From Blackpool, Tam Dalyell, M.P. tells why it’s important to be greener on the Socialist side of the political fence.
he atmosphere oi the Labour Party
conierence has been epitomised by Tom Sawyer oithe National Union oi Public Employees, one oi the rising stars oi the party.
Replying to the debate on the environment on behall oi the National Executive Committee he said that striking the balance oi an industrial society that provides jobs, heat and housing while at the same time using that technology and knowledge to
': preserve and enhance our environment a and not to destroy it would be one oi the
most important objectives oi the next Labour Government. That’s a real job iorthose that are prepared to light ior real power in the hard world of electoral politics.
The Labour Party is a socialist party
preparing ior power and the i atmosphere is one oi intending to win.
i That’s why policies tor the environment
are lnlonned by our view oi society as a whole. You can‘t tackle the environment without politics tor the economy, lor industry. You can’t protect the environment tor some unless you recognise the need ior jobs for all. That’s why at the heart of the proposals at Blackpool this week we are creating a new ministry oi environmental protection and two new enforcement agencies. That’s why we are giving local councils a new role in expanding and developing work on the environment. That’s why we are giving powerto people to make decisions about their own communities.
Labour's programme also shows respect ior our common heritage. We know that we are losing precious
Lcountryside and wlldllle habitat to 2 Thelzist 3 - 16 October A
GOIJJMN-L'iI
bolster unwanted food supplies. That's
' why we intend to introduce a new,
stronger Wildlife and Countryside Act and to recarve subsidies. We know that democracy has travelled so short a way that lords and ladies can still say ‘Keep Out’ of moors and mountains and even in our National Parks, and the beautiiul
V « 3 wild spots which we should be able to
5 enjoy are surrounded by barbed wire
j and used ior military purposes. That's 9 why we want to give everyone access
on loot to mountains, moor and heath.
This is no misty-eyed programme, it
, is a hard biting socialist programme to § tackle urban decay, for we know that ior ' ~ many, certainly the poor and
disadvantaged, environmental decay
‘ crushestheirdevelopment, damages
the quality of their lives and limits their
I trapped in high rise houses mm no play ensuring that she had the exclusive
horizons. Our programme is tor those
space, no decent liits, no hope. lt’s lor
those with paperthin walls reluctantly
television. It’s iorthose who dread
. winter because iuel costs mean a
; constant choice between cold and
; hunger. lt’s iorthose children with no
: gardens, no parks to play in and no real chance to get to the country. It is a
; programme lorallour people.
We reject the ialse lreedoms that
' allow the rich to pollute and squander
while our people pay the price. As we
y deal with the problems oi people in ' their home and work environments we
crecognise the inequalities at health that exist in our community. Asbestos
f has not been made a priority. Food additives are allowed here and are banned in parts at Europe and the
United States. Three million people in Britain drink water below the EEC purity standards. Lead fumes damage
: children’s health. Toxic wastes are - often dumped in dangerous and
uncontrolled conditions. That’s why Labour is setting out an action programme to deal with all these things.
Our policies are not just about
controls, important as they are, it’s a programme ior preparing to put people
back to work. That‘s why we are going to create jobs iorthe people who need them and regenerate our industries. We are committed to an economy that grows and meets our aspirations. investing in our sewers and water
suppliedthat will, under Labour, be . democratically controlled and publicly
accountable. There is work to be done in monitoring and controlling pollution. There is work to be done in rural areas improving landscapes caring ior wlldliie, building lootpaths. There is work to be done creating new
I technologies that make saler products
l i
|
in saierways. There is work to be done
‘ in cooperation with other countries to llnd solutions to international
environmental problems. In creating these jobs, committing ourselves to all this, we recognise it must be sustained growth that enables us to leave iuture generations a planet worth inhabiting.
ASPIRATIONAL GLOSS
. Next issue this magazine celebrates i its first birthday. 'lhat makes it
something of a veteran in magazine
terms. This Autumn dozens of new : titles have appeared on the news : stands from Q the magazine for the
owners ofcompact discs to (at, (see
. Rock). Ideas attempt to create the a music press Scotland deserves.
