such as solid wall and sloping ceiling insulation, contact Stroud District Council for further information about the WISE Homes grant on 01453 754464. There is a contribution available to all, regardless of age and means, for specific insulation measures. The WISE Homes grant also provides a £500 contribution towards renewable technologies. The WISE Homes grant is available in addition to any contribution from the government’s Low Carbon Building Grant for renewable technologies. www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk

EU getting tougher on aviation - but we need more

The Citizen carried my letter re Staverton today - see photo - the two reports mentioned in that letter are both good news re stopping aviation expansion - there has also been a strong result in the Environment Committee's vote in the European Parliament on proposals by German Christian Democrat Peter Liese to include aviation in the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Green MEP Caroline Lucas said of this: "This vote demonstrates the Parliament's determination to get tough with the aviation sector. It is vital that MEPs stick to their guns on this crucial piece of legislation - a forerunner for full Emissions Trading Scheme Review - since the Council was shamefully keen to water down the Commission's already weak proposal. In particular, I'm delighted that my colleagues have reinstated their support for my proposal to limit the number of permits airlines can buy up from other industries: this is the only way we can truly ensure that the aviation sector itself begins to reduce its emissions, rather than continuing with its business as usual growth trajectory by paying its way out of the problem.

"One of the key principles underpinning cap and trade schemes like the ETS as a means for reducing emissions, is that the cap should progressively reduce over time. It is therefore frankly outrageous that the Council is seeking to keep aircraft operators' initial allocation at the same level for all subsequent trading periods. Fortunately MEPs have voted to gradually reduce the provision of allowances to airlines, in line with the reduction expected for other sectors. Parliament also voted to adopt an emissions multiplier of at least 2, should effective, dedicated alternative measures fail to be brought in to address the aviation sector's full climate impact - which is considerably greater than the impact of CO2 alone.

"It's crucial, too, that we have voted to increase the percentage of permits that are allocated through auctioning to 25% for the first two years of the scheme's operation - far short of the Greens preferred option of 100%, but still a significant improvement on the Council's meagre suggestion of 10%. MEPs have also sought to increase the percentage to be auctioned in subsequent phases, possibly to as much as 100%. And they want the scheme to begin in 2011 rather than 2012 - as we have no time to lose in taking action on the emissions of such a rapidly-growing source.

Dr Lucas concluded: "The Council's Common Position is extremely worrying. Although MEPs have agreed to cooperate in trying to secure a quick second reading agreement - in the interests of getting legislation in place as soon as possible - I will be urging colleagues to accept a compromise only if the Council makes significant moves towards the Parliament's more climate-friendly position during the forthcoming negotiations."

Hands Off our Coops!

Here's a petition that drew my attention to moves in Europe that will challenge coops. I would urge folk to sign....

Photo: Standish wood beech trees

We the undersigned, believe that: The current legal cases that are before the European Commission are attempts to challenge national co-operative laws and tax rules. They are attempts by our competitors to reduce consumer choice, to steal the coop market share and to end their ethical challenge. Any Commission decision that appears to side with the private share holding companies may not just affect a few major co-operatives but it could present a risk to the whole co-operative system in all the economic sectors of the EU. Are we to be told that our 'cooperative values and principles' are worthless?

Today, 263000 cooperative enterprises are serving their 160 million members (1 in 3 EU citizens). They actively contribute to the economic and social objectives of the European Union. Cooperatives do not want privileges, they want to compete equally in an open market that acknowledges their 'cooperative difference'. Sign here: www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/hands-off-our-coops.html

11th hour reviewed

I'm just back from a couple of days with family - 240 emails and blog comments plus post - so please bear with me re responses as I'm at work the rest of the week and meetings in the evenings. Anyhow local Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish councillor Greg Dance kindly sent this review of Sunday nights channel 4 film the 11th Hour and said he was happy for me to use it on this blog......so see below - I've not seen it yet but have been meaning to catch it for a while - trouble is I've still got no telly....

Photo: pinched from NY Times - Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of “The 11th Hour”

Screened 25th May Channel 4

I watched the film with a certain expectation that it would use only cliche's and stay safely in the typical climate change area so much frequented by the British media. But it went further than that, it actually mentioned peak oil which more mainstream media is now beginning to cover, and interestingly it said much about US!

This to me is the most important point. People generally find it difficult to accept that they are a problem to the planets ecosystems. Instead they prefer to look for other causes and blame nature itself sometimes, almost for not being designed for human habitation! Its the human attitude that is wrong and the expectation that somehow, as fossil energy becomes impossibly expensive we will use some other methods instead to stay exactly as we are. Business as normal.

The film made a point that its our distancing ourselves from natural processes in our ways of living that is why we are probably heading for our own extinction. Its like a group of people in a shared accommodation setting where a kitchen, utility room and bathroom/toilet are all shared. Often the cleaning and tidying is "someone elses problem". The Earth gets the same treatment, somehow humans fail to realise that they have nowhere else to go. If we ruin the ecological ability of the Earth to support our needs like oxygen, water, food and safe shelter we only can blame ourselves.

And it seems most humans have no idea about our dependence on the oceans and seas roles in providing for conditions that keep us alive.

The film mentioned also an unsurprising reference to the USA government attitude to scientific concerns which call for radical reevaluation of their obsession with economic growth as the prime priority in policy making.

They are in common with too many other governments who employ economists to set the direction of policy which is why we end up buying wast amounts of over marketed "must have" consumer rubbish from far distant places who have military style command economies and appalling attitudes to their workforces.

All this activity is in the name of money and though it, advantage in social status and an intention to be seen to be "cool" by doing nothing in expensive settings. Well if the god aka economics is followed slavishly in future as it has been before now we can guarantee that nature will shrug our race off its surface and carry on without us. We need the Earth, but from its perspective, it would do better without us messing it up!

