Come along for a sociable evening, getting together to discuss fossil fuel divestment and how to write convincing letters to politicians and then getting straight down to some communal letter-writing to Hexham MP Guy Opperman. Fossil fuel divestment is a growing movement devoted to getting public institutions like local government pension funds, universities and religious institutions to stop funding climate change by investing in fossil fuels and reinvest in ethical climate solutions. MP Guy Opperman, who is also UK Pensions Minister, recently started opposing divestment, saying that we should instead ‘nudge and cajole’ fossil fuel companies into shifting their business practices. But, despite years of investors voting and encouraging companies to become more climate friendly, there has been very little action – the 5 biggest fossil fuel companies put only 3% of their 2019 expenditure into renewables.We want to write to him and arrange to meet with him as constituents to show our support for full divestment from fossil fuels. As pensions minister, Opperman has national influence on this and we as local constituents are uniquely well placed to change his mind. Join us for a Zoom call where we will learn more about fossil fuel divestment and Guy Opperman’s position on it from a member of the Divest Parliament campaign, who will also share tips and tricks for how to write convincing letters to MPs. We’ll then stay together on the call to write some letters, share our thoughts, and chat.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82901213320

Nick’s Campaign Starts Here

I’m delighted to say that I’ve been accepted as Tynedale Green Party’s candidate for the Humshaugh ward in next year’s county council elections. It won’t be an easy win, but we’ll be giving it our very best shot. We won’t succeed unless we deliver a really strong literature campaign, and that will cost a lot of money. If you possibly can, please donate to my campaign Crowdfunder at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/nick-morphets-county-council-election-campaign, and don’t forget to share the link too! If you don’t feel that you can make a donation but would like to support the campaign in another way, please get in touch via: info@tynedale.greenparty.org.uk or nick.morphet@tynedale.greenparty.org.uk
– we’re currently looking for people to take on a monthly delivery round, and for others to do survey work.
Many Thanks Nick

Family Bike Ride

A socially-distanced family bike ride is happening on Saturday 11th July to raise awareness of the need for better cycling infrastructure (cycle lanes and cycle paths). Sounds good to us! Meet at the Old Bus Station in Hexham at 11am for a ride from Hexham to Corbridge and back.

GUY OPPERMAN BETRAYS FARMERS

 

Our MP tells us (Hexham Courant, 19th May) that the new Agriculture Bill will reward UK farmers for high standards of animal husbandry and land management, and that it “lays the foundation for British produce to make a real impact in the global market place”. He fails to acknowledge that global markets could have a negative impact on British producers, and it’s easy to see why. On the same day that Mr Opperman voted for the Agriculture Bill, he voted against an amendment to that bill that would have protected UK farmers from the harmful effects of low standard food imports.

The “trade amendment” would have secured food safety, animal welfare and environmental safeguards for imported food, ensuring that UK farmers were able to compete on a level playing field, and it was strongly supported by the National Farmers’ Union. Although 22 rebel Tory MPs voted for the amendment, Mr Opperman chose to toe the government line.

The amendment was defeated, and there is now a very real possibility that UK farmers will find themselves undercut by imported products produced to lower standards than those to which they must themselves comply. The Agriculture Bill that we deserve would uphold food standards not only today and tomorrow, but over the course of many future governments and many future generations. Unfortunately, our government is putting free trade and the quest for short-term profit before the long-term interests of human, animal and planetary health.

The recently announced dual tariff system, which will subject low standard imports to higher tariffs, is papering over the cracks at best – there are no guarantees whatsoever that tariffs won’t be lowered or scrapped. Mr Opperman says (Hexham Courant, 19th June) that the government “will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards”, but this is a lie – the compromise has already been made.

The dual tariff proposal (which wouldn’t exist without the trade amendment’s defeat) was accepted at a ministerial meeting on 1st June and will make low standard food imports a reality if and when the US accepts it. By voting against the trade amendment, Mr Opperman became complicit in the government’s perfidious manoeuvres. When forced to choose between self-interested party loyalty and supporting his constituents in the agricultural sector, our MP chose the former over the farmer. Do you feel well represented? I don’t.

Nick Morphet, June 2020.

A thank you from Nick

I’m proud and honoured to have been given the opportunity to represent the Green Party at the general election and I would like to thank everyone who gave me their vote. The national result was a deeply disappointing one for progressive politics, but I am encouraged that the Green Party received over 850,000 votes across the UK, a 60% increase on 2017. Green Party votes in the Hexham constituency increased by 38%.

In a year when Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion and the student climate strikers have pushed environmental issues right to the top of the political agenda the Green Party argued that this should be the Climate Election. The new government has the enormous responsibility of delivering a massive decarbonisation that gets us back on track to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement. Nothing has ever been more important. We can only hope that the Conservatives come to realise the scale of the crisis and begin to act with the urgency required. Rest assured that the Green Party will continue fighting for action on the climate and biodiversity crisis. I will remain part of that fight and I will continue to hold Mr Opperman to account on behalf of people and planet.

I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to support our positive and hopeful campaign; those who delivered leaflets, knocked on doors and stood at our stall in the cold. I would also like to thank my fellow parliamentary candidates for conducting a principled and clean campaign.

The election campaign has made two things abundantly clear. First, our electoral system is broken and desperately needs reform; no-one should have to ‘hold their nose’ and vote tactically for a party they don’t believe in. Second, we will struggle to overcome the climate and biodiversity crisis unless we heal the deep divisions in our society and I very much hope to be part of this healing process.

Yours,

Nick.