But you need more than just a good
' idea to succeed in the magazine
world as Pat Roberts, editor of Over
. 21, knows only too well. In Scotland
to promote Hair Now a quarterly hair fashion glossy complete with varnished covers (‘Gloss is Aspirational‘) Pat dreamed up the idea of the free London station give
; away, GirlAbout Town‘ but took the
practical, rival—crushing step of
contract to station pitches. Hair Now
. . j takes an unashamedly traditional listening to their next-door neighbour s ; approach to the task Ofpublishmg ; for women: ‘There‘s nothing
; immoral about wearing lipstick‘. Pat } admits to being ‘one of those awful
i women who has to change her
clothes on the hour every hour to use
them all up‘ but knows how to get mileage from magazines. ()ver21 has been named by the periodical Publishers Association, Periodical of
the Year and puts her success down in part to ‘never letting an idea die‘. The new magazine, a quarterly
costing £1.25 grew directly out of the
hair advice column in 0ver21‘.
The secret according to Pat is not
; finding a gap in the market but ' ‘creating a market in a gap‘.
Another magazine which aims to do just that is Gloss a free, women‘s,
; glossy to be launched in Glasgow and E suburbs this month. According to
2 publisher Lorraine Chassels it will be ‘strong on fashion‘ as well as
including health, beauty, news, interviews and competitions. There will also be a supplement entitled
Matt for men. Gloss will be
distributed by a variety of methods including direct mail, selected
outlets such as shops and banks and
personal delivery by promotional girls. Ms Chassels says the magazine —
E which will have 7 full time staffas well as numerous freelancers — will j fill an obvious gap in the market for
i i
' snoutml
l
g and hey presto, ballet becomes all : burns and bondage, cops and
.1 the public as well as colour
advertisers. She says the aim of Gloss is to produce a magazine which ‘looks national, feels national but is definitely not parochial.‘
BOTTOMS UP
Michael Clark waves his magic wand
copulation. ‘No Fire Escape in Hell’, his new show, opened at Sadler‘s Wells last month with the expected Clark tradesmarks. The seventies anthem, ‘sex and drugs and rock n‘ roll‘, was all wrapped up in Body Map‘s camp costumes, coming complete with spart parts. E
Clark‘s company is a mixed bunch. Experienced dancers perform with 1 those who have never tread the boards before and while this is wonderful experience for the group, clarity is sometimes lost in the rush. Clark, himselfa superb dancer, remains the pivot around which the . others orbit. It‘s loud, brash with some some stunning pieces of i choreography. i
Unfortunately Clark and his company will not be coming to 3 Scotland in the near future, but you can see another example of his work at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow in Nov (25-29) when Ballet Rambert will be performing Swamp.
MAKING WAVES
Radio Scotland‘s new arts programme Tuesday Review is broadcast on 7 Oct at 6.30pm. Presenting the show on alternate weeks will be Joanna Hickson and Robert Dawson Scott, who said: ‘lt
1; will try to cover the arts fairly fully
with reviews and interviews.’ Longer than Radio Scotland‘s previous arts magazines, Tuesday Review will, hopefully, be ‘as interesting as the
stuff it‘s going to cover— and being
live is a bonus.‘
FIRST COMING
‘ A novel venture by
inter-denominational committee of churchmen has resulted in the most unusual cinema release of the year. The ‘Jesus‘ Committee, made up of representatives ofthe Church of Scotland, the United Free Church, Roman Catholic Church. and others have organised a week long commercial screening ofthe film Jesus at Glasgow‘s Odeon Cinema. It is planned that the Lord Provost
‘ attend the opening night and already
large organised groups have
arranged to travel from all over Scotland to see it. David Locke of
the ‘Jesus‘ Committee, which has been working for almost a year to arrange this screening, is keen that l the public should come along too, to i see what he calls a ‘film for the whole ' family‘.
‘Jesus' runs from Fri Oct 3— Thurs 9. See also Film Section.