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The Grey-Areas of Environmental Protection: UK Plastic Waste Exports
Posted by Stephanie Holmes · August 16, 2022 12:48 PM · 1 reaction
Bullet Blog Report
The Grey-Areas of Environmental Protection: UK Plastic Waste Exports
By Oguz Korkut Keles
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A Citizens' Assembly will De-carbonise and De-polarise
Posted by Stephanie Holmes · August 09, 2022 2:42 PM · 1 reaction
Opinion
A Citizens' assembly will de-polarise and de-carbonise
By Stephanie Holmes.
The Climate and Ecology (CEE) Bill, proposed by Liberal Democrat Lord Redesdale, is at the forefront of supporting citizen involvement. Section three of the bill states:
“The Secretary of State must, within three months of the passing of this Act, procure, by open tender, an expert independent body to establish a Climate and Nature Assembly (‘the Assembly’) comprising a representative sample of the United Kingdom population.”
Centralised biodiversity policies often fail to take regional differences into account. Soil types, plant species and inhabitant animals are incredibly diverse. Climate policy must therefore be decentralised to take into account differences. The power dynamic must be put back under the control of the people.
Public participation maintains accountability, and given the high court ruling that the government's net zero strategy was unlawful under the Climate Change Act (2008), the need for checks and balances in nature policy is urgent.
120 MPs support the bill currently. This not only shows much needed support for environmental concerns, but also a desire for greater public involvement.
Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change, commented on Twitter:
The same “stovepiping” blocks citizens from having their say. At present, the proposal of the CEE Bill for a Climate and Nature Assembly is the most achievable plan to promote the democratic nature of environmental decision-making.
In other policy realms, devolved assemblies consistently provide better opportunities for citizen involvement than in Westminster. It is why we have local government.
Although the proposed assembly remains national, its body is a representative sample of the UK. This commendable composition should inevitably account for local concern by calling out UK wide blanket policies that fail to provide adequate targets. Our climate is far from homogeneous, and our policy must reflect that.
If 66% of the Assembly agree, Section 3 (5) of the bill requires the Secretary of State to include all recommendations in their strategy, once the Climate Change Committee (CCC) jointly proposes them with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).
The latter two ensure that the recommendations of the Assembly are in line with scientific advice to ensure the most effective policy.
The non-partisan citizen body will crucially not seek electoral gains on the basis of political proposals - unlike sitting parties. By influencing policy in this way, there is potential to de-polarise climate politics and reach a sensible consensus on sustainable practice.
The essence of social liberalism tells us to bring citizens to the heart of climate policy. We should be excited about the precedent that the Assembly can set.
Want to find out more? Read the full bill here.
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Fifteen and hopeful: is social liberalism winning here?
Posted by Stephanie Holmes · August 05, 2022 8:50 PM · 1 reaction
Opinion
Fifteen and hopeful: is social liberalism winning here?
By Tommy Velvick
Being a liberal has never been easy: whether here in the UK or with our colleagues in Europe. At fifteen, I know that my future depends on creating a liberal society so that my generation can thrive.
My vision was critically endangered following the near annihilation of the Liberal Democrats in 2015. The party has been on a slow rebuild since sensational local and European election results in 2019.
Many liberal parties of late struggle to gain representation in parliament. Whether that is the Liberal Democrats only comprising 2% of the House of Commons, or the slump of social liberalism across Eastern Europe. Yet we cannot lose momentum now - we are on the brink of success. UK by-election campaigns and the popularity of the liberal German Free Democratic Party proved there is appetite for our values. It is clear that bellies are rumbling, and even the German counterpart to the Liberal Democrats was similarly obliterated a decade ago - we always fight back.
Although current polls look bleak, we can learn from our European neighbours. Following their decline in support on the right, a prominent group within the liberal and market-friendly Ciudadanos (Citizens) Party in Spain recently established a "Liberal Refoundation." The project hopes to reinstate liberal values and recapture the spacious centre of Spanish politics.
Similar measures are becoming increasingly popular, providing much-needed comfort to my worried state. We are winning here.
The best way to continue the growth of liberal values is to support young people. We care about the world we will one day inherit. The reality is that with a lack of young people in politics, it is difficult for them to identify with politicians, as they feel their views are not accurately represented by those they do not relate to.
Supporting and electing young candidates is crucial to achieving this vision. Seeing people like us in positions of power will restore our hope, make us care about our local communities, and engage our ambition instead of our frustration.
There is a bright future out there, one in which liberals are in government making change. This is achievable with a strong group of young, progressive liberals - we have to be the change. We must look at the past and the present to make the best decisions for our future.
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Public policy does not care about evidence or liberty.
Posted by Stephanie Holmes · August 05, 2022 5:12 PM · 1 reaction
Opinion
Public policy does not care about evidence or liberty.
By Stephanie Holmes.
Technocracy is an automated system in which policies blindly follow the science. The problem is; science never says one thing. We exist in a hybrid system of evidence and values - if such evidence and values exclusively belong to the powerful.
If you are consulting on sugar policy, economists will say to continue selling it, while health experts push for price hikes.
In this case, influence tugs both ways, but the protection of our freedoms cannot get a grip on the rope. Minimum unit pricing in Scotland failed to meet its targets, but succeeded in forcing working-class people to dig deeper into their already stretched pockets. The policy does not punish alcoholics. It does not stop the rich from excessive consumption, but takes casual enjoyment away from the poor.
Even with every voice in the room, science will not be taken at face value. The "file-drawer problem" means we only see studies with statistical significance, leaving important information out of policy-making.
Internally, the situation is worse. Experts become partial advocates to establish symbiotic power between so-called "science" and policy. In-house scientists exacerbated the bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis (BSE). The government favoured anti-panic buying, rather than sharing the real threat of the disease to its citizens, and many health experts in the case admitted to putting a political slant on their statements.
All evidence should be on the table. If it's not, we cease to exist in a free society. Science is manipulated to suit an agenda that, as we know, reflects what government wants - not what we need. Indeed, SAGE issued a suggestion for a circuit-breaker lockdown in October 2020, which was not followed for many weeks.
Here is the hope for all of us liberal-driven democrats: the public got the advice to stick. Opinion polls at the time found 68% of people agreed with the advice which would be incorporated into the government's, albeit vote-driven agenda. Although public opinion has power, the resulting policy was too little too late - as we all know too well.
Yet policy driven solely by evidence can compromise choice and financial stability. Health often takes priority over these fundamental subjects of liberty, this ranking comes out of the blue. Throughout the pandemic, the dynamic was warranted, but recently it has been creeping too far into regulatory policy. BOGOF campaigners are denying many families sweet treats they can only afford if in bulk deals.
They are getting healthier, though, aren't they? It is hard to tell. A similar levy in Denmark, better known as the "fat tax," led to a 7% reduction in fat consumption. Significant, but given the stability and compromise of freedoms, the country suffered a macro-net loss.
1,300 jobs were lost in the supply chain, while inflation rose to 4.7%. Here is the hope again: 70% of the public felt negatively towards the policy, so it was redacted 15 months after its enactment. Yet the public should be in the room from the get-go, as should trade unions and families who struggled to make ends meet upon its introduction. Transparency is not only an integral feature of civil progress, but also of social liberalism.
Should we wait until we see the impact of poorly consulted policies? No, public policy should be based on genuine evidence, personal and economic freedoms - not the whims of politicians.
