1st Blair speech on environment: pretty rich, but still not Green - GP UK news release
Morgan
24 October: immediate
Blair speech: pretty rich, but still not Green
The Green Party responded to Tony Blair's "Richer, Greener" speech today by
concluding: "What he said was pretty rich, but his policies still aren't
Green".
Principal Speaker Margaret Wright said: "He described the environment as an
urgent issue, but it's taken him four years even to make a speech about it."
"His speech was, predictably, far more spin than substance, which just about
sums up New Labour's environmental record."
"His policy on climate change is to have better emissions targets than the
Tories - not targets for actually helping stop climate change. His fuel tax
doesn't reduce traffic because he doesn't put the proceeds into public
transport. He's enthusiastic about airport expansions, although aviation is
the fastest-growing source of CO2 emissions - and its fuel at 17p a litre
isn't taxed at all. His recycling targets are far too low - because he needs
huge amounts of waste to feed all the incinerators he wants built.
"He talks about business protecting the environment. Well, he made an oil
mogul a peer so he could appoint him Minister for Competitiveness. He made a
GM-foods enthusiast with a large vested interest a peer so he could appoint
him Minister for Science and Technology. Tony Blair's actions speak far
louder than his words."
"He enthused about new road fuels - but he has failed dismally to reduce
traffic, and less pollution won't reduce road accidents or demand for
road building.
"He has missed the point on fuel tax. In the recent fuel crisis he missed a
golden opportunity to explain the social, economic and environmental case
for higher fuel taxes. Road traffic costs the UK about £30 billion a year in
hidden costs - the costs of pollution, congestion and ill-health - which is
like a hidden tax that we pay without realising it. Higher fuel taxes would
cut those hidden costs and raise the revenue to invest heavily in public
transport, so that most people would have genuine choices in transport.
Contact: Principal Speakers: Margaret Wright, 01223 362128 (07967 833161)
and
Mike Woodin 01865 248073 (07050 116865)
Spencer Fitz-Gibbon (press office) tel 0161 225 4863
ENDS