Author Archives: Graham Wroe

Green Jobs campaign to get people working to save the planet

My day job is as a lecturer in Further Education. I am acutely aware of the importance of training our young people for the jobs and skills they will need in the future. That is why I have thrown my weight behind the new Green Jobs for All campaign. In South Yorkshire, we want toContinueContinue reading “Green Jobs campaign to get people working to save the planet”

How should I vote to save the planet?

The local elections are on May 6th. If you live in Sheffield you have 3 votes.  One for the referendum, where you will be asked if you want the Council to continue with its “strong leader” model whereby the 10 cabinet members make the decisions or change to a more inclusive, democratic committee system thatContinueContinue reading “How should I vote to save the planet?”

The most important parliamentary Bill for a generation.

What do local MP’s Clive Betts and Olivia Blake have in common with Caroline Lucas of the Green Party, Sir Ed Davey from the Lib Dems, Clive Lewis from Labour, Alan Brown of the SNP and Liz Saville Roberts of Plaid Cymru? They are all supporting the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill, (CEE Bill) whichContinueContinue reading “The most important parliamentary Bill for a generation.”

Banking Brandalism

Back in my student days I supported the campaign to end the racist Apartheid regime in South Africa. A big part of that campaign was to persuade the banks, notably Barclays, to stop investing in the country, to speed the fall of the regime. Roll on nearly half a century and today we find BarclaysContinueContinue reading “Banking Brandalism”

Ban “smart” motorways

Back in the ’90s when my three children were teenagers, we were driving on a motorway on our way to a festival. My wife and kids were singing along to a tape. The motorway was busy with August bank holiday traffic. Ahead of me on the hard shoulder was a lorry. Suddenly, without warning, theContinueContinue reading “Ban “smart” motorways”

Sheffield Council fails to call an Ecological Emergency

At the Sheffield Council meeting on February 3rd a petition was presented from Greenpeace and Sheffield Green Parents asking them to call an Ecological Emergency. The response from Mark Jones, the Cabinet member for the Environment and Climate Change, was predictable. He agreed to work with different groups to improve the Council’s policies, but failedContinueContinue reading “Sheffield Council fails to call an Ecological Emergency”

Democracy only works when citizens are involved.

The Government have announced that the local elections, postponed from May 2020, will go ahead this May. But due to the pandemic volunteers from political parties will not be able to distribute leaflets. They can, however, pay a delivery company to do this for them. This will give parties with rich individual or corporate backersContinueContinue reading “Democracy only works when citizens are involved.”

Less sugar, more bees please!

Do you, like me, have a sweet tooth? You may then be concerned to read that the Uk’s sugar industry is in big trouble.  Last winter was exceptionally mild in England, with few frosts. This allowed record-breaking numbers of aphids to survive. They transmit a kind of beet malaria (virus yellows) to the sugar beet.ContinueContinue reading “Less sugar, more bees please!”

Are the BBC beginning to tell the truth?

Ever since Extinction Rebellion was formed in 2018 one of their major targets have been the BBC. In November that year on a cold wet winter morning they protested outside BBC Radio Sheffield. So why are the BBC a target, and have things begun to change? In London climate activist Jon Fuller has regularly ledContinueContinue reading “Are the BBC beginning to tell the truth?”