Well Lord Avebury is a real hero but local lib dem councillors have been getting all 'Daily Mail' about the climate camp, if you are a local resident why not go along to the following meeting.
The local Labour big wig Mayor Sr Steve Bullock has attacked 'the patronising selfishness of the campers', i.e. carbon trading doesn't work but I am sticking with it. What an embarrassment, have a look at his website, I am waiting for animation of him tossing his gold chain.....perhaps the camp could invade his office.
I think of all the pressure that people in the rainforests are under, for example, in Peru they have been killed so that oil can be extracted. Does Sr Steve care about this, of course not...he hasn't even heard of it but the climate campers have done a lot of support for the indigenous.
The present approach to climate change based on carbon trading has failed, does he know about this, is he calling for change? The protesters are educating people but some like Sr Steve have closed minds.
They are heros, he is a big fat zero!
Any way he disgusts me but better stop ranting and deliver the letter...
Letter to Blackheath residents from Climate Camp
August 27, 2009
Dear Resident,
This letter is from the Camp for Climate Action. The camp is setting up on Blackheath from 26 August to 2 September. This letter is just to explain a little about the camp, and to invite you to come along and visit.
The Camp for Climate Action is a diverse bunch of people who want to see more action about climate change.
For the last 3 years we've organised a week long event in the summer to educate each other, demonstrate sustainable living and learn about different ways we can stop and Reverse climate change. 2 years ago you may have heard of us when we were at Heathrow Airport, arguing against the plans for a third runway there.
The camps are family friendly and open to all. There's no entrance fee, everyone works on it as volunteers. It's a very do-it-yourself kind of event and we hope we manage to combine things that are too often kept apart: politics and fun, practice and theory, Education and action...Please do come along and see for yourself, you are very welcome.
This year we are camping in London because we want to demonstrate and talk about the links between the crisis happening to our climate and the financial crisis and capitalism. We feel that at the root of both are decisions and practices that are made and enacted in centres like the city of London, and that we cannot divorce the problems of environmental damage from the economics of endless growth that is pushed by the City. That is why we have chosen this location, steeped in a history of protest and overlooking the city, to keep us focused on the source of the problem.
We're only here for a week, then we pack up, and we hope to cause minimal disruption while we are here. We have an excellent record of clearing up after ourselves; in our first year, the wildlife trust who managed the land next door to us were very complimentary about how we left it. We fully value the open spaces of London, as we're sure you do, so we don't want to see any damage to the area, or any mess left behind. We will be talking to the council about all matters to do with health, waste, parking, safety issues, etc.
We would like to hold a public meeting on Sunday 30 August, particularly for you, the local
residents, to ask any questions and find out more about the camp. Please ring us on 07529 867185 for more details.
All of the camps in previous years have attracted many members of the local community and we hope this year will be no different. You can come at any time, but if you'd like someone to show you around then come on one of our guided tours, every evening at 6pm.
We look forward to meeting you.
Best wishes,
The Camp for Climate Action.
How to get in touch with us....
Phone: 07529 867185
Tours of the camp: 6pm Every Evening from the Welcome Tent
Public Meeting: 3.30 - 5pm, Saturday 29 August,
Greenwich Community and Arts centre,
141 Greenwich high Road,
SE10 8JA
4 comments:
The local councillors statement on the Climate Camp at Blackheath seems eminently reasonable, when you consider they have to reassure local residents.
"There are real concerns about the damage that may be caused to Blackheath which we feel sure all would agree is a precious open space. However we remain confident that the Climate Change camp organisers will protect the local environment, and we are sure the police will have learnt from the G20 demonstrations back in May.
Lets make sure that over a Bank holiday weekend everyone can enjoy Blackheath and can use the opportunity to share ideas and learn more about how we deal with the pressures of climate change."
A Lewisham Lib Dem councillor is twittering from the camp saying how positive it is.
Other than Lord Avebury, the lib dems don't seem to be getting stuck into serious environmental work.
go on make my day...and tell me something serious on carbon trading, indigenous struggle, anti-incinerator campaigning...anti-capitalism even (not sure we can have infinite growth on a finite planet).
Any way thanks for your informative comment, Labour are comparing the campers to football hooligans...so lib dems ahead on this.
Derek, I am a social liberal you are an eco-socialist, I’m very unlikely to make your day or say anything that interests you.
Liberal Democrats getting stuck in - David Heath’s Fuel Poverty Bill… Norman Baker supporting the civil rights of climate campers…. look what is happening at local government level, (nice to have Andrew Cornwell, former GPEx Chair as a Lib Dem councillor). Call it conservation, environment, ecology or green values, they have run through Liberal policy from the 1923 Liberal Manifesto ‘A Call to the Nation’ to the present day. Have Liberals/Lib Dems always lived up to these values? Sadly no, but the good still outweighs the bad by a wide margin.
Anti – Capitalism: ‘we can’t have infinite growth on a finite planet’ you agree with the 1979 Liberal Party Assembly, that declared: “economic growth, as conventionally understood, is not infinite, marking a move towards sustainability essential”. But if you go around using the term anti-capitalism it conjurers up an image of Albania under Enver Hoxha as the only alternative. A form of distributism seems to offer an economic model that can be sustainable, as well as one that can incorporates Fritz Schumacher's idea of human scale. The best bit is we can start building a different economics from the bottom up now (some of are) – with CICs (community interest companies), community shops, small co-operatives, credit unions and even small traders/producers’ groups.
have a look at Lord Avebury's recent work on Peru, thats what I mean by real work...gold standard wonderful and much appreciated by friends in Amazonas
Capitalism, it doesn't add up which is why I am anti, there is a rush to marketise everything and the lib dems have moved in a market direction.
Think mutuals, coops, peer-to-peer and remember the hysteria which met the introduction of the NHS....I am not Albanian.
you can call it what you want frankly but more privatisation, carbon trading, financialisation, etc is unmaking ecosystems, creating economic instability and increasing inequality.
I think the lib dems have moved in a more pro market direction but thanks for the dialogue.
There is of course as you point out a green lib tradition but I think, sadly it was a bit squeezed with the SDP merger.
I don't think there is a lot of room for green lib dem cooperation at present...however who knows in the future may be!
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