2 February 2017

The Green Party has called the decision to push ahead with a third runway at Heathrow airport ‘entirely misguided and unfair’, as the Government publishes plans for the expansion and starts a four month public consultation. [1]

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“The decision to expand Heathrow airport is entirely misguided and unfair.  It is clear the Government is prioritising the whims of the super rich instead of taking seriously the need to protect us all against the threat of climate change.

“It is still unclear how the Government can possibly meet the commitments it made in the Paris agreement while forging ahead with its expansion plan.  Not only will this turn the lives of local people upside down, but it means the rest of the country will have to do more than they already are, in order to reduce carbon emissions.

“The Government should introduce a frequent flyer levy where those who fly the most pay the most. This would tackle both the demand and growing travel inequality, while providing much needed investment to improve our existing transport infrastructure.”

Notes:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/02/heathrow-third-runway-plans-published-for-public-consultation

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Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to official UCAS figures
published today which show that applications for undergraduate nursing degrees
starting in September 2017 are down 23 percent compared with the previous year, said:

“The
Government have been warned repeatedly that cutting bursaries and funding for
student nurses would cut off the future supply of NHS staff. Now we have the
proof that those warnings were right – 23 percent fewer people have applied to study
nursing this year.

“Misguided
reductions in training places under the Tory Government, combined with a never-ending pay squeeze, have left the NHS dangerously short of staff. Patients are
seeing wards closed, operations cancelled and treatments delayed. Now the new
recruits which the health service so desperately needs are being driven away
before they’ve even started.

“The staff
are the lifeblood of our NHS. They give their all to keep the system going in
the face of underfunding and mismanagement by the Tories. The Government ought
to get a grip, show our nursing students that their time and commitment is
really valued, and give them the support they need when they’re setting out on
their careers.”

When the pound was declining a bit more after the Brexit vote we got daily commentaries from the media on this and how they thought  it was caused by the decision of UK voters. Most of the devaluation of the pound actually occurred between July 20165 and April 2016, long before the media thought we would leave the EU. There was a further leg down after June 23rd. Over the last month the pound has been rising against the dollar and the Euro. We rarely get news of this, and the rise is not attributed to the moves recently taken to press on with Brexit.

If someone believes Brexit was the crucial variable when it was falling, why do they change their view when it is rising? Why didn’t the pound fall this month, given the clear indication that the government does now  intend to send the Article 50 letter and has Parliamentary support to do so?