Simpol-UK
Simultaneous Policy: Rediscovering the Sense of our Collective Humanity

PRESS RELEASE: 27th September 2007

Climate urgency builds parliamentary support for Simultaneous Policy
The Simultaneous Policy (SP), a global grassroots campaign aimed at addressing global problems such as climate change, war, unfair trade and global poverty, gained further support in Parliament today as Celia Barlow, Labour MP for Hove, joined twenty-three other MPs from all the main UK political parties who have signed a pledge to implement SP alongside other governments. “Co-operation between different nations is paramount in terms of tackling the world’s greatest problems such as climate change and poverty. Unilateral action, though important, cannot solve these international problems,” Ms. Barlow said.
The fear of all governments that the unilateral implementation of stringent environmental controls would increase business costs resulting in a loss of investment and jobs is rapidly being recognised as the key barrier to solving global warming and other global problems.

Despite the Stern report which urged governments to act decisively to curb carbon emissions, the Financial Times (6th Dec. 06) noted that “…governments remain reluctant to address this threat because any country acting alone to curb its greenhouse gas emissions, without similar commitments by other governments, risks damaging the competitiveness of its industries.”

To eliminate the fear of first-mover disadvantage, SP’s range of global measures is to be implemented simultaneously, only when all or sufficient governments have signed up. By posing no-risk to any nation’s international competitiveness, simultaneous action removes excuses for inaction and delay and opens the way to far more robust policies being adopted than relatively weak agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol. Contraction & Convergence, a powerful international framework designed to combat global warming, is one measure that has been put forward for potential inclusion in SP’s package of global problem-solving measures.

To secure sufficient international political will for the implementation of SP, citizens around the world who support it, known as Adopters, tell politicians that they will be voting in all future national elections for any candidate, within reason, who has signed the pledge to implement SP alongside other governments, or they encourage their preferred party to support SP. In this way, competition between candidates is intensified to a point where politicians who fail to support SP risk losing their seats to those who do. With more parliamentary seats and even entire national elections being won or lost on fine margins, only a relatively small number of Adopters may be needed to make it in the vital interests of the main politicians and parties to support SP.

Celia Barlow’s pledge to implement SP follows vigorous local campaigning by Brighton and Hove’s SP Adopters Group, chaired by Barnaby Flynn. Local Adopter groups meet regularly around the UK and recruit new Adopters, so building the pressure on politicians to sign the SP Pledge. Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MEP who will stand at the next election in the neighbouring Brighton Pavilion constituency, has already signed the SP Pledge and competing candidates from other parties are expected to follow.

The Pledge arrived three days after the Brighton Peace and Environment Centre's 25th Anniversary Party held last Saturday. At the party, during an auction of promises I bid and won for £31 “tea on the terrace and a tour of the House Of Commons with Celia Barlow”. Simultaneous Policy (SP) Adopters in her constituency have also sent her letters asking for her to sign the SP Pledge and others said they were going to arrange to meet with her at her surgery. So, great news and what looks to be the start of a saturation of new SP Pledges from MPs and candidates across the board in the Sussex area and even more SP Adoptions from constituents.

I am awaiting a call from Celia to arrange the tea and tour. It would be good to have get a photo with her whilst holding the SP Street Stall which is where most of the Brighton and Hove Adopters signed up.

Brighton Simpol Adopters hold open to all meetings at the Brighton Peace and Environment Centre every 3rd Thursday of the month at 7.30 pm.


For further information visit www.simpol.org.uk or contact Diana Trimble. For Barnaby Flynn, contact 07799 603042.
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