The Guardian has reported this morning that Jeremy Corbyn is expected to say today
There is no bigger threat facing humanity than climate change. We must lead by example. Our energy plans would make Britain the only developed country outside Scandinavia to be on track to meet our climate change obligations.
Our programme of investment and transformation to achieve a 60% reduction in emissions by 2030 will create over 400,000 skilled jobs, based here and on union rates, bringing skills and security to communities held back for too long.
I am not claiming credit (because I know who it is due to) but that does very much like the Green New Deal to me.
And it is spot on, and not just because I happen to already agree with it.
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It demonstrates clearly the benefits of campaigning on issues. I wouldn’t pretend to understand exactly how this has ended up in the speech, but fleshing ideas out and publicizing them means they are available for inclusion in the policies of main stream political parties. Well done to all those that can claim credit.
Since the Conservative party is an idea-free zone at the moment we could also expect some aspects of this to be copied by them at some point. Of course in their hands it will not be good enough (investing in the future – pah!) but is part of turning what was once pie in the sky into the accepted future policy trajectory.
Creating new jobs in the wider economy is a lot better than trading emissions quota’s in the City.
What’s not to like?
Note also G Monbiots article in same: we need to do a lot of reigning in (must get a t-shirt with`ungrowth` on it).
Be good to see an `air miles` rationing system – those that don`t wish/don`t need/can`t afford/find any excuse not to travel by air could sell their miles to the jet setters (otherwise taxed highly when above their ration). Nice way to re-distribute….
There was a session at The World Transfomed yesterday, titled ‘Investing in our Future:Sustainability Economics’ delivered (brilliantly) by Clive Lewis & Kevin Anderson. Packed out by rapt enthusiastic young (& old) people.
A colleague of mine was once criticised as woolly minded for planting apple trees all over the communal areas of a council estate. She replied ‘What, you mean children will steal & eat the apples? That’s the point.’
Well done to all 🙂
Thanks
Good speakers
I saw Clive at a CLASS fringe at the main conference. He’s been on the Shadow Tteasury team for some time. I thought his remit was ‘City’, like the dreadful Kitty Ussher. But he said that John has asked him to plan the green programme. Really like that man. First time I saw him at the Labour CND conference 4 or 5 years ago.
Good to hear JC coming out with policies that will get my vote and congratulations Richard for having been part of the influence for that agenda. Let’s hope it gets put into effect sooner rather than later. Now all he needs to do is scrap any more airport extensions, put a much higher fuel duty on aviation fuel and increase APT to boost the Green deal further and influence people towards holidaying in the U.K.
The announced green spending is quite similar to sections of the Conservative manifestos of 2015 and 2017, with the exception that one has an emphasis on jobs and the other on outcomes. That seems to be how neoliberals spin these days with their waffle about results as opposed to the proponents of dependency socialism who waffle about their intentions. They’re as bad as each other.
What seemed to be missing from Jeremy’s speech was the use of OMFG to pay for the projects and jobs, and the channelling of the funds through a National Infrastructure or Investment Bank, both of which seem to be key features of the Green New Deal when originally proposed.
Time will tell if the Conference season gives a boost to Labour in the polls.
There’s a lovely quotation on the Wings Over Scotland site:
“There’s no limit to what a man can do, or where he can go, if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”
I find it’s attributed to Ronald Reagan. Obviously he was not as stupid as he was often made out to be by the media.
Ronald Reagan was an odd ball – a self contradiction. A B movie actor and an extremely good and warm communicator who was paid and used by neo-liberalism to make the unacceptable sound acceptable.
For example his communication skills were used to record records given to American families to talk against ‘socialised medicine’ – the setting up of an American NHS.
Reagan would sell anything to make a buck.
He was a mouthpiece for nastier, greedier people. And he was paid handsomely for it too. You could say that behind the faux humility he is just paying homage to his paymasters – evil, manipulative swine that they are.
If you want to see the real Reagan, watch his announcement to the US air traffic controllers who went on strike and paid dearly for it. The contrast with other presidents such as Roosevelt couldn’t be more glaring.