Sign the petition and end the European travelling circus

Once a month the European Parliament ups sticks for a week and moves to Strasbourg from Brussels. This is an incredible waste of time, money and resources, not to mention the environmental damage caused by travelling from the Belgium capital to France.

Please sign this petition, http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/StopStrasbourg/, and help bring an end to this monthly commute.

The petition calls upon the Prime Minister to exert pressure on other EU member states to end the monthly Strasbourg travelling circus by the European Parliament.

A poll conducted by the Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR) has revealed an overwhelming majority, 89% of MEPs, not only want one permanent seat for the European Parliament but also that 81% want the seat to be in Brussels. 84% also believed the Parliament should be able to decide on its own the location of its seat. Strasbourg costs £200 million a year and leaves a massive carbon footprint. The monthly move of the European Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg is producing 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the greenhouse gases produced by 13,000 round-trip flights from London to New York. As long as MEPs have to travel to Strasbourg , people will rightly say that the EU is wasting money - Strasbourg is a waste of taxpayers money. It is time for national governments to bite the bullet and end the wasteful monthly commute, and to give the European Parliament a long overdue permanent home in Brussels.

Spare a thought for Alan

Today, 20 June, will mark 100 days since BBC journalist Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza.

At 14:15 BST on 20 June Alan’s parents will release 100 balloons in their home village in Scotland. At the same time, Alan’s colleagues across the BBC will show their support for him, his friends and his family. His union, the NUJ, is urging people to join with them in marking this event, by pausing and thinking of Alan for one minute at 14.15 BST.

The NUJ will also deliver letters to the new Palestinian Prime Minister as well as to the UK Foreign Secretary urging them to redouble their efforts to secure Alan’s release and to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate thanking them for their support and urging them to help keep Alan’s case high on the political agenda.

I hope that the hopes raised for Alan’s release - which seemed so close earlier this week - will soon become reality.

European Parliament’s fur ban

At long last today the European Parliament has voted to ban products containing dog and cat fur so they can’t be imported or exported from Europe.

The vote follows a long campaign by animal welfare groups and concerned individuals from across Europe who were calling for an end to this barbaric practice. There is plenty of evidence of the mistreatment of animals bred for their fur. Many people have unwittingly bought products such as soft toys which contain cat or dog fur in the lining or stuffing because they weren’t properly labelled and they didn’t know. A total ban is the only way forward and will now have to be implemented by the UK Government by the end of next year.

The power of protest

Right from the start, the new SNP government has made it very clear that things are going to be different in Scotland. And now the Scottish Parliament has voted to reject the UK Government plan to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system by a huge margin of 71 votes to 16, with 39 abstentions.

The motion “congratulates the majority of Scottish MPs for voting on 14 March 2007 to reject the replacement of Trident…and calls on the UK Government not to go ahead at this time with the proposal in the White Paper”

Even thought the decisions on this are made at Westminster, it’s great news that the Scottish Parliament, led by the SNP, has expressed a view in line with the majority of Scottish people, who are against Trident replacement.

And whilst not taking specific measures against the Trident system, the vote shows clearly the anti-Trident majority in the new parliament, allowing for further votes to implement sanctions against the system, based at Faslane Naval Base 25 miles north-west of Glasgow. Both the SNP and Green election campaigns pledged to take action using the Parliament’s environmental protection powers to either ban or tax the transport of nuclear warheads through Scotland, vital for the maintenance of the system.

In January I became one of hundreds arrested at the gates of the Faslane nuclear base when I took part in the Faslane 365 continuous blockade. Many of those arrested at the non-violent blockade since October have been from Wales. Plaid Cymru is committed to nuclear disarmament and opposed to these illegal and immoral weapons of mass destruction. Opinion in Wales mirrors that in Scotland - the majority of people in Wales oppose Trident.

Our arguments and the power of protest make it harder for the UK government to ignore the views of the people.

Dynamic men go karting

On several occasions over the last few years, I’ve called in to give my support to the Friction Dynamics workers on the picket line in Caernarfon.

I cannot praise too highly the way the workers conducted themselves in that long running dispute - one that has still not been properly resolved of course.

And so it was good to hear the news this week that three of the sacked employees have set up their own million pound venture, in the form of an indoor go-karting centre in Caernarfon, on the Cibyn Industrial Estate. The idea for the business came from conversations they had on the picket line.

I wish John Davis, Richard Lawson and James Clarke every success in their new enterprise - and I hope to try out a go-kart before too long.

