‘Reform UK is not Fiddling Whilst Havering Burns-We are Focusing on the Real Problems facing our Borough!’-Andrew Rosindell MP.
The Member of Parliament for Romford-Andrew Rosindell MP writes in the Havering Daily.
The article produced by Margaret Mullane M.P. comparing Havering Council to Emperor Nero makes for colourful reading, but like many political analogies, it is more theatrical than factual.
Nero, readers of the Havering Daily are told by someone cosplaying as an eminent classicist, fiddled whilst Rome burnt. Reform UK, apparently, is doing the same because we have questioned the value of declaring yet another ‘climate emergency’ to hard-working local people. If that is the best comparison Labour can muster, it says a lot about the strength of their argument – it’s all fluff and guff!
We need to get back to basics. No one disputes that fires and floods happen, and cause damage to local people and pose problems for local administrations. Nor does anyone dispute that local authorities should do everything reasonably possible to protect residents in these situations.
Where Reform UK parts company with Labour is in pretending that passing symbolic, virtue signalling motions in the council chamber somehow extinguishes fires in Rainham, or Romford, or anywhere else in Essex for that matter.
Precisely fifty years ago, we experienced the hottest summer on record in 1976, and the intense heat lasted for many weeks without let up. Do you remember that year? I do, and since then we have experienced both hot and cooler summers, there is no pattern to it.
Margaret Mullane herself acknowledges that the underground fires are not caused by heatwaves. They stem from an illegal landfill site that has blighted local communities for years. That is fundamentally a failure of enforcement, not evidence that another declaration of a ‘climate emergency’ will suddenly solve the problem. Nonsense.
To take another example so as not to be accused of cherry picking, grass fires have reportedly included incidents where deliberate fire-setting has been suspected. arson is a criminal offence. Criminals should be prosecuted.
Margaret is deflecting with petty politics, avoiding the issues of enforcement and criminality.
As a matter of fact, we have always experienced fires and floods, and the examples she cites are not new. Flooding, droughts and heatwaves are serious challenges, and local government should prepare for them. That means improving flood resilience, supporting the fire service, and ensuring dangerous sites such as Arnolds Field are finally dealt with properly and firmly.
Efficient local government that is in full control of what happens in their own borough is what is needed. The Mayor of London and City Hall, as usual, do nothing for us on this, just like on most other things. Havering should take back power and ditch the GLA and Mayor. It’s a waste of money and we should take back control. That is one layer of bureaucracy and interference we don’t want and never needed in Havering.
We require practical policies. Residents benefit from, regardless of what they believe about Net Zero, but practicality has never been Labour’s forte.
Labour often appears to believe that every local problem can be traced back to ‘foreign influence’, ‘the right’, and yet another ‘climate emergency’. For that party, every solution begins with another airy press release, with the buzzwords of the left held with an iron fist, and facts and substance held lightly. Residents are entitled to ask what any of that achieves – I would certainly like to know, so perhaps Margaret will explain?
Reform UK is not concerned with ‘climate denial’, but with questioning whether Britain’s increasingly expensive Net Zero policies are either delivering their objectives, or value for the taxpayer. Countries such as China continue to build coal-fired power stations at scale. Families in Havering should not be expected to shoulder ever higher costs through energy bills, taxes, and regulation whilst our contribution to global emissions continues to shrink, and the profits of our enemies’ energy industries sore. Does Margaret work for Dagenham or Dandong?
Let me be very clear: I strongly support conserving our beautiful natural environment and our green belt – it is a treasure that we have a duty to preserve and pass on to future generations. We can support sensible conservation, improve local resilience to extreme weather, and clean up illegal landfill without signing up to every costly policy pursued in the name of Net Zero.
Margaret would rather spend huge amounts of public money on questionable projects, if only it meant she could ignore real, local issues impacting the environment and residents.
Margaret suggests Reform UK is ignoring the problems at hand – nothing could be further from the truth. We are simply looking at the actual causes of local problems and working to resolve them,instead of reaching for a global political slogan.
If Margaret wishes to spend her time debating Nero and promoting Net Zero, that is her prerogative, but the people of Havering should not dance to her tune.
I will continue to fight for the interests of hard-working people across Romford and the whole of Havering, which is why I will oppose the madness of Net Zero.
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Well stated Andrew , climate change is a global thing , every scientist will tell you that the earth is moving closer to the sun every year, so can we prevent it ! certainly not as it’s a result of the suns magnetic pull..So we need to start getting use to heat and stop blaming councils etc. however we also need to learn the lessons and take precautions for the future, obviously this costs money , in the case of recent fires we now need to plan fire breaks in the areas so we are prepared better for the future.
Earth moving closer to the sun because of its magnetic pull? Is this satire?