Ancestors

Written by Juggling With Eggs on 2025-01-24 at 13:46

Dr Andrew Boswell is a hero in #Norwich. He’s a man of science and principle with a willingness to engage constructively in local politics.

He took the government to the High Court because impact assessments arranged for road widening in #Norfolk were crap. #Starmer labelled him an ‘environmental zealot’ just to put others off speaking truth to power.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jan/24/activist-andrew-boswell-hits-back-at-keir-starmer-for-demonising-him-as-environmental-zealot

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from JugglingWithEggs@mstdn.social

Written by Juggling With Eggs on 2025-01-24 at 13:48

‘This week, #Starmer said he was determined to overhaul the judicial review process to prevent “nimbys and zealots” such as Boswell “gumming up the legal system”.

In a comment piece for the Daily Mail, Starmer accused Boswell and his ilk of trying to “hold the country to ransom” through legal claims that amount to “self-righteous virtue signalling”

Erm…again I ask, what is the difference between Starmer and Trump this week?

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from JugglingWithEggs@mstdn.social

Written by MJ Ray on 2025-01-24 at 14:16

@JugglingWithEggs one bit I don't understand in the reports is the claim that legal challenge increased the cost by millions. Does that mean the #A47 impact assessments were so crap it took millions of pounds of work to make them robust enough to survive court? Which would mean that even if Boswell's arguments were without merit, he was justified in asking.

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from mjr@masto.bike

Written by Juggling With Eggs on 2025-01-24 at 14:26

@mjr

My impression is ‘no’.

This Sky article includes further quotes from the Starmer Daily Mail piece and an interview they carried out with Boswell:

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/starmer-accused-of-pathetic-bullying-by-environmental-campaigner-after-nimby-article-13295104

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from JugglingWithEggs@mstdn.social

Toot

Written by Juggling With Eggs on 2025-01-24 at 14:30

@mjr

‘In the article, Sir Keir writes: "A former Green Party councillor spent years trying to block vital safety upgrades to the A47. The case reached the Supreme Court last year, which dismissed it for having 'no logical basis'.

I find it rather disingenuous to describe what I’ve witnessed them doing on the A47 as ‘safety upgrades’…it’s really about appeasing certain car drivers who want it all duel carriageway. It’s about increasing the volume and speed of traffic on that road.

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from JugglingWithEggs@mstdn.social

Descendants

Written by MJ Ray on 2025-01-24 at 14:33

@JugglingWithEggs that's true. It may well make it safer by building a substandard-motorway that splits aggressive drivers from active travel and local traffic, but that's very much a third-class concern, as you can see from the longer twisty/acrobatic routes provided for the most vulnerable users, contrary to #ActiveTravelEngland advice. This was said to be about economic benefit all through the last 14 years governments, despite the poor Cost-Benefit Ratio

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from mjr@masto.bike