SOCIALIST UNITY

23 October, 2008

Climate March

Filed under: Uncategorized — Derek Wall @ 9:25 pm

   Campaign against Climate Change     www.campaigncc.org

 

NATIONAL  CLIMATE  MARCH 2008

 

SATURDAY DECEMBER 6TH 

 

Part of a Global Day of Action on climate, see  www.globalclimatecampaign.org  - last year 70+ countries were involved.

 

The march this year goes to Parliament Square to demand that the government act now on climate.

 

Starts at 12 noon at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park

 

Climate protest bike ride starts from Lincoln’s Inn Fields at 10.30 am: and joins start of march later.  See  http://www.campaigncc.org/bikeride.shtml   .

 

Speakers will include Nick Clegg MP (leader, Liberal Democrat Party), Michael Meacher MP(ex-environment minister) Caroline Lucas MEP (leader, Green party), and George Monbiot.

 

For info about coaches or other transport from around the country to the march see http://www.campaigncc.org/local.html

 

To download the leaflet for the National March go to  http://www.campaigncc.org/resources.shtml

The March on Parliament has four main themes -
1) NO to a 3rd runway at Heathrow and the runaway expansion in aviation expansion.
2) NO new coal - no new coal-fired power stations as planned at eg Kingsnorth in Kent
3) NO to the expansion of agrofuels - with negative impacts on forests, the climate and world food supply.
4) YES to a renewable energy revolution and green jobs
Come with your own banners, costumes etc on one of these themes (if you fancy !) and join up with others pushing that theme……

The March on Parliament for the Climate marks the Saturday midway through the UN Climate Talks in Poznan, Poland and we make our demands on the UK government in solidarity with the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities that will suffer worst and most immediately from climate change caused overwhelmingly by the rich long-industrialised countries..

We need the government to act now on climate, to stop building coal-fired power stations and new runways - and to begin the renewable energy revolution. We need a tidal wave of people outside parliament to make them act to stop climate catastrophe now ! Be part of that tidal wave, be there ! Next year may be too late. 

 Why  so critical now ? See     http://www.campaigncc.org/whynow.shtml

 

17 Comments »

  1. Nick Clegg ffs.
    A united front of a special kind then.
    I can hear it now; “comrades, it is vital that we get as many people to go to London as possible to send a message to the Blair, I mean Brown, government” etc.

    Comment by Eddie Truman — 23 October, 2008 @ 11:26 pm

  2. Would this be the right place to cheekily plug Saturday’s Profit versus the Planet meeting?

    Taking place in London, it has been organised by the Socialist Party to advertise their new pamphlet, ‘An Inconvenient Question - Socialism and the Environment’ .

    Click on the above link for more details. ;-)

    Comment by Darren — 24 October, 2008 @ 7:24 am

  3. “Would this be the right place to cheekily plug Saturday’s Profit versus the Planet meeting?”

    Hopefuly since I’m going to plug the Scotish demo on the 6th of Dec.

    See http://sccc.byethost3.com/

    Comment by Scott — 24 October, 2008 @ 7:36 am

  4. Plugs should come in 3s.

    Anyone?

    Comment by Darren — 24 October, 2008 @ 9:03 am

  5. Well I wasn’t going to but as a third plug has been requested, once you’ve been on the London march, you could pop along to this:

    http://www.marxismfestival.org.uk/

    Comment by swp member — 24 October, 2008 @ 9:08 am

  6. The Respect conference on Saturday, obviously.

    Comment by Strategist — 24 October, 2008 @ 9:08 am

  7. Damn, beaten to it

    Comment by Strategist — 24 October, 2008 @ 9:09 am

  8. Superb

    The biggest marxism ever!

    Lets start a sweep stake on how many people turn up to the SWP’s icepick festival

    I’m going for 300

    Average age of 45

    Any other offers

    Comment by The Vengence of History — 24 October, 2008 @ 11:07 am

  9. By the way who runs the SWP tghese days

    I do feel it should be one of Cliff’s kids to alighn the party even more with North Korea

    Comment by The Vengence of History — 24 October, 2008 @ 11:08 am

  10. George Monbiot, scourge of the 911 conspiracists, with Michael Meacher, renowned 911 conspiracist.

    fun.

    Comment by unseen — 24 October, 2008 @ 11:57 am

  11. If every demand was met, fully effectively and immediately, what would the overall effect be on the global climate?

    Comment by John Meredith — 24 October, 2008 @ 12:12 pm

  12. For those who wish to investigate a broader view:

    Class, Climate Change and Clean Coal - 1st November 2008, Newcastle, 11.30 -5.30

    Class, Climate Change and Clean Coal
    The Climate Campers and The unions.

