George Monbiot: Britain is becoming a toxic chemical dumping ground – yet another benefit of Brexit

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/18/britain-toxic-chemical-dump-brexit-europe

 Illustration: Nathalie Lees/The Guardian

Perhaps our government imagines bulldog spirit will protect us from the dangerous substances that Europe rules unsafe

It’s a benefit of Brexit – but only if you’re a manufacturer or distributor of toxic chemicals. For the rest of us, it’s another load we have to carry on behalf of the shysters and corner-cutters who lobbied for the UK to leave the EU.

The government insisted on a separate regulatory system for chemicals. At first sight, it’s senseless: chemical regulation is extremely complicated and expensive. Why replicate an EU system that costs many millions of euros and employs a small army of scientists and administrators? Why not simply adopt as UK standards the decisions it makes? After all, common regulatory standards make trading with the rest of Europe easier. Well, now we know. A separate system allows the UK to become a dumping ground for the chemicals that Europe rules unsafe.

While negotiating our exit from the EU, the government repeatedly promised that environmental protections would not be eroded. In 2018, for example, the then environment secretary Michael Gove, in a speech titled Green Brexit, claimed “not only will there be no abandonment of the environmental principles that we’ve adopted in our time in the EU, but indeed we aim to strengthen environmental protection measures”. Such pledges turn out to be as dodgy as a £3 coin with Boris Johnson’s head on it.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/18/britain-toxic-chemical-dump-brexit-europe

Continue ReadingGeorge Monbiot: Britain is becoming a toxic chemical dumping ground – yet another benefit of Brexit

Who is Jim Ratcliffe, the pro-Brexit billionaire promised €700m from UK government to build ‘carbon bomb’ in Europe?

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https://leftfootforward.org/2024/03/who-is-jim-ratcliffe-the-pro-brexit-billionaire-promised-e700m-from-uk-government-to-build-carbon-bomb-in-europe/

Environmental campaigners warn that Ratcliffe’s controversial ‘Project One’ will bring ‘US-scale plastic production to Europe.’

Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s pro-Brexit billionaire, hit the headlines this week with news that the government is providing a €700m guarantee for him to build the biggest petrochemical plant in Europe in 30 years. The plant will turbocharge the production of plastic.

Left Foot Forward takes a look at who Ratcliffe is, and how his controversial ‘Project One’ that will bring ‘US-scale plastic production to Europe’ is recieving significant financial guarantees from the Tory government.

Ratcliffe’s story is one of capitalist meritocracy, of someone who grew up on a council estate in Failsworth, Manchester, and went on to become the wealthiest man in Britain. He studied chemical engineering at Birmingham University and gained an MBA from London Business School in 1980. Having worked as a chemical engineer, in May 1998 he founded Ineos. The multinational is one of the largest chemical producers in the world and plays a significant role in the oil and gas market.  According to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, the company’s owner, Ratlcliffe, is worth £27.9bn.

This week, it was announced that the government is providing a €700m guarantee for Ratcliffe to build a huge petrochemical plant in Europe. The site will import fracked shale gas from the US to provide the ethane which will produce 1450 kilotons of ethylene – the building block of plastic – a year.

The plant is being constructed by Ineos in the Belgian city of Antwerp. Environmental campaigners have described the petrochemical plant as a ‘carbon bomb,’ warning that it will turbocharge plastic production on a scale not seen before in Europe, at a time when countries are hoping to negotiate a binding global treaty to tackle plastic pollution. The ‘Project One’ plant has faced a long-running legal battle by environmental groups. In the summer of 2023, the building of Ratcliffe’s €3bn plant was halted after a landmark court victory by the NGOs. A new legal challenge argues that the true impact of the development on people, nature and the climate has not been considered.

“There is a huge problem of plastic pollution from nurdles already in Antwerp and the Netherlands. This plant will bring US-scale plastic production to Europe,” said Jeroen Dagevos, of the Plastic Soup Foundation, one of the NGOs challenging Project One.

https://leftfootforward.org/2024/03/who-is-jim-ratcliffe-the-pro-brexit-billionaire-promised-e700m-from-uk-government-to-build-carbon-bomb-in-europe/

Continue ReadingWho is Jim Ratcliffe, the pro-Brexit billionaire promised €700m from UK government to build ‘carbon bomb’ in Europe?

