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Green Labour logo.pngIs Labour back-pedalling on green commitment to cycling?
Unlike its 2010 equivalent, the Labour Party's Green Plan, launched today, contains no mention at all of cycling or transportation policy.
The Labour Party today presented its environmental mini-manifesto, the Green Plan, outlining the steps it will take if elected to tackle climate change, protect the environment and deal with air pollution.
Transportation accounts for around a quarter of UK greenhouse gas emissions, according to Government figures and the Green Party devotes an entire chapter of its manifesto to transport. You might therefore expect some commitment in the Green Plan to limiting CO2 emissions from transportation, but it's not there.
Along with walking, cycling is the most environmentally benign way of getting around, with a minimal contribution to greenhouse gas production or other atmospheric pollution.
In excluding transportation from its Green Plan, the Labour Party has missed the opportunity to detail how it will "promote cycling", as promised in its main manifesto.
It's a substantial change from Labour's 2010 paper, A green future fair for all, which committed Labour to supporting cycling as a means of reducing transport emissions.
In that paper, the party pledged to "drive down emissions from all forms of transport" with "support for buses, cycling and walking".
In particular, the 2010 Labour 'green manifesto' pledged to adopt "strategies to increase cycling and walking."
It cited the Cycle Demonstration and Sustainable Travel Towns and said: "Our new Urban Challenge Fund will provide finance for local authorities that establish ambitious sustainable travel plans with cycling, walking and public transport at their heart."
The new Green Plan was launched by Maria Eagle and Caroline Flint, the Labour Party's Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change respectively in the last Parliament. We have contacted Ms Eagle and Ms Flint to seek clarification regarding the omission of transportation policy.
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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Is getting glue on your pants as big a deterrant as having your testicles removed at high velocity?
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Whilst I understand your anger, I don't think the death penalty is really appropriate in this situation (or ever).
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Have you taught them the two most important signals for expressing your dissatisfaction with someone's driving?
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11 comments
There's only one way to find out - go on, you know you want to!
Cheers for that runskiprun. Seems like me, and the National Housing Association are beyond hope then. Roll on May 7th.
PS I bet you still call the Poll Tax the Community Charge!
I'm a Labour party member and keen cyclist.
To be honest I am more concerned about removing the bedroom tax, reducing the use of zero hour contracts, raising the minimum wages, reducing tuition fees and ensuring VAT isn't raised.
If Labour get in and do these things I will be pleased. Either way, I won't be punching anyone!
This isn't the place for political spats but if you believe that there is a bedroom tax then you are beyond help.
as for the rest of the poppycock spouted by the Ed drones I hope the scales will fall from your eyes.
ps. There's still no money left, thanks Labour!
Of course there is a bedroom tax, officially called the 'Under-occupancy penalty'
"In August 2013 The Independent newspaper released figures that it argued show that 96% of people that will be impacted by the changes are not able to move due to the lack of available social housing.[22]"
A horrible penalty which penalises poor people, many have committed suicide, many will be getting into debt, many have had to visit food banks. You're a nasty person if you think the bedroom tax is just, shame on you.
so it isn't a tax then? by your own admission? and tell me how many of these poor people have committed suicide? So why should these people get more state benefit? I'm an amputee and I get zero from the government, nor do I expect to. this whining about 'the poor' is pathetic. it is money taken from people who work hard and doled out to those who put nothing back.
Keep drinking the Labour Kool Aid.
I wish you people would grow a brain, Labour is not in it for us, they're in it for themselves alone.
PS. Labour always run out of other peoples money.
Funny because that optimises the Tories, the rich party, the nasty party. The biggest shock is coming when the Tories attack the hard working people who their rich mates don't pay enough: benefits sanctions for people receiving child or working tax credits if they can't show that they've been spending all of their time both working and looking for a higher paid job.
Tax cuts and loop holes for the rich and corporations whilst freezing child benefit - that's the Tory way.
It'd make a change if they did what they say.
Given some of the comments at the start of the election campaign, it looks like someone has gone through and removed any reference that might be considered anti-motorist under the belief that it's a vote loser.
If you object to this, do please use facilities such as CTC's VoteBike to raise the profile of cycling as an issue. If you're a Labour party member, please punch someone appropriate.
This would be the Labour Party that's "going to end to war on the British motor"
WTF does that mean ? There are more twat in car than at any other time.
Why do you expect any political party to keep their word at any time?