The Future Potential For A Green Deal

There are technical problems in running this site and the paragraphs have had to be separated via sets of dots.............................................................. On Sunday the Dronfield Labour Party Discussion Group held a talk and debate via Zoom. The following is a report of the event by Rosie Smith, the Group's Secretary..................... The speaker was Dr Jonathan Perraton from the University of Sheffield Economic's Department, who addressed us on the future potential for a Green New Deal. He gave a comprehensive overview of challenges involved in carbon reduction............................ He told the meeting that it is unlikely that the UK will meet its carbon reduction targets for 2050. There have been reductions in carbon emissions to date, but a lot of low-hanging fruit, easy ways to reduce carbon emissions have been done now. The projected reductions will soon level out, and will not fall sufficiently by 2050 without more radical action....................................................................................... He proposed reinvestment in green infrastructure projects and jobs creation. he noted that Labour's Green New Deal and the similar GND in America both emphasised the creation of high skilled green jobs. He noted as an economist that investment in infrastructure and jobs brought benefits to the government and GDP as people pay taxes on their wages and spend their wages in the economy.................................................................. He noted that government has significant capacity for borrowing. Current interest rates are incredibly low and government borrowing at this level will become comparatively smaller over time as GDP increases (even at current low rates of increase in GDP). In addition to this, borrowing from UK financial sector carries little risk, as the British State will 'exist forever' and therefore lenders need not worry about default. He also advocated for quantitative easing because the state then only owes money to itself...................................................................................... He noted that the coronavirus crisis has shown that states can act in an emergency. They have been shown to place a lot more value on human lives that the financial markets would have predicted (even in the UK with its abysmal death toll).................................. In the discussion John Halstead asked an economic question about government borrowing. Whilst Martin Lawton argued that borrowing is not necessarily needed - money from the defence budget could be reallocated to Green policies. This point was widely supported by the meeting.................................................................................. Roland Lovatt and myself asked about nuclear power. I was very surprised to see a commitment to nuclear power in the 2019 Labour manifesto. Both Corbyn and myself are members of CND and I was alarmed that this had made it into the manifesto. The speaker said that he wasn't in favour of nuclear power but thought it was probably inevitable that it would be used to provide green energy in the short term. He did say that improvements in battery capacity and wind and solar power becoming cheaper may provide an alternative in the future....................................................................................... We had a good discussion where other points were pursued.

Zoom In - On Political Education

"Political Education Together" Seminar on ZOOM

Wednesday 17th June 2.30 to 4pm

We're going to continue what we started via meetings in Durham, Sheffield and Birmingham on ZOOM. 

• Join with us in putting on this Seminar. 

  Are you free? Are other RWF people free?

  It will be about establishing what is needed with regard to political education,

  clarifying good practice, learning from each other and building for the future. 

  It would be great if RWF could contribute. Are there other people you would 
  want to invite? I'm going asking various partners to outline the key questions
  they think the Seminar should begin to answer. 

  What are your key questions?

  
  

  Best 

  Keith Venables

  Political Education Together
  
  On Keith Venables involvement click here. 
  
  Zoom In on 17 June.

March Discussion Meeting

Dronfield Labour Discussion Meeting

 

Topic: Neoliberalism and Education

Speaker: Hilary Povey

Time: 8pm to 9.15pm

Date: Sunday 8th March

Venue: Contact Club, Snape Hill Lane, Dronfield, S18 2GJ.

Hilary Povey will address us on Neoliberalism and Education. She is Emertius Professor in Mathematics Education at Sheffield Hallam University. She previously worked as a maths teacher for the Inner London Education Authority. She is interested in social justice issues in education and the role of historical awareness in combatting neoliberalism. She is an active member of Broomhill and Sharrow Vale Branch Labour Party and campaigned in North East Derbyshire, Sheffield Hallam and Putney constituencies in the recent general election.

Info on future meetings

The next two discussion meetings will focus on green issues. In April we will be addressed by Jonathan Perraton, Lecturer in Economics at the University of Sheffield on Labour's Green New Deal policy and the following month we will discuss new clean and green engergy to heat our homes, power our cars and reduce carbon emmissions.

Hope to see you all on Sunday,

Rosie Smith

Dronfield Labour Party Political Education Officer

February Discussion Meeting

There is a discussion meeting scheduled for Sunday 9th February at 8pm in Dronfield Contact Club. See details below.

Dronfield Labour Discussion Meeting

Topic: Social Housing in the UK and the Netherlands - is a cooperative model the way forward for UK social housing?

Speaker: Rosie Smith

Time: 8pm to 9.15pm

Date: Sunday 8th February

Venue: Contact Club, Snape Hill Lane, Dronfield, S18 2GJ.

Social Housing in the UK has been under threat for several decades. What was once a mass social programme aimed at providing adequate housing for the general population, has been reduced to an under-funded, part privatised model of housing welfare that is accessible only by the most vulnerable  - and yet many are still falling through the cracks. 

The Netherlands' social housing model is delivered in an entirely different way to social housing in the UK. Tenants associations provide low cost housing that is accessible to a large proportion of the population. Residents are shareholders in the tenants association and have a say in rent setting, and upkeep and improvements to the housing block/estate/street.

Discussion questions:

1. What are the pros and cons of state owned and administered social housing versus autonomous, tenant run social housing models?  

2. Many of us on the left would like to see the Right to Buy stopped to preserve our remaining Council houses, but would this alone solve our social housing problems?

3. What should future Labour housing policy be to ensure a robust housing safety net for all?

Info on future meetings

Upcoming discussion group dates are 8th March and 12th April (second Sunday of every month except August). I am in discussions with the leader of Sheffield TUC to come and speak about 'Sheffield Needs a Payrise' report, and I am hoping an Economics Academic from the University of Sheffield may come to address us on the Green New Deal.

Hope to see you all on Sunday,

Rosie Smith

Dronfield Labour Party Political Education Officer

January Discussion Meeting

We have a discussion meeting scheduled for this Sunday evening, 12th January at 8pm in Dronfield Contact Club. See details below.

Dronfield Labour Party Discussion Meeting

Topic: Life Long Learning for Social Change

Speaker: Bob Heath

Time: 8pm to 9.15pm

Date: Sunday 12th January

Venue: Contact Club, Snape Hill Lane, Dronfield, S18 2GJ.

Bob Heath will address us on the subject of Life Long Learning for Social Change.

A member of the Labour Party for 58 years and life-long learner himself, Bob was a miner for 10 years between 1950 and 1960. He benefitted during this time from the opportunity to do Day Release study and attend the Sheffield University Extramural Department. In 1959 he received a N.U.M. scholarship to Ruskin College. 

Several of our Discussion group members attended Ruskin College in Oxford and Coleg Harlech in Wales. For some, like Bob Heath and Harry Barnes, it provided a springboard to further educational opportunities.

Following his time at Ruskin, Bob spent a year in Montreal, Canada as a Travelling Research Fellow at McGill University. He then studied for an Economics and Sociology degree at Hull University. After a short stint at Keele University, Bob was a Lecturer in Economics and Industrial Studies at University of Sheffield Extramural Department for over 30 years.

He retired in 1998, but he's still learning.

All welcome for an interesting discussion.

Happy New Year to All!

Rosie Smith

Dronfield Labour Party Political Education Officer