[A-List] New Labour infighting

["Keaney Michael" <Michael.Keaney@xxxxxx>]

It's possible that the resurgent Michael Meacher has formed an alliance
of sorts with the busted flush of Robin Cook, an arch-enemy of Gordon
Brown who has lost all credibility since the New Labour victory of 1997.
Cook's coveting of the Chancellor position turned instead to pride in
his new role as president of the PES, in which he imagines himself to
have a new power base for further personal advancement. Cook is another
former lefty who moved with the times. It's difficult to imagine E.P.
Thompson writing so warmly of him now as he did in "Writing by
Candlelight" over 20 years ago, not least for his farcical "ethical"
foreign policy. Perhaps a new green image will help resurrent his
career. Whatever, it's interesting that both of these yesterday's men
should be using European links in an effort to outflank their opponents.
Never mind the pitiful nature of the PES "strategy".


Meacher joins call for 'green taxes'
By Andrew Grice
The Independent, 21 August 2002

Michael Meacher, the Environment minister, has called for the
introduction of "green taxes" as part of a drive to combat threats to
the environment.

Mr Meacher has co-written a blueprint to save the planet drawn up by
Europe's 41 left-of-centre political parties, before next week's United
Nations summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg.

His call for new taxes is unlikely to be welcomed at the Treasury.
Although Gordon Brown has brought in a climate-change levy on the use of
energy by business, he is wary about reducing Britain's competitiveness
and opposes EU moves to harmonise tax policy.

Mr Meacher, who won his fight to attend the Earth Summit after initially
being dropped from the Government's delegation, has recently criticised
Labour's record on the environment. He said in an interview withThe
Independent this week that Britain would not be "bounced" by the US into
approving the planting of genetically modified crops.

The Party of European Socialists (PES), whose president is Robin Cook,
the Leader of the Commons, calls in its report for measures to safeguard
economic growth while ending the destructive impact of modern lifestyles
on the world. It has designed a system of taxes, subsidies, investment,
standards and regulation that would affect almost all areas of human
activity including transport, energy, wildlife, housing, the
countryside, fishing, farming and internet shopping.

On taxation, the report says: "We as European Social Democrats must
drive forward the work to draw up minimum tax rules, especially
regarding the taxation of energy and capital, and endeavour to increase
the exchange of information between tax authorities in different
countries." It adds: "The PES believes that national tax systems should,
as a complement to the aim of fair distribution of wealth, serve as a
catalyst for change towards sustainable development. A reform is needed
based on introduction of environment-related taxes - minimum levels
should be recommended."

The report calls on EU governments to make more effort to reduce the
damage from road traffic. "It is necessary to bring about a shift in
transport use from road to rail, water and public passenger transport,"
it says. "The share of CO2 emissions, at the EU-level, from the
transport sector should in 2010 be no greater than in 1998."

The PES argues for an international aviation fuel tax to reflect the
environmental costs of flying. If there is no global agreement, action
by the EU should be considered, it says.