Embarrassment for GB News after their own poll shows 90% of voters choose to ‘rejoin the EU’

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https://leftfootforward.org/2024/02/embarrassment-for-gb-news-after-their-own-poll-shows-90-of-voters-choose-to-rejoin-the-eu/

GB News won’t be happy…

GB News was left embarrassed after the right-wing channel’s own poll showed that an overwhelming majority of respondents want to rejoin the EU, not a result that the channel would’ve been happy with.

Over the weekend, eight years after Britain left the EU, GB News decided to carry out a poll to gauge public opinion on Brexit. They would’ve done well to remember that a number of polls over recent months have shown that a majority favour rejoining the EU, with the demand to reverse Brexit reaching is highest ever level in one poll.

However, GB News decided to put their poll behind a paywall, meaning that only paying readers could participate. Author Edwin Hayward then decided to tweet a link to the poll which bypassed the paywall, allowing others to join in on the voting.

With a wider sample now participating in the poll, the overwhelming majority of votes went to rejoin, with over 90% of voting to rejoin the EU.

https://leftfootforward.org/2024/02/embarrassment-for-gb-news-after-their-own-poll-shows-90-of-voters-choose-to-rejoin-the-eu/

Continue ReadingEmbarrassment for GB News after their own poll shows 90% of voters choose to ‘rejoin the EU’

UK economy suffering ‘long-term’ economic cost of Brexit, Goldman Sachs group says

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https://leftfootforward.org/2024/02/uk-economy-suffering-long-term-economic-cost-of-brexit-goldman-sachs-group-says/

“The evidence points to a significant long-run output cost of Brexit,” the economists at Goldman’s wrote.

Yet more evidence has emerged of just how disastrous the decision to leave the EU has been for the UK economy, with economists at Goldman Sachs group saying that real GDP has underperformed by about 5%.

In a research note published earlier this month, Sven Jari Stehn and colleagues said that Brexit had resulted in reduced growth and higher inflation, with ‘reduced international trade, weak business investment and a drop in migrants coming from Britain’s largest trade partner all contributing’, Bloomberg has reported.

It comes as a number of studies have warned of the harmful consequences of Brexit, with the Bank of England saying last year that the decision to leave the EU has cost the average UK household £1,000, due to a lack of investment following the referendum.

https://leftfootforward.org/2024/02/uk-economy-suffering-long-term-economic-cost-of-brexit-goldman-sachs-group-says/

Continue ReadingUK economy suffering ‘long-term’ economic cost of Brexit, Goldman Sachs group says

Left Foot Forward

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A few articles from Left Foot Forward, this blog’s favourite blog

This is how we can start to curb fat-cattery and low pay

Inequitable distribution of income has severe consequences.

The Post Office scandal has once again exposed the shortcomings of performance related pay for company directors. The company had remuneration committees staffed by hand-picked obedient non-executive directors. None opposed the rewards accruing from wrongful prosecution of more than 900 subpostmasters and dutifully rewarded directors. Paula Vennells, chief executive from 2012-2019 picked up bonuses of £2.2m for wrecking lives.

Performance related pay has boosted the remuneration of directors even when performance is negative, as exemplified by the 2007-08 financial crash, collapse of Carillion, BHS, London Capital and Finance, Patisserie Valerie, Debenhams and others.

The bottom line is a key feature of most performance related remuneration schemes. The median tenure of a FTSE100 CEO is about 3.75 years and temptation is to grab higher pay in the shortest possible time. Profits can be boosted by depressing wages, dodging taxes, postponing repair and maintenance; cutting investment and spending on innovation; and by using novel accounting practices. Directors are rewarded for such tactics as shareholders chase short-term returns. Little attention is paid to the long-term damage and social cohesion.

Workers invest their brain, brawn and life in companies but have become just another disposable commodity. In the words of former US President Abraham Lincoln: “Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”

Inequitable distribution of income has severe consequences. Millions struggle to have access to good food, housing, education, pension and other essentials. Inequalities are a threat to democracy as the rich are able to control media, buy lobbyists and fund political parties to advance their interests, to the exclusion of the vast majority of the people.

Demands for public ownership as water bills set to rise above inflation

Feargal Sharkey exposes injustice of water bill rise in a single tweet

Question Time audience slams government’s position on Gaza ceasefire

“I have never been more upset and disappointed in our current government”

“I think a ceasefire is crucial,” one audience member said, adding: “What I also think is crucial is that the UK government is held to account for their role in licensing arms to Israel at the moment.” Her contribution was met with applause from the rest of the audience.