    The Upstairs Lounge
    The Bridge Hotel
    Castle Garth
    Newcastle Upon Tyne

    1st November 2008
    11-30 - 5-30
    Speakers and Agenda

    Davie Hopper, Gen Sec, Durham Miners Association
    (NE Area NUM) Chair and introduction to conference

    David Douglass, IWW (and retired NUM official)
    A brief overview on ‘the environment’ and class in the politics of energy

    Rachel Whittaker, Wrekin Anarchist Group, Climate
    Direct actionist;

    Arthur Scargill Hon President National Union Mineworkers. Which way for energy?

    Paul Chatterton; Leeds University and Climate Camp Activist. Why Not Coal?

    Debate and Discussion on first half of conference.
    Dinner Break 1-30 / 2-30
    (There are a great number of cafes and restaurants within five minutes walk of the conference
    or the grounds of St Nicholas Cathedral & the Bigg Market is handy for eating bait)

    Chris Kitchen; General Secretary NUM
    Chair and introduction to second half

    Mr Bob Crow, General Secretary, Rail, Maritime and Transport Union; How we view it.

    Kev Grey, Green Anarchism and Climate Camp direct actionist. How we see it.

    Ian Lavery, President NUM and International Energy and miners Organisation; Prospects for Coal Production and consumption worldwide.

    Paul Morrison; Greenpeace and Climate Camp Activist.

    Stan Herschel, Regional Organiser RMT. On or off
    the rails on Energy and Climate.

    Davie Guy, President North East Area of NUM (and DMA) Prospects for revival of the Great Northern Coalfield.

    Discussion and debate and questions from the floor End of conference 5-30 Social 7-30 with live bands in The Bridge, or the delights of the ‘the toon’ on a Sat night, or stay downstairs in the bar for a more leisurely drink (Invited but not confirmed at time of publicity UNITE, Community, GMB, Powerfuel).

    Organised by IWW Tyne and Wear in conjunction with The NUM and consultation with RMT and the ‘Green’ movement.

    Comment by Red — 24 October, 2008 @ 12:22 pm

  13. Red, I have already blogged this!

    Comment by Derek Wall — 24 October, 2008 @ 1:56 pm

  14. 13# Derek …. The Clean Coal thing…yes you did blog it…. but things seem to move fast on the SU site and posts come thick and fast…. I would be interesting in the Clean Coal folks organised an intervention into the national climate change event although the 2nd main theme is NO NEW COAL… maybe they could organise a humorous float… in the shape of a friendly dinosaur [like Barney] promoting the benefits of Clean Coal technolgy. I seem to remember in the Great Strike in 84/85 a lot of anger was around the closure of Grimethorpe where the NCB was doing it’s experimental work on clean coal technology.
    In our house we rely on a ‘coal fire’ in the lounge as additional heating in the winter…. it’s really expensive and pretty inefficient but it looks really nice…. and I get to play with fire…always comforting!

    Comment by mark anthony france — 24 October, 2008 @ 2:06 pm

  15. #12 Red, whaddya mean, a broader view??!!
    For God’s sake don’t start slagging off the Climate March for not including a wide enough range of speakers, you might meet #1 Eddie Truman coming the other way foaming at the mouth about allowing Nick Clegg to speak, then collide and create a small but powerfully destructive black hole of idiotic sectarianism.

    My mental image of #1 Eddie is a man sitting on his roof as the flood waters rise around his house saying “Thank God we didn’t sell out & invite Nick Clegg to our march when we still had a chance to save the planet”.

    My question for you NUM boys is, if Kingsnorth gets the go-ahead tomorrow, what percentage of the coal burnt there will come from British pits? If your answer is 0% (which is the right answer), then why shouldn’t you guys be 100% in favour of the slogan “NO NEW COAL” which contains the unspoken subtext (IN THE CURRENT MAD PRIVATISED PROFIT-DRIVEN, ENVIRONMENT-BLIND ENERGY POLICY CONTEXT). Nobody in the Green movement isn’t willing to think about British coal in the right context, ie one that looks for a just transition to a low carbon economy with saving the planet as the No.1 imperative.

    Comment by Strategist — 24 October, 2008 @ 10:26 pm

  16. Here’s a good plug:

    Is the Government failing us on climate change ?

    Public Meeting on Thursday 6th November
    7.00 pm at the Friends House, 173 Euston Road (opposite Euston Station), London.

    Speakers include:

    George Monbiot Campaigning environmental author and journalist.
    Zac Goldsmith Editor of the Ecologist magazine and environmental advisor to the Tory party.
    Bob Crow General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)
    Ann Pettifor Strategic Director of Operation Noah, (www.operationnoah.org) Director Advocacy International and a founder of the Jubilee 2000 campaign.
    Phil Thornhill National Coordinator, Campaign against Climate Change

    From http://www.campaigncc.org/

    Where else would you ever find Zak Goldsmith & Bob Crow on the same platform?!

    Comment by Strategist — 24 October, 2008 @ 11:36 pm

  17. “Where else would you ever find Zak Goldsmith & Bob Crow on the same platform?!”

    Kings Cross station?

    Comment by Darren — 25 October, 2008 @ 5:44 am

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