Time to retire from Airport campaigning?

Letter to press in response to last weeks reports re aviation:

Photo: me outside Staverton a while ago now

Last week British Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh declared that the era of cheap flights was over. Have I, and others, campaigning against the expansion of Bristol and Gloucestershire airports been wasting our time?

At least three carriers have already gone bust this year and now American Airlines are cutting their routes, increasing charges and laying off staff. Even Ryanair look set to go into the red, saying the oil price is "really hurting". But rising oil prices are not the only problem.

Last week a Government report confirms that the economic benefits claimed for airport expansion are not based on solid evidence and do not justify the damage to the climate from aviation emissions (i). Airport growth means more money spent abroad than spent here by foreign visitors. This growing tourist deficit is sucking wealth out of the country. Meanwhile another report last week shows that 85% of FTSE-350 companies aim to cut staff flights in the next decade to save time, money and emissions (ii).

As the Government report shows, "the risks of decisions in favour of expansion outweigh the possible benefits". Indeed the evidence from these reports is so overwhelming that I hopefully can retire from trying to highlight the absurdity of expanding airports.

Philip Booth

Notes:
(i) Sustainable Development Commission published the report with the Institute for Public Policy Research. See:
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/aviation.html
(ii) WWF report. See:
http://www.wwf.org.uk/oneplanet/opt_0000004981.asp

Call to end privatisation of postal services

Copy of letter just sent to Glos press:

Cartoon: from 'local Scribbler Russ'

When Labour came to power, the Post Office was a public monopoly contributing more than £100m a year to the public purse. Now with Labour's creeping privatisation and the Royal Mail's 350-year-old monopoly ended, the postal service is in deep crisis, yet the Royal Mail's chief executive is to get a £2m bonus.

A shocking independent review this month, found that liberalisation had only benefited big business, brought "no significant benefits" to consumers or small businesses, and created a "substantial threat" to the future of Royal Mail. Certainly EU directives, supported by Tory and Labour, have required the opening up of services to competition. However Britain has chosen to go further than required and failed to use the available protective measures.

Tories may oppose PO closures, but fail to commit to even current levels of financial support and like the Lib Dems and Labour want to see more privatisation of Royal Mail. Yet how will privatisation protect unprofitable parts of the universal service or Gloucestershire's threatened post offices? Already rigged rules allow corporations to cherry-pick the hugely profitable services like bulk mail which previously underwrote remote deliveries.

We now have a worse service, PO closures, lower pay to workers, but big profits for corporations. We are long overdue challenging the privatising dogma that has created this crisis. Let us hope that Stroud Town Council's proposal of £75k over 3 years for the profitable Uplands PO is accepted and that the County Council can come up with an Essex-style PO rescue.

Cllr. Philip Booth, Stroud District Green Party.

Hunger striker sends message to Ruscombe Green

See previous blog entry for background info. This just came in...

Hello Philip, thanks a lot for your email, blog post and support. I think with a strong support from abroad we can actually win this one! Greetings from Prague. Jan

Czech hunger strikers try to stop US base

I've just read about the Czech activists Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar, who are currently carrying out a hunger strike in protest against plans for the installation of the US missile defence radar at Brdy - I've emailed my thanks to them for raising this issue.

Photo below: Greens Caroline Lucas MEP and Shahrar Ali at Trident march

It is tragic that the Czech Government is intent on agreeing such a destabilising scheme despite the overwhelming level of popular opposition from the Czech people. It looks like the plan may be pushed through the Chamber of Deputies by the most slender of margins, lacking anything of the consensus essential for such a significant long-term strategic decision.

US missile defence threatens to spark off a new Cold War; one in which the US strives to be able to strike at will, without any fear of retaliation. Given that, it is not surprising that the concerns of the Czech people are also shared by the majority of the UK population: 54% of Britons think that hosting the missile defence system makes Europe less safe, whilst less than a quarter disagree. Read more and send your support from here.

Is the Sexy Green Car Show really Green?

The Sexy Green Car Show is currently at the Eden Project - there is also the SolaRola electric vehicle cavalcade arriving from London at the Bath & West Show on the 28th May. Is this an opportunity for us Greens and our Euro candidates to don our bikinis and more for the photoshoots draped across the bonnets of "Sexy Green Cars"?

I am all for shaming the polluters - Friends of the Earth (FoE) recently unveiled research showing that most car adverts are for "dirty" vehicles with big engines and fast acceleration: in a two-week period some 55 per cent of adverts in national newspapers were for cars in the most polluting bands E to G, which emit more than 165 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

FoE said the survey called into question the motor industry's insistence that they are producing greener cars, "but motorists don't buy them".

As noted on this blog before car makers are campaigning against EU plans to introduce mandatory targets to cut emissions for new vehicles. The objective has already been watered down, but the industry says even the weaker target is too tough. It was little wonder the car industry has failed to meet its voluntary target for selling more fuel-efficient vehicles - as FoE have pointed out, they should spend less time and money lobbying against targets to cut carbon emissions from its products and more time and money into building and promoting greener cars.

Infact when it comes to these seemingly fun techy solutions Greens are party-poopers. Our manifesto says in no uncertain terms that demand management and modal shift are the principal ways of reducing carbon dioxide from transport (and an honourable mention should be given to the 55mph speed limit). The manifesto rather turns its nose up at electric vehicles and alternative fuels.

Indeed we have seen in the press recently that hybrid cars have come under more mainstream criticism for being overly expensive for the minor fuel-efficiency gains they sometimes achieve. I am told of a Devon Green who commutes to work and says she gets significantly more mpg from her normal diesel car than a colleague does from her hybrid.

