You may remember I wrote to my MP, Tom Pursglove, a little while ago. He and I see the world differently but I was pleased by his thoughtful reply received last week.
He writes ‘I appreciate you taking the time to make me aware of your opinions on the subjects of both the EU and climate change. Although we have differing views, I think it is important to state that, as your Member of Parliament, I am of course here to help you in whatever way I can.’
Mr Pursglove has written to Defra asking them why they haven’t published the LAG report – I’m grateful to him.
He didn’t do the RSPB BGBW this year but will consider it next year.
He points out that flood defence spending is going up and that government is reviewing national flood resilience.
I think this is the most interesting passage which I will quote in full:
‘ You will be aware that I am Director of Together Against Wind, the national anti-wind farm campaign, set up to bring together groups fighting against wind farms from across the UK. I think that the fact that turbines are reliant on the constant recycling of carbon in the background proves the point that wind farms are far from green, not to mention the carbon burnt producing them in China, exporting them to the UK and then pouring concrete into the ground to put them up. I also find it difficult to accept that they are sustainable, when up until recently they were reliant upon bill payer subsidies – surely if they are sustainable they would stand on their own two feet? As such, I was pleased to welcome the new measures announced by the government which have changed the law to give local communities the final say over planning decisions for new onshore wind farms, as well as abolishing the subsidies.
I am open-minded on man-made climate change. I think that there have clearly been cycles historically in global temperatures over time, but I also have no doubt the things that we’ve done as human beings on this planet are probably not helping us. Of course, we should be trying to produce energy as cleanly as possible, of course I think we should be recycling where we can, of course I think we should always take care of the environment. I think that’s a fu8ndamental Conservative principle.
All that said, in relation to energy policy, I do believe very strongly that we must have an energy mix, including renewables, shale gas, and nuclear. I also continue to maintain that we must take into consideration the impacts on our manufacturing industries – the current challenges facing the steel industry, including in Corby, bring this into very sharp focus.’
Well, there are lots of contradictions and errors in there, but it was good of Mr Pursglove to commit them to paper. I’ll come back to them some time.
And then there is the EU where Mr Pursglove writes:
‘The Treasury estimates that our gross contribution to the EU for 2016 will by £18.98 billion, with a net contribution of around £350 million a week. This means that we currently send £50 million a day to the European union. If the UK was not in the EU, we could spend this money on farming and our public services, as we see fit, rather than unelected Brussels bureaucrats.‘
I am grateful to Mr Pursglove for his response which seems to me, to be a model response from an MP to a constituent (even though, as we both recognise, we aren’t going to agree on much). I hope your MP is as assiduous in his or her re[plies to you. You do write to them don’t you? Maybe you should point out that some MPs do a good job in responding to their constituents.
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Point him to Future Learn course on Climate Change offered by University of Exeter and he would be left in no doubt that the statement ‘I am open-minded on man-made climate change’ is woefully ignorant of what is going on. (I am doing this 8 week course at the moment) Such a view held by a politician does not bode well for the future.
Wow! You do very well to remain polite when reporting on that. Where to start? I wonder if he welcomes local decision making on energy matters when it cones to fracking in Lancashire and elsewhere? If susidies are cut from wind then surely the same should apply to nuclear and fracking?
His opposition to wind is surprising as he can never have seen a wind turbine, none of them ‘stand on their own two feet’ as they usually only have one.
As for his scepticism about climate change one can only hope that he doesn’t keep a similarly open mind on the existence of double decker buses the next time he crosses the road.
Don’t agree with much he says. Appreciate his good manners.
Flannel is the one manufacturing industry unaffected by Thatcher’s dismembering of working class Britain and turning us into a service industry with banks. And you’ve fallen for it! Of course MPs should reply to constituents and a round of applause to him for doing his job – on £74K a year. A beacon of hope in our beleaguered political system. My MP is (should be was) Alistair Carmichael and he is excellent at engaging with and replying to constituents. Unfortunately, I don’t believe anything he says any longer.
Mr Purslove’s figure for UK’s contribution to the EU is in line with Nigel Farage’s, which was disputed in this link: https://tabloidcorrections.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/six-lies-told-by-nigel-farage-in-express-article/ because it takes no account of financial benefits received. It’s like adding up the costs of your commute to work, sandwiches and work clothes but not taking into account your salary.
My MP, James Gray, almost always answers my e-mails, petition signings, et cetera with a personal letter. However, he never answers the question asked but the question he wants to answer.
Typically, he has obfuscated about the NWCU, telling me it was protected right up to the moment it wasn’t and then changing tack to “it is better to deal with wildlife crime locally”.
Simon, Next time it may be worth comparing the letter you get with one from another M.P of the same party. I was in that position over the Forests scenario and found identical wording even though I was asking about the local Somerford Common.
I would ask my MP John Glen how many deaths there will be from the additional air pollution we can expect when all the coal-fired power generation has been canned and solar has corroded away and there isn’t enough gas-fired to replace it and on windless days the bird-mincers are stationary whether they stand on one leg or two and the vast amount of subsidised diesel back-up generation kicks in but I won’t because he’s not going to tell me because Amber Rudd doesn’t know because she never went on an 8 week course about Gaia and the Big Red Control Knob
I’d love to know what is the process by which the “constant recycling of carbon in the background” that apparently wind turbines are “reliant on” refers to. Personally I’m shocked at his level of ignorance or the subject. Let him argue against wind turbines, renewable energy etc. by all means – but at least he should inform himself of some basic knowledge on the subject first. Goodness knows what other issues he has a warped understanding of, and yet he gets to vote on them on behalf of thousands of people. Incredible!
Open-minded on climate change?
You need to campaign against this dangerous buffoon at every available opportunity.
I can trump the ignorant assiduousness of your MP. I while back I wrote to my MP, Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax. As a large landowner, he benefits hugely from the Single Farm Payment – mainly as it leads to a matching increase in farm rents. I queried why, sitting on the EFRA committee he did not see a conflict of interest, and why he backed environmental stewardship being a smaller portion of the CAP expenditure.
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax was so assiduous, I actually received 2 separate and completely different replies to my one letter. Both defended indefensible positions with a load of flannel, but at least he went to the trouble of defending the indefensible twice in two different ways.
I haven’t bothered to ask him to defend why he voted against requiring landlords to provide accommodation that is fit for habitation – which must surely put him at a competitive disadvantage, as surely his estate’s homes are all in a good order.
I also won’t bother to write to him to ask why he wants to cut back on Europe’s wasteful bureacracies – I expect I would get this response.
David – I thought that was a made-up name but I see it isn’t.
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax doesn’t campaign in elections with his full name: it wouldn’t fit on a poster.
He is a great example of the fine calibre of the English aristocracy: educated at Harrow (fees £36k per annum), he has achieved a HND, and when in the army he advanced one rank from the entry point of NCO’s.
He is destined for greatness. I am not. Perhaps I am not fastidious enough.