Sunday 18 July 2010

The Greenwash Fades...

I've actually spoken to people who voted Conservative because 'Cameron said something nice about the environment'. The Green Investment Bank was a fantastic idea, and won them a lot of votes, and the Lib Dems took on the Green New Deal, promising new jobs in the Green Sector, both of which were, of course, Green Party ideas.

The Green New Deal, based on Roosevelt's New Deal, clearly sets out how we can move towards environmental sustainability, whilst creating jobs, rescuing the economy, lifting people out of poverty and ending the need for armed conflict.

Now Cameron has turned his back on this plan, instead favouring his frankly weird Big Society idea, which basically means getting ordinary people to run the country for free whilst still paying (higher) taxes to the people who should actually be running the country.

I have nothing against charities, I donate, volunteer and even work for one, but it must be understood that charities exist where Governments fail. And now the Government is happy to exploit these well meaning people to fund their own interests.

Britain has a unique opportunity to lead the world towards a sustainable, peaceful, fair future, perhaps even making up for the crimes and destruction of the British Empire, but the Coagulation Government has decided instead to opt for abandoning ordinary people to the effects of poverty and climate change, while investing money in more nuclear weapons, more oil, and Cameron coming out saying he wants to make the military front and centre of our national life once again"

A peaceful, sustainable world? Or another British Empire, to protect us from the victims of our own actions? Hope or fear?

2 comments:

  1. Well said.

    There is a real ideological problem with charities for the reason you highlight. More frustrating is that it is self enforcing, once a charity meets a need, government has a get out.

    What are your thoughts on Gift Aid? I have a problem with taxes being diverted from the central pot to charities that I feel are less worthy, although I also think that this goes against the earlier point of charities existing where govt fails...

    ReplyDelete
  2. People are generally loyal to one charity, and they need a gift aid No. for each charity they give to, so it also works as a kind of loyalty scheme. I think the whole scheme is ok, but doesn't go far enough, which brings us yet again to the 'govt fails' point, and is reminiscent of the AV vs PR argument.

    If it wasn't for gift aid Ashford PDSA would have closed by now. Then again, they have a decent stock collector now...

    ReplyDelete