There is more to being environmentally friendly than Alan Titchmarsh would like people to recognise

The MailOnline -- and BBC Gardeners' World -- report:

Hypocrites! Alan Titchmarsh blasts green campaigners who block pave their gardens or swell their carbon footprint by eating out-of-season fruit and veg

• He said saving planet is not matter solely for land management and industry
• He took aim at those who may criticise the Government for not doing enough 
• Titchmarsh, 70, also attacked those who buy fruit in the winter months 

By Emma Powell For The Daily Mail

Published: 23:09, 29 December 2019 | Updated: 23:20, 29 December 2019

Alan Titchmarsh has criticised green activists who lecture others about the environment but then block-pave their own gardens or buy imported strawberries in January.

The TV gardener said saving the planet is not a matter solely for agricultural land management and industry, but for individuals who can do more to 'make a difference to the health of planet Earth'.

'Those of us who cherish that bit of land that comes with our houses have a duty of care that is every bit as vital as that incumbent on the owners of vast estates,' he told BBC Gardeners' World magazine.

He took aim at those who may criticise the Government for not doing enough to curb global warming and climate change, in particular Extinction Rebellion protesters, yet do not do enough themselves domestically. 

'I hope that none of the Extinction Rebellion protesters has a block-paved front garden,' he said.

Note the difference between the headline's "green campaigners who block their gardens" and Titchmarsh's, "I hope that none of the Extinction Rebellion protesters has a block-paved garden."

Alan Titchmarsh's income is largely built around his persona as gardener and TV broadcaster, and he has gone on from that to fronting advertising for Sun Life Funeral Plans https://www.sunlife.co.uk/funeral-planning/funeral-plans/

Sun Life Guaranteed Funeral Plan is fronted by Alan Titchmarsh who says it's
"One of the most affordable ways to cover a funeral."

We might ask how much he is making from that promotion in addition to his income from BBC broadcasting that notoriously showers high salaries on presenters.

I would add that a great many Extinction Rebellion younger supporters have not been taught gardening as a basic skill but they do realise that government policies have let climate crises fester.

We live in the legacy of how the robber barons and Enclosures Acts that helped carve the way to capitalism in which people lose touch with the land. As people have lost touch with the land, we have become more dependent upon others' produce via an increasingly global market, and that was one of the driving forces of the Industrial Revolution going hand in hand with British colonisation of other lands and import-export arrangements.

If capitalism is the root cause, ecosocialism is the antidote

I believe that the antidote is ecosocialism, and refer readers to the Green Left Blog http://greenleftblog.blogspot.com/ and London Green Left Blog http://londongreenleft.blogspot.com/ on ecosocialism, and Prof. Guy Standing's book Plunder of the Commons: A Manifesto for Sharing Public Wealth https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNRFPlaY8m160tA809ez94dd7WZLrA%3A1577787706249&ei=OiELXor2DoSi1fAPxoWOgA0&q=%22guy+standing%22+%22plunder+of+the+commons%22&oq=%22guy+standing%22+%22plunder+of+the+commons%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i30.9113.11069..14984...0.2..0.154.994.0j7......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i7i30.zyawUCDTC5Q&ved=0ahUKEwiK-4ue1d_mAhUEURUIHcaCA9AQ4dUDCAo&uact=5

accompanied by the communal wonders of community gardening
https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/search?q=gardening

See also 

https://newsforwardsfromalanwheatley.blogspot.com/2019/11/government-policy-and-global-investment-as-plunder-of-the-Commons.html

Post Script

I especially welcome the comment below from 'Unknown', and point out that comments submitted anonymously are not altogether ruled out for their anonymity:

I remember Alan Titchmarsh writing in the Radio Times about a decade ago questioning the science of climate change, trotting out the tired old cliche that weather has always been variable. He and others in high profile positions (eg David Bellamy) who have questioned climate science over the years have done more to damage our chances of keeping global warming to a safe level than any number of XR activists who might buy fruit out of season or have a paved front garden.

Google search link "alan titchmarsh" "climate change denial" 

The following search link was created by using keywords "alan titchmarsh" "climate change denial"

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=%22alan+titchmarsh%22+%22climate+change+denial%22

NB: Use of all lower case letters as above in a Google search is quite acceptable, even when using 'proper names'; and quotation marks are a handy device for ensuring that the exact phrase or name combination is located.

