Page 18 - TheWord#16

18 February 2017. POLITICS AND EVENTS www.thewordmedia.org.uk

Government’s Brexit policy

lacks the necessary energy

By Matthew Clifton ment is trying to kill it off before it
becomes cheaper than gas in a few
rexit has been a complete years with the Treasury imposing
omnishambles since the a tax increase on businesses with
vote on the 23 June last rooftop solar schemes.
rd
Byear, and until parliament The government’s own pro-
voted through the Brexit White jections state that only onshore
Paper the government lacked any windfarms could provide cheap-
idea of a plan. However, with Royal er power within the next decade,
Assent expected on March 7 the but the 2015 Conservative elec-
th
UK is at the point of no return but the government’s climate change tion manifesto pledges to “halt
how will it affect energy and tack- regulation, but there is no mention their spread”. The Great Repeal
ling climate change? of the Paris Climate Agreement, Bill opens an opportunity to de-
The UK government lacks any which is based on an improved regulate the markets and remove
coherent energy policy, it only version of that law. It has been re- environmental protections, when
looks to enact overpriced nuclear ported by the Green Alliance that the government should be looking
deals and fracking policies that will whilst private spending on renewa- to radically change the UK’s energy
hinder the UK’s ability to transition bles has increased, public spending infrastructure.
over to renewable energy sources. has decreased drastically. The need to move onto renew-
There was little to no mention This means that within the able energy increases every year
of what government plans are for next years the UK could face an and the government’s current path
energy, environment, and climate energy cliff edge if the government is destructive. The EU is one of the
change beyond Brexit. Energy is doesn’t increase what it spends, leading organisations in tackling
barely mentioned, only within a investment in renewables could climate change and environmental
manner of trade deals and the only fall by 95% by 2020. To meet the issues, with drastic improvements
real mention of climate change climate targets set out by the Paris made recently with the Common
comes under ‘cross-cutting regula- Climate Agreement this needs to Fisheries Policy (CFP), Common
tions’¸ the government want to use be avoided. Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the
The Great Repeal Bill to cut climate However, the government con- Paris Climate Agreement. Many
change and environmental regula- tinue a destructive path environ- commentators agree that after
tions. mentally after cutting spending on years of work and mistakes made
The bill claims the Climate renewables. Particularly the solar originally, the EU have finally be-
Change Act 2008 will under-pin industry, after it claims the govern- gun to make great strides.

Good News TOP 5 Female politicians as

voted on by our readers
and Hope

Angela
Raynor:
a furniture factory, and as a post-
House of Commons. Abbott’s deci-
Born Angela Bow- She also worked in call centres, black woman to have a seat in the
en, she attended woman before eventually stud- sion in 2003 to send her son to the
By Middleton Guardian Oldham and Scarborough. Avondale School, ying to become a solicitor. She private City of London School after
Feb.2 nd.2017 Big Issue no.1166 Jan 2017. Stockport, leaving is MP for Salford and Eccles and criticising colleagues for sending
Big-hearted bobby. PC Stu school as a pregnant the shadow chief secretary to the their children to selective schools,
Continued optimism that Ockwell found two homeless teenager, and with treasury. which she herself described as
Gambia will enjoy greater hu- men sleeping under a motorway no qualifications. “indefensible” and “intellectually
man rights as new President, service bridge near Birch Servic- She is currently the Emily Thornber- incoherent”, caused controversy
Adama Barrow, has promised to es on the M62 near Middleton. Labour MP for Ashton and the ry: Thornberry was and criticism. She is also famous
free political prisoners, remove The vehicle towing their old shadow education secretary. She born in north Sur- for having an affair with Jeremy
repressive laws and take Gambia caravan broke down and after terrifies the Tories just by being rey, the daughter Corbyn.
back into the International Crim- several days the mobile home working class. of Sallie and Cedric
inal Court. became uninhabitable. They Thornberry. She Mhairi Black: born
17 Angolan youth activists had been left begging for food at Rebecca Long studied Law at the 12 September 1994)
who were convicted for holding the services and sleeping rough Bailey: Rebecca University of Kent is a Scottish politi-
a political meeting have been under the bridge. Long-Bailey was before practising as cian. She has been
granted amnesty by the Su- The bobby arranged for born Rebecca Long, a barrister. She is MP for Islington the Member of Par-
preme Court. meals to be donated from Tesco in Old Trafford, to South and Finsbury. liament for Paisley
In Venezuela opposition and KFC stores in Middleton. He Irish parents on 22 and Renfrewshire
leader Rosmit Mantilla has been also arranged an appointment September 1979. Diane Julie Ab- South since 2015,
released after being unfairly im- with Rochdale Council with a Her father, Jimmy bott: (born 27 Sep- when she defeated
prisoned since 2014 for human view to finding the men a 'poten- Long, was a Salford tember 1953) She Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary
rights activism. tial permanent' home. 'PC Ock- docker and a trade union repre- was first elected as Douglas Alexander. She is the only
Amnesty Spring 2017 issue well said the men are victims of a sentative. She began her working the Member of Par- non-Labour politician on our list.
192 catalogue of unfortunate events'. life serving at the shop counter of liament (MP) for She is the youngest elected poli-
Childcare investment of Well done to the kindly po- a pawn shop, an experience that Hackney North and tician to our Parliament since the
£2million in pre-school chilcare lice officer and local people for she says “taught [her] more about Stoke Newington reform act. Although a Scottish na-
for the Boroughs of Blackpool, their generosity! the struggles of life than any de- at the 1987 general tionalist she cites Tony Benn as her
gree or qualification ever could.” election, when she became the first hero.