As the final nail in the coffin for sexy new green cars, I recall reading that it is more environmentally friendly to continue to run old diesel cars until they drop than to pay to have new cars manufactured, due to all the embodied energy they represent, equivalent to many years of carbon debt.

Maybe individual vehicle emissions can reduce by 80% in 42 years as suggested by this exhibition - but this is not anything like sufficient - and at the same time car companies are exploiting huge markets in Asia and South America, plus pushing to ensure car transport is the only option for travel in the industrial West. Net transport emissions are unlikely to go down at all, regardless of how “green” individual vehicles are. Let us not forget this is a trade event, designed to make car manufacturers look good, while still continuing their effortless plundering of the planet’s diminishing natural assets. As the South Coast Indymedia said: "Eden Project, you have well and truly been taken for a ride."

Having said that I think there's a bright future for a modest amount of small electric vehicles with low speed capabilities, but we really need to be generating all of our electricity renewably as well, which will take many decades without a green government to intervene. The manifesto's transport chapter is understandably sceptical about this happening any time soon, hence the dismissiveness of electric cars.

See recent comment re eco-criminals Porsche here.

Are Opec to blame for oil price rises?

Good on Wednesdays' Independent newspaper for asking: "The Big Question: Does Opec have too much power, and is it to blame for the high price of oil?"

Gordon Brown has blamed Opec, the cartel of oil producing countries which produces around 40 per cent of the world's crude oil for holding back on oil production and giving rise to the large oil price rises. Oil again hit a new high of $129 a barrel and even Opec ministers have predicted that it could reach $200 (£100) a barrel within two years - others have said more than that.

It is of course more reassuring to think Opec is holding back the supply of oil, than to believe that the world's oil fields are simply running dry as many like Professor Heinberg who spoke in Stroud last year, have warned. To me the evidence of oil running out is overwhelming especially that Opec have been overestimating reserves - indeed I find it extraordinary that Government's continue to live in denial - of course other factors play their part and indeed we may even see oil come down in price for a short while but the overall trend is for much more expensive oil....

The Independent's article by Michael Savage posed some useful questions - I'll cut to the key ones with his answers below:

So is Opec holding oil production back? That's the billion dollar question. Several world leaders think so, but now some are reading Saudi Arabia's reluctance to invest further in its oil fields as evidence that its supply is under threat. If that is the case, some argue world oil production may soon have peaked. The country keeps information on its oil industry secret, so there are many claims and counter-claims made. But if that is true, Opec – and Saudi Arabia in particular – may not be holding back oil, but simply unable to raise production further. And if they did start supplying more oil, fears over how much oil they have left would keep the price of oil high anyway. According to the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (Aspo), global crude oil supplies will peak at 87 million barrels per day by the end of the decade, and then begin a painful decline. And it is by no means only a belief held by doom merchants from the fringes of credibility. One former US Secretary of Energy is a convert. James Schlesinger said the "peakists" could "declare victory", having transformed themselves from a "beleaguered small minority of voices crying in the wilderness. You are now the mainstream".

What else could be behind high prices? Factors known in the trade as "above ground risks", such as instability in the Middle East. Political instability in Iraq has made it difficult to ensure steady oil production there. And though the level of oil reserves is a matter of constant debate, few would disagree that the oil market is stretched as demand continues to grow, especially in the emerging markets in Asia. Under such conditions, small hiccups in the supply chain can have a significant impact on the market. As a result, localised incidents, such as outbreaks of political instability in Nigeria or strikes at obscure oil refineries in Scotland, can have a real impact.

So is Gordon Brown right to point the finger at Opec?

Yes...
* It controls 40 per cent of crude oil production, so of course its decisions have a huge bearing on the price of oil
* Opec nations claim to have ever greater reserves, so they could easily increase production if they so wished
* Developed and developing nations are hungry for oil. With no shortage of customers, Opec can only gain from pricey oil

No...
* Instability in securities markets has led to speculation in the commodity futures markets, pushing up the price of oil
* Opec does not produce more oil because it cannot – we have overestimated the level of reserves it has left
* There are plenty of other reasons for high oil prices, such as the level of demand and "above ground" security risks

Cuts to the number 37 bus

I have been concerned by reports of cuts to the 37 - instead of running every 15 minutes there will be one less bus per hour and it will be every 20 mins - my concern has been matched by emails sent to me from local bus users - see below.

Photo: Green party campaign in London

It seems several of our local bus services are being eroded just at a time when fuel prices are rising and we need to be tackling climate change. The busy and well-used no. 26 Stroud to Bussage service will be cut from a half-hourly to hourly service and the Saturday 256 Miserden to Stroud service could also face a cut. Already on this blog I have covered the cuts to the evening services of the 46 bus from Nailsworth to Cheltenham - that was partially saved - it has been cut for evenings during the week but at weekends it is saved for evenings but still may well be cut if numbers don't increase - these really are dire times for public transport when you also consider the state of our railways.

Anyway the no. 37 Stroud to Cashes Green is set to be reduced on Tuesday, May 27. The operator Stagecoach claims it gets insufficient money for concessionary bus fares from Stroud District Council. Sholto Thomas, Stagecoach West operations director, is quoted in the SNJ re the 37 and 26 services, saying the frequency of services was simply returning to those that were operating in 2004 adding that pensioners' welfare was not the company's concern but that of the local authorities: "We felt the amount they're giving us is unfair - we just about get half of the fare back. These two services predominantly carry people with passes, so we can't afford to run them as frequently as before."

A statement issued on behalf of all Gloucestershire district councils said authorities would not pay extra money without evidence that the amount is correct. It is unfair in the extreme for the company to threaten to cut these services because of this ongoing situation. There is no need to make these cuts - if Stagecoach does it will be for purely commercial reasons. Indeed nationally we read of the company doing very nicely and making nice profits out of the public purse - and let's be clear that is what they are set up to do - both Labour and Tories must take the blame for allowing this crazy situation to continue - see here re a call for a return to public ownership of buses.

