A Week in Parliament

Parliament “Ends”

The longest parliamentary session in history was finally legally prorogued. One aspect of this for myself was that two private members bills I had tabled “fall” and are no longer on the statute books as possible bills. One was for HELMS Green Deal Mis-selling and one was for Multi-employer pensions. The first one was to seek compensation for those that have been affected by the mis-selling of solar panels and energy saving measures, and to date ignored by the UK Government even although it was a UK Government initiative, so they should shoulder some responsibility. The second one mainly affects small plumbing firms, and it means companies may go bust, and owners being made bankrupt and losing their homes – because of changes to how pension fund contributions are assessed. The worst aspect of this is that the fund is actually financially solvent and the assessment process is fundamentally flawed. Overall then, my bills were aimed at protecting a wide range of individuals and companies. I will try again in the new parliamentary session as I cannot let these injustices lie.

Climate Change and Heat

I am a co-author of a report on heat decarbonisation. As we recognise the need for reduce carbon dioxide emissions then one major issue is gas central heating that so many of us use. The predicted future is moving to hydrogen blending in the gas network with eventually the gas we use being hydrogen rather than carbon based. This has huge implications for the boilers we install and possibly changes to oven and hob appliances. Ultimately there will be a change as big as the transformation from local town gas to a national network decades ago. Planning therefore is needed now.

Brexit Racism

As it looks like Johnson’s proposals are doomed, Leave.EU, the campaign funded by Arron Banks and fronted by Nigel Farage, released a tweet meme that stated “We did not win two world wars to be pushed around by a Kraut” with Angela Merkel depicted in a pose similar to a Nazi salute. It was a blatant piece of dog whistle politics: racist and deemed to appeal to racists. I understand people who voted to leave the EU are insulted when they feel they are tarred with the racist brush. Sadly that is the depths of one of the official political campaign groups and they do nobody a service and only cause tensions. These populist tactics really need to end.

October Deadline

Well the day of reckoning approaches. To date Boris has lost 7 votes in the House of Commons and lost in the highest courts. What is in store? Will he cobble a deal? Will he obey the law or pull a stunt that will mean another court case, which is set for October 21st in the Scottish Courts? I know I want a Brexit extension, Boris out of power and an election as soon as possible, even although I know people are fed up with elections.