RoadPeace Lawless Roads Report 2017
Today’s report by RoadPeace shows the urgent need to reverse the cuts to traffic police, enforce the rules of the road and provide genuine justice for the victims of dangerous and careless driving. Continue reading “Cuts in traffic police cost lives”
I was involved in taking evidence and drawing up the recommendations in the new report from the Parliamentary cycling group. Many of the stories I heard were of injustice, as the rules of the road are either unenforced by overstretched police or sidestepped through the use of legal loopholes.
For example, does anyone seriously think that the number of driving bans has fallen by 62% over the last 10 years because the quality of our driving has improved? The rules on claiming ‘hardship’ to avoid a driving ban haven’t changed, but the inclination of Magistrates to let people off has. When the ‘exception’ becomes the norm, then the law has to be changed to close the loophole and ensure that dangerous drivers are taken off the road and restricted to using buses/taxis.
The Guardian has a good summary of the report here
The creation of local energy companies could be the best way for Mayors and local authorities to reduce costs for residents and clean up energy supplies. The six metro areas across the U.K. electing a mayor for the first time, don’t have to wait for the Government to create nationally applicable policies, they can act now to create strong policies of their own. Continue reading “Finance is key to local energy independence”
Today, the government revealed that they are reaching for the Henry 8th powers, which are the nearest this country comes to making law by Ministerial diktat. The Lords has to do everything in its power to fight this government power grab. Continue reading “Lords must fight government power grab”
Follow the link to see the range of voices discussing a green Brexit in the Green Business Magazine (paywall, but free trial available). This is taken from the interview I did.
Although I voted Leave, I’m very clear that I don’t want a hard Brexit. I want a Brexit that actually ramps up our environmental and social protections and encourages a greener economy. So the way that I am working now is that I’m assuming Brexit is going to go through and I am working with anyone and everyone who wants the same sort of agenda as I do.
GreenerUK have come up with some environmental criteria and I am supporting them and trying to push that through. So that’s my aim, I’m just looking to make sure that we have good regulations, better than before rather than worse, good enforcement of those regulations and lots of support for people who want to challenge organisations that aren’t living up to those standards. So those are three things that I am very clear that, for me, have got to happen.
We have to work together to make sure that our voice is heard. My fear is once the Great Repeal Bill swaps everything over to this country that by a variety of measures we will start to lose some of the values, some of the principles and protections, that we take for granted.
I still think it’s the right decision to leave, but I think it’s obviously going to be very painful for us. In any sort of big change like this, it’s momentous and it’s going to be painful, but there are opportunities there if we can just get organised.
The Lords failed to stick to its guns and amend the Article 50 Bill to allow a meaningful vote on the final outcome of negotiations and also to secure the rights of 3 million EU nationals who have made this country their home. I voted for both amendments, but unfortunately, only a few brave Labour peers ignored the Labour whip and voted. All others abstained. Continue reading “A sad day for Parliament”
Employment and equality protections
This amendment, which was drafted in collaboration with the Women’s Equality Party, would ensure that, once the UK has withdrawn from the EU, any changes to workers’ rights or equality legislation derived from EU law would be subject to full Parliamentary scrutiny. Continue reading “My ’employment and equality’ amendment to Article 50”
Environmental Regulators
This amendment would ensure that, following withdrawal from the EU, the UK’s environmental regulators and enforcement agencies – namely the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs – are adequately funded and authorised to effectively perform the regulatory functions currently undertaken by EU institutions. We need powerful regulators and courts to ensure that breaches of the law are challenged. Continue reading “My ‘super regulators’ amendment to Article 50”
This amendment would ensure that, in relation to EU-derived environmental protections, the UK judicial system would be ready, following departure from the EU, to effectively perform the enforcement duties currently undertaken by institutions of the EU. Currently, the Commission acts as the guardian of the law and responds to legitimate complaints. Serious breaches are referred to the European Court of Justice, which has the power to sanction, including fines of many hundreds of millions of pounds. Continue reading “My environmental enforcement amendment to Article 50”
Transitional arrangements
This amendment would require the Government to set out, prior to triggering Article 50, a detailed plan for a transitional arrangement with the EU, covering the period between the end of the two-year Article 50 negotiation period, and the coming into force of a final Treaty on the UK’s new relationship with the EU. And it would further require that that plan be approved by Parliament. Continue reading “My ‘safety net’ amendment to Article 50 Bill”
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb 