As someone who has advocated leaving the EU for over two decades, I resent people saying I am out to ‘wreck’ the Brexit bill by seeking to amend it. Many of us have huge concerns that we will lose environmental and social protections because of the way the Prime Minister is approaching these negotiations. I am concerned that the Cabinet will attempt to dump protections for everything from wildlife and countryside to workers rights and climate change, by using a combination of exit negotiations and secondary legislation. It is wrong to use the referendum result as cover for by-passing proper Parliamentary scrutiny and the Lords has the job of ensuring that a democratic process is followed throughout the different stages of the negotiations. As for the threats of Lords abolition and replacing it with a democratically elected second chamber, that would be a welcome bonus.
Category: Other issues
Getting rid of Prevent, but keeping safeguarding in higher education
I am proud to be working with Liberty and Alf Dubbs in the Lords to put an amendment to the Higher Education Bill that would drop Prevent. This won’t stop lecturers doing their professional duty of safeguarding any students who might be at risk of being drawn towards violent ideologies, but it will end the dangerous Government imposition of authorised snooping on anyone having so-called ‘extreme’ ideas, even if those ‘extreme’ ideas are non-violent and part of the democratic debate. I do this as someone who was on the Met Police’s domestic extremism database for over 10 years, along with senior journalists and many non-violent campaigners. The government definition of ‘extremism’ is drawn deliberately broad so that it allows the authorities to target anyone they see as challenging the status quo.
Prevent is having the effect of censoring free speech and debate in higher education with student events cancelled and lecturers being expected to report on views that might be considered ‘extremist’.
While many institutions have worked hard to uphold a commitment to the free and vibrant exchange of ideas, they are fighting against the tide of law and policy. This battle is not always won. Some institutions have yielded to the pressure created by the statutory Prevent structure, seriously compromising freedom of expression and discriminating against Muslim students and associations in the process.
A lot of good work is done under the banner of Prevent and this work should continue but alongside the range of existing laws on hate speech and safeguarding people being drawn into terrorism. Prevent is both discredited and a huge danger to democratic freedoms. I hope that the Lords can pass this amendment and start the process of dismantling the Stasi-like structure that has free speech in its grip.
Londoners warned about air pollution, but not the rest of the country
The London Mayor has issued a health warning to millions of Londoners today about air pollution, but the government continues to do nothing to alert people except tweet from its specialist @DefraUKAir account. The official Defra alert page says that there are no alerts at this time, while its forecast for tomorrow is mostly moderate…
“with local areas possibly reaching High levels. These locations will be mainly near busy roads and in urban centres of the Midlands, Yorkshire and Northwest England.”
Jenny Jones commented,
“The Mayor of London clearly cares about the health impacts of bad air on people living and working in the capital, but this government is letting everyone else suffer without any warning whats so ever. When air pollution episodes are capable of triggering an extra 300 deaths as well as hundreds of emergency admissions to hospitals around the country, I think that we have to consider emergency measures to discourage driving, encourage a switch away from diesel and promote less polluting alternatives.”
“The government’s sole aim is to downplay the whole thing. No press release. It doesn’t even make the main DEFRA twitter feed or use the NHS to reach out to vulnerable people. They want to tick the smallest of boxes by putting out the minimum of information. It is then up to those who are vulnerable to respiratory diseases and heart conditions to find that information. It is criminal neglect by a government that has lost two court cases over its inadequate plans.
Lords reform is a matter of when and how
Human Rights Day Reception
On 10th December Jenny attended a reception in Speaker’s House hosted by Amnesty International to mark International Human Rights Day. The event was a great success with Amnesty activists, school groups and parliamentarians all taking part in the Write for Rights campaign, writing letters and other messages to individuals at risk around the world. As a result of the event, Ann Clwyd MP has secured an adjournment debate on Tuesday 13th December where she will be referring to some of the specific cases from the Write for Rights campaign as well as the wider human rights contexts in some of those countries.
Do the police work for us, or for the Fracking corporations?
Fracking is being imposed on people by a government that doesn’t care about local democracy or climate change. This has led to legal challenges and protests as local people try to resist, with the police giving the impression that they are working on behalf of the fracking companies, without understanding their crucial role in supporting peaceful protest. It also appears that the police are using all the tools of anti-terrorism legislation to monitor and repress these protests. It is the biggest example we have of how the measures supposedly put in place to protect us are being used to protect the profits of the corporations from actions by ‘us’, the people.
Image by Randi Sokoloff
Continue reading “Do the police work for us, or for the Fracking corporations?”
Iran’s ecology under threat from oil rush
This is a crucial time for the local people and environment of South West Iran, as the area faces an oil rush prompted by the lifting of sanctions. I agreed to host a meeting in the Lords (alongside Peter Tatchell) to launch a new report on the Ahwaz region because it makes clear that Iran’s ecology matters most to its minority communities whose lives and livelihood are at risk. Continue reading “Iran’s ecology under threat from oil rush”
Budget fuel duty freeze is bad for climate change and air pollution
“The Chancellor’s decision to freeze fuel duty for the seventh year running is bad news for climate change, air pollution and public health. Our country has returned to the bad old days of rising traffic growth and the main political parties are competing over who will build more roads. It’s like the anti-roads campaigns of the early 1990s never happened and our pollution crisis doesn’t exist. Continue reading “Budget fuel duty freeze is bad for climate change and air pollution”
Save our pubs
“This is pub week and that’s where I’m headed this afternoon. Along with other Parliamentarians, I am paying a visit to the ancient Red Lion pub. My favourite pub, out of the dozens I really like, is The Royal Oak in Cerne Abbas, Dorset. It combines cosiness with good food and good beer. Continue reading “Save our pubs”
My letter in support of Hate Crime Awareness Week
“We live in difficult times and it’s ever more important that every person, no matter their background, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, beliefs or ethnicity, should be allowed to live their lives free of the fear of being abused or attacked because of who they are. It’s not only a human right, it also makes our society function better. Our towns, cities, and countryside are happier, more secure places when we accept and enjoy diversity. Continue reading “My letter in support of Hate Crime Awareness Week”
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb 