… on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

Author: dizzy

  • Rishi Sunak has appointed a ‘minister for woke’ and it hasn’t gone down well

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    https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/rishi-sunak-has-appointed-a-minister-for-woke-and-it-hasnt-gone-down-well/

    The Tory leader appointed Esther McVey, the MP for Tatton, to the role, which has now been dubbed the ‘minister for woke’.

    Following the sacking of Suella Braverman in yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle, Rishi Sunak has tried to reach out to the infuriated Tory right by appointing a ‘common sense tsar’, tasked with leading the government’s anti-woke agenda.

    The Tory leader appointed Esther McVey, the MP for Tatton, to the role, which has now been dubbed the ‘minister for woke’.

    McVey, whose official title is minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, will be tasked with campaigning on culture war issues.

    McVey’s appointment signals that Sunak is still interested in culture war issues and fanning the flames of division, despite his decision to bring David Cameron back into government which was seen by some as a move to return his party to the ‘centre ground’.

    Even right-wing Tory MP and arch Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said the move to appoint a ‘minister for woke’ was ridiculous. He said: “I welcome Esther’s return because I think she’s highly capable and a good presenter of the Tory cause.

    https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/rishi-sunak-has-appointed-a-minister-for-woke-and-it-hasnt-gone-down-well/

  • Attempted right-wing takeover of National Trust backed by Nigel Farage fails!

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    The anti-woke group, Restore Trust, had launched a renewed campaign to win seats on the Trust’s council this year after failing in their attempts last year, and this time they had the likes of Farage, along with the right-wing press backing them. 

    An attempt by a right-wing group to take over the National Trust, the UK’s largest charity, has failed after the candidates backed by the likes of Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg, failed to secure a place on the National Trust’s council in this year’s elections.

    The anti-woke group, Restore Trust, had launched a renewed campaign to win seats on the Trust’s council this year after failing in their attempts last year, and this time they had the likes of Farage, along with the right-wing press backing them. 

    Why do the National Trust’s elections matter? Because what was at stake was the future not only of the UK’s largest charity but also one which owns more than 1,300 farms, 775 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of land, making it Britain’s largest private landowner. The right recognises the importance of an institution like the National Trust, and did all it could in the council elections to help its candidates.

    …

    https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/attempted-right-wing-takeover-of-national-trust-backed-by-nigel-farage-fails/

  • David Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary has everyone pointing out his disastrous record

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    https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/david-camerons-appointment-as-foreign-secretary-has-everyone-pointing-out-his-disastrous-record/

    “David Cameron isn’t a “safe pair of hands”. He’s the man who introduced austerity which led to 330,000 excess deaths…”

    Cameron's deep throat
    Cameron’s deep throat

    …

    Labour MP Nadia Whittome tweeted: “David Cameron isn’t a “safe pair of hands”. He’s the man who:

    – Introduced austerity which led to 330,000 excess deaths

    – Led the disastrous bombing of Libya

    – Called the EU referendum and lost it

    – Used his connections to lobby for Greensill

    “Rishi Sunak is scraping the barrel.”

    https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/david-camerons-appointment-as-foreign-secretary-has-everyone-pointing-out-his-disastrous-record/

  • UK to loosen post-Brexit chemical regulations further

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    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/14/uk-to-loosen-post-brexit-chemical-regulations-further

    Experts warn UK’s regulations now lag behind those of the EU and that Britons will be exposed to more toxic chemicals as a result

    The government is to loosen EU-derived laws on chemicals in a move experts say will increase the likelihood of toxic substances entering the environment.

    Under new plans the government will reduce the “hazard” information that chemical companies must provide to register substances in the UK. The safety information provided about chemicals will be reduced to an “irreducible minimum”, which campaigners say will leave the UK “lagging far behind the EU”.

    The UK’s scheme, called UK Reach, is falling behind the EU’s as it is. The UK has not been part of the bloc’s chemicals regulations scheme, EU Reach, since 2021. Eight rules restricting the use of hazardous chemicals have been adopted by the EU since Brexit, and 16 more are in the pipeline. The UK has not banned any substances in that time and is considering just two restrictions, on lead ammunition and harmful substances in tattoo ink.

    Campaigners have called for the government to follow EU chemicals regulations as standard, diverging only if and when there is a good reason to do so. This would free up time and money for regulators and mean dangerous chemicals banned by the EU do not enter the environment before there is time to ban them.

    …

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/14/uk-to-loosen-post-brexit-chemical-regulations-further

  • Green Party responds to Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle 

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    Green Party Adrian Ramsay October 2023.
    Green Party Adrian Ramsay October 2023.

    Responding to Rishi Sunak’s extensive cabinet reshuffle today, co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay, said: 

    “This reshuffle looks desperate and is a sign that Rishi Sunak has run out of talent. David Cameron started the programme of cuts to our public services which has now brought the NHS to near breaking point. Since his disastrous exit he has cashed in on dodgy lobbying for global oligarchs. And on the odd occasion where Cameron did take a principled stand – such as on maintaining the international aid budget – the government has since reneged.  

    “As to the departure of Therese Coffey as Environment Secretary, nature can at least temporarily breathe a sigh of relief as we await to see who replaces her. She put in place a subsidy system which is not working for farmers or the environment, and she has failed to tackle the blight of sewage in our rivers – a situation she herself described as ‘a scandal’ when I challenged her on it at a public meeting in Suffolk last month. 

    “We need a fresh start on the environment, with real action to stop the water companies profiting from failure and a proper system of nature-friendly farming payments which are easy for farmers to access.  

    “This chaotic and unprincipled government has reached the end of the road. It is doing great harm to the country. We need a general election now.”