By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter After Justine Greening's announcement giving the go-ahead for a high speed rail network, High Speed 2 (HS2), 37 Conservative MPs were able to question the Transport Secretary within 60 minutes. The exchanges demonstrated the opposition of those MPs whose constituencies are directly affected by high speed rail. However their reservations […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Cameron may have said "no" to Europe. Canada's Conservative Government has said "no" to the world. The Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent yesterday pulled his country out of the Kyoto Treaty. In this short statement he said that he wasn't willing to impose massive costs on his country's economy while […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Chris Huhne is very excited about the Durban climate agreement but for once I have to agree with Greenpeace. The climate change deal amounts to an agreement to agree a programme of action in 2015. That 2015 agreement (if it ever happens) will then plot a roadmap to cuts in […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter The Government may be planning a ten-fold increase in the number of wind turbines to 32,000 (see today's Sunday TImes (£)). It may have established a £3 billion Green Investment Bank. It may have introduced its insulate-your-home-now-but-pay-later Green Deal. It may be spending £1 billion on addressing climate change in […]
By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter Zac Goldsmith would rather be known by the term "effective backbencher", than "rebellious backbencher". In a BBC Hardtalk interview today with Zeinab Badawi, rebellion and party dissent over Europe and the environment, proved to be the main focus. Although critical of the Government over its handling of an EU referendum, […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter At the Manchester Party Conference George Osborne appeared to become a multilateralist on climate change. This is what he told the Tory Conference: "We know that a decade of environmental laws and regulations are piling costs on the energy bills of households and companies. Yes, climate change is a man […]
Daniel Kawczynski, Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, has written a letter to the National Trust, warning it against becoming too political. Kawczynski writes: I am very concerned by the Trust's current political campaign on planning reforms. I am especially worried that the Trust’s behaviour runs the risk of causing long term damage to the […]
A report from the Local Government Information Unit entitled Honouring the Armed Services Community on behalf of the Royal British Legion includes an number of recommendations. For instance it proposes that councils should give those leaving the armed forces in terms of housing allocation and schemes for shared ownership to get on the housing ladder. […]
On 24 October the New Forest District Council voted by 47 to 5 votes to ask the government to abandon their unilateral targets on reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The Council agreed that the UK should not cut emissions any faster than other major industrial nations. Cllr Derek Tipp, who proposed the motion argued that since […]
Normally for private businesses the profit motive acts as a spur to efficiency and keeping down costs. But when it comes to Thames Water's proposed Super Sewer, current estimate £3.6 billion and rising, this does not apply. As a monopoly they would be allowed to pass the bill on to their customers. This would imply […]
The Sunday Telegraph reports that in a survey 98 out of 133 councils were reducing, or considering reducing, street lighting. The evidence from those that have done so already – such as Essex, Gloucestershire, Essex and Leicestershire – is that this has not resulted in an increase in crime. There could be all sorts of […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter. I know how to enjoy myself and so am spending today and tomorrow reading through all of the big speeches given at the Tory Conference. I was very encouraged by this section from the Chancellor's speech: "We know that a decade of environmental laws and regulations are piling costs […]
By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter A first appearance on Question Time can be a daunting experience. For Priti Patel, this would have been no exception. Last night the 'rising star' of Cameron's new intake of MPs appeared on the programme, which was severely lacking in excitement. Despite several hugely emotive issues; the Dale Farm […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter We featured on our front page this morning two stories about the Coalition's national planning policy reforms. One, in the Daily Telegraph – which is campaigning hard against the reforms – notes that the Women's Institute "is joining the fight against the Government’s controversial changes to planning rules and […]