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28 April 2009 by sianberry
Negotiations between the European Parliament and the European Council – the last of which were held last night – have failed to reach a compromise position on the Working Time Directive. The European Parliament voted to end the UK’s opt-out from the Directive in December 2008, but after weeks of negotiations the UK Government has […]
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24 April 2009 by sianberry
Jean Lambert, London’s Green Party MEP, will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mary Wollstonecraft, the mother of feminism, by taking part in a debate about the position of women in politics today. The discussion on "Political Power for Women: How Far Have We Come? Why Does It Matter?" will take place at […]
The potential for more 20mph limits in London in order to reduce road casualties should be fully explored through a borough-led pilot programme, according to a new report published the same week as the Government announced proposals to reduce speed limits on residential roads. The report by the London Assembly Transport Committee – ‘Braking point: […]
Jean Lambert MEP is supporting World Day for Animals in Laboratories on 24 April 2009, and will be attending the rally in central London on Saturday 25 April. She said: "I’m pleased to be supporting the World Day for Animals in Laboratories. Animal testing is an inhumane and outdated process, and scientists have demonstrated that […]
ean Lambert, London’s Green Party MEP, will join local Greens for a walkabout in Kingston next weekend on Saturday 2nd May. Jean will be meeting residents and discussing the key issues for the borough. Education is one area of concern. Kingston’s schools are hugely oversubscribed, and in March the council admitted that it faced a […]
Defra announced today that it was submitting its application for a further delay on crucial EU air quality targets — targets that the UK was meant to meet by 2005 (1). EU air quality targets are negotiated in the EU Parliament to reduce the pollutant particles found in London’s air. These particles have been linked […]
21 April 2009 by sianberry
Dr. Shahrar Ali, Brent Green Party’s spokesman for the environment, says the use of the chemical Glyphosate to kill weeds could put the safety of London residents at risk. Shahrar said: “There are still investigations in the European Union whether or not it could be allowed because there are cases where it could be causing harm to human health. […]
A motion has been tabled for the agenda of the next public meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority on the 30th May, 10am at City Hall. The motion recognizes that policing the G20 demonstration on the 1st April was: "difficult, but believes that the strategy and tactics adopted by the Metropolitan Police were fundamentally wrong." […]
The London mayor has so far failed to come up with the money to deliver on his promise of three new rape crisis centres in London. Only £233,000 a year was included in this year’s budget towards the centres. Jenny Jones was only one of two Assembly members who supported an amendment to the budget […]
As Boris Johnson approaches his first anniversary as London Mayor on 2nd May, Green Assembly Member, Darren Johnson AM, reflects on the Mayor’s first year in office. Darren said, “Although there have been one or two bright spots such as scrapping Ken Livingstone’s six-lane road bridge and planting more trees, Boris Johnson’s overall performance has been deeply depressing. We have […]
20 April 2009 by sianberry
Competition between mobile phone companies is wasting almost 300 GWh a year due to duplication of telephone network equipment, says a new report from the Green Party. According to the report, published Monday 20 April, the amount of energy currently wasted by the mobile phone networks would be enough to: * Run almost a third […]
17 April 2009 by sianberry
Darren Johnson, London Assembly Member, and Green Party spokesperson on trade and industry, says the "scrappage" policy likely to feature in this month’s Budget is "fundamentally flawed." Darren Johnson said: "This was tried in Germany. It increased sales of new cars by 40% but it probably had little real positive impact. Consumers simply shifted their […]
16 April 2009 by sianberry
Today the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality voted to set maternity leave at a minimum of 20 weeks, as well as giving a strong political signal on paternity leave. London’s Green MEP, Jean Lambert, commented: "There is no bigger event for an individual or a family than welcoming a new child […]
15 April 2009 by sianberry
Jenny Jones, the Home Affairs spokesperson for the Green Party (and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority) responds to the release of footage of a police officer striking a woman protester on the 2nd April 2009: "This new video footage confirms what many of us knew, that the assault on Ian Thomlinson was far from […]
9 April 2009 by sianberry
A major protest will be taking place in London this Saturday 11 April, calling on the UK Government to exert its powers to help the Tamil citizens trapped and dying as a result of fighting in Sri Lanka. Jean Lambert, the Green Party MEP for London, will be joining the protests on Saturday and speaking […]
8 April 2009 by sianberry
Jenny Jones, Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson and London Assembly member, has called senior police in the Met "complacent" over their belief their officers behaved professionally at all times during policing of the G20 protests. Jones labelled the aggressive tactics used by police offices to manage G20 demonstrations as a threat to public safety. Jones […]
6 April 2009 by sianberry
Today, on National Pensions Action Day (Monday 6 April), the Green Party announces its key election pledge for pensioners – a £165 a week non-means-tested citizens’ pension for every pensioner in the UK. The pledge will form part of the Green New Deal for Older People, which the Green Party will launch in the build-up […]
Surveying the outcomes of this week’s G20 summit, one of Britain’s leading Green politicians today called the summit’s outcomes a "kick in the teeth for British industry and global sustainability." Darren Johnson AM, Green Party spokesperson on trade and industry, said: "British industry needs a shot in the arm, but it’s been given a kick […]
5 April 2009 by sianberry
Jenny Jones, the Metropolitan Police Authority member who has formally complained over police tactics during the G20 demonstrations, has spoken out again today (1). Ms Jones, a Green Party member of the London Assembly and her party’s spokesperson on home affairs, said today: "I’m very concerned about reports gradually coming out about the death of […]
3 April 2009 by sianberry
Jenny Jones AM has written a formal letter to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to express her concerns about the treatment of the G20 protesters by the police (see below). The Assembly Member first brought up anxiety over the kettling of protesters outside Bank of England and in the Climate Camp in Bishopsgate at the Metropolitan […]
2 April 2009 by sianberry
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MEP has described the tactics used by the Metropolitan Police at yesterday’s G20 protests as "disproportionate and provocative." Throughout today, reports had been coming in from Greens who had been involved in the protest. One party member involved said she had "returned shaken and appalled at the policing tactics employed […]
Today the European Parliament adopted the report by Dutch Green MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg, which extends discrimination protection beyond the labour market to goods and services for the discrimination grounds of sexual orientation, disability, age and religion/belief. The proposal now appears likely to be adopted during the Swedish Presidency of the EU, following last week’s commitment […]
1 April 2009 by sianberry
Jean Lambert, the Green Party MEP for London, has today spoken out in support of the peaceful protests taking place ahead of the G20 summit meetings. Thousands of people gathered in London to express concerns about a wide range of issues, from climate change to the collapse of the economy, as well as growing inequality […]