From Brent Friends of the Earth
Parliamentary candidates for Brent Central were questioned on their green credentials at Brent Friends of the Earth's Eco Hustings last Thursday in Willesden.
Photo: Jonathan Goldberg
Parliamentary candidates for Brent Central were questioned on their green credentials at Brent Friends of the Earth's Eco Hustings last Thursday in Willesden.
Green candidate Shahrar Ali, Labour’s Dawn
Butler, Conservative Alan Mendoza and UKIP's Stephen Priestley, along
with Ollie Hayes, Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, were on the
panel. Friends of the Earth's Energy and Climate Change Campaigner,
Rose Dickinson took the chair. The panel faced an audience of 60
local residents and party supporters at the Learie Constantine West
Indian Association. John Boyle of TUSC, and the Liberal Democrats
were also invited.
Climate change, fracking, fuel poverty, TTIP,
industrial farming and air pollution were amongst the the issues
discussed.
Viv Stein, Spokesperson for Brent Friends of
the Earth says, “This election has come at a crucial time for our
future. In order to avoid catastrophic climate change we need to
leave 80% of fossil fuels in the ground, and invest in renewable
energy instead. The current coalition promised to be 'the greenest
Government ever' but have failed to live up to this. They've
supported gas and oil companies with huge tax breaks, and have
damaged investment in green energy in the UK by cutting incentives
for renewables.”
“It was good to hear all the candidates
talking green, but they and their parties will need to deliver
robust, joined-up and sustainable policies to provide a secure future
for us all.”
“We asked candidates to sign a pledge that
they won't support fracking in Brent or elsewhere, but as yet only
Labour,* the Green and UKIP candidates have signed up.”
You can check which candidates have signed the
frack free pledge at HERE
Videos of the meeting available HERE
* Note from Martin Francis: John Boyle, the TUSC candidiate has pointed out that Dawn Butler has NOT signed according to the FOE website. He has signed on behalf of TUSC. In Brent North only Scott Bartle, the Green candidate, has signed. LINK
* Note from Martin Francis: John Boyle, the TUSC candidiate has pointed out that Dawn Butler has NOT signed according to the FOE website. He has signed on behalf of TUSC. In Brent North only Scott Bartle, the Green candidate, has signed. LINK
Funniest bit of the hustings was Dawn admitting she didn't know much about the environment but people should still vote vote for her because she'd be prepared to work with Shahrar! Why not just vote for Shahrar!
ReplyDeleteBecause Shahrar as about as much chance of winning as Martin does of ever becoming a Councillor
DeleteShahrar or Dawn? I know who I'd go for and we need Francisim in Brent Council.
DeleteFunniest moment in the hustings was Dawn admitting she didn't know much about the environment but green-minded voters should still vote for he because she was prepared to work with Shahrar! Why not just vote for Shahrar!
ReplyDeleteDid Dear Dawn have anything to say on housing - about which she clearly knows more than she does on the environment?
ReplyDeleteTory Alan Mendoza said he would sign the frack free pledge only if it was amended to include investing in renewable energy, when his own party have slashed incentives for renewables. Hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteFollowed the link. Labour has not signed up to the fracking pledge.
ReplyDeleteThis article is wrong. I was not invited for TUSC Brent central. If I had have been I would have come.
ReplyDeleteYes you were. Invitations via twitter were sent on 2 March and 23 March, they are online for all to see. It's not the organisers fault that you don't monitor the @tuscbrent twitter accoun properly, rather than just auto-posting links.
DeleteA shame as I would have liked to hear what you had to say.
Word of advice. Send invites direct to candidates. I'm on twitter.
ReplyDeleteThere are at least 30 John Boyles on twitter, how was the organiser to know which account to invite? There's only one tuscbrent account and they messaged it twice. This was your error, not theirs.
DeleteIn fact your name on twitter doesn't even come up under a search for "John boyle"
DeleteDawn said at the meeting that she would sign the no fracking pledge but she hasn't. She's already breaking promises and she's not even elected yet!
ReplyDeleteUKIP did not sign anything - this is libellous.
ReplyDelete