The news in tweets: Sunday, July 23, 2023
Tories AND Labour throw green policies into the fire – but who is most responsible?
Let’s make a few connections.
Energy minister Grant Shapps has unilaterally decided that the environment can burn, and to this end has announced that he’ll extract all the remaining fossil fuels from the North Sea in the name of “energy security”:
The planet is burning and the Tory response is to stoke the fire.
Unbelievably, this is from the FT this morning: pic.twitter.com/dGj6ShthPQ
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) July 23, 2023
If we’ve learned anything from the state of the environment lately, it is that there is no security in energy generated from fossil fuels. As Richard Murphy states, the planet is burning and the Tory response is to stoke the fire.
Now let’s go over to the party formerly known as Labour, where leader Keir Stürmer is trying to dictate to London Mayor Sadiq Khan that he should “reflect on” (ditch) the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone that keeps more heavily-polluting traffic out of the centre of the capital because it was the issue that lost their party the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
This is idiotic for several reasons. Firstly, Stürmer’s STP (Substitute Tory Party) should not have lost because of ULEZ, which is a Conservative policy. It was imposed by Boris Johnson – the former MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, whose resignation triggered the election – so all Stürmer’s candidate had to do to counter criticisms of his party and mayor was point this out.
Secondly, we know this didn’t happen because people with non-polluting cars, who would not have paid the charge, were complaining about it on the doorstep. Perhaps they didn’t like being told it was nothing to do with them, but it’s more likely that they simply weren’t told that at all.
On ULEZ and the Uxbridge hold…
Note this from a Labour campaigner:
“We had people with a Tesla in the driveway saying it was outrageous that they would have to pay”
Labour don’t need to ditch ULEZ
They need to employ a better comms team.
— Marina Purkiss (@MarinaPurkiss) July 23, 2023
Thirdly, the ULEZ is not something Khan can unilaterally change; it was imposed on London by the Department for Transport when it was being run by… oh yes! Grant Shapps.
So Starmer blames the defeat in Uxbridge on ULEZ, a policy he supported only two weeks ago??!
And then points the finger at Khan, even though it’s a Tory policy which Khan had to introduce or lose government funding.
What a mess! And this is just a by-election…. https://t.co/XUkJnxZ0DX pic.twitter.com/F17VxmunyQ
— Phil Gould 🇵🇸🖕🥁 (@bongosaloon) July 22, 2023
So Shapps is magically facing in two different directions at once.
And Stürmer is apparently being dishonest about the reason his party lost the election.
It’s all very well saying, “We lost because of the ULEZ”, but if his people didn’t actually defend themselves on it, that’s their fault.
Doesn’t it seem more likely that it is an excuse that is being inflated to hide a different reason for the loss.
What could that reason be?
https://twitter.com/TheMendozaWoman/status/1682784488609267718
Everyone is quick to blame ULEZ for the Uxbridge Tory Hold — but I’d like to see some data on whether Starmer going on national TV to say he will keep 250,000 children in food poverty, just before an election, might have had an impact? Maybe? Who knows.
— Philip Proudfoot (@PhilipProudfoot) July 21, 2023
That’s not his only blunder…
Starmer (and his brave-as-fuck colleagues) stand arms on hips and say No. Money. For. Hungry. Children
Starmer (and his brave-as-fuck colleagues) stand arms on hips and say Of. Course. It. Is. Right. The. King. Gets. A. 45%. Rise
WHO ARE these people who claim to be "leftwing"?
— Tom London (@TomLondon6) July 22, 2023
Also:
Policies Starmer abandoned in the last 7 days
• Abolishing the two child cap
• Supporting Sure Start
• Free School Meals extension
• Air pollution controls in LondonLabour is now opposed to all of the above. Don’t worry, the Green Party still support all of the above.
— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) July 23, 2023
Call me a scaremonger if you like, but it seems to This Writer that the most logical reason his party lost in Uxbridge and South Ruislip is Keir Starmer himself.
Keir Mather: fact and fiction about the new, Starmerite MP for Selby and Ainsty
Thank you for the apology, but you’ve missed the point entirely. It doesn’t matter where Mather went to school, what matters is his ability to be an MP.
— Owen Bell (@Owen_Bell96) July 23, 2023
And on that subject…
I see the baby of the House worked for a former Tory MP. @skwawkbox has the details.https://t.co/7FT5bVd5NE via @skwawkbox
— Chris Williamson (@DerbyChrisW) July 22, 2023
Apparently he was a researcher for former Tory MP Matthew Parris.
Forgive me, but I question whether that’s the right sort of grounding for a person who now represents the party that is supposed to support working people.
The Tory government has decided that saving the lives of disabled people who have to live in high-rise tower blocks is too expensive
The government made a secret political decision that it would be too expensive and impractical to ensure that disabled people can safely evacuate from high-rise blocks of flats in emergencies, the high court has concluded. #Grenfell #PEEPshttps://t.co/d7aX01h5zI
— Disability News Service (@johnpringdns) July 23, 2023
How many hundreds of billions of pounds have they given to their friends and donors in return for absolutely nothing at all?
Sunak’s doublespeak: he wants you to think his theft of your rights is something you have demanded
Rishi Sunak has tweeted that his anti strike bill is “delivering your priorities”
Since when was robbing workers of their democratic right to strike, forcing them to work against their will & allowing them to be sacked if they refuse a people’s “priority”?
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) July 22, 2023
Standing ovation for Mick Lynch after speech about the ‘stench of corruption’ in Tory government
"Our wealth is being transferred to the super rich. The oligarchs are running the country right now and they're running it for their benefit, not the benefit of the people. There is a stench of corruption in this society."
Mick Lynch on 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/l3QVx5T5DI
— The London Economic (@LondonEconomic) July 23, 2023
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The worst part is, that people, just like turkeys voting for Christmas, will still vote tory and fake labour, poundshop tory. There is no hope.