a good news day

 Today Marcus Drecker was released on bail and able to come home to his family.

And Lewes District Council just unanimously passed this motion

https://democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=431&MId=3826

https://democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/documents/s31058/Motion%20-%20Support%20for%20Zanes%20Law.pdf

Motion - Support for Zane’s Law
Submitted by Councillor Makepeace
Preamble
The current UK regulations with regard to toxic waste disposal and the danger to human
life, to our environment, and to the planet as a whole, from both historic landfill sites and
currently approved landfill sites operating the ‘dry tomb’ principle, are dangerously
inadequate. Especially so, in the face of climate breakdown, with rising sea levels,
increased rainfall, and widespread flooding.
In 2014, 7-year-old Zane Gbangbola died, and his father was paralysed with a diagnosis of
hydrogen cyanide (HCN) poisoning, during catastrophic flooding in the UK. It is understood
that flood water passing through a historic landfill site carried HCN into Zane’s home, and
this was detected there at high levels by the Fire and Rescue Services on the night of the
tragedy. This is expected to be the subject of an Independent Panel Inquiry.
‘Zane’s Law’ seeks to address the crisis of contaminated land in the UK, reinstating
legislative provisions removed by successive governments from the 1990 Environment
Protection Act, and recognising the Human Right to a Healthy Environment, approved by
the UN General Assembly, in July 2022.
Therefore, ‘Zane’s Law’ proposes that the following measures be adopted into legislation
by the Government, to prioritise the protection and safety of people and planet, and the
human right to a healthy environment. The legislation if passed would likely include:
1. Each relevant Local Authority must keep a full, regularly updated Register of
Land that may be contaminated within their boundary.
2. The Environment Agency must keep a full, public 'National Register of
Contaminated Land' to be regularly updated by information from Local
Authorities.
3. All above mentioned Registers of Land must be accessible and available for
inspection by the General Public.
4. Relevant Local Authorities must inspect any land registered that may be
contaminated and must fully remediate or enforce remediation of any land which
poses harm to public safety, or which pollutes controlled waters*.
5. Relevant Local Authorities must be responsible for inspecting previously closed
landfill sites and fully remediating them or enforcing their remediation when they
pose a risk of significant harm to people or controlled waters.
6. The Government must take full responsibility for providing the necessary funds
for Local Authorities to meet these new requirements, following the ‘polluter pays’
principle: to recover costs as appropriate where those responsible for the
pollution can be identified.
These measures are not all in place currently and would requirement significant investment
and full funding from the Government to be implemented. These must take account of other
statutory requirements (such as data protection provisions).
Motion
This Council therefore resolves:To write to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Health, and the Secretary of State
for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to express the Council’s support for new
legislation on contaminated land based on the proposed principles of ‘Zane’s Law’, to
request that these ministers support Baroness Natalie Bennett, by all possible means, in
her efforts to advance ‘Zane’s Law’ through the House of Lords, and that the Government
provides all necessary funds for Local Authorities and others to meet the requirements of
any new legislation.
* Controlled waters are groundwater or surface water intended for human consumption.

A petition written by A. I.

 I created a petition on change .org and it couldn't have been easier.  They integrated A. I. (artificial intelligence) to generate the text.  It just asks a few questions: Why are you concerned, and so on.

The underwhelming output is here

https://www.change.org/p/ensure-community-involvement-in-burnt-oak-development

Hopefully it will appear in search results at some point.

To increase the score, they encourage multiple illustration photos and do split testing on them.  I haven't got around to getting one together with people in it; I know faces are supposed to be the most powerful image you can use.

 

Here is the shorter link

https://www.change.org/communityburnt

do sign and share if you want a better place!!

My view on knife crime

 Knife crime sits within a broader context.

Millions of people worldwide and many in the UK are killed and injured every day by car traffic, as well as the health effects of breathing their fumes and tyre particles.  London is the hit and run car accident capital.

But somehow the horror of knife crime gets more attention, particularly when Sadiq Khan is up for re-election.

So what would the Green Party do about knife crime?

Too often violent crime is not punished enough by harsh custodial sentences.  While the Green Party wants to abolish custodial sentences for those under the age of 18, it would also free up prison places by decriminalising and regulating the drug trade.  This would free up prison places for serious violent crimes.  Most of this is committed by men.

Other parties, and some charities, argue for deterrence but then try and say that drugs are the root cause, where as it's actually the way that drugs are policed and criminalised.

Awareness campaigns are sometimes scaring young people and making them actually more likely to carry knives.  Research by Caroline Russell, London Assembly member, shows that police are going into schools and showing pictures of scary knives on social media, in many local areas.

