Rishi Sunak

130 Just Stop Oil activists shut down Whitehall

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just Stop Oil shut down Whitehall 6 Nov 2023. 130 arrests.
just Stop Oil shut down Whitehall 6 Nov 2023. 130 arrests.

Just Stop Oil activists are continuing their campaign of peacefully marching in the streets of London, to the point of arrest. They are demanding the government immediately halt all new oil, gas, and coal projects in the UK.

130 Just Stop Oil supporters from the North and South West of England began marching down Whitehall from Trafalgar Square this morning. A small number of Metropolitan Police arrived at 11:37am. By 11:52 am they has started arresting Just Stop Oil activists for allegedly breaching Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023. They were unable to bring the march to a halt at this stage, and the supporters made their way to Parliament. By 12:13 there were more than 100 police present and all Just Stop Oil activists were arrested, with most peaceully refusing to comply with the police.

Today marked the start of a second week of slow marching. According to the Metropolitan Police, a total of 111 people were arrested last week, with 54 being people charged, 4 put on tag, and 3 held on remand at Wandsworth, Thameside and Bronzefield prisons. Last week, police officers arrested Just Stop Oil supporters for simply handing out leaflets on the pavement, causing one man to suffer a fit after being violently restrained. 

Laura Fretwell, a 23 year old retail worker from Ilkeston said:

“I’m taking action with Just Stop Oil because if we don’t end new oil and gas, everything we know and love will be destroyed because of the greed of a select few. The government needs to take drastic action now to prevent climate chaos. Their refusal to do so condemns us all.”

“I will march, facing the threat of violence and arrest, because our children deserve better than to be living on a dying planet. We owe it to them to create a better world, as our elders have done for us.”

Justin Jago, 53, a registered blind guide dog user from Bristol said:

“I am marching in response to government plans to issue over 100 new oil and gas licences.  I am angry that this government has failed to address the catastrophe that is killing people around the world and threatens the future of humanity without immediate action. Soaring temperatures and adverse weather conditions are causing forest fires and flooding, killing countless people and causing mass displacement of families. 

“Historically civil disobedience has been the catalyst for positive change when governments have failed us, and I can’t ignore the facts. We owe it to children and young people facing a frightening future to act.”

Just Stop Oil is calling on people to join them everyday at midday in Trafalgar Square from 20th November to march in London until the government ends new oil and gas. 

Continue Reading130 Just Stop Oil activists shut down Whitehall

Here’s how the Tories will continue their war on the less well-off in the King’s speech

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One of the many occasions climate change denier and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak uses a private jet.
One of the many occasions climate change denier and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak uses a private jet.

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/heres-how-the-tories-will-continue-their-war-on-the-less-well-off-in-the-kings-speech/

On 7th November, King Charles III will open the next session of the UK parliament. It is likely to be the last before the general election expected to take place towards the end of 2024.

The King’s speech, written by the government, is the key part of state opening of parliament. It sets out the government’s policy priorities and legislative programme. So what can we expect, or not expect, the Conservative government to do to save its skin?

After 13 years in office and five Prime Ministers the government is spent and is unlikely to reverse any of its economic policies that have resulted in the highest ever public debt of £2.6 trillion (97.8% of GDP) and highest rate of inflation for 41 years.

The government won’t end austerity and real wage cuts. The average real wage is lower than in 2005. 14.4m were living in poverty in 2021/2022. 3.8m people experienced destitution in 2022, including around one million children. In the period 2012-2019, government imposed austerity caused nearly 335,000 excess deaths (nearly 48,000 a year) in England and Scotland.

A government obsessed with privatisation, outsourcing and cuts to public spending may pay lip-service to public investment, but won’t do much to deal with crumbling schools and public buildings. Parts of the National Health Service have been privatised by stealth and the government won’t do much to relieve the healthcare crisis. Some 7.8m people in England are waiting for hospital appointment (1 in 7 of the population). Some .2.6m are chronically ill and unable to work. In the five years to 2022, around 1.5m died whilst awaiting a hospital appointment.

The government is trapped by its subservience to defunct ideologies. It won’t modify Brexit and reach out to Europe to boost investment, trade and jobs. It won’t increase investment in infrastructure. In an OECD league table of investment in productive assets, the UK is ranked at number 35 out of 38 countries.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/heres-how-the-tories-will-continue-their-war-on-the-less-well-off-in-the-kings-speech/

Continue ReadingHere’s how the Tories will continue their war on the less well-off in the King’s speech

Green Party urges Rishi Sunak to focus on environment and climate in King’s Speech

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Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has called for next week’s King’s Speech to tackle the climate and nature emergencies. 

