Former Green Alliance director, CPRE chief executive, and Labour & Co-op MEP. Rochester resident, ever hopeful Gills supporter.https://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mvarmn3y4k2iThis is sad - tragic for many who will now be forced to suffer against their will - but not surprising. MPs & (often opaquely funded) lobby groups opposed the bill they feared, not the actual bill & religious fundamentalists of all stripes united against it. 1-0 to reactionary peers. [contains quote post or other embedded content]11 Sep 2026 14:28 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvarmn3y4k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mva7l32snk2iWell done to @laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social for a great speech on the Assisted Dying Bill, standing up for personal choice and parliamentary democracy. I hope that if the Commons vote in favour again, the government will get behind the bill & resist Lords' filibustering.11 Sep 2026 09:05 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mva7l32snk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mv5j43k3bc2rIt is absurd for Kemi Badenoch to suggest that Russia might invade us if we spend 2.9% on defence but not if we spend 3%. This debate (if it can be called a debate) has become so trivial. #r4today10 Sep 2026 07:17 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv5j43k3bc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3muxjcw7ank2uFascinating thread. I’m with the politicians of 90 years ago! [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Sep 2026 22:05 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muxjcw7ank2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mupeaniqhs2jDelegates at the Reform conference are currently jigging along to Dexys Midnight Runners. I'm not sure Kevin Rowland will like that...04 Sep 2026 16:13 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mupeaniqhs2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3muokk4xaac2xIf this is true (& I hope it isn't) it's imperative that the government sticks to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate & does more to clean home heating (heat pumps). Both are essential to meeting net zero & tackling climate change - and to the UK's credibility as a climate leader. [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Sep 2026 08:33 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muokk4xaac2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3muni5brdjc2xBig Reform stories on the Telegraph website this evening.03 Sep 2026 22:18 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muni5brdjc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mumuvq6kg22gInteresting to hear Robert Jenrick to pick on Natural England as his first quango for the chop. I’d guess that Reform voters love nature (“our green and pleasant land”) and would love an even more natural England.03 Sep 2026 16:33 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumuvq6kg22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mumfo6aufc2bBasil Liddell Hart: “The Romans coined the maxim: ‘If you wish for peace, prepare for war.’ But the many wars they fought, and the endless series since their day, show that there was a fallacy in the argument.... A truer maxim would be: ‘If you wish for peace, understand war.’"03 Sep 2026 12:01 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumfo6aufc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3muhthts7ck26On the PM's "series of wrong turns" since the 1980s, let's add the fact that the state went from spending 80% of its housing budget on building social homes (1975) to devoting 85% to helping tenants pay their rents, often to the private landlords of former council homes (2000). A big wrong turn!01 Sep 2026 16:24 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhthts7ck26https://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mu3cj6fxek2kThis is good from Angela Eagle: the climate crisis is real & serious; we need to tackle it & build resilience, not least by restoring nature. The amazing thing is that this needs saying. It shouldn’t be politically contentious… but it is. [contains quote post or other embedded content]27 Aug 2026 16:49 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3cj6fxek2khttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mtxulybni22uThe government’s continuing support of a business that wants to take it down is one of the mysteries of our time. The same applies to the BBC. They should leave X. Others would follow. [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 Aug 2026 08:02 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtxulybni22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mtgbakikvc2yVigorous love in between Andrew Bowie & Justin Webb on #r4today (Webb’s assumption that target dates are ‘arbitrary’, that rising costs are caused by net zero , that net zero is the cause of deindustrialising). Please could the BBC give its presenters a proper briefing on energy policy & net zero.19 Aug 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtgbakikvc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mtdtjzaitc25.@gabyhinsliff.bsky.social is right that so far the PM has been weak on the climate crisis. But she's wrong on the ZEV mandate. It's not "rigid". Targets are being met & EV sales are booming. The only future for the UK car industry is in embracing the transition to electric vehicles. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Aug 2026 08:50 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtdtjzaitc25https://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mt4lr76g4k2lMany thanks to the Medway #RepairCafe which did a brilliant job today fixing a couple of floor lamps - they prevented waste but also (a secondary thought, of course!) saved me a fortune.15 Aug 2026 11:42 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt4lr76g4k2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mt2eqa4kvk2kThis would be, er, an odd response to the growing climate crisis & the rising cost of petrol & diesel. It would also be very bad news for the UK car industry & British consumers . https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/andy-burnham-new-ev-sales-targets?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other14 Aug 2026 14:31 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt2eqa4kvk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mt24ebp7rk2eIn 2009, @cprecountryside.bsky.social produced a vision for the countryside in 2026, its centenary year. Now we've reached 2026, I've looked back at the vision in 3 short LinkedIn posts. A lot has been achieved but a lot more needs to be done. lnkd.in/p/euPJ2sjX https://lnkd.in/p/euPJ2sjX14 Aug 2026 12:01 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt24ebp7rk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3msvo3pto6s26“The bigger questions will obviously come at the right moment in time.” Bah! In the face of an assault on climate action from Reform & the Conservatives, Andy Burnham should talk about what’s causing the extreme weather & make the case for climate action & net zero.12 Aug 2026 17:35 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3msvo3pto6s26https://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3msohkpqy4k2sThis is good. The PM should also be making the case. [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 Aug 2026 20:49 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3msohkpqy4k2shttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3msdk67dfjk2y.@zackpolanski.bsky.social is right: the PM and most of his ministers have been remarkably quiet about the growing climate crisis. They should rebut the arguments of the Conservatives & Reform, whose response to the crisis has been to say that we need to rely even more on fossil fuels! #Wato05 Aug 2026 12:37 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdk67dfjk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3ms5xoew3uk2qBlimey, Amol Rajan really taking Daily Telegraph/ Reform UK talking points on net zero! #r4today03 Aug 2026 07:23 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms5xoew3uk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mrwgp2rzvk2cInteresting #r4today interview with Louise Haigh - but extraordinary for Dharshini to trash her argument in linking to the next item. Perhaps Today should ditch the guests & just give the presenters’ views.31 Jul 2026 07:30 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrwgp2rzvk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mru4cina4k2tDoes anyone know if Badenoch, Farage et al have said anything about the extreme weather and what they'd do to prevent ever more extreme weather in the future? It should be one of the first questions interviewers ask. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jul 2026 09:19 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mru4cina4k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mrfeliqdrc2mWhen Kemi Badenoch, Claire Coutinho, Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and all the other climate sceptics & climate deniers (spot the difference) read stories like this in the Telegraph, I wonder what they think. Mind you, the Telegraph story doesn't mention climate change at all. So that's all good.24 Jul 2026 12:37 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrfeliqdrc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunspiers1.bsky.social/post/3mrerebzfjk2j#r4today seems to have become an arm of the defence industry (moonlighting for oil and gas on the side).24 Jul 2026 06:53 +0000at://did:plc:bpt45ha2gublbgla6kq5i3i7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrerebzfjk2j