Articles Tagged "UK Election 2010"

The EU is in the midst of multiple crises, some immediate, others more long term. At times like these, what is likely to happen to climate change policy?

The immediate Greek debt crisis seems to have been solved by Eurozone and IMF pledges of many billions of euros. In turn, this has renewed confidence that any similar crises in Spain, Portugal, Ireland or other member states would be tackled similarly and controlled. Markets have pulled back from the brink of panic, but the longer-term outcome may still be serious. German voters are already displeased by their government’s decision to bail out Greece and, in the absence of effective structural change to the indebted economies, the regular flow of funds could be necessary for many years to come.

An alternative would be for Greece and countries with similar problems to leave the Eurozone and devalue their currencies sufficiently to regain their competitiveness, but the end of monetary union would be a difficult political pill to swallow. In the meantime, the UK is experimenting with a fully-fledged coalition for the first time since the Second World War. Maybe this will be part of a major reform of their political system, but first the new government has to prove itself by getting a grip on the horrendous debt problem it has also inherited. Markets may stop worrying about the Eurozone, but could turn their attention again to the crisis across the Channel, with who knows what consequences. Confidence is a fragile thing.

The recession caused by the banking crisis has itself exposed the underlying weakness in the economic models of many developed countries. Fixing this will require a period of relative austerity of a kind which many Europeans have never experienced. But at the end, this does not mean that Europe will regain its international competitiveness, let alone meet the high aspirations of the EU as a bloc. China and other large emerging economies have accumulated large trade surpluses, while growing much faster than the currently industrialised world. European countries, while continuing to offer their citizens a very comfortable way of life, will almost certainly become much smaller players on the world stage.

Nigel Farage, who is contesting Speaker John Bercow’s seat in Buckingham, has been injured in a light plane crash.

Mr Farage was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries following the crash at Hinton-in-the-Hedges airfield, near Brackley in Northamptonshire.

The light aircraft was pulling a Ukip banner and it is believed it may have been caught up in the engine. The banner reportedly carried the slogan "Vote for your country - Vote Ukip".

The plane went down just after 8am, also injuring the pilot, who reportedly had to be cut out the cockpit and was taken to Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry.

Mr Farage was taken to Horton General Hospital in Banbury. A Ukip spokesman said: "We've had unconfirmed reports that either the banner got snagged up or there were cross-winds and it was unfamiliar airfield to the pilot, who had to be cut out of the plane.

Click source to read FULL report. Keep upto date with the UK Election with www.Elect10n.com

A full referendum on Europe would be the price of UKIP working with another party in the event of a hung parliament, Nigel Farage has said.

He told the BBC's Daily Politics show his party would work with either Labour or the Conservatives "if they were saying some sensible things".

But he said he did not want the Tories to win overall control.

He called for a hung parliament and electoral reform which would lead to a "realignment of British politics".

Mr Farage said: "The price of UKIP MPs working with anybody would be that the British people get what they so richly deserve, a full, free and fair referendum so that they can decide their future, not have it decided for them by career politicians."

Click source to read FULL report and also use the Twitter General Election Trend Feed www.Elect10n.com for all the latest news articles on the UK Election.

See Video Link for the BBC Daily Politics Show below

The UK election: what about the environment? Apologies to readers outside the UK this week. This newsletter is more parochial than usual, with the general election looming on May 6th. British politics can be a mystery, not just to citizens of other countries, but often to voters.

This year, a deeply unpopular third-term Labour government would be expected, in normal circumstances, to be replaced by the Conservatives. But, despite a new leader who has determinedly repositioned the party as both caring and responsible  seeking to dominate the middle ground on which elections are normally won  they are struggling to convince the electorate to vote for them in sufficient numbers to give an overall majority.

At least, that's what the opinion polls tell us; in a week we will know for sure. Of course, given the winner-takes-all nature of the electoral system, parties which would have significant numbers of MPs under any form of proportional representation play a very minor role in Westminster, if at all. The system naturally leads to government by one of two major parties. Since the implosion of the Liberals early in the twentieth century British politics has been about changes of power between the Conservative and Labour parties at irregular intervals (barring the rather special circumstances of the 1930s and the Second World War). But after previous false starts, the Liberal Democrats now have a chance of replacing Labour in the duopoly, following the televised beauty contest of the leadership debates.

Vote of Confidence

The Conservatives offer an optimistic vision for the renewal of Britain. The electorate has made a call for change and they deserve the chance to answer it

The Times has not endorsed the Conservative Party at a general election for 18 years. For far too much of that time, the Conservative Party turned inward and vacated the ground on which British electoral victory is won — a commitment to the prosperity and liberty fostered in a free-market economy and a sense of justice in an open and tolerant society. Tony Blair’s Labour Party took up the promise of modernity, through its commitment to enterprise and the courage to stand tall in the world. Sadly, over the past 13 years that promise has faded. We all know that Britain can do better: it is surely time to regain our optimism.

