The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP

October Column (II)

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MPs are switched onto climate change - roof protesters take note

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You couldn't make it up. The House of Commons returns after a 13 week recess to find Greenpeace protesters on the roof of Westminster Hall calling for strong action on climate change but reinforcing how poor security is around the Palace of Westminster.

As a former President of Globe International and Chair of Globe UK and still active vice president and vice chair, I will affirm that some MPs around the world are really working to push for strong international targets on climate change.

Indeed, we will be seeking international agreement this week on a text supported by legislators from more than 20 countries including China, India, European nations and the Americas to press for strong concerted action at the Copenhagen summit in December.

The real challenge will be to persuade Europe and America to accept tough targets while accepting that the emerging economies have head room and the poorest countries - often the biggest victims of climate change - are given the help they need both in technology and resources.

I was in at the beginning of the Globe Legislators Climate Change forum having co-chaired the first one with Joan Ruddock in London in the run up to Gleneagles.

Since then it has gone from strength to strength and secured support from more and more Parliaments, multilateral organisations, businesses and academic institutions but being beholden to none of them. It is cross party and requires broad representation so that its coherence continues beyond any one Government.

I am also looking to what actions I can take personally to reduce my own carbon footprint although for individuals to deliver, it requires government not just to set targets but to follow the targets up with practical policies to bring them about.

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Megrahi enquiry needed - not just in Scotland

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There was also an element of déjà vu about the fact that Foreign Secretary, David Milliband, chose to make a statement on the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi - almost as if he wanted to put his version of events on record. It didn't add anything to the sum of human knowledge.

Reaction to the affair has been mixed and a little confused. Some - especially in the USA - are furious that a convicted terrorist has been release at all. Others, including some of the British relatives of the Lockerbie victims do not believe that Megrahi was the perpetrator and therefore believe his release is justified.

Certainly I pressed on Milliband the concerns that Megrahi withdrew his appeal the day before MacAskill's drawn out announcement of his decision to release him on compassionate grounds - in spite of the fact that for compassionate release he wasn't required to do so - although, as I understand it, to serve out his sentence in Libya under the Return of Prisoners agreement he was required to have no appeal outstanding.

As Megrahi was charged to have perpetrated the atrocity with others none of whom have been brought to trial there are many who wanted an appeal to bring more evidence to light.

This in my view justifies a full enquiry something, Milliband insisted, was a matter for the Scottish authorities - yet this was an international crime making an inquiry of relevance to anyone who believes that justice has not been done and the real terrorists have got away, if I may use the phrase, 'Scot-free'.

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NATO must back women of Afghanistan

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Another statement on a sensitive international subject was made by the Prime Minister on Afghanistan.

There is little doubt that the growing casualty list of British service personnel is making more people uneasy about our engagement in Afghanistan.

It is worth recording that although Britain is taking a major share of the engagement and responsibility, other countries - notably Canada, Denmark and Estonia are not shirking theirs and, indeed, proportionately, the Danes have suffered the hardest.

This NATO engagement is quite different in character and intent from previous incursions in Afghanistan by the British, Soviets and Americans. This is not an attempt at subjugation but a mission to try and build an effective state rather than a lawless and dangerous piece of territory that can destabilise the whole region and beyond.

That is why my question to the Prime Minister concentrated on the role of women in rebuilding Afghanistan. The United Nations Resolution 1325 specifically recognises the importance of women in preventing conflicts and post conflict reconstruction.

Yet President Karzai, who originally had five women ministers, got rid of all but one and she was the Minister for Women. Accordingly, I asked the PM in his discussions with President Karzai and Dr. Abdullah what steps did he take to ensure that women will have a significant presence in any new Government, however it is formed, at both a national and a local level and that they will have access to secular courts of justice rather than having to rely on sharia?

I am afraid the answer was disappointingly evasive. If we are to continue to expect the British people to back our involvement in Afghanistan we are entitled to know, not that we are trying to create Western style democracy, which is pure fantasy, but that we expect basic human standards.

That includes a clear recognition that women are essential to the process of rebuilding Afghanistan and that we certainly cannot go on pumping lives and money into a country that is not only corrupt but believes marital rape and wife beating are acceptable norms.

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Tories Met office plans threat to Aberdeen and our troops

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Four years ago I was heavily involved in a successful campaign to keep the main Met Office activities in Aberdeen. It was not easy nor a foregone conclusion but there was cross party support and we were able to present persuasive economic and political arguments to win the case.

Now the Conservatives say that if they were to win the election they would privatise the Met Office throwing the whole thing into confusion and uncertainty once more.

This is, of course, a bigger issue than just Aberdeen. The Met Office comes under the Ministry of Defence and our armed services depend on its super computer forecasting.

Could we really expect our forces to go into action, or even training for action without having control over the weather forecasting service which may be crucial to the outcome?

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RNID trustee role ends but not the music

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For the last six years I have been a trustee of the RNID (Royal National Institute of the Deaf) and this comes to an end at the AGM next month. The board at its last meeting and the Scottish Advisory group which I have been chairing latterly both were kind enough to give me a presentation.

That was quite unnecessary as it is a service I have been happy to provide and which has given me more insight and some influence over services and campaigns for deaf people.

I will continue to work with the RNID and other deaf charities, including the National Deaf Children's Society of which I am an honorary vice president, in my capacity as chair of the all party parliamentary group on deafness.

Last week I took part in an interesting visit to the Ear Institute which is doing interesting basic research into the causes of deafness and possible ways of preventing or reversing its onset.

Seeing how the key nerves that provide hearing wear away with age (or exposure to excessive noise, some medical conditions and some drugs) makes me very conscious of the need to look after our hearing and the huge benefit we would get if we could delay the ageing effects (which are more pronounced in men than women).

It gives real edge to the RNID's award winning campaign 'Don't lose the music' which warns of excessive noise from music in clubs, discos and i-Pods - something that many rock stars are only too aware of.

ENDS

www.malcolmbruce.org.uk