Month: January 2021

Categories
Blog Posts

Tory shame as children again left hungry

In October 2020 grassroots activists across Britain shamed the Conservative Government into providing free school meals for children during the Covid-19 crisis. The picture below is from the protest outside Tom Tugendhat’s office on 28th October.

With schools now in lockdown, packages have been provided by private companies. Those produced by Chartwells, a company which is part of a organisation with an annual turnover worth £25 billion, have been widely shared on social media.

Digging a little deeper, the company is closely connected with leading Conservative Party figures. It receives £30 for each package of food but the contents are thought to be worth less than £5.

The cronyism and profiteering which we have seen throughout the Covid-19 pandemic are clearly on display here and have been widely and rightly condemned.

If you want to send a signal to the government that its behaviour is wholly unacceptable, vote Labour in May.

Categories
Blog Climate and the environment Posts

Neonicotinoids – back in our fields killings bees

Yesterday it was revealed that the Conservative Government is to allow neonicotinoids to be used in British agriculture again. Lobbying by British Sugar and the National Farmers Union means that Britain becomes one of eleven European countries to allow their ’emergency’ use on sugar beet.

Neonicotinoids, like other pesticides, are designed to kill insects which eat crops. However it is clear that their effects on non-target insects, including bees, is very significant. They also cause pollution in rivers, streams and ponds. In addition, they are considered to be so effective at wiping out insects that they have been linked to declines in bird populations. In summary, they are widely seen as damaging to biodiversity at a time when we are understanding just how depleted the wildlife in Britain and elsewhere has become.

In 2018 Britain declared that it would ban the use of thiamethoxam, the specific neonicotinoid in question. The claim of the government two years on is that their use will be no more than temporary. The scientific consensus is, however, clear that any use of it is an unacceptable threat to biodiversity.

For further information click here.

Categories
NHS Posts

NHS hospitals in Kent likely to be overwhelmed – stay at home, save lives, protect the NHS and hold the Tories to account

Yesterday the NHS internal dashboard recorded that the Darenth Valley Hospital in Dartford was in the top category for measuring pressure on the NHS. This translates as ‘resources overwhelmed’ and may mean that patients cannot be treated there. There is some suggestion that this may in part be an administrative error.

However, Kent Live are also reporting that Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Medway Maritime, Conquest (Hastings), Eastbourne and East Surrey make up six of the ten hospitals in the second highest tier.

Despite the heroic work of our NHS staff, a mixture of Conservative Party underfunding, inequality which has worsened almost unchecked since Thatcher’s election in 1979 and grotesque political incompetence and cronyism means that Britain probably has the worst Covid-19 record of any country in the world. For now the priority must be to save lives. In the years to come we will hold the bungling (and worse) Tories to account.

Categories
Blog Posts

Local elections may be postponed – but register for a postal vote just in case

Reports over the last twenty-four hours suggest that the local elections scheduled for 6th May 2021 may be postponed due to Covid-19. However this is far from certain.

There are certainly thought to be major logistical challenges in organising an election based on postal votes alone, as has been suggested. It is worth registering for a postal vote now to ensure that you can participate if the election goes ahead.

Here in Tonbridge and Malling we have two main areas to focus on. Firstly we will be standing candidates in the Kent County Council elections. We hope shortly to organise the first in a series of meetings to discuss our campaigning priorities (this will of course be online). Secondly we are backing Lola Oyewusi as our candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner election.