I have already written to Cllr Stan Waddington at the County and to SDC raising these concerns - I will post jist of reply as a comment.

Locals comments

I have had several people contact me concerned by this reduced service - see below - I have also written to neighbouring District and County councillors and some Parish/Town councillors. And as regular blog readers will know I have had a fair bit of correspondence with the county over this issue - see letter in The Citizen last week here and previously re the 46 bus here. Plus of interest is a fascinating history of buses in Stroud here from my blog earlier - and talking of bus history I came across this local blog re buses stroudvalleys.co.uk. Anyway to those comments...

1. Comment left on my blog earlier:
Not related to this post but can you up date us on the 37 bus service. Is it being cut to every 20 mins as was in the press. While waiting another 5 mins in itself is not a great hardship it does mean greater pressure on this service as many passengers use it to get to paganhill from stroud and the bus is becoming congested. On tues day of this week while coming into stroud there were three youg woman with pushchairs on the bus one of which was forced to stand with her young children as the bus was full. This service is used quite heavily be the elderly and i would not like them having to stand because of the extra pressure on the service. Please can you leaise with your other local councillors to ensure that this service is not cut. I beleive there are a lot of discruntled users out there but who beleive complaining is pointless.

2. Email from resident in Cashes Green:
May I please add my voice to the appeals re buses 37 and 46. I use the 37 several times every week – quite often to go into Stroud more than once a day. Constantly grateful that it goes right into town during the day (have heart condition and struggle with the hills). The present 15-minute service is excellent – though it does thin out later in the day, and longer waits then become inevitable.

I entirely endorse others comments – during the daytime this service is heavily used by older people (like myself), and also by many young mothers with children including buggies. It is frequently very crowded. Over recent weeks I have twice been on the bus when a mother who had been waiting at the top of Paganhill Lane could not get on because there were already two buggies on the bus, and it was abundantly clear that she couldn't carry her sleeping toddler, a second child and the buggy itself (with necessary bags etc) onto the bus. The driver was curt in telling her to wait for the next one. If she had already been there for more than 15 minutes, the prospect of a further 20 minutes would have been very difficult for her. May I mention that there is nowhere to sit and no shelters at most of the bus stops on this route,

As to the cuts in no.46 – this has made the possibility of visiting friends in Painswick and Cranham in the evenings impossible for me. Nor can I any longer get to concerts or theatre in Cheltenham, as there is no means of getting home again; I certainly could not afford the taxi fare!Hoping these formerly good services can be maintained (name of person sending comment was given but I have not requested permission to publish).

3. Email to me (no address given):
I use 37 and 5 mins longer don't seem much but it can be late and if you just miss one it canbe already over 20 mins. Plus not enough bus shelters - especiallly fo the older people. It is not right (name of person sending comment was given but I have not requested permission to publish).

4. Comment emailed from local councillor:
I use the 37 on occassions when I do not walk or cycle into to town or have to use the car. By my casual observation most passengers seem to have bus passes or some sort. Thy could be mostly OAPs, some for benefits and maybe some season tickets but very few of the last. The problem that Stagecoach have is that it costs an amount to run the bus service and if the passengers are not paying the fare who does? It seems like another Labour Government trick, give all OAps buspasses and then leave someone else to pick the bill and blame the privatised bus companies when they cannot afford to run services without paying passengers! Or blame the underfunded Rural County Councils because the central govt grant does not cover all their statutory duties and they have been threatened with rate capping. Classic New Labour (name of person sending comment was given but I have not requested permission to publish).

Shame on South Central Strategic Health Authority

Sadly the news is that the South Central Strategic Health Authority have just released their report saying they want to proceed to the next step, ie public ‘consultation’, on the route to putting fluoride in our water. If this succeeds in Hampshire then it is more likely there will be a push for the rest of the country to also get fluoridated.

This SHA report fails dismally to take account of the mass of scientific evidence pointing to health problems from a sustained intake of fluoride. The Health Authorities are also refusing to release details behind the report, even when asked under the Freedom of Information legislation. We have to ask what have they got to hide? Why won't they be open with the public? The Strategic Health Authority is also ignoring research that does not tell them what they want to hear. In short the report is a disgrace to medical science.

See more here re water fluoridation.

Here is a comment forwarded to me from a Southampton Green party member: "It is genuinely shocking what the Health Authorities think they can do when pushing what is basically a strong toxin that is best suited as its original use as a rat poison. How can the authorities refuse to accept valid peer reviewed research evidence that they do not like, but accept deeply flawed research that does suit them? How often is this happening in other situations as well??? Unfortunately a wider conclusion is that the people in charge cannot be trusted with safeguarding our health and we can’t believe what they say without checking it out fully ourselves. As I say it is shocking when you first encounter it in full lurid detail."

There are indeed many concerns re fluoride - one of them that doesn't get enough of a mention is hypothyroidism. For those interested there is an e-petition from the National Pure Water Association. Anyone in the UK is eligible to sign (you can also sign other petitions re promoting psychological approaches to traffic and removing Thatcher image from Welsh Assembly). Click sign a petition at: www.assemblywales.org/gethome/e-petitions/p-03-137

Hampshire Against Fluoridation and SW Hants Green Party have combined to call on the South Central SHA to reject a report recommending that the Health Authorities proceed with the process to fluoridate the drinking water in much of Southampton and parts of Eastleigh and Totton. Some notes going towards their press release are below.