Greener Jobs Alliance: Breaking news from the Chile/Madrid Climate Conference

International Trade Union Confederation trying to get their voices
heard among the 25,000 present at Climate Talks that have been
moved from Chile to Madrid for political reasons

From: Graham Petersen
Subject: Breaking news from the climate talks
To:

Hi

The GJA participated in the trade union delegation to the COP25 conference in Madrid. With the need for ambitious action to address the climate emergency read our report on the current state of play after the first week of negotiations here:

http://www.greenerjobsalliance.co.uk/breaking-news/

 

 

In solidarity

Graham

Graham Petersen, GJA Secretary

Oxford Geography Prof. Danny Dorling: If Geography was more international subject, its literature would have wealth of perspectives

Prof. Danny Dorling is a Social Geographer, and his work ties in with the theme related in my blog post https://newsforwardsfromalanwheatley.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-apartheid-of-wealth-state-we-are-in.html

He has worked closely with Taxpayers Against Poverty. He has some very candid and illuminating words to say about his subject, the students who are attracted to it, and the fruits by which it is known.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/geography-soft-option-posh-students-104226543.html
Especially of relevance to the current UK General Election 2019 is
http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/a-better-politics-by-danny-dorling-on-tap-website-some-alternatives-to-the-
Title: A Better Politics by Danny Dorling on TAP website some alternatives to the mess created [from 2010 to 2016]

Within my 1993/97 Interdisciplinary Studies (Major: Sociology) BA pathway at U. Westminster, I studied a module The Geography of Development. One of the things I learned in that module was that South African apartheid and exploitation of migrant male mine workers was a key factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. Male migrant workers were allowed into the Republic of South Africa to work in the mines, but not allowed to take their families with them. That resulted in their seeking sexual contact with women local to the mining locations, some of whom wer HIV+. Thus they took the virus back with them to their homelands.

On the positive side,

In ... the journal Emotion, Space and Society,Dorling wrote that university geography departments need to do more to address their imperial origins as it is the “core subject of imperial domination”. 
 

He explained: “Most of the world doesn’t have many geography departments. It is a very British-centred thing. If it was a more international subject, our journals would be full of people writing from different backgrounds.”

According to the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) 40 per cent of 16 year olds study geography, compared to around 27 per cent in 2010. This increase has largely come from black and minority ethnic minority groups.

A spokesperson for the RGS told The Times: “It is right that geography reflects the diversity of the world within its students. There is more work to be done across the geographical community to properly achieve this.”

Source: https://uk.yahoo.com/news/geography-soft-option-posh-students-104226543.html

On the negative side, Dorling has told the Times Higher Education Supplement:

“Geography in the UK has become a soft option for those who come from upper-middle class families where increasingly you are expected to go to university, especially for those who were privileged (and so often have high GCSE marks) but are not actually that good..."

Although the curriculum should cover issues like climate change and global inequality, Dorling said it actually gives rise to graduates who “make the world an even worse place” by taking careers in industries like banking, advertising and management.

He added geography is the “favourite subject” of “ those who create hostile environments for immigrants, political parties that border on the facists, of war-mongers, bankers and imperialists”.

Famous geography alumni include former Prime Minister and Conservative MP Theresa May and Prince William who studied the subject at St Andrew’s University in Scotland.

Source: https://uk.yahoo.com/news/geography-soft-option-posh-students-104226543.html

Fire and Rescue Service worker says: "For workers' rights, vote against Boris Johnson"

Before presenting the youtube video clip below, I shall just mention that Herefordshire & Worcestershire Fire & Rescue Service workloads have been very much affected by recent Climate Change-related floods in Herefordshire & Worcestershire.

Eg,

• http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18001395.big-clear-up-begins-herefordshire-floods/
• https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18056849.picnic-benches-flooded-pub-wash-almost-50-miles-away/
• https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18035949.rain-lashes-herefordshire-flood-weather-travel-updates/ 
• https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/search/?search=floods+fire+rescue+service

When Boris Johnson was London Mayor, he sold off Fire Stations. Now, as Prime Minister, he champions the 'global property investment' industry, rather than Fire Stations.
https://newsforwardsfromalanwheatley.blogspot.com/2019/10/government-and-fiona-bruce-backing-for-mipim-uk-summit-2019.html

A Fire & Rescue Service Worker speaks out:

As editor of this Web Log and in the interests of 'positive campaigning', I would recommend Hereford & South Herefordshire voters listen to the online video above, and attend and participate in the parliamentary constituency hustings advertised at
https://newsforwardsfromalanwheatley.blogspot.com/2019/11/ge2019-hustings-in-hereford-and-s-herefordshire.html
and asking candidates about their party policies on the matters most important to the individual voter concerned.

See also

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/17845097.firefighters-fear-cuts-police-takeover/

 

My response to Fuel Poverty Action's 20 September Climate Strike Call-out — and my response

Fuel Poverty Action e-mailed me:

Hello FPA members and friends, 

Please can you comment on this draft FPA Call-out for 20 September climate strike?  We hope it isn't very controversial but perhaps you have improvements.  It could go on our website as well as being emailed to our friends and allies.  

