Tory candidates won’t sign up to climate change or new politics

David Cameron has made climate change and a “new politics” centre pieces of his offer to the country. But his candidates are reluctant to show their commitment to either issue.

A blog on the Friends of the Earth website shows that just one Conservative candidate, Zac Goldsmith, has signed their four-point pledge on climate change. The pledge includes a commitment to achieve a reduction in UK greenhouse gas emission of 42 per cent by 2020. The pledge has been signed by 57 Labour candidates, 68 Liberal Democrat candidates, 105 Greens, and 11 other candidates including members of the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

Meanwhile, the election web initiative DEMREF 2010 has revealed that the Conservative party’s candidates are “not taking democratic reform seriously”. So far just four Conservative general election candidates have taken part in DEMREF 2010, which was set up in February this year to allow voters to scrutinize and compare the views of parliamentary hopefuls on cleaning up politics. By contrast, 119 Liberal Democrat candidates, 83 UKIP candidates, 61 Labour candidates, 37 Green candidates and 16 independent/smaller party candidates have already openly stated their views on the DEMREF 2010 website. The four Tory candidates are Toby Bootle, Diana Cload, Ewan Lamont, and Jack Perschke.

DEMREF 2010 organiser Tony Samphier told Left Foot Forward:

“Conservative candidates seem to be rather shy about sharing their reform ideas with the voting public. This is strange because the party has actually got things to shout about, as they did last week about giving constituents the power to sack their MPs.

“Information is power, but at present voters are not getting enough of it from Conservative candidates on reform issues.”

UPDATE 16/4:

Two other stories outlining Tory grassroots position on climate change:

- A ComRes poll shows that only 7 per cent of Tory candidates believe the expansion of onshore wind is essential.

- Political Climate shows that, “Those intending to vote Conservative are less likely to believe in man-made climate change, and less likely to be supportive of climate policies, regardless of how they are framed.” It has a nice graphic too.

http://twitter.com/andy_s_64/status/12096314099 Andy Sutherland

RT @leftfootfwd: Left foot forward blogs about our climate pledges http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #ge2010 /via @wwwfoecouk
http://twitter.com/green_europe/status/12096354166 EEB

RT @wwwfoecouk: RT @leftfootfwd: Left foot forward blogs about our climate pledges http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #ge2010
http://twitter.com/ratemytory/status/12096491793 RateMyTory

RT @leftfootfwd: Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #ratemytory: http://bit.ly/cvckAp
http://twitter.com/jessica_asato/status/12096712993 Jessica Asato

RT @RateMyTory: RT @leftfootfwd: Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #ratemytory: http://bit.ly/cvckAp
http://twitter.com/wdjstraw/status/12096918272 Will Straw

Hague says "vote blue go green was never a slogan". Better tell your PPCs http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://twitter.com/sametories/status/12097013560 Same Old Tories

RT @leftfootfwd Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #sameoldtories
http://twitter.com/deludeddonny/status/12097377114 Donovan Clarkson

RT @sametories: RT @leftfootfwd Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #sameoldtories
http://twitter.com/pickledpolitics/status/12097549579 sunny hundal

Just one Tory candidate has signed their four-point pledge on climate change. http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://twitter.com/jenweb/status/12097701748 jenweb

RT @pickledpolitics: Just one Tory candidate has signed their four-point pledge on climate change. http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://twitter.com/andy_s_64/status/12096239754 Andy Sutherland

Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep /via @leftfootfwd #sameoldtories #toryfail #ge2010
http://twitter.com/wwwfoecouk/status/12096258181 Friends of the Earth

RT @leftfootfwd: Left foot forward blogs about our climate pledges http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #ge2010
http://twitter.com/relivingmag/status/12096350394 Reliving Magazine

RT @wwwfoecouk: RT @leftfootfwd: Left foot forward blogs about our climate pledges http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #ge2010
http://twitter.com/gbrefurb_simon/status/12098768067 Great British Refurb

RT @leftfootfwd: Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://twitter.com/chrisplol/status/12096998043 Chris Paul

RT @wdjstraw: Hague says "vote blue go green was never a slogan". Better tell your PPCs http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
topsy_top20k_en

Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://twitter.com/lmwalter/status/12097009403 Luke Walter

RT @wdjstraw: Hague says "vote blue go green was never a slogan". Better tell your PPCs http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://twitter.com/ebenmarks/status/12097267930 Eben Marks

RT @leftfootfwd: Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep #ge2010
http://twitter.com/tjefffrench/status/12097642606 Thomas French

Tories aren't green, only 1 joined the friends of the earth pledge, with labour having 57 candidates http://tinyurl.com/y37d75b #ge2010
http://twitter.com/bellacaledonia/status/12097694365 Bella Caledonia

RT @pickledpolitics: Just one Tory candidate has signed their four-point pledge on climate change. http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://bestblogs.labourhome.org/2010/04/13/tory-candidates-won%e2%80%99t-sign-up-to-climate-change-or-new-politics/ Tory candidates won’t sign up to climate change or new politics « The best Labour blogs

[...] More… [...]
Anon E Mouse

Will – Could it simply be that, in keeping with the majority of the public both here and in the US, the Tories don’t care about this stuff and are more concerned with things like the jobs tax Labour is proposing?

Just a thought…
http://twitter.com/hanlemic/status/12101022705 Michael Hanley

RT @wdjstraw: Hague says "vote blue go green was never a slogan". Better tell your PPCs http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
Will Straw

Maybe, Anon. But why does Cameron continue to claim that you can ‘Vote Blue, Go Green’?
Anon E Mouse

Will – OK fair point dude….
http://twitter.com/uksceptic/status/12108476142 Martin C

Tories are NOT Friends of the Earth http://bit.ly/bzdQLT via @leftfootfwd
Mr. Sensible

Thus proving yet again that Cameron’s claim to have changed is just a load of nonsense.
http://greenopolis.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/redblue-battle-for-green-votes/ Red/Blue battle for Green votes « greenopolis

[...] Will Straw questions just how “green” David Cameron’s party really is. [...]
http://thisis.areply.to/2010/04/c-311/ C-311 « This Is A Reply To…

[...] Tory candidates won’t sign up to climate change or new politics (leftfootforward.org) [...]
http://twitter.com/adanylkiw/status/12185057242 Ann Danylkiw

RT @leftfootfwd: Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://twitter.com/adanylkiw/status/12185601436 Ann Danylkiw

@jstrevino don't be: RT@leftfootfwd: Tory candidates won't sign up to climate change or new politics http://bit.ly/ceP8Ep
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/04/look-left-the-week-in-fast-forward-16-04-10/ Look Left – The Week in Fast Forward | Left Foot Forward

[...] taxes than reducing the deficit. Tory candidates have also declared themselves uncommitted to constitutional reform and climate [...]