There are many grounds for rejecting the report recommendations, but in particular:

• The report states that 'Water fluoridation has not been shown to have untoward effects other than an increase in the level of fluorosis' (para 7.3). This is amazingly dismissive and an irresponsible misuse of science. Firstly it belittles the very real damage of fluorosis not only to the teeth, but to the bones and the rest of the body due to systemic fluorosis. Secondly it ignores the massive body of valid peer reviewed research showing major health problems linked to fluoride intake. These health problems include cancers, brittle bones, mental problems (increased senility and lower IQs) and thyroid poisoning, so why does the paper not address any of this at all?
• Misrepresentation of the scientific facts. The report refers to the York Review of 2000 and picks out of it unrepresentative statistics including some that the York Review themselves said are misleading (appendix 2, para 2.2). It also puts forward an unproved theory as to why fluoride might work (appendix 2 para 1.1), and uses unscientific assertions, covering this with words like 'probably' (para 2.4). It fails to state the key conclusion from the York Review that it did not find convincing evidence of benefit, even for teeth, and the York Review pointed specifically to the real damage caused by dental fluorosis. The SHA report does not make clear that the York Review found that 48% of those in fluoridated areas have evidence of fluorosis and 12.5% have significant fluorosis (i.e. needing treatment), glossing over the point (appendix 2 para 3.1) and using a misleading picture of mild or very mild dental fluorosis to imply this is what the concern is about. They should show the pictures of concerning fluorosis (see below)
• It concentrates on the (unproven) benefits to teeth and fails to address the health effects from systemic poisoning of the body by extended exposure to fluoride. Using the caries data for five year olds is fundamentally flawed because young children in fluoridated areas are so poisoned that their teeth fail to come out until approximately a year after their peers in nonfluoridated areas. This means that the teeth are exposed for a year less and at five years old this is significant. The supposed beneficial effect as people age disappears, so old people have just as many fillings whatever their water fluoridation status.
• The report fails to take the precautionary approach, which any health authority should do as a primary function (first, physician, do no harm). I.e. where there is significant doubt that a substance is safe then a chemical should not be added to the water. In the case of fluoride there is massive concern shown in valid peer reviewed and published research. Fluoride has never been tested nor approved for addition to water to cause a medicinal effect.
• The report does not address the issue that it is against human rights and medical ethics to carry out mass medication via the water supply. This would be what we would expect of Hitler, but should never be countenanced in a society that respects human rights.
• The report does not justify the claimed cost benefits. Fluoridated areas such as the West Midlands have no reduction in dental health costs, in fact in Wolverhampton the dental costs more than doubled in the five years following fluoridation. The fact that this sort of detail is not being given to those concerned about the issue is very worrying.

Before committing further money and effort to fluoridation these areas must be addressed properly.

The report uses exaggeration and misleading statements in several places. this starts from the very first sentence where it states "..children in Southampton have some of the poorest dental health across the NHS South Central Region and in the country." and then uses comparator areas (in appendix 1) that are not at all comparable to Southampton. Recent research has shown that Southampton has one of the best dental health records amongst all the cities in the UK.

Even the results of a public survey (appendix 5) are highly suspect because where fair and balanced questions are put to the public about water fluoridation in England there has never ever anywhere been a majority in favour of fluoridation. So what was the methodology used? What were the actual questions? The report does not say and the SHA refuses to give opponents of fluoridation details behind their bland assertions in the report. Saying that the health and social care professional they spoke to 'support fluoridation without exception' is similarly imprecise. Who did they speak to? How many? Have these health professionals actually read the latest research showing the dangers of fluoridation? Can we expect health professionals to step out of line when the Health profession has such a record for suppressing dissent, in some cases threatening those not supporting the official line with being struck off?

Finally the formal consultation proposed (section 6) is heavily biased in favour of the pro-fluoridation camp, as has been the situation throughout the process. There is talk about a consultation document, presentations, briefing materials, advertisements and posters. Who will write these? Presumably the very same people who support fluoridation in the Health Authority already, meaning that there is no meaningful presentation of opposing views. Biased consultation is not proper consultation at all.

Government report supports Staverton campaigners

A government report published today says that the government should completely rethink its aviation policy and shelve plans to expand airports - campaigners opposing the expansion of Gloucestershire Airport have given it a big welcome.

Photo: Monday night in the St George Vaults in Cheltenham talking Staverton, waste and nuclear

The report, from the Government’s own green watchdog, the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), published with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), has said that the Government must review its policy on expanding the UK’s airports because there is so much controversy and conflict over issues such as the contribution of air travel to climate change and its benefits to the economy. The SDC report concludes that the Government’s 2003 Air Transport White Paper, which backs expansion at local airports such as Staverton, must go back to the drawing board.

Campaigning colleague Neil Marshall from the Concerned residents Against Staverton Expansion (CASE) said: "Though Gloucestershire Airport try to portray their plans as ‘safety measures’ their own business plan makes it clear that more, bigger planes is the aim. The Airport’s scheme is just one stepping stone along their planned route to expansion”

The SDC report ‘Breaking the Holding Pattern’ found that the evidence for airport expansion is heavily flawed over six key areas, in particular:
· accurately calculating the impact on the environment of rising aviation emissions
· the economic benefits of aviation in terms of wealth creation and the impact of tourists both leaving and entering the UK
· how much improvements in aircraft technology can really reduce CO2 emissions from air travel.

Cheltenham Friends of the Earth spokesperson Richard Conibere, who I was with on Monday night talking about the campaign, said: “This report vindicates our arguments that the economic benefits claimed for airport expansion are not based on solid evidence and do not justify the damage to the climate from aviation emissions. At last government advisers are beginning to understand that expanding airports such as Staverton is adding to more money lost as people travel abroad than is brought in by foreign visitors. This growing tourist deficit is taking wealth out of the South West and needs to be included in the debate on airport expansion throughout the region.”

