Monday, April 30, 2007
Greens vote against recycling
This letter was printed in the Sheffield Telegraph on the 27th April.
I was amazed to learn that the Greens had voted against the Lib Dem proposal for an extra £1million for recycling in Sheffield. I used to be a big supporter of the Greens, and stood for them in the local elections a couple of times. I stopped supporting them when I realised that their hostility to business and trade, although well-intended, would condemn millions to poverty, billions if followed worldwide.
On reflection, Green Party policies like the 20 mph speed limit throughout built up areas – making cars less efficient and bus services much more expensive to run – were always about getting the basics wrong. So maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by the recycling vote.
If greens – of all parties and none – have succeeded in something it is in winning widespread agreement that environmental challenges exist and should be faced up to. But the way to face the challenge of global warming isn’t to stop the city moving – to demand that we sit at home and forego the delights that this fantastic city has to offer us. There are other challenges we face too: poverty, education, healthcare, threats to peace and freedom. Failures on these can be just as deadly as failures on the environment.
Equipping ourselves to face all these challenges means getting the city moving, working and studying hard, supporting science and defending liberty, as well as saving energy, cutting pollution and spending an extra £1m on recycling. I fear the Greens would sacrifice the tools needed to do the job properly.
I was amazed to learn that the Greens had voted against the Lib Dem proposal for an extra £1million for recycling in Sheffield. I used to be a big supporter of the Greens, and stood for them in the local elections a couple of times. I stopped supporting them when I realised that their hostility to business and trade, although well-intended, would condemn millions to poverty, billions if followed worldwide.
On reflection, Green Party policies like the 20 mph speed limit throughout built up areas – making cars less efficient and bus services much more expensive to run – were always about getting the basics wrong. So maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by the recycling vote.
If greens – of all parties and none – have succeeded in something it is in winning widespread agreement that environmental challenges exist and should be faced up to. But the way to face the challenge of global warming isn’t to stop the city moving – to demand that we sit at home and forego the delights that this fantastic city has to offer us. There are other challenges we face too: poverty, education, healthcare, threats to peace and freedom. Failures on these can be just as deadly as failures on the environment.
Equipping ourselves to face all these challenges means getting the city moving, working and studying hard, supporting science and defending liberty, as well as saving energy, cutting pollution and spending an extra £1m on recycling. I fear the Greens would sacrifice the tools needed to do the job properly.
# posted by Joe Otten @ 1:39 PM 
Comments:
Well said. the Greens are opportunist hypocrites. look what they are like abroad. In germany when they became part of the coalition they made a great play of closing Nuclear powers stations, instead buying power from France (which meant France built new Nuclear reactors) and builfing coal fired power stations in Germany which produced more carbon dioxide.
Good post, Joe.
Of course, we've been guilty of the odd "20s plenty" campaign in our time, though presumably for reasons of pedestrian safety rather than misguided environmentalism.
Of course, we've been guilty of the odd "20s plenty" campaign in our time, though presumably for reasons of pedestrian safety rather than misguided environmentalism.
I would agree that 20 is plenty in many places - but "throughout" means everywhere. A roads, motorways, you name it. Primarily residential roads probably should be 20. The problem is that in most of our cities many through roads are also residential, and here there is a trade-off.
But in the same way that it would be difficult to stand up at a Lib Dem Conference and oppose something because it is 'too liberal', the Greens find it hard to tell one another that they have gone too far.
But in the same way that it would be difficult to stand up at a Lib Dem Conference and oppose something because it is 'too liberal', the Greens find it hard to tell one another that they have gone too far.
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The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and may not represent those of blogger.com or the Sheffield Liberal Democrat Group.