If it's Monday, it must be the Labour Party conference...past the x-ray machines and gun-toting police and into a melee of party activists, MPs, ministers and cameras.
On the main stage, Peter Mandelson plays to the crowd. I get excited when he talks of the UK needing a new model of economic growth, thinking that he might be about to suggest starting to measure human happiness rather than money - but it turns out that he means less financial services, more manufacturing industry, rather than anything more philosophical. Next up, Ed Miliband, climate change minister, talks up the urgency of the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December. He is in the hotseat, leading the UK negotiations. I'm pleased that he focuses a lot of his comments on the impact right now of climate change on the developing world.
In the evening, glasses clink as the event jointly sponsored by Progressio kicks off in a small reception room. Abdi Ibrahim, head of a Kenyan charity, explains how droughts in the region have moved over 25 years from happening every 11 years to every seven, then five, now every two years. The nomadic people in the country have no time to recover from the last drought before the next is upon them. "I am looking forward to the UK government taking a lead influencing the EU, commonwealth, UN, and its own people to change their way of life" he says.
I fulfil an ambition by meeting Greta Scacchi, the White Mischief actress. She speaks of the horrors we may have about the future that climate change will leave for our children - but that these horrors are a reality right now in the developing world "Lets all hope that at Copenhagen Britain can make us proud" she challenges the two cabinet ministers waiting to speak next.
Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Development, spoke of the poster which had hung on the wall in the manse where he grew up which said "live simply that others may simply live". A message never more relevant to us than today. If we do not cut our emissions, from the 10 tonnes per person we use in the UK annually - as opposed to the 2 tonnes that will bring global warming under control, the game is surely up. We should "raise our voices as one" he said, because "we don't have a plan B".
Ed Milliband again - reprises his platform comments, but very worryingly, sounds deep concern that negotiations are moving too slowly to be sure of success, and finishes with a challenge to campaigners. He expresses concern that there isn't enough public pressure to ensure that politicians around the world will act. "We need more pressure" he states, bluntly.
That's the challenge to all of us - time to pile on the pressure.
Tim Aldred
Advocacy Manager, Progressio
what is happening in Kenya in regard to climate change, drought, hunger, desertification, is happening in Somaliland / Somalia as well. It is surprising that progressio up to now did not take care very much about this, although it is running projects there. It is not only an issue for political parties to be present at the climate change conferences, it is not only an issue of celebrities to do advocacy work, the UN is quite a democratic construction, it is also open to NGOs, who can lobby there and have a voice, and experience has shown, that NGOs especially from the South sometimes could have a big voice. Then, progressio can be present in Copenhagen as well and progressio could also assist drought-affected countries to be present there. Progressio has failed to do this up to now.
Posted by: Ingrid Hartmann | 10/04/2009 at 02:37 PM
Secondly, although climate change is the most fashionable problem, desertification actually is one of the major consequences of climate change, with many more complex features all detrimental to survival of people in drylands. The conference of parties of the desertification conference just ended yesterday, it would be nicer if progressio also would care about that.
Posted by: Ingrid Hartmann | 10/04/2009 at 02:39 PM