“A report published last week by the World Wildlife Fund also showed that 85% of FTSE-350 companies aim to cut staff flights in the next decade to save both time and money and reduce emissions, and they see videoconferencing as a key tool to enable this – which also slams the argument that business will benefit from more airport expansion. Airlines are constantly promoting new improvements to reduce emissions but refuse to recognise that the sheer growth in numbers of flights cancel out the benefits of any new technology.”

The SDC report said: “While evidence informing these decisions is so widely contested, and the outcomes of important political decisions on addressing aviation’s climate impacts remain uncertain, we believe the risks of decisions in favour of expansion outweigh the possible benefits.”

Notes
1) SDC/IPPR report ‘Breaking the holding pattern’:http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/Breaking_the_holding_pattern_report.pdf or exec summary http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/sdc_aviation_exec_summ1.pdf 2) WWF report ‘Travelling light’: www.wwf.org/travellinglight 3) Gloucestershire Airport is just one of many Airports in the South West that are attempting to expand. Other airports are Exeter , Bournemouth, Bristol , Plymouth and Newquay. 4) In answer to the Gloucester City and Cheltenham Borough councils’ Joint Airport Scrutiny Working Group’ report that favours the Airport plans, CASE have produced a comprehensive report against the development. See the ‘Gloucestershire Airport Expansion’ report: http://www.case-online.org.uk/docs/JASWG_Response_001.pdf

More on the wonderful Portbury Yew

On 12th Feb this year I ran a blog about the Ancient Yew Group (see it here - scroll down) - it inspired me to look out the Portbury Yew when I was last on my way to visit family. I'd intended to add a follow-up blog with these photos of the yew in the church yard of St Mary the Virgin, just outside Bristol, but a problem with the digital camera meant only last week was I able to extract the photos.....it really is a wonderful wonderful tree....

Let me remind you - in the last blog I quoted from the Daily Telegraph on Saturday 29th December 2007 and an article entitled "Raiders of the lost bark:the last crusade."

I quote James Douglas again: "The truth is that a yew is the oldest living organism any of us is ever likely to see. To illustrate the point, we drop in on the Portbury Yew, in the village churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, just outside Bristol. A man painting the lychgate confides his fears that the old tree “won’t last much longer, because it is completely hollowed out”. But while the inner heartwood may indeed have rotted so thoroughly as to leave a damp, cavern-like inner chamber, it is actually very much alive and thriving. The canopy above is broad, thick and soaring. The knotted and gnarled bark, beneath its dry flakes, has beautiful flat, flowing, multi-coloured strips from shades of orange to grey. If Paul Gauguin ever turned his idiosyncratic art to painting a tree trunk, it would surely have looked something like this.

But most remarkable of all, about 10 feet up within the “cavern”, two fat, trunk-like shoots have burst out from the inner bark and, over countless decades, reached down to implant themselves in the soil. “As the remainder of the outer trunk rots away, these internal roots will grow up as trees themselves within the shell,” explains Hills. “Sometimes, with yews, we cannot be sure whether we are looking at the original tree, or one that started life within a decaying, older stem.”

All this makes the species the subject of endless conjecture about age. The oldest tree in Europe is said to be the Fortingall Yew in Scotland, considered between 3,000 and 5,000 years old. The Portbury Yew has a notice saying it is “thought to be” 2,000 years old. Tim, who is regularly called upon to pronounce on the subject, refuses to speculate. “Since its heartwood decays, it becomes impossible to give an accurate figure. All I usually say is that, with a girth of l6ft, you are probably looking at 500 years, and 700 to 1,000 years or more at 20ft.”

One interesting factor I came across while seeking further info - is that the church at Portbury has a most interesting boiler according to this website here!

Other facts came from this website here - like the Vikings used Yew nails for their longboats, an extract of the yew is used in cancer treatments, yew is great to make longbows - indeed the demand for such weaponry in the Middle Ages led to a decline in the species..... there has been much heated discussion as to why the Yew is so often found in churchyards - some say it is the deep-dark green, almost eerie and shady presence of the tree. Other say because it is the tree of death, due to its poisonous chemistry, or that it was put in churchyards, where it would not be accessible to life-stock to grow wood for the longbows. Christian scholars have associated it with Christ as 'the tree of the cross' or with the theme of resurrection. However, the evidence is now overwhelming that the Yew was the archetype of "The Tree of Life" to people all over Europe eons before Christ was born...

Anyway enough of all this - too late now and work tomorrow...

Purton Hulks: a letter to English Heritage

My letter to English Heritage re the Purton Hulks is below - see also previous items on this blog re Purton here (scroll down) - plus the weekends in June re researching the hulks further look fascinating - I will sadly miss both, but am sure there might be spaces if any folk are really interested. I've also again raised the issue of the hulks with Conservation Officers last week to see if SDC could do more.

Photo: One of Paul's photos of hulks - see rest here

Atten: Lord Bruce Lockhart, Dr Simon Thurley and Peter Beacham

I am sure you will be familiar with this unique site and the vessels, known as the 'Purton Hulks' (i). The 81 vessels form an important record, particularly with respect to the types of craft known to have traded on the River Severn: these include Severn Trows, sailing schooners and several types of lighter and dumb barges. I understand that in 1998 the area was subject to an assessment survey by Dr Toby Parker and a team form Bristol University. This survey, whilst it has formed the basis for more work at the site during future years, was known to be incomplete.

Several individual vessels have been surveyed by NAS volunteers in pursuance of NAS certification, and some have been ‘adopted’ by individuals within the NAS ‘Adopt A Wreck’ initiative. However, Paul Barnett, a local historian with a deep and abiding interest in the site, has adopted the whole site. His detailed examination of extensive archival material has led to individual vessels being re-appraised. In addition Paul leads walks through the site, trying to raise awareness of it. For his work last year (2007) Paul was declared the winner of the prestigious ‘Adopt A Wreck’ Award.

