Wednesday 15 August 2007

Do they all support us number 9

'Home is where the heart is' some say, but I reckon 'home is where the best local real ale is'. Bradford provided both for me. We were met by my Gran and Grandad as we marched into Centenary Square in the centre of Yorkshire's greatest city, and sampled some excellent Saltaire Blonde ale later in the evening. It is with great pride I can report that Bradford is now viewed by the marchers as the best city we have visited.

In Bradford we also met two local MPs, Marsha Singh and Terry Rooney. They both said they supported the need for at least an 80 per cent cut in emissions by 2050. However, they seemed less supportive of the policies needed to achieve such a cut. When I mentioned that aviation is excluded from the bill, Marsha Singh responded that flying makes up 2 per cent of emissions. This is wrong - in the UK aviation accounts for 13 per cent of our contribution to climate change.

Terry Rooney said we can't stop poor people flying on holiday. Again, this is wrong. The richest 17 per cent of the UK population account for 64 per cent of flights.

Both the statements of Marsha and Terry come from heavy lobbying by the aviation industry. Our campaigning has to challenge the lies peddled by powerful corporations.

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