Don Foster is the 15th
MP joining the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation
(ISPO) - September 7, 2006
Simpol-UK
Simultaneous Policy: Using Our Votes to Solve Global Problems
PRESS RELEASE: 7th September 2006
Global Environmental Policy
Gathers Further Parliamentary Support
Getting politicians from opposing parties and different countries to
co-operate meaningfully to solve problems like global warming has long
been the desire of world citizens of all political persuasions. Now,
the Simultaneous Policy (SP) campaign at last appears to be making that
happen. Aimed at addressing problems such as climate change, unfair
trade, global injustice and unsustainability, support for SP has again
taken a further step forward with Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, Don Foster, being the latest MP to
declare his support.
Foster added his name to fourteen other UK MPs from all the main
parties who have signed a pledge to implement SP simultaneously
alongside other governments. Simultaneous implementation removes the
key fear that routinely prevents progress on solving many global
problems: that governments fear their nation will become uncompetitive,
losing investment and jobs, if they try to take unilateral
action. Prime Minister, Tony Blair, himself expressed this fear
(in The Guardian, 3.11.05) saying, “The blunt truth about the politics
of climate change is that no country will want to sacrifice its economy
in order to meet this challenge”. But implementing policies
simultaneously removes this fear, so helping to build both
international cross-party support for SP and opening the way to far
more robust measures being adopted than those presently envisaged under
weak international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol.
But that is not all. While some MPs may support SP on its merits, there
is an important electoral incentive. Citizens around the world who
support SP – known as “SP Adopters” - undertake to vote at all future
elections for any candidate, within reason, who has signed the pledge
to implement SP alongside other governments, or to encourage their
preferred party to support SP. Adopting SP is free and allows citizens
to place politicians who fail to sign up to SP at risk of losing their
seats to those who do. In some constituencies at the last UK general
election, citizen voting pressure of this kind caused various competing
candidates to sign the SP Pledge, virtually ensuring SP gained support
in Parliament regardless of who won the seat. With little to
distinguish one party from another, and with politicians manifestly
failing to take substantive action on these urgent issues, citizens in
all democratic countries are seeing SP as a way to seize the initiative
and to drive even uncooperative politicians and governments, such as
the Bush administration, towards the internationally co-operative
solution that SP provides.
SP has also gained support in the Australian and European parliaments
and is supported by East Timor’s Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize
winner, José Ramos-Horta. The campaign is coordinated by the
International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (ISPO) and has Adopters
in many countries who are in the process of forming national and local
campaign groups.
For further information visit www.simpol.org (global site) and/or
www.simpol.org.uk (UK site) or contact Mike Brady on 07986 736179. To
adopt SP, please go to http://www.simpol.org/dossiers/dossier-UK/html-UK/how_do_i_adopt_sp-UK.html
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