23/01/2015

From Quaker Peace & Social Witness: Earth & Economy

Urgent action: Infrastructure Bill

Can you write to your MP today?

On Monday MPs will get to vote on fracking.

They will be debating the Infrastructure Bill. This will be the last real chance for us to influence the Bill.

We want to ensure that new legislation does not lock the UK into a direction of travel inconsistent with rapid reduction in carbon emissions, making the UK energy system less equitable for people and the Earth.

Can you email your MP today [link]?

QPSW is most concerned about provisions in the Bill which:
  • Change the trespass law so as to allow companies to extract oil and gas from under your home without your permission, including by fracking.
  • Legislate for maximising the economic recovery of UK oil.
We are supporting amendments put forward by MPs which would remove these clauses; and new clauses being put forward which would insert a ban or moratorium on fracking into the Bill.

Please can you email your MP today asking them to support these amendments? Even better could you send an email to your MP(s) as a meeting, perhaps after Meeting for Worship on Sunday?

We have drafted a template letter [link - you will find further link to Word document lower part of page] to help you with this. Please amend it as you see fit. You’ll find the email address and other details about your MP here.

We have also prepared a briefing for Friends [link] intended to provide you with information about the Infrastructure Bill; how draft legislation within it challenges our commitment to sustainability; and what you can do to change it.
Contact Sunniva Taylor, Sustainability & Peace programme manager for more information, on sunnivat@quaker.org.uk or 02076631047

PS If you are in London on Monday you may want to come along to a rally at Parliament calling for ‘No fracking anywhere’. It will take place 12.30 – 3pm, Old Palace Yard (On the west side of St Margaret Street/Abingdon Street), opposite Parliament, Westminster, near SW1P 3JX. Sunniva will be there at 12.30 for an hour or so, with a ‘Quakers for Climate Justice’ banner. More details here.

11/01/2015

In meeting for Worship today

Advices & Queries 22





Respect the wide diversity among us in our lives and relationships. Refrain from making prejudiced judgments about the life journeys of others. Do you foster the spirit of mutual understanding and forgiveness which our discipleship asks of us? Remember that each one of us is unique, precious, a child of God.


Faith & practice 8.11


Quaker Peace & Social Witness Central Committee works for Britain Yearly Meeting to translate our faith into action. As Quakers we are impelled by our faith to make our lives an active witness for peace and justice. Our historic testimonies to equality, justice, peace, simplicity and truth challenge us to alleviate suffering and seek positive social change.
....
Quaker Peace & Social Witness Central Committee seeks to express corporately our experience that the Holy Spirit moves people to serve and learn from their fellow human beings and to promote peace and social justice.


Only the first and last paragraphs were read - for the whole section follow this link


Information on Quaker Peace & Social Witness to follow in a separate post