Tag Archive for 'climate change'

Calderdale Lib Dems meet Nick Clegg at Climate Demo

Published on December 8, 2009 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Hilary Myers, Nick Clegg and local activists at The Wave demonstration


A group of Calderdale activists got up before sunrise on Saturday 5 December and travelled by train to London to join The Wave climate change demonstration. The demo had been organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition (http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/) ahead of this month’s Copenhagen Climate Talks.

“The Copenhagen Summit is providing world leaders with a critical opportunity to make the necessary agreements on action to reduce the rate and effects of climate change,” said Hilary Myers, the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Calder Valley in the forthcoming general election. “We had to show our political leaders just how strongly we feel about the importance of this Summit. I am an optimist but we do need to act and we need to act fast.”

Hilary and the Calder Valley contingent arrived at the start of the march just in time to join a Liberal Democrat rally and to have a chat with Party Leader, Nick Clegg (see picture). “Nick knows that there is strong support for urgent action on the environment across our Calder Valley communities”, Hilary reported. “He also welcomed the fact that the crowd of people gathered to hear his rallying cry included activists from a range of different groups. He said that the public increasingly recognised that the Lib Dems were the Big Green Party in British politics and that all of us committed to climate action were on the same side in the effort to reduce carbon emissions and to strike a fair deal for the poorer nations.” He also paid tribute to Liberal Democrat Youth for all their hard work organising the rally.

Local Lib Dems to join London climate change demo

Published on December 1, 2009 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

A group of Calderdale Liberal Democrats are travelling to London to join The Wave climate change demonstration on Saturday December 5th, which has been arranged by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition (http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/) ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in the fortnight beginning the 7th of September.

“The Copenhagen Summit is providing world leaders with a critical opportunity to make the necessary agreements on action to reduce the effects of climate change.” said Hilary Myers, the Liberal Democrat candidate for the next general election. “We have to show our Government just how strongly we feel about the importance of this Summit. I am an optimist but we need to act and we need to act fast.”

Labour too soft on climate change

Published on October 25, 2009 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Hilary Myers, a local town councillor and parliamentary spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats in Calderdale, is angry that Labour MP’s rejected a motion in the House of Commons this week, calling for a 10% reduction in the UK’s carbon emissions next year.

Hilary and her local Lib Dem colleagues support the popular 10:10 campaign which seeks a commitment from individuals, businesses, councils and government to reducing carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. She wrote to Chris McCafferty, MP for Calder Valley, as follows:

“I am sure you take the threat of climate change as seriously as I do. So can I just urge you to attend the debate in the Commons this Wednesday and vote in favour of reducing carbon emissions by 10% in 2010? Only with an immediate and concerted effort to slash our energy consumption by a significant amount, can we hope to turn the ship of global warming around.”

But Chris McCafferty and a majority of other Labour MPs said no, rejecting the motion. Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy & Climate Change Secretary, gave his reaction to the no vote in the Commons:

“This is a bad day for Parliament, Labour and the planet. The Government has failed to understand the level of public support for the 10:10 campaign or to get the message that people want real political action now to tackle dangerous climate change.

“Britain needs a Government which sets an example and delivers immediate and ambitious carbon reductions in the UK. Today the Government has stopped a clear message from going to the rest of the world that Britain will take action on climate change now.

“Last year Liberal Democrats successfully added an 80% emission reduction target to the Climate Change Act. We will continue to show political leadership in dealing with the climate crisis and we will continue to give the strongest backing to the 10:10 campaign.”