Caroline Lucas MEP

Correspondence about Burma

cl-editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:17:21 +0000

Letter to the European Commision about Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest May 2009

Response

Letter to the Foreign Secretary 2006

Response

Government letter to the Burmese authorities

Letter to the Foreign Secretary about Burma and the UN Security Council agenda 2005

Response

Letter to the European Commission about political prisoners 2004

Animal testing - working towards improved EU laws

cl-editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:27:37 +0000

The EU has come up with a number of proposals for a new directive to protect animals used for scientific purposes - and I have submitted my official response to the consultation on this crucial animal welfare legislation.

I’m happy to say that these proposals do represent some degree of progress on the regulation of animal testing, but in my view, the scope of the directive needs to be significantly widened. There must be full protection for those animals which are bred and killed for their tissues and organs to be used in experiments. This must also include appropriate reporting and publishing of data. Project applications, ethical evaluation reports and retrospect assessment reports should be made publically available.

For many years, the Green MEPs have been calling for a well-funded, well-coordinated and executed EU-wide programme directed at simplifying the replacement of animal tests with non-animal methods. An EU Centre for Alternative Methods should be established to create strategies to replace the use of animals in procedures - and specific national centres could perform a similiar role.

A recent opinion poll found that 81 per cent of the public across Europe believes ‘that the new law should prohibit all experiments causing pain or suffering to primates’. I believe that the EU must introduce provisions to eliminate the use of primates in procedures, and prohibit their use in experiments that have no direct medical application (as proposed by the European Commission). The use of endangered species, animals taken from the wild, or feral or stray domestic animals should also be prohibited without exemptions.

I fully support the proposals to rehome or set free tested animals, to enforce unannounced national inspections at least twice each year, and to create a national animal welfare and ethics committee.

You can read my consultation response in full here.

International Climate Challenge - Change Makers Conference

cl-editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:17:09 +0000

This event to celebrate young people’s action on climate change takes place at the Royal Horticultural Halls in central London. Caroline will be taking questions about her work in the European Parliament.

South East MEP Supports 1.5 Million-Strong Petition To Tackle Animal Testing

cl-editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:03:27 +0000

02 July 2009 - Green Party MEP for South East England Dr Caroline Lucas will submit a 1.5 million strong petition to 10 Downing Street today (Thursday 2nd July) at 12.30pm, calling on the Government to develop a ‘road map’ to move towards the end of animal testing.

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Uncaged

cl-editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:19:52 +0000

At 12 noon Caroline will be joining with representatives of all the main political parties to present a petition to Downing Street calling for an end to unscientific and immoral experiments on animals. 1.5 million people have signed the Uncaged campaign’s petition. More details here.

Green Euro-MP Urges Israeli Authorities To Allow Safe Passage For ‘Free Gaza’ Boat

cl-editor — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:55:35 +0000

30 June 2009 - Green Party leader and MEP for the South East Caroline Lucas today responded angrily to the news that Israeli soldiers have boarded a Free Gaza boat 24 miles off the shore of Gaza and cut all of its official communication.

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Pink Paper closes

cl-editor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:06:51 +0000

I was sad to hear today that the only national newspaper for the lesbian and gay community is to close. The Pink Paper has been around since 1987, providing quality news and comment, as well as in-depth features and lifestyle information aimed at LGBT readers. It seems that as businesses and organisations have cut their spending on advertising to cope with the recession, so the paper’s revenue has fallen and it’s been unable to continue. We’ve already seen the economic downturn having similar consequences for local media outlets across the UK. It would be a real shame if the only papers which could afford to stay standing are those owned by the huge media corporations. The UK needs to keep its lively and diverse press more than ever.

Some Pink Paper content will still be available online here.

South East Euro-MP Challenges Health Secretary’s ‘Vested Interests’ In Southampton’s Water Fluoridation Scheme

cl-editor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:14:48 +0000

24 June 2009 - Green MEP for the South East Caroline Lucas has challenged the Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham over his position as vice president of the British Fluoridation Society – at a time when health authorities in Southampton were giving the green light to a "mass medication" water fluoridation scheme.

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Warning From Green Euro-MP As EU Governments Keep Door Open For Cloned Animal Meat

cl-editor — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:33:12 +0000

22 June 2009 - EU agriculture ministers meeting in Luxembourg today have agreed to include meat and food products sourced from cloned animals in the proposed ‘Novel Foods Regulation’, which is a potential stepping stone towards legislation to authorise such products.

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Iranian elections

cl-editor — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:54:38 +0000

The turbulent aftermath of the Iranian elections continues to dominate the headlines, and whatever the truth about the contested official election result, it’s clear that Ahmadinejad has succeeded in alienating whole swathes of the Iranian population – and that the government crackdown on protesters and free speech in the media is reaching alarming new heights. As protests surge on the streets, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s address at Friday prayers in Tehran offered nothing in the way of a solution or even an acknowledgement of the real extent of unrest in the country.

Incidentally, a member of my team has been contacted by a blogger in Tehran who says that Iranian secret police are rounding up people blogging about events using blog/Twitter accounts with the location of "Tehran" or "Iran" and time set to +3.30 GMT. In solidarity with those seeking free speech in the dialogue over the future of Iran, he is calling on other bloggers around the world to change their own account settings to these. The hope is that the secret police will be overwhelmed, and free blogging and Twittering can continue in Iran - in order that the truth about what is happening can still reach the outside world.