Source: RedGreen Labour
FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
- FRIDAY 9 DEC: DEMO: XR North Lakes: Penrith Market Pace, 12.30 pm – with placards: #NO TO NEW COAL, etc.
- SATURDAY 10 DEC: RALLY: XR North Lakes/ West Cumbria FoE – at Whitehaven mine site, 11.00 am – either a celebration or a protest: there will be speeches, plus music from the Wild Chorus (North Lakes):
- The Coal Action Network asks Twitter users to tweet with a photo of them holding up a sign to show their reaction (in ‘Not in My Name’ style) – eg. ‘No New Coal’, ‘We need to Stop Coal Now!’, ‘Coal – or a Future?’, etc.
Tweets to include: #StopCoal @luhc @CoalActionUK
[NB: See photos for use if can’t do own photo]
- If not on Twitter, then please post reactions on any social media platform, and/or use emails to family/friends/local newspapers/councillors/MPs/et
- For further facts/figures/arguments, see South Lakes Action on Climate Change: Towards Transition (SLACCTT) –
ALOK SHARMA [the Tory Party’s Climate Change Champion (COP26)]: In Guardian, 3 Dec on Cumbria coalmine plan:
“Over the past three years the UK has sought to persuade other nations to consign coal to history, because we are fighting to limit global warming to 1.5C and coal is the most polluting energy source.”
“A decision to open a new coalmine would send completely the wrong message and be an own goal. This proposed new mine will have no impact on reducing energy bills or ensuring our energy security.”
Sharma has Tweeted:
- 85% of coal produced is for export, NOT domestic us
- Two major UK steel producers have said they won’t really use it (moving to hydrogen, poor composition/ too much sulphur)
- Won’t reduce energy bills – or take people out of fuel poverty (already very high in west Cumbria, before this current ‘cost of living’ crisis)
- New mine will create 500 jobs – but, according to the Local Government Association there could be 6000 ‘green jobs’ in Cumbria by 2030 (@LGAcomms )
- The govt’s own CCC has said it would INCREASE UK CO2 emissions by 0.4 million tonnes – with clear implications for our LEGALLY-BINDING carbon emissions budgets
- Will be a backward step for UK climate action – and will damage the UK’s ‘international climate reputation’
Twitter: @slacctt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SLACCTT
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Already the backsliding begins. ITV news is reporting that the Government has changed one point in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. They have accepted that academies will retain their ‘freedom’ to set their own pay scales for teachers. So the criteria in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions document will only apply to teachers in Local Authority schools. Why have the Government climbed down on this issue? It’s not as if this is a major financial problem for academies. But what will be the next change/climb down by the Government? Will academies be exempt from the National Curriculum? Will Local Authorities be able to build schools according to the needs of their communities or will all new schools, as at present, have to be academies?