2012 - the next lap

This week saw the publication of the latest report by the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee on the London 2012 Games. In and amongst the 81 pages of the report, a number of interesting points were made.

While there has been some positive feedback from the report, there has been a large amount of criticism present.

For instance, the report criticised the Government for awarding a further £5.9 billion in funds without clarifying with the DCMS what will be delivered in return for the expenditure. Similarly, the DCMS came into criticism for having no way to evaluate the Olympic legacy from the Games, despite having highlighted this as one of the main benefits of hosting the Games. In relation to this, the report claimed that there was no clear strategy in place specifying exactly how sporting participation will be increased.

As equally damaging was the committee’s recognition that the budget increase (the original budget was £3.4 billion, the final figure £9.325 billion) has been damaging to confidence in the management of the programme. The phrase “spending money like water” has been doing the rounds.

More positively, the report did highlight that achievements thus far are to be commended, and that there were signs the organisers were working to a realistic timetable. This is welcome news, as once the Beijing Games are finished, public attention, and scrutiny will only intensify on the organisers of 2012.

The 10p Question

Watching PMQs yesterday it crossed my mind – would it have been worse for Gordon Brown not to have backed down, and continued on his mad dash towards the abolition of the 10p tax rate? Or is there honour in making a U-turn, recognising that success is not a viable option, and beating a hasty retreat before any more damage is done to one’s leadership.

In this case I believe Mr. Brown made the right choice – yes, it supplied the Conservatives, and David Cameron, with plenty of ammunition for yesterday’s session, but the damage could have been significantly worse if he’d risked further fracturing his party over this issue.

Furthermore, a rebellion over the 10p tax band would arguably have affected another contentious policy issue that Labour is pushing ahead with - the extended period of detention for terror suspects. Mr. Brown already gives the impression of being an embattled Prime Minister to some, and countering that would be difficult if another row, similar to the one we have seen this week, erupts over an equally high-charged issue.

This affair is far from over, and it will be interesting to see whether Brown can move beyond this matter – questions are already emerging over the feasibility of the concessions he plans to make for those most affected by the 10p tax rate.

Questioning the value of Vitamins

I read an interesting, if somewhat worrying, article on BBC online last week that got me thinking. The review suggested that some vitamins, far from being good for you, may actually shorten your life. Is it time to throw out those dusty jars of multi-vitamins in the cupboard?

The review, of 67 studies, found ‘no convincing evidence’ that antioxidant supplements cut the risk of dying.

The trials involved 233,000 people who were either sick, or healthy and taking supplements for disease prevention. The scientists, at Copenhagen University, said that Vitamins A and E could interfere with the bodies natural defences. Vitamin A supplements were linked to a 16% increased risk of dying, beta carotene to a 7% increased risk, and Vitamin E to a 4% increased risk. It is as yet unclear why these vitamins may be having this negative effect, but the team speculates that beta-carotene may interfere with how the body uses fat. Vitamin C, occupant of oranges all over the world, did not seem to have any effect either way, but the scientists reckon that more work needs to be done in this vitamin.

This is not just an important matter for people’s health; the supplement market is worth over £330 million in the UK.

The Department of Health has said that people should try to get the vitamins they need from their diet and avoid taking large amounts of supplements. However, the Health Supplements Information Service, funded by the association which represents those that sell supplements, responded that people are not able to get everything they need from their diet.

As with many scientific reviews, these findings probably need to be looked at in more detail. Nevertheless, I still think that this highlights the more general issues around health and well being in this country – we should concentrate on eating well and exercising as much as possible – we used to survive without supplements, surely we still can now?

What renewables obligation?

According to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, one of the main objectives of the Climate Change Bill - currently under review in the House of Commons - is “investment in low-carbon fuels and technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, wind, wave and solar power.”

So when I read the story in Saturday’s Guardian, Solar so good for our house, of how the Government cut the maximum grant for low-carbon microgeneration household schemes to £2,500 last year because of the popularity of the scheme, I was disappointed and believe this sends a worrying message about the Government’s commitment to low-carbon initiatives. Rather than decreasing the amount of money going to support low-carbon technologies, the government should be supporting such schemes as much as they can, certainly if they intend on meeting the 15% EU-set target of energy coming from renewable sources by 2020.