Paul Barnett along with others are planning further study of the hulks next month (ii). However I write to you, urging that you will consider more protection of this site. Already damage has been done to these vessels and indeed over recent weeks further vandalism has occurred.

From local press reports I understand English Heritage are reluctant to help protect this unique site that gives such an interesting historical view of life on the Severn. I would welcome a greater understanding of your view as this seems like just the sort of project that deserves your support. Indeed I read on your website that: "English Heritage exists to protect and promote England's spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood."

I look forward to hearing from you,

Cllr. Philip Booth,
Stroud District councillor for the Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill ward,

Cc: Andy Burnham MP

Notes:

(i) The ‘Purton Hulks’ is the collective name for a large number of vernacular craft of different types that were deliberately hulked on the east bank of the River Severn. This activity took place over a period of years. The last known hulking was in the 1950’s.The intention of all this activity was to stabilise the bank, which was threatened with erosion due to the geological formations present in the area. The erosion process also threatened the Sharpness Ship Canal which parallels the river bank at this point.

(ii) The project will run over two consecutive weekends: 6-8 June, 14-15 June 2008. The first weekend will be used as a ‘training weekend’, giving the local community an opportunity to complete (free of charge) the ‘NAS Introduction to Foreshore and Underwater Archaeology’ qualification. This will involve ‘hands on’ practical training, leading to further development of skills as the project progresses. Training will be delivered by suitably-qualified NAS staff.
Paul Barnett of Friends of Purton on 07833143231.

Aim: To work with Paul Barnett, a local historianand community groups to extend the assessment of the Purton Hulks.
Objectives include:
a. To extend the shoreline assessment survey from the end of the 1998 survey toward the docks at Sharpness.
b. Repeat detailed surveys of hulks previously surveyed to assess ongoing environmental and humanly-caused damage.
c. To commence detailed surveys of hulks not previously surveyed and thought to be under threat.
d. To commence detailed surveys of hulks thought to be of archaeological and historical significance.
e. Provide training to local community volunteers and an opportunity to practice and develop taught skills
f. To involve the local community and generate awareness of the site, its historical significance and fragile nature.
g. With the agreement of British Waterways Association, and a satisfactory ‘Risk Assessment’, commence an ‘in water’ survey of two significant areas:
i. The ‘southern exit’ to the timber ponds.
ii. The lock pound at the Sharpness entrance to the canal.
h. Liaise fully with other interested organisations.

All project activity is to have regard for the ecological sensitivity of the area – there are several ‘Sites of Scientific Interest’ (SSSI), and conservation areas. The whole project area falls within a RAMSAR Zone.

China Green Party calls for help

In Stroud there was a stall last week raising awareness and money for the victims of the Sichuan Earthquake. Here below is a letter from the China Green party calling for donations - the death toll today is reported to be near 40,000 and expected to rise to 50,000 with 5m homeless:

Dear all Greens from the entire world:

On 12 May a major earthquake measuring 7.8 that struck Sichuan Province which is the worst to strike south west China in 30 years. The death toll continues to rise but latest reports put it at more than 11,000, with 25,000 people injured. In Dujiangyan city, a middle school classroom building collapsed and over 50 students were reported to have died. Some 80 per cent of the buildings in Beichuan County are reported to have collapsed.

Now thousands severely affected need urgently assisted to ease their suffer and to overcome the huge disasters. An emergency volunteering group is organized by Chinese Greens. The Commissioner CGP will be in charge of this group to participate the relief action in the affected sites of earthquake. Our group will mainly help injured or homeless women and children, including those of Zang (Tibetan) and Qiang minorities, to ensure they are better treated for quick recovery.

Our greens have donated money in value of over 1200 Euros, but it is far from sufficient. Besides the basic facilities for our green volunteer group, we need also large amount of foods with nutrition, clothes with functions, better toys for kids, proper readings for pupils, and other extra commodities to massive aids especially for the needs of women and children. Meanwhile, we plan to print and spread leaflets of basic knowledge as well as techniques for their relief efforts, as well as to conduct simple trainings for women on how to conquer difficulties and to give small classes to those students lost their schools.

You can help us by donations or coming to us directly as volunteer member of our green group. Any experienced advice and suggestion is also required for an effective action of helping women and children out of the disastrous situation, while any other kinds of help would be also appreciated. The group will call itself “Green Volunteer” that recruit also other volunteers who are not the party member.

Bank: HSBC United Kingdom
Account name: China Green Coalition
Account number: 11419153
Branch: HSBC Beverley Branch
Sort Code：40 10 12

Update on Randwick mast

It is the last couple of days for consultation on the Randwick mast (see earlier blogs by clicking label below) - District Council consultation runs until 22nd - see here. My objection along with others is now on the website.

Photo: map with site of mast

I was pleased to hear that the Cotswolds Conservation Board - a statutory body established in 2004 to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Cotswolds AONB and to increase the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the AONB has also made comments re the mast. These included pointing out what appear to be errors in the application like referring to buildings that are not there. The application also notes “the unique nature of the proposed design to minimise environmental impact”. There appears nothing “unique” about the design of the mast which is described as a “Type A Column” on the plans submitted with the application.

The application also refers to a “Green Belt”, yet there is no designated “Green Belt” in Stroud District Council. The Board call for more work by the applicant to demonstrate compliance with PPS 7 and NE8 and make several other important points. Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council have also put an objection into the District Council.

Gordon Ramsay calls for fines for chefs using out-of-season food

A wee while back the BBC Today Programme examined Gordon Ramsay's deliberately provocative assertion that chefs should be fined for using food that's out of season. Good on him for opening a debate on this.