Y Toriaid a’r Iaith Gymraeg

Diddorol iawn oedd gweld ymateb llefarydd y Toriaid ddoe i’r ffaith bod cwmni teithio Thomas Cook wedi gwahardd ei weithwyr rhag siarad Cymraeg yn y gwaith. Dywedodd Paul Davies AC, y dylid cefnogi a hybu busnesau i ddefnyddio’r iaith ond na ddylid eu gorfodi - yr hyn roedd yn ei alw’n “codi ffiniau”. Dywedodd Arweinydd y Toriaid, Nick Bourne, yr un peth. Felly beth sydd wedi digwydd i gefnogaeth y Toriaid am Ddeddf Iaith Newydd? Rhaid i’r ddeddf newydd roi hawliau ieithyddol i Gymru Cymraeg. Dyw hwn ddim yn gyson a chynlluniau gwirfoddol, yn enwedig yn y sector preifat. Dyna un o brif ddiffygion y ddeddf bresennol.

Ond mae’n gyson gyda safbwynt y Toriaid ar ieithoedd llai ac aml-ieithrwydd yn Ewrop. Pleidleison nhw i gyd yn erbyn yr hawl i siarad ieithoedd yn y Senedd sy’n cael eu cynabod yn eu gwledydd eu hunain (fel y Gymraeg) ond nid oes ganddynt statws swyddogol yn yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Fe lwyddon nhw am sbel i blocio unrhyw ddefnydd o ieithoedd fel Catalan a Basg. Methiant fu eu hymdrechion yn y diwedd gan fod ‘na agweddau mwy agored i amrywiaeth diwylliannol a ieithyddol yn Ewrop yn gyffredinol. Ond bu’r Blaid yn ymgyrchu ers blynyddoedd i gael cydnabyddiaeth i’r Gymraeg yn Ewrop yn wyneb gwrthwynebiad llwyr y Toriaid (a Llafur tan yn ddiweddar iawn). Tybed a fyddai’r Toriaid yn cefnogi ymrwymiad yng nghytundeb y clymblaid arfaethedig i rhoi statws “iaith gwaith” i’r Gymraeg yn Senedd Ewrop nawr? Gan fod llywodraeth Prydain wedi cytuno mewn egwyddor, mae hynny o fewn pwerau’r Cynulliad. Neu ydyn nhw’n dweud un peth a gwneud yn wahanol?

The Tories and the Welsh Language

It was very interesting to see the Tory spokesperson response yesterday to the fact that the Thomas Cook travel agency banned its workers from speaking Welsh in the workplace. Paul Davies AM said that businesses should be supported and encouraged to use the language but shouldn’t be compelled - which he says would “erect barriers”. Tory Leader Nick Bourne said the same thing. What then has happened to the Tories support for a New Welsh Language Act? The new law must give linguistic rights to Welsh speakers. This is not consistent with voluntary schemes, especially in the private sector. This is one of the present act’s main problems.

But this is consistent with the Tory standpoint on lesser languages and multi-lingualism in Europe. They all voted against the right to speak languages in parliament which are recognised within their own countries (like Welsh) but don’t have official status in the European Union. They succeeded for a while to block any use of languages such as Catalan and Basque. In the end their attempts failed due to more enlightened and open approaches to cultural and linguistic diversity in Europe on the whole. But Plaid has campaigned for years for recognition for the Welsh language in Europe in the face of strong opposition from the Tories (and from Labour until very recently). I wonder if the Tories would now support a commitment in the proposed coalition agreement to give Welsh “working language” status in the European Parliament? As the UK Government has agreed in principle, it is within the Assembly’s powers. Or do they say one thing and do another?

See what the Tories say

http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=wales.news.story.page&obj_id=137069

World Environment Day

Yesterday was World Environment Day - a United Nations Global Celebration. This year’s theme is Climate Change. Ask yourself…

1. What’s the number one thing you are doing to help tackle climate change?
2. What one extra thing could you do to help tackle climate change?
3. What’s stopping you?

At the beginning of this year I decided to make one in four journeys from home to the European Parliament by train rather than flying. I also recycle all paper and plastic waste and I have a compost bin. My garden is organic, although that’s been really difficult with all the rain we’ve had recently. I don’t mind sharing some plants with slugs and snails but not all my runner beans! I also try to buy food locally but I could do a lot more of this and that’s going to be my promise today.

If you can make a promise it will make a huge difference. Last year over 400,000 promises were made and if everyone keeps their promise we’ll save 9.5 million plastic carrier bags, 298 tonnes of batteries and 101 years of time working for a community environmental project. Go to the website www.mendoftheworld.org for more details.

Palestine

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the start of the Israeli military ocucupatiion of the West bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights together with the military blockade of Gaza. To mark this anniversary Amnesty International has published a report entitled “Enduring Occupation: Palestinians Under Siege in the West Bank“. Here’s the link for the report.

New Media Awards 2007

I was pleased to find out that my website, www.jillevans.net, has been nominated in the New Statesman’s New Media Awards 2007.

It’s been nominated in the “Elected Representative” category, and the award “will go to the elected representative who best uses new media technology to communicate with the electorate.This award is open to councillors, MEPs, MPs, MSPs and Members of the Welsh Assembly, etc.”

You can view the nomination here: www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2007/nominations

The shortlist will be announced at the end of June.