The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP), which is managed for the Department of Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform by the Energy Saving Trust, provides grants for installing microgeneration schemes. These grants, aimed to encourage the use of solar, wind turbine and small hydro technologies, are made available to households, businesses, community organizations, public, private and the non-profit sectors.

All of this sounds promising on the surface, but what the Guardian article revealed is that the UK government has helped less than 300 households install such technologies. Furthermore, the effect of the grant cut has led to demand falling sharply and small companies supplying and installing the necessary equipment going out of business. Germany however has strongly supported low-carbon technologies by helping 130,000 homes get fitted with photovoltaic (PV) solar installations. The price of installing solar panels has now lowered there as a result of high demand. Why the discrepancy?

In the end the article showcased how one family has been able to produce 92% of their electricity usage through solar power. I think this is quite an impressive story and an example of how low-carbon technologies work. All we need now is for the Government to follow through on its renewables obligation.

Morale boost from America

It hasn’t been an easy past couple weeks for Gordon Brown. As the Prime Minister tries to reassure the population that the economic crisis in the UK is under control, he has also had to contend with growing internal criticism. Most noteworthy were the comments made by Labour peer Lord Desai, an economic professor, who accused Brown of looking "weak and indecisive" and suggested David Miliband would make a better leader. The abolition of the 10p tax rate has also created a lot of anger amongst Labour MPs, particularly with MP Angela Smith for Sheffield Hillsborough, who threatened to resign over the issue.

So with the Prime Minister’s leadership skills being called into question and with the May elections just around the corner, I suspect Gordon Brown’s three-day visit to the United States may have come with a big sigh of relief – a chance to escape national scrutiny. The Prime Minister’s second visit to the US included a stop off in New York to address the United Nations, a visit to Wall Street, and of course a visit to Washington to meet with President George Bush. Issues discussed between the two leaders included the global economic crisis, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, climate change and calls to reform the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Although the media proclaim that Gordon Brown’s trip was overshadowed by Pope Benedict’s first visit to America, I think that this visit may have helped boost the Prime Minister’s morale. Mr. Bush called Gordon Brown a “good friend” and applauded the Prime Minister on his excellent handling of the terrorist attack in Glasgow and in fighting terrorism in general. The Prime Minister also had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the three presidential candidates, a unique chance to see how UK-US relations might evolve in the future, depending on the outcome of the race.

With Obama stating that "The Prime Minister has been a critically important partner for the United States” and expressing how much he was looking forward to working with Gordon Brown in the years ahead, I think the Prime Minister would have been happy to stay overseas even longer, knowing what awaits him at home.

The London Mayoral Elections

There was much excitement around the offices of GBC last week, as both Boris Johnson and David Cameroon visited Richmond Upon Thames to promote the former’s Mayoral Election Candidacy.

To political novices who only know Mr. Johnson for his hilarious turns hosting panel shows, his candidacy might have come as something of a surprise. Instead, alongside his primary challengers Ken Livingstone and Brian Paddick, Boris has played his part in a tight and up until this point, difficult to predict, contest.

One of the areas Ken Livingstone’s tenure will be remembered for centres on the environment – in particular his introduction of the congestion charge. Should he win again on May 1st, he pledges to improve the environment further by introducing a £25 charge on the worst vehicles in the central London congestion charging zone, and a zero charge for the least polluting cars. In response, Boris pledges to scrap the proposed £25 charge and make the current system ‘fairer and more flexible’.

It is areas such as this, which are crucial to the everyday life of Londoners, where the election will be won and lost. Bookmakers recently have had Ken at 4-7, Boris and 5-4, and interestingly Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrats candidate, at 16-1. It is Mr. Paddick, now considered a long-shot by most observers, who might surprise come the end of April – his background, experience, and the aversion of the electorate to either Ken or Boris may all come to count at the crucial hour.

Carbon Labelling

Tesco is getting in on the act with its carbon labelling scheme, which it will launch on the 30th April. It has developed the scheme with brands including Procter and Gamble, and Unilever. The scheme was announced at the Carton conference, organised by BPIF Cartons, on the 8th April.

Tesco has tackled 30 products so far, including orange juice, light bulbs, laundry, potatoes and tomatoes.

The question is though, whether people really understand these labelling schemes – is there not a call for a universal scheme across all products? So people can get used to looking at the carbon information just at they look at nutrition information now.

Consumers have a responsibility to help combat climate change, but they need the right information to enable them to do this.