The Green Party

Monday, November 21, 2011

Appropriate technology comes to Sutton & Carshalton?

If Sutton Council really wanted their green credentials to be taken at least a wee bit more seriously, then why oh why do they perist in buying those absurd leaf blowing machines which grown men use to blow piles of leaves around from one place to another whilst using lots of energy and making lots of noise? It must rank as one of the most iconic bits of crap technology we have produced for the coming age of energy scarcity.
However, help is at hand. I can reveal a couple of inventions which will do the job better, with zero energy consumption and a noise level of below ten decibels; and i share these with the Council. One is called a broom, and the other a springbok rake. Together with a couple of bits of old plywood and a mobile bin (the sort they got rid of years ago) - hey presto job done.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Incinerator comes a step nearer as other parties play politics..

Breaking news this week (November 9th) that the South London Waste Partnership is about to give the go-ahead for its preferred bidder, Viridor, to apply to build a waste recovery plant (Incinerator, to you and me) at Beddington Lane is bad news for the environment and for public health. However it’s no surprise as Greens have been warning about the likelihood of this for over two years now.
However, what I can't help but notice is this. Within the four boroughs covered by the South London Waste Partnership, this is how political parties measure up:

We in the Green party have consistently opposed incineration. The devastating health, environmental and financial implications have all been well documented on other blogs such as http://croydongreens.blogspot.com/search/label/incinerator or http://insidecroydon.com/2011/07/07/cancer-risks-from-1bn-croydon-incinerator-warn-greens/ Moreover large facilities like this need a constant stream of waste and lengthy contracts, resulting in the burning of recoverable/reusable/recyclable materials
CROYDON: Conservatives control the council and support the SLWP. Labour are in opposition and oppose it.
SUTTON: Liberal Democrats control the council and support the SLWP. Conservatives are in opposition and oppose it.
MERTON: No Overall Control: Labour are the biggest party and support the SLWP. Conservatives are the smaller party and oppose it.
KINGSTON UPON THAMES: Liberal Democrats control the council and support the SLWP. Conservatives are in opposition and oppose it.

Do you detect the usual lack of integrity here? The Liberal Democrats of course win the prize for the most intellectually dyslexic stance. Their national policy is allegedly against incinerators, but in the 2002 local elections the Lib Dems lost control of Sheffield council by arguing for a new incinerator, and gained control of Hull by campaigning against one! They currently support incinerator projects in Exeter, Plymouth and Barnstaple, and also in Essex, despite having proclaimed support for a zero waste strategy - which means no incineration. What a shambles!

Why do all the Parties in control support the SLWP?

Why do all the Parties in opposition oppose the SLWP?

Are all those Parties the same?

This is the text of a letter written to the local Guardian newspaper by Shasha khan, leader of the greens in Croydon, following the news this week:

"Dear Editor,

I was interested to see Councillor Whitham, the leader of the Conservative opposition group on Sutton Council comment that he had “grave concerns” about an incinerator in Beddington, something Greens have been opposing for the last three years [Croydon Guardian, Nov 9th]. He is right to be worried about its impact. Might I suggest that he write to the Conservative council leader in Croydon, Mike Fisher who is in favour of such a facility. Similarly, could I ask the Labour opposition in Croydon, also against the Beddington incinerator, to contact the Labour leader on Merton Council, Councillor Stephen Alambritis, who is also in favour of the waste facility in Beddington. When principle is absent, one can only see a tangled web of hypocrisy".