Cartoon: sent by a friend - the days of cheap oil are over

Professor Lang from the City University’s Centre for Food Policy felt that in essence he was right:

".... We have got to push back towards seasonality...production is dropping just at the time when we have got to make the food system work on a more ecological basis....the global food system is going to have to shift..the fuel issue is clearly at the top of it. We're already seeing it in the Big Four commodities; wheat, maize, rice, soya....."


Indeed Prof. Lang and John Humphrys both agreed that "The days of 26,000 items on the supermarket shelves - those days are going to have to come to an end." On the otherhand Bob Stott, former Chairman of Morrisons, seemed both complacent and contemptuous - revealing a worrying set of assumptions that must be questioned.

The challenge of securing the world's food supply was the subject of Professor Lang's City University London lecture ‘Food Security: are we sleepwalking into a crisis?’ on 4 March 2008. It examined the clash between our cheap food culture and sustainability. At stake are fundamental questions for our national policy: what is land for, what skills are necessary and where does the public interest lie? The Powerpoint slides provide a dramatic summary.

Magnus Linklater pointed out in The Times very recently,

"...just at a time when we should be considering how best to increase our production of grain, we in Britain are switching off one main source of it. ...It is clear that the Government has yet to react to the dimensions of the looming world food crisis. It needs to begin a debate with the EU on the whole direction of Europe's agricultural strategy and rethink it from scratch, devising a strategy for sustainable production, then begin to educate the public about the realities ahead. It will mean a change in culture that is a million miles from the Tesco-driven consumerism we have grown lazily used to over the past 20 years. " Read in full

On the question of government complacency and inaction, I would strongly urge folk to ask their MPs to support a motion called by John Hemming MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas (APPGOPO). The Early Day Motion (EDM 1453) urgently calls on the government to review its prediction as to when peak oil will occur, in light of rising energy and food prices. David Drew MP has already signed.

2m exploited Britains

The report 'Hard Work, Hidden Lives', released recently by the TUC's Commission on Vulnerable Employment finds more than two million people in Britain are forced to endure 'intolerably poor working lives' like daily exploitation and abuse from employers. Employment practices which take advantage of vulnerable workers have been found to be commonplace, despite a raft of regulations to protect people from mistreatment. Why is so little being done??

Photo; view of Stroud

Certain industries suffer disproportionately - unsurprisingly they include hotel and catering, hairdressing and beauty and construction and security as being those most at risk. People in these industries are frequently paid below minimum income for the hours they work, as they are often employed on a casual basis and are less likely to be in a trade union.

As Jean Lambert, Green MEP said in response to the report: "There is a clear need for greater inspection to ensure that workers are being given reasonable paid holiday, decent wages and that their work allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. When unscrupulous employers provide poorer work conditions they can undercut responsible employers and this leads to lower standards across industry sectors. This must not go on. The legal framework is failing to protect some of those most at risk of exploitation, including young people, foreign workers and agency workers who have no other prospects for employment. Anti-poverty targets will be undermined unless the Government gets to grips with this widespread problem."

At least the Government has done a U-turn on the 10% tax rate - outrageous that they could even consider it - as George Monbiot writes in The Guardian today: "Labour has shifted taxation from the rich to the poor, cutting corporation tax from 33% to 28% and capital gains tax from 40% to 18%, and introducing a new entrepreneurs' relief scheme, taxing the first million of capital gains at just 10%. It tried to raise the income tax paid by the poorest earners from 10% to 20%. Labour has lifted the inheritance tax threshold from £300,000 to £700,000, and maintained the cap on the highest rates of council tax. While vigorously prosecuting benefits cheats, it has allowed tax avoidance, mostly by the very rich, to reach an estimated £41bn. Inequality today is slightly worse than it was when Labour took power in 1997 (the Gini coefficient which measures it has risen from 0.33 to 0.35)."

Tabloids fail us on climate change

Coverage about global warming in UK tabloid newspapers has been significantly divergent from the scientific consensus that humans contribute to climate change. That's according to Max Boykoff and Maria Mansfield of the University of Oxford, UK, who studied newspapers from 2000 to 2006. Not really a surprise - and an issue I have covered before on this blog.

Photos: Standish woods - bluebells are now over but they were as stunning as ever this year - I sadly didn't get out there as much as usual this year

Boykoff told environmentalresearchweb "We hope that this work will encourage tabloid newspapers to reflect further on the accuracy of their reporting on human contributions to climate change, particularly given their high readership in the UK publics. Contrarian comments in a column by Michael Hanlon in the Daily Mail or Jeremy Clarkson in The Sun may be off-the-cuff or playful at times, but they have a tremendous influence on how readership may understand climate change science and policy."

The team found that the Daily Mail was more divergent from the scientific consensus than other tabloid newspapers. There were generally two main influences behind the tabloids' divergence. Boykoff said: "First was reliance on the journalistic norm of balance, where roughly equal attention was placed the view that humans contribute to climate change, and that our contribution is negligible. I had found this journalistic norm as influential in other earlier work on US newspaper and television coverage of anthropogenic climate change. And secondly, almost a third of the divergent coverage was attributed to 'contrarian' views that make claims that humans' role in climate change is negligible."

Tabloids have an important influence on public opinion in the UK as they have average daily circulations as much as ten times higher than many broadsheet newspapers. And readers of tabloids tend to come from different socio-economic backgrounds to broadsheet consumers, typically being more working class.

Many media workers interviewed for the study highlighted the political and economic constraints they face in reporting climate change. Boykoff said: "For example, with little specialist science training it was challenging to cover the intricacies of climate change while they were also covering a broad range of other news 'beats'. There remain few science and environment correspondents in the UK tabloid newspapers, and this has been a challenge for accurate climate change reporting."