Another member of the audience echoed her comments, saying: “I have never been more upset and disappointed in our current government, with how they have dealt with the situation.”

He then went on to say: “Whether it’s the Conservative Party, and even the Labour Party – it’s an absolute disgrace. How many lives need to be lost? We have been 25-30,000 Gazan lives, people who have done nothing wrong. I completely echo what you say. Israel do have a right to defend themselves – absolute. But at the risk – not at the risk – the death, murder of 25-30,000 people who have done nothing wrong, I can’t understand this.”

Bombshell poll reveals the extent to which the public think Brexit has been a failure

Four years on after Britain left the European Union, a damning new poll shows just how disillusioned the public are with Brexit, with the majority believing it to be a failure.

The poll, carried out by Ipsos for the Evening Standard, found that 57% believe Brexit has been more of a failure than success, while only 13% say that it has been a success.

Younger adults, Londoners, and graduates are more likely to say that Brexit has been a failure.

A breakdown of the survey results showed that 70% of 18 to 34-year-olds think Brexit has been more of a failure, as do 64% of 35-54s, compared to 38% of those aged 65+.

Many of the promises made by Brexiteers have failed to materialise, including grater control of borders, free trade deals with America and of course who could forget the promise to invest £350 million more a week into the NHS after Brexit.

Continue ReadingLeft Foot Forward

A million undecided voters believe Brexit has failed and want Labour to pursue closer ties to the EU

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https://leftfootforward.org/2024/01/a-million-undecided-voters-believe-brexit-has-failed-and-want-labour-to-pursue-closer-ties-to-the-eu/

In all but one constituency in the UK, more voters said they wanted Keir Starmer to seek a closer UK-EU relationship

Party positions on Brexit could play a major role in winning over a million undecided voters at the next general election, a new poll has found.

The poll, carried out for campaign group Best for Britain, found that a million undecided voters could be persuaded to vote Labour, if it pledges to pursue closer ties with the European Union.

The poll findings come at a time when public regret at Brexit is at an all-time high. The latest poll by Best for Britain found that in all but one constituency in the UK, more voters said they wanted Keir Starmer to seek a closer UK-EU relationship, with undecided voters – who will be crucial in the general election – even more critical of Brexit.

https://leftfootforward.org/2024/01/a-million-undecided-voters-believe-brexit-has-failed-and-want-labour-to-pursue-closer-ties-to-the-eu/

Continue ReadingA million undecided voters believe Brexit has failed and want Labour to pursue closer ties to the EU

Brexit supporting Daily Express mocked after throwing hissy-fit at UK being excluded from EU rail project

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/brexit-supporting-daily-express-mocked-after-throwing-hissy-fit-at-uk-being-excluded-from-eu-rail-project/

The Daily Express is shocked that the EU has decided to build better infrastructure only in countries which are members of the EU.

The pro-Brexit Daily Express is being brutally mocked after complaining about the fact that the UK is being left out of an EU rail project scheme, designed to connect more major cities across the continent.

A keen supporter of Brexit, which has blasted those who wished to Remain, the Express is shocked that the EU has decided to build better infrastructure only in countries which are members of the EU.

The Daily Express was furious that the UK had been left out of the plans, and ran a story with the headline: “Scheming EU countries leave UK out of ‘landmark’ transport plans as map reveals betrayal.”

Commenting on the article, one social media user posted on X: “The Express helpfully pointing out the EU hasn’t included the UK in their major transport links, because we are no longer part of the EU. 

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/brexit-supporting-daily-express-mocked-after-throwing-hissy-fit-at-uk-being-excluded-from-eu-rail-project/

Continue ReadingBrexit supporting Daily Express mocked after throwing hissy-fit at UK being excluded from EU rail project

Government’s pint of wine Brexit ‘freedom’ widely ridiculed

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“Fear not, the government’s much vaunted Brexit freedoms mean we can now buy wine in pint bottles.”

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/governments-pint-of-wine-brexit-freedom-widely-ridiculed/

A new ‘Brexit freedom’ has been heralded by the government today as it announced the introduction of pints of wine on Britain’s supermarket shelves.  

It has left many bemused, and despairing, at the so called ‘new freedom’ the country has gained from leaving the European Union, with widespread ridicule online.