 The "London needs you alive" campaign was one such awareness campaign, which isn't targeted at your local voters but actually targeting children to encourage them to have something to live for and not to descend into nihilism that would make them risk carrying knives in their circles of friends.

In Nottingham, knives and guns have often been used in violent attacks and reprisals.  Then the community came together, as mothers, elders, and black people, saying enough is enough.  We don't want our young people to be victims of this any more.  They demonstrated on the streets.

In London we've seen similar initiatives such as knife amnesty bins and "art against knives".

I've been particularly instructed by the Voice newspaper on this topic.

I've been aware of local community memorials for young victims of crime, for instance the 4front project.

& I've been inspired by recent peace protests which have sought to disrupt institutions until their demands are met.  The families of survivors of violence (which often originates from the metropolitan police) are the most powerful leaders and when they are united, I believe in their power to make change.

Sian Berry and the City Hall Greens have diverted some money away from police violence to start the young Londoners fund and violence reduction unit.  There have also been good moves from Sadiq Khan to bring experts form Glasgow and to treat the epidemic of violence as a public health issue.  We've seen on BBC London how police, youth services, and the NHS are working together in an East London A & E department to offer interventions at a critical time in a young person's life.  The Greens' budget amendments have consistently saved the youth services from closing over the pandemic and will continue to pressure a future government to properly fund youth services, which have been cut by the Conservatives over the last decades. They do this by showing the value of youth services.

I predict we'll see more of this but do check out the announcement that Zoe Garbett has already made about drugs.  This looks to be a priority for her campaign as Mayor of London candidate this year.

From speaking with Zoe I know that as a local councillor she is also keen on preventing and raising awareness of cuts to local services such as DV.  I believe that there's a link between DV and violence outside the home.

Stop and search has failed in tackling knife violence problems and created problems of its own and that's why I point to the above more positive solutions.

I'm also a big follower of USA politics.  The school strikes to stop school shootings were the inspiration for Greta Thurnberg's movement Fridays for our Future.

Theatre Review: Chickenshed

 
Last night's production of The Toymaker's Child was special.  It was the last show of the season, meaning that this review may contain some spoilers.

From the start, the BSL enterpreters were centre stage and well lit but fit into the setting.  Though I do not speak BSL I would like to learn and this show gave me a chance to see it.  There is loads going on in the stage, especially in the spectacular and exciting songs.  There was a real band at the top rather than in a pit, with a violin, percussionists, and a saxophone.  The lighting and technical side was masterful.  At one point in the story, the robot drowns in water and it is an immersive experience for all the senses that made me hold my nose and brace for entry into the water spilling off the stage as smoke and lighting.  The ushers too, behaved in an inclusive way, by holding signs in stead of distracting people by announcing stuff to us.  My dad who works in IT liked the Windows windows, a quote of Microsoft Windows 10; and there was lots of technology, while borrowing from classic narratives of pinocio, the Christmas classic Wizard of Oz (the tin man well-played by a woman) and that tale of sisters, Frozen.  The costumes too were amazing with the starring robot equipped with blue LEDs.

Music too was bang up to date.

The narrative was quite surreal and to be honest I could not make out what was going on.  But powerful themes including the creator and toy-maker giving up, having a teenager, and wanting to control them or kill them off rather than let them go.  Perhaps the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has created a monster too, and one day that monster will grow with its siblings and make friends with them.  The relationship of the 2 female leads was so sweet and modelled half sisters who pick each other up when they are down, even risking their own survival, and coming out stronger.  Their relationship is not just sisters, and not best friends but their only friends.  It turns out the special robot is so intelligent and has many talents including dancing!

I also enjoyed the parody of the 24 hour news shock jock with absolutly nothing to say and very dumbed down.  GB News? I wouldn't know; I've only been interviewed by them once.

I was left with a sense of hope but that more needs to be done so that the arts should be accessible to all.

Horizon scandal

 wierdly, I met a CWU retired Post Office counter worker at a local protest.  I would never have got to sit down for a cup of tea with him otherwise.  

Anyway here is my draft letter to my MP.  Too rude?  too polite?

Tuesday 9 January 2024

Dear Matthew Offord,

As my MP you are no doubt aware that 700 post masters have been wrongfully prosecuted by the criminal legal system. You know that post offices process large amount of public money. In light of the Horizon scandal I hope that the vicitims will receive compensation as soon as possible. You might say, after supporting 14 years of Conservative government "get the Post Office done." That's putting it politely!

Yours sincerely,

Ben Samuel