This election offers a fundamental choice about the future of this country. It offers a moment to put old-fashioned tribal loyalties, class prejudices and social habits aside. We must choose. Either we are to be a country that has lost confidence in the ingenuity and potential of its people, and concludes that the State must continue to grow to protect us from ourselves. Or we can be a country that cares for the needy but reins in the ever-growing appetite of government and frees up people to grow their businesses, nurture their families and pursue their own hopes and happiness.

At an acutely difficult moment in our history, The Times puts its faith in the people rather than the government. It chooses a strong society, more enterprise and a smaller State. It chooses real, radical change. It chooses renewal.

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Nick Clegg: we have taken Labour's place in UK politics

The Guardian Exclusive: Liberal Democrat leader rejects tactical voting, and says the race for PM is between him and Cameron by Patrick Wintour, Allegra Stratton and Aida Edemariam, The Guardian.

Nick Clegg today makes a bold pitch to Labour voters, claiming that the Liberal Democrats have supplanted Gordon Brown's party to become the natural home of progressive politics in Britain.

In a Guardian interview, Clegg accuses David Cameron of having no agenda for progressive reform of the country and says the Lib Dems and Labour come from the same historical tradition.

He says he is rejecting all talk of tactical voting and is instead "going for broke" to maximise his party's share of the vote.

Clegg insists that the tectonic plates of politics are shifting and the choice has distilled down to a vote for his party or a Conservative party that will "cast the country adrift".

Click source for more & also keep up to date on the UK election news with www.Elect10n.com

We have had a great deal of interest on our "Twitter - Greneral Election Trend" site www.Elect10n.com and now the BBC have come up with another indulgence, The Election seat calculator. Our forecast for the election is that there will be a "Hung Parliament", and when you use this calculator it is easy to see why. If the public polls are accurate, the Labour party are on their way out and the Liberal Democrats are on the way up but NOT "in", this could mean that the Conservative party will be part of a coalition Government with the Liberal's.

For the UK, it is anyone's guess if this would mean a better or worse chance of sorting out the nonsense of "Man Made Climate Change". However, we have been informed by several political sources that the "vote winner" of using "Green issues" has run it's course, and in another election this my not be used in the same way.

Therefore if in the event of a "Hung Parliament" being recorded next week, there is a strong possibility a prominent party may come forward to win votes in one or two years time on the basis MMCC was just political spin for votes! An interesting point.

Ed Miliband accuses of Lib Dems of 'ducking' difficult issues at special debate organised by Guardian

Important differences between the major parties on the environment emerged last night, as they clashed over nuclear power, wind farms, expanding flying, and the number of climate change sceptics in their ranks. Despite similar-sounding manifestos, Labour's climate and energy secretary Ed Miliband and his Conservative and Liberal Democrat shadow spokesmen attacked each other's policies at a special debate organised by the Guardian.

On the Labour government's planned expansion of Heathrow airport – which is opposed by the other two parties – Tory spokesman Greg Clark was forced to deny his party wants to expand another airport in the south-east. It is an idea supported by at least one shadow cabinet colleague and the Tory London mayor Boris Johnson. Speaking at the Guardian's special green hustings, Clark said: "We have no plans to build another runway in the south-east." Aviation critics, however, pointed out that this did not rule out increasing the use of a smaller airport such as Luton.

While Labour and the Conservatives agreed on new nuclear power stations, Miliband accused the Lib Dems of "ducking" difficult issues, and asked their spokesman Simon Hughes to explain how his party would meet their pledge to cut electricity emissions without it.

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Tickets have sold out for our climate debate featuring Ed Miliband, Greg Clark and Simon Hughes. But you can still take part by posting a question below … and follow the debate on a live audio stream and via Twitter

Tomorrow, the three politicians who are fighting to be the next climate minister will lock horns in the Guardian's climate and energy election debate.

While tickets for the event in London are sold out, you can still put your question for the speakers - Ed Miliband for Labour, Greg Clark for the Conservatives and Simon Hughes for the Liberal Democrats - by posting it below. As Andy Atkins of Friends of the Earth argues today, all three major parties recognise the importance of acting on climate change, but they still desperately need "a seismic shift in political thinking."

You can also hear the trio's answers by listening to our live audio stream and following our live Twitter coverage tomorrow night - check back at environmentguardian.co.uk at 7pm on 21 April or just follow us on @guardianeco. Share your thoughts on how the candidates rated below and on Twitter with the hashtag #climatedebate.

Green policies lack detail but some experts detect 'seismic shift' in new era of regulations, sanctions and subsidies


Cover of the Labour Manifesto 2010: a green future for all?

"After 13 years they have finally understood that they can't create a low carbon, secure energy supply in this country without some more intervention," said Matthew. "[We need] certainty for investors so they shift their money from high to low carbon energy services. They need that support to get off the ground, but eventually they'll stand on their own and end up cheaper than the fossil fuel industries."

Click source to read FULL report from Juliette Jowit. Our opinion on this is that the importance of "Man Made" Climate Change will be dropped within the next few years. No longer will it be put forward as an issue that concerns the direct action of "Man". Instead Governments will come to their senses about how to help people adapt from a less active Sun and a cooler world.

The warmer version of our world that has been put forward by the very misinformed media will also be changed after the next election, just like the new Labour manifesto.