Green Party Co-leader Adrian_Ramsay. Wikipedia CC.
Green Party Co-leader Adrian_Ramsay. Wikipedia CC.

Ramsay said: 

“Rishi Sunak has decided when in a climate hole keep digging. Pushing ahead with new oil and gas drilling licences is an act of environmental vandalism. Especially at a time when the country is reeling from hugely damaging storms and floods, which scientists warn will become more frequent, ferocious and destructive as our planet heats.  

“It seems fossil fools are driving government energy policy – pushing a false narrative that extracting more climate-wrecking oil and gas out of the North Sea will lead to energy security and lower bills. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

“Green lighting energy giants to exploit fossil fuel reserves they then sell on the global market at global prices cannot provide either security or cheaper energy bills. This can only come from ramping up cheaper and abundant renewable resources such as solar and onshore wind together with a mass home insulation programme.  

“That’s why Green MP Caroline Lucas has set out five Bills that the government ought to introduce to tackle the climate and nature emergencies and address the cost-of-living crisis, including a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout Bill and a Green New Deal Bill.   

“The attack on road safety measures is a further deplorable and desperate attempt to pick up a few votes through creating a culture war. But the fact that the Conservatives need to go to such extremes to create a wedge issue with Labour shows that Labour simply aren’t offering the bold alternative or hopeful vision that our communities so desperately need.  

“It is clear, whoever forms the government after the next general election, we are going to need more Green MPs pushing legislation that will lead to a greener, fairer, healthier and safer country.” 

Continue ReadingGreen Party urges Rishi Sunak to focus on environment and climate in King’s Speech

Rishi Sunak to ‘double down’ on anti-green policies in king’s speech

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One of the many occasions climate change denier and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak uses a private jet.
One of the many occasions climate change denier and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak uses a private jet.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/28/rishi-sunak-to-double-down-on-anti-green-policies-in-kings-speech

PM will announce a new system for awarding oil and gas exploration licences, and new pro-car legislation, sources say

Rishi Sunak’s government will use next week’s king’s speech to advance expansion of North Sea oil and gas exploration, as well as pro-car policies, in the hope of opening up a clear divide over the green agenda with Labour, the Observer understands.

Energy industry sources and senior figures in Whitehall say they expect ministers to announce legislation to usher in a new annual system for awarding oil and gas licences, despite the UK’s commitments to move away from fossil fuels and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The king’s speech, the final legislative programme before the next general election, is also expected to include measures that will explicitly favour motorists, including making it more difficult for local authorities to introduce 20mph speed limits or supposedly unpopular schemes such as the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), recently expanded in London.

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Environmental campaigners point out that more oil and gas exploration licences are not only irresponsible, given the climate crisis, but that new laws are not needed to award more licences. This has been shown by the fact that the results of a new round of licences, launched just over a year ago during Liz Truss’s brief stint as PM, are due to be announced imminently.

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/28/rishi-sunak-to-double-down-on-anti-green-policies-in-kings-speech

Continue ReadingRishi Sunak to ‘double down’ on anti-green policies in king’s speech

Rosebank owner posts billions in profits to fury of climate campaigners

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Campaigners take part in a Stop Rosebank emergency protest outside the U.K. Government building in Edinburgh, after the controversial Equinor Rosebank North Sea oil field was given the go-ahead Wednesday, September 27, 2023. (Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)
Campaigners take part in a Stop Rosebank emergency protest outside the U.K. Government building in Edinburgh, after the controversial Equinor Rosebank North Sea oil field was given the go-ahead Wednesday, September 27, 2023. (Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)

https://www.thenational.scot/news/23883752.rosebank-owner-posts-billions-profits-fury-climate-campaigners/

ROSEBANK owner Equinor have once again posted billions in profits – to the fury of climate campaigners.

The Norwegian fossil giant – which has the controlling stake in the huge oil field development in the North Sea – posted profits of £6.6 billion for the past three months.

During the last quarter, the state-owned oil firm posted pre-tax profits of £5.8 billion.

Environmental campaigners said the firm was adding “insult to injury” with its huge profits as parts of Scotland continue to suffer from extreme weather caused by climate breakdown.

Last week, Storm Babet caused flooding that hit towns across north-east Scotland, with some evacuated residents in Angus told they would not be back in their homes by Christmas.

In September, the UK Government gave the green light for the Rosebank development to go ahead, despite fury from campaigners and across the political spectrum.

The field, which lies north-west of Shetland, contains up to 350 million barrels of oil and is expected to be in operation for decades.

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https://www.thenational.scot/news/23883752.rosebank-owner-posts-billions-profits-fury-climate-campaigners/

Continue ReadingRosebank owner posts billions in profits to fury of climate campaigners