We need to protect the EPA

Since its inception in the 70's the EPA has been under near constant attack from hard-line conservative politicians and activists that like to claim the agency is a "job killer". In the past that just meant that the EPA was slightly inconvenienced in certain states, but with the new head of the EPA Scott Pruitt being recorded at CPAC saying it was completely justified to support the complete destruction of the EPA it is incredibly important to inform the public of the work of the environmental agency.

A pre-EPA dumping ground

Immediately after its foundation the Nixon administration sent a team of photographers across the country to document the vast amount of pollution in the US. The images of toxic lakes filled with rusting cars, smog filled cities and frothing lakes stand as a testament to the amazing work the EPA has done across the decades to clean and maintain rural and urban environments.

In the coming months every single politician and pundit that calls for the destruction or deregulation of the EPA should be reminded of what the United States looked like before the agency was introduced and how many lives have been saved due to lowered pollution levels.

World Book Day 2017

In honour of World Book Day (something that is celebrated on the 23rd of April in the rest of the world) I have decided to list five book recommendations:

1. Social Democratic America by Lane Kenworthy. An incredibly detailed look at the social democratic policies that should be introduced in the United States and how they've impacted other countries. 
2. First Men in the Moon by HG Wells. I found an old copy of this a few years ago and it quickly became one of my favourite books.
3. War of the Worlds by HG Wells (can you tell i'm a fan of HG Wells yet?) How can I not include a book that has a the royal navy fighting aliens in my backyard?
4. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I picked up this in an old book store in Cyprus and immediately fell in love with the series. If you've watched the films I highly recommend that you pick up the books!
5. Operation Mincemeat - Ben McIntyre. I actually purchased this for my father last year but since i'm a massive history buff I've read it since then. I won't give away any spoilers but it is quite fascinating to see how all the pieces fell together. 

5 steps the government could take to tackle climate change

An idealistic and incredibly quick look at a few of the steps the government could (and should) take in order to tackle the threat of climate change.

Save the Green Investment Bank

• It is completely ludicrous that the government is privatising parts of the Green Investment Bank, especially when we have such a wealth of evidence on the devastation that will be caused if we don't act in time. Instead of retreating from our commitments to climate change the government should immediately halt this illogical privatisation and use the GIB to ramp up investment in renewable energy projects across the UK.

Restore solar subsidies

• When the government reduced solar panel subsidies thousands of people lost their jobs as businesses across the country when bankrupt. Returning solar subsidies to previous levels would not just re-create these jobs but it will reduce the overall strain on the national grid and make it easier for fossil-fuel powered plants to be replaced by renewable sources.

Insulation

• UK properties are some of the most expensive to heat in Europe. In fact a third of our 80% carbon reduction target could be filled simply by insulating our homes adequately, but recent reports state that we are far from reaching that target. By embracing new technologies and spreading the economic benefits of insulation the government would not only ensure that we meet our international obligations but key pressure would be pushed off household bills and valuable jobs will be created.

Ban fracking

• By embracing the fracking industry the government is ignoring its commitment to climate change in favour of dubious short-term gains. Pledging to kept it in the ground and banning fracking in the UK would make it easier to honour our international commitment to prevent climate change and also protect local water supplies from the pollution caused by the fracking process.

Divestment.

By divesting government pension funds from fossil fuels and investing in renewables the government would send a strong message of support to a vital and growing part of our economy, score a vital blow against the fossil fuel industry and send a message of solidarity to similar movements in the UK and the wider world.

Jeremy Corbyn and NATO

Below is an old draft I wrote over a year ago. Enjoy!

Jeremy Corbyn’s admission that he believed it was a mistake to admit Poland, and other Warsaw Pact nations into NATO is a clear failure of the Labour leader to fully understand the recent history of Europe, and one of my only complaints about the left-wing politician.

For example when Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania applied to join NATO following the collapse of the Soviet Union, they had plenty of good reasons to apply for membership of the defensive alliance. In the 19th and 20th century forces of the Russian Empire and subsequent Soviet Union had invaded and brutally occupied these territories, bringing forth a regime of cultural, economic and religious repression that deeply scarred the nations and gave them an understandable reason to join NATO.

Corbyn also said that these states should've accepted a policy of non-alignment and acted as a sort of buffer state between the Russian Federation and NATO member states. In that regard we have the perfect example of what happens to a so-called non-aligned state. In 1994 Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom entered into a political agreement (Budapest Memorandum) solidifying Ukraine's status as a non-aligned nation in return for its ascension to the treaty of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, so how did that stand up to the test?

In 2013 the Ukrainian government was set to sign an association agreement with the European Union, however then President Yanukovych rejected the agreement, signing a similar deal with the Russian government instead. Following this news a small-group of protesters began occupying independence square in Kyiv, the subsequent heavy-handed tactics of the security forces led to the movement rapidly ballooning in size and the frequent clashes in Kyiv and other cities led to fear that the country could collapse into a state of civil war. In a last-minute effort the European Union met with then President Yanukovych and appeared to strike a deal that would resolve the current crisis, however for unknown reasons the Ukrainian leader fled the country alongside several top officials from the government. As their leader had abandoned his constitutional duties and threatened the country with an imminent power vacuum  the Ukrainian parliament decided to form a transitional government between all opposition parties. In keeping with the non-aligned status of Ukraine. Russia should have grudgingly accepted the transitional government and simply urged the administration to carry out new elections as possible, however since that date the Russian Federation has annexed Ukrainian territory and has been caught sending troops and equipment to anti-government forces currently fighting against the democratically elected government in Kyiv.

On top of these rather flagrant violations of international law the Russian government has also been pressuring the Baltic States. In 2014 Eston Kohver, an Estonian intelligence official was attacked and forcibly taken across the border and after a brief kangaroo trial thrown behind bars for fifteen years, and this is on top of the usual air incursions by Russian aircraft that in the past have posed a threat to civil aviation. NATO might not be perfect but to those in Eastern Europe it is a better alternative to the failed policy of non-alignment.