The crucial section to look at is the section "what we are striking for".  There are big debates going on about "demands" among other groups which are preparing for this autumn's many mobilisations on climate change.   Identifying aims can be important -- in making sure that justice is not left to one side in the pressure to act on the climate emergency, in helping people to identify their own immediate interest in events like the Strike, and, of course, in helping to determine what the outcome is.  For us, that includes particular attention to fuel poverty.

Do you think the aims we have listed do this job?  Do you think there is something crucial missing?  Could it fit within the balance of the whole?  This is not an invitation to major edits, but do say if you think there is something wrong. We'll do our best to take account of your views.  

Our AGM on 10 September will also be a chance to discuss them.

Please look before 9.0 Friday morning (30 August) so the call can go out.   

Thank you!

Ruth and Gianluca

--

Cold homes, fuel poverty, climate change, millions of homes in debt to their energy supplier, huge profits for the Big Six... the energy system isn't working.
Another energy system is possible! Get behind the Fuel Poverty Action Energy Bill of Rights

Fuel Poverty Action's
Energy Bill of Rights

My publishable response

I agree with the call-out document, but would like to emphasise that traditionally landlords are more likely to have stocks of portable heating devices to loan out to tenants who foot the fuel bills.

My personal priority this week is for me to get a pair of THERMAL CURTAINS for my upstairs room to make it more habitable, particularly after noon and into the nights in my West-facing windowed one-person house. I reckon my landlord will agree to this, especially as the price is likely to be £40. (Sweat drips into my ears in the summer months.)

I believe that a challenge and opportunity for the Climate Emergency movement is to help bridge socio-economic class differences of participants. In my personal experience, the mainstream of Climate Emergency folk are largely ignorant of poverty, housing and benefits issues; they are more au fait with the impact of climate change on animal species. Hence my News Forwarded to You by Alan Wheatley blog with its subtitle-cum-Mission Statement:

Connecting self-acceptance, lifelong learning, and difference to mutual empowerment through sharing insights courageously and cordially

Saving the planet is not the sole preserve of a particular social class, and should involve everyone. And a statement I heard in my 25th year at a time when I had been under verbal attack and was very vulnerable was, "When people are lonely, perhaps it may be because they have invested more time and energy into building walls than bridges?" Given the role of smear stories involved in the promotion of right wing 'welfare reforms', while I believe we need to combat climate change, we also need to tackle 'hostile climate' issues regarding disadvantaged minorities -- of which I am one.

I can view 'shared intelligence' as a campaigning tool rather than a means of oppression. ('Think tank' and 'educational charity' Policy Exchange that has advocated sell off of social housing in affluent areas — aka 'privatisation of social housing' — calls Extinction Rebellion 'Extremism Rebellion' -- the same vested interests demonise Climate Emergency campaigners and supposed 'feral underclass' alike.)

'Who Funds You?: The UK Campaign for Think Tank Transparency'
awards Policy Exchange an 'E' rating for '0 transparency of funding'

That, plus the parochial nature of my local Hereford Times and its general 250 word limit for letters to the editor, helped lead to my launching my new personal blog earlier this month,

https://newsforwardsfromalanwheatley.blogspot.com/

Connecting self-acceptance, lifelong learning, and difference to mutual empowerment through sharing insights courageously and cordially

I wish you all the best for the AGM and 20 September, while I shall be probably looking for a cool spot nearer home. I may well be visiting London some time later in the Autumn, making a week long visit that will be much less stressful than my getting to Hereford Railway Station, to London, and all the way back in one day.

Best Wishes

Alan

One of the many people power acts that can help avert climate catastrophe

From Katharine Tu, of https://www.sumofus.org/:

Alan,
In the untouched outback of Australia, a coal company is starting to dig a coal mine so big and so dirty that if completed, it will seal our fate to catastrophic climate change.
Coal giant Adani is doing everything it can to build what will be one of the largest new coal mines in the world. It has ignored the objections of traditional owners, scientists and conservationists, and squeezed through every legal loophole it can.
There is hope. If we can stop Adani from getting insurance for the mine, we can stop this disastrous project in its tracks.
Which is where you come in Alan. Public pressure has already forced dozens of global insurers to rule out insuring the Adani mine.
But multi-billion dollar insurer AIG is staying silent. That’s why we need your voice -- because if enough people like you speak up, together we can force AIG to reject Adani’s mine too.
Tell AIG to insure our future and not a climate-wrecking coal mine. 
....

We’re in a race against time to stop one of the world’s biggest new coal mines from being built before it ruins our climate forever.

There’s one thing that can stop this dirty coal mine from going ahead: insurance. Tell insurance giant AIG to insure our planet’s future and NOT Adani’s mine now.
 Sign the petition