… on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

Author: dizzy

  • World breaches key 1.5C warming mark for record number of days

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    Canadian wildfire 2023
    Canadian wildfire 2023

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66857354

    The world is breaching a key warming threshold at a rate that has scientists concerned, a BBC analysis has found.

    On about a third of days in 2023, the average global temperature was at least 1.5C higher than pre-industrial levels.

    Staying below that marker long-term is widely considered crucial to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change.

    But 2023 is “on track” to be the hottest year on record, and 2024 could be hotter.

    “It is a sign that we’re reaching levels we haven’t been before,” says Dr Melissa Lazenby, from the University of Sussex.

    This latest finding comes after record September temperatures and a summer of extreme weather events across much of the world.

    …

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66857354

  • Extinction Rebellion NL pauses daily A12 highway blockades awaiting a decision on government fossil fuel subsidies

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    Extinction Rebellion NL image reads STOP FOSSIELE SUBSIDIES
    Extinction Rebellion NL image reads STOP FOSSIELE SUBSIDIES

    Extinction Rebellion pauses daily A12 highway blockades; Hague mayor relieved

    Extinction Rebellion (XR) is suspending the blockades on the Utrechtsebaan (A12) in The Hague. The group of activists will await a vote in parliament on Tuesday on a motion in which Suzanne Kroger (GroenLInks) and Raoul Boucke (D66) asked for a phase-out plan for fossil fuel subsidies. The Hague mayor, Jan van Zanen, called it a relief.

    …

    Fossil subsidies are schemes like tax discounts and excise duty exemptions for the fossil fuel industry. If the motion is not adopted, the daily blockades will resume, XR said. The climate activists consider the motion “recognition that politicians also see that 39.7 to 46.4 billion euros in fossil subsidies annually cannot be defended.”

    In the motion, the two parliamentarians ask the government to draw up scenarios before the Christmas recess for ending the subsidies “in the term of 2, 5, and 7 years.” For each scheme, the government must also indicate how many negative consequences can be mitigated and which “national measures” can be taken if subsidies are fixed in a European context. Kroger and Boucke called fossil subsidies an “obstacle in the transition to a climate-neutral society.”

    XR blocked the A12 highway in The Hague for the 27th day in a row on Thursday. Dozens of demonstrators were again arrested. 

    …

  • Keir Starmer ‘happy’ to continue to write for The Sun despite Liverpool boycott

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    Yet another broken promise from Red Tory Keith Starmer should surprise nobody.

    https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2023-10-05/keir-starmer-rules-out-reversing-decision-to-cancel-remaining-hs2-project

    Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer says he is happy to continue to write and work for The Sun newspaper – as he prepares for his party conference in Liverpool.

    During his 2020 leadership campaign, Mr Starmer claimed he would not to speak to The Sun newspaper during a hustings in Liverpool.

    He said at the time: “I certainly won’t be giving any interviews to The Sun during the course of this campaign.”

    Many people in Liverpool have chosen to boycott The Sun because of a front page it printed shortly after the Hillsborough disaster.

    When asked why he has since decided to write for the tabloid, Mr Starmer said: “I have to make sure that what we have to say is communicated to as many people as possible in the time that we’ve got available and that is why I am very happy to work with The Sun, to write for The Sun, to do interviews with The Sun.”

    …

    It also means that Keith sucks up to Rupert Murdoch …

  • Labour by-election victory in Scotland – commentators talk absolute BS

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    Political commentators will have you believe that Labour has achieved something big at the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election. It’s absolute BS and number of votes Labour’s got in this constituency has decreased consistently since 2010 AND this constituency flip-flops consistently between the SNP and Labour.

    From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherglen_and_Hamilton_West_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

    Yesterday’s byelection the Labour Party got 17,845 votes (Labour win)

    down on General Election 2019, Labour Party 18,545 votes (SNP win)

    down on General Election 2017, Labour Party 19,101 votes (Labour win)

    down on General Election 2015, Labour Party 20,304 votes (SNP win)

    down on General Election 2010, Labour Party 28,566 votes (Labour win)

    So, you see, it was Red Tories Labour’s turn to win at this flip-flopping constituency and that Labour’s vote has decreased consistently since 2010. So not that great a win at all and hardly unexpected.

  • Memo to England and Wales Green party

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    It’s very easy to despair at you despite being supportive. Please stop being so nice and instead try to get some some serious political clout to save the planet. Be practical instead of nice and accomodating. So with those split roles, split them so you have X addressing these issues Y addressing these issues … got it?

    The sort of pitch to take. Make speeches with catchphrases to grab the headlines. You could discuss desperate times needing something actions, votes wasted on the 2 main parties because their policies are indistinguishable, climate deniers and destroyers, denying and destroying the planet … get the idea?

    Announce looking into electoral pacts – those desperate times again. FFS get as many MPs elected as you possibly can – desperate times.