Queen’s Speech

My Lords, I am very glad to have the honour of thanking and congratulating the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Blackburn on an outstanding maiden speech. The quality of his reflections augurs well for his future contributions in this House. As one who lives in west Cumbria, I particularly welcome what he said about recent events. It will be deeply appreciated by the community. The right reverend Prelate brings a great deal of north and south, church and community experience. I gather that he enjoys modern political and ecclesiastical biographies. I just hope that his experiences at Westminster will not dampen his enthusiasm in the political context at least. Evidently, among his active interests are steam trains and cycling, which could not put him in a stronger position to influence effectively my noble friend Lord Adonis in the matters we are debating today. It is good to have my noble friend at the helm on transport. It is exciting that he has made the railway system central to his strategy and commitment. He is right. Railways are a key element of social and economic well-being in the United Kingdom. I have just three observations on what he advocates. First, high-speed links, not least between the south and Scotland, are essential. Internal air routes should become obsolete, but dedicated high-speed routes cannot become an alternative to good provincial, regional and local services integrated with other forms of transportation where appropriate. We need both. Already there are anxieties, for example, that the speeding up of the timetable on the West Coast route could encourage people to drive further than they would have done, as places like Oxenholme and Penrith feel the negative impacts. Secondly, in rail travel, people look for decent and assured seats, adequate luggage space, cleanliness, including functioning lavatories, decent catering and, above all punctuality and reliability. The absence of well appointed, properly staffed stations can be a deterrent to rail travel for which the wonderful shopping malls at some termini are no substitute. The special needs of frail and disabled people should invariably be met. Thirdly, I hope that my noble friend and the Government will not allow themselves to be ensnared by an ideologically motivated target date for reprivatisation of East Coast. Surely it should be an open-ended and honest experiment, with the time to develop and properly evaluate the merits of a contribution to be made by the public sector. I live near Cockermouth. What west Cumbria has experienced in recent years must for all but the most blinkered dramatically underline the vital significance of Copenhagen. The nightmare endured in the past few days by too many in Cockermouth, Workington, Keswick, Kendal, Lorton and similar places on both sides of the Solway Firth has been literally terrible and terrifying. As I was able to say yesterday, when the TV cameras have gone and the very lengthy task of physical and psychological reconstruction continues, the solidarity and financial support of the Government and the nation must not falter. The spirit of the people is a challenge that deserves a continuing generous response. Effective flood defences for the future must quickly be ensured. Meanwhile, for pressing economic and social reasons, the restoration of transportation must be an urgent priority. It is not only west Cumbria and places like it in the UK that have been affected. Across the globe, accumulating evidence is already disturbing and grim. The total destruction of coastal and island communities, droughts, famine, tornadoes, typhoons, crumbling ice, melting glaciers and rapidly disappearing species are stark illustrations of what already confronts us. The immense adverse agricultural, economic and social consequences of it all, with their grave implications for massive migration, conflict and exploitation by extremists and terrorists, leave absolutely no room for complacency or cynical rationalisation at Copenhagen. The Prime Minister and the Government have been giving commendably strong leadership on what is required. The world’s leaders must not now in effect succumb to short-term vested interests and fudge it. To fail to make cast-iron commitments at Copenhagen to act urgently will literally betray humanity. Meanwhile, leading NGOs are absolutely right to keep reminding us that millions in the third world perceive the situation to be to a major extent the result of the methods by which the privileged nations have polluted their way to wealth and advantage to which less prosperous nations have still not gained fair access. It is difficult to overstress the resentment felt by many in the third world at being lectured on their responsibilities while they are still excluded from the wealth of the privileged and while they therefore lack the resources to implement such policies when building their futures. Success at Copenhagen inescapably demands meeting this sense of injustice. It has been estimated that at least €110 billion per year is needed by developing countries if they are to adapt to climate change and ensure the low-carbon futures that are essential. The European Union’s proposal for €22 billion to €25 billion is just not realistic if the third world is to be brought on board. What is more, it is not yet clear that what is offered will be in addition to existing aid commitments and separate from market-offset mechanisms. It is imperative to mobilise that €110 billion per year in additional public funding. I fervently hope that my noble friend will reassure us on this and that the opposition parties will give their unqualified support. By the same token, it is essential that the United Kingdom and other wealthy nations deliver by 2020 their share of a 40 per cent aggregate cut in domestic emissions from 1990 levels. As the gracious Speech proposes, if we are serious in our commitment to global social justice and determined to build a more secure world, the Government’s strengthened commitment to meet 0.7 per cent of GNP for foreign aid by 2013 should have the support of the whole House. It is, after all, 39 years since 1970 when the wealthy nations of the world undertook to do this. In June 2001, I was able to initiate a short debate in the House on the merits of the Tobin tax as a means of mobilising funds for world development. Surely we should now be prepared to introduce it. A more just and sustainable world community cannot do without it. In conclusion, I declare an interest as the honorary president of the Friends of the Lake District and an honorary vice-president of the Campaign for National Parks. We must beware of making anti-windmills a new ideology, especially if the case is to rest on the relatively small amounts of electricity they produce. Alternative energy will always be an aggregate of schemes generating modest amounts of power. Other means of wind power, community-based water generated power, ground source background heating and other communal projects will all be necessary. The issue is not whether they are needed, but where. We really do need a national plan. I for one, however reluctantly, accept that at least an interim part of this has to be a new generation of nuclear power. However, the crucial issue of safe nuclear waste disposal for thousands of years ahead has still to be convincingly resolved, and it must be resolved before we go ahead. The threats of terrorism and the possible substantial impact on soil and rock structures of events like those recently in Cumbria, not to mention possible earthquakes and tremors, demand it. Existing arrangements for storage are clearly hazardous in both respects. But in all this we must never forget that the reason we need energy is in order to have a society worth living in. Our countryside, national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty are part of our priceless and timeless heritage. With all the stresses of modern society, they are more vital than ever for physical and psychological regeneration. Contrast and tranquillity are central to their role. As with aircraft noise and light pollution, we would be wantonly foolish and irresponsible to allow their erosion. In our new streamlined planning procedures, a crucial priority must be to ensure that energy sites, power lines and other infrastructure are in no way permitted to harm these wonderful and irreplaceable assets. The implication of three nuclear power stations and a possible strategic nuclear waste disposal site in west Cumbria, so close to one of the finest national parks in the world, surely demands very careful evaluation. The responsible media have a critical part to play in this. We must also have joined-up government because it is not a matter to be left only to Defra. Arguably, the timely and important new marine Act indicates a way forward. I hope I will be forgiven for saying that no price can be put on the views from the Lakeland fells, not least across the Solway Firth during a spectacular sunset. I know I speak as a resident of Cumbria, but in a highly materialist age, the spiritual value of such an experience is inestimable. We lose it at our peril.