In the new year, still and sparkling wine can be sold in 568ml pint sizes, with the minister for Enterprise, Makers and Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake, praising the “innovation, freedom and choice” consumers and producers will supposedly gain as a result of the scheme.

Apparently, our exit from the EU was “all about moments just like this” Hollinrake argued, “where we can seize new opportunities and provide a real boost to our great British wineries and further growing the economy”.

The government has claimed introducing the new bottle size could boost the economy, arguing 900 vineyards are set to benefit along with the UK’s wine sector.  

However, many people are asking how the new 568ml size bottles are much different from the 500ml ones that are already available at supermarkets, along with 200ml sizes also currently on offer.

[dizzy: Since 568ml is the decimal equivalent of an imperial pint, I’m not sure that it is a pint ;]

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/governments-pint-of-wine-brexit-freedom-widely-ridiculed/

  1. Jeremy Hunt ridiculed over claim ‘Brexit will not make us poorer’
  2. Scraping the barrel: Confusion over what the ‘Brexit Pubs Guarantee’ has to do with Brexit
  3. Jacob Rees-Mogg mocked after comments resurface promising ‘savings on cheese and fish fingers’ as food prices soar
  4. Nigel Farage admits ‘Brexit has failed’
Continue ReadingGovernment’s pint of wine Brexit ‘freedom’ widely ridiculed

Reform UK Party taken apart over inaccurate and bizarre climate science denial video

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“Man catastrophically fails GCSE biology”

The leader of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party has been rinsed over a video he posted on X in which he attempts to “challenge the climate change nonsense” by making a scientifically false claim which viewers have argued a primary school pupil could debunk.

In what has been described as a bizarre and “eye-watering stupid” 41 second climate denial rant, leader of the right-wing populist political party, Richard Tice, attempts to claim that C02 is “plant food” and therefore “not a problem”.

 “C02, people make out that it’s some sort of poison,” says Tice in the video. “It’s not. It’s plant food. It’s responsible for photosynthesis, without which we get no plants, no food, we all die. You’ve got to challenge the mainstream narrative on this.”

Scientists have proven how carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increases by 50% due to human activities in less than 200 years, and that C02 in the atmosphere is responsible for warming the planet, therefore causing climate change.

Viewers were quick to add a bit of context in the community notes under the video on X, which read: “CO2 is not regarded as a toxic pollutant and this has never been a part of the scientific case for reducing our emissions. Although the proportion of atmospheric CO2 is small, its effect on climate is well understood and backed up by an overwhelming scientific consensus.”

Though Tice’s scientific illiteracy is also amusing, there is of course a huge danger in his spread of disinformation, as ‘Tice’s take’ on the climate attempts to legitimise further the continued drilling for new gas and oil.

This is particularly revealing when you look at the funders to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, which received a total of £135,000 from climate science deniers and fossil fuel interests in 2023.

While all of Reform’s funders in 2023 were found to have oil and gas investments or ties to climate science denial, as revealed by the climate disinformation site DeSmog, helping to put Tice’s video into context.

Continue ReadingReform UK Party taken apart over inaccurate and bizarre climate science denial video

Brexit may leave each Brit ‘up to £2,300 worse off’, new data suggests

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/brexit-may-leave-each-brit-up-to-2300-worse-off-new-data-suggests/

‘Productivity is also down as a result of Brexit, along with a ‘permanent reduction in the willingness to invest’ in the United Kingdom’

Brexit has had a disastrous impact on the UK economy and could leave each person up to £2,300 worse off, new data has suggested.

The decision to leave the EU has had a major impact on UK economic performance, with the  

OBR estimating that the economic hit caused by Brexit to the UK economy will mean GDP is reduced by 4%.

Now new data from the National Institute of Economic & Social Research (NIESR), shows that UK GDP is estimated to be 3% lower as a result of Brexit.

Britain’s oldest independent economic research institute, the NIESR, also says that the average British citizen is now £850 worse off as a result of the decision to leave the EU.

The group also highlighted that productivity is also down as a result of Brexit, along with a ‘permanent reduction in the willingness to invest’ in the United Kingdom.

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/brexit-may-leave-each-brit-up-to-2300-worse-off-new-data-suggests/

Continue ReadingBrexit may leave each Brit ‘up to £2,300 worse off’, new data suggests