Zac Goldsmith Q&A

iMac

Hello. What do you think about the HS2?

I am worried about the cost, and I am told it would have been possible to navigate a less destructive path, but I support the project in principle. We are a massively centralised country, with almost everything happening in and around London, and I think it makes sense to improve the links between our cities. I hope it also reduces the need for short haul domestic flights.

Connie29

Hi Zac. Although you have great credentials, I struggle to see how you (and many other MPs) can represent the majority of your/their constituency. Where do you stand on education and ensuring the working classes have an equal chance?

I think you’re saying that because of my background, I can’t properly represent the majority of my constituents. If I’ve understood you correctly, then logically nor can anyone else. If you have to be a woman to represent women, then where does that leave men? If you have to be black to represent black people, where does that leave Asians, or indeed anyone else? If you could see the last hundred or so surgery cases I have dealt with, I think you’d agree that there isn’t a person in the world who has direct experience of all the problems presented. I certainly don’t pretend to. But I believe in justice, and my job is to hear the problem and find a way through it. In a single day I deal with everything from unfair parking tickets to the European Arrest Warrant, from dodgy planning decisions to bullying by the banks. On education, I totally agree we need to raise the bar massively so that everyone has a fair chance.

h20

Hello - do you think it's right to charge for plastic bags? Is it effective?

I campaigned for the charge and support it. We use 13 billion bags every year in the UK. They are used on average for 20 minutes and take 1,000 years or more to decompose. They litter the countryside and contaminate the oceans. There are other, bigger causes of waste, but plastic bags are the clearest symbol of our throwaway culture. A similar policy has worked incredibly well in Wales, Ireland and elsewhere, and I think it’s time we caught up.

applepie

Hi Zac. I read in the Metro this week that a team at Orproject is currently working on bringing a park enclosed in a bubble to Beijing, and the possibility of the bubble being big enough to cover large areas (i.e. over homes, work places, shops) as a way to beat the smog. Do you think this is a realistic solution? Would it work?

Here's the article: metro.co.uk/2014/02/24/the-best-way-to-beat-the-beijing-smog-live-in-a-bubble-4313093/

It’s the maddest thing I’ve ever heard; trash the environment, completely unnecessarily, and then spend zillions building a plastic bubble to hide in. Why not simply stop farming irresponsibly, stop using the rivers as trash systems, and start planting trees and restoring the systems that provide natural protection?

crocus

What got you into all the green stuff?

crocus

And if I can ask another one...there was an article in the Evening Standard recently which I have copied a bit of here

Accusing Mr Clegg of “dishonest briefing”, he added: “If @David_Cameron has a backbone, he will slam Clegg’s sleazy pretence that he’s been trying to get Recall through — & then do it himself.”

I was surprised but impressed to see this. I wonder does speaking your mind about your own party/the coalition ever get you into trouble?

I was very annoyed by the Government’s decision to drop Recall, and even more annoyed by Clegg’s stomach-churning pretence that he had nothing to do with it. It was after all his job to introduce a Recall Bill – as promised by both Parties before the election – so that voters can sack their MP if they lose confidence in them. His original draft Bill was an appalling stitch-up, designed to make people believe he had empowered them without actually empowering them at all. Under his proposals, an MP could still take a 5-year holiday, switch Party, break every manifesto promise, boycott Parliament and so on without qualifying for Recall. The tragedy is that Parliament itself is up for genuine Recall. I know that because my own genuine Recall Bill passed through the Commons with a thumping majority of backbenchers. Our leaders unfortunately remain paralysed by fear at the thought of improving democracy.

On your other point, I’m sure my Party and the Lib Dems would prefer it if I didn’t remind them of their pre-election promises to voters. But the main duty of an MP is to hold Government to account on behalf of his or her constituents, and that is what I try to do.

Mina

I would like to encourage my grandchildren (all under ten) to get into "green" issues as I believe it's never too early to take responsibility for the welfare of the planet. Can you offer some suggestions as to how best to do this?

The very best thing you can do is introduce them to the magical world of David Attenborough. When they get a little older and learn what we are doing to it, they won’t need any persuasion. Then there’s so much they can do, even at a young age. They can start by converting their schools. In my own constituency, every school now buys the best sustainable UK food, and the borough has even managed to save money doing it thanks to an amazing local group called School Food Matters. We’ve had schools go to Downing Street to campaign for an end to whaling, we’ve had others demand a levy for plastic bags.

PrueH

How much do you think that global warming is to blame for all the floods? Or is human error closer to home to blame (at least in part)? Thank you

It’s impossible to know what role climate change has impacted on the floods. But given all the available science, it’s hard to imagine there’s no link at all. I think human error, or irresponsibility, has made the problem worse. It is unbelievably stupid for instance that the authorities still give permission to build homes in areas where the insurance companies have already said they won’t provide cover. And while I understand the arguments about dredging, the priority should surely be managing land so it can absorb and retain water – not creating systems to speed its escape.

nibbles

I have been a big admirer of your work for a long time - but am struggling to reconcile your personal achievements and very sound principles with current Tory policy. Do you ever get frustrated that everything you have done is now tarred with the party politics brush?

I have the same difficulty from time to time! But in fact most of the areas where I have parted with my Party are areas where the Party has parted from its own conservative principles. There is nothing conservative about bending over for big business, for example, or for that matter turning a blind eye to the environmental crisis, or blocking democratic reforms. Most of my battles with my Party have occurred where it has dropped its own manifesto commitments. You could say that on Heathrow, Recall, the environment and so on, I am the one holding the line… attempting to be my Party’s (not very successful) whip.

MiceElf

This is not meant to be a snide comment, but your ecological and other views, and, I'm told, your constituency work, are commendable. So, is it only because you are fabulously wealthy that you remain a Tory?

And if not, do you aim for high office in an attempt to turn the nasty party into a somewhat nicer one?

As an MP, you have to choose early on whether you want to be an effective backbencher or to seek high office. I’m not convinced you can do both, because at its core, being a good backbencher means holding Government to account, and that means occasionally taking on your own party, which in turn means forfeiting the possibility of promotion. It is one of the many flaws in our democracy. I chose to be an active backbencher, or as the Government probably sees it, a pain in the backside.

alchemillamollis

Have you considered putting Nigel Lawson in the Tower?

I do believe the environment is our defining issue, and while I’m sure he believes he’s doing the right thing, I am equally sure Nigel Lawson will one day be seen as a villain in the story of our survival.

Joelsnan

Being that the earth has been estimated to have been in existence for 4,600,000,000 years. And regional weather observations have only been recording since the mid 1800's (I think). How can we be sure that this current weather phenomena is man made and not due to similar solar activity which caused the Maunder Minimum or a cyclical phenomena similar to that which brought the ice age?

We can’t be sure that specific weather events are caused by climate change, just as we can’t be sure that a single case of lung cancer is caused by someone smoking. But we can look at trends, and we can look at the science, and even while there is argument about the extent of our role, no one doubts the greenhouse effect. I am not a climatologist, and I defer to the experts on this. A truly overwhelming majority are gravely concerned about our impact on the climate. For reasons I’ve already given, I think we’d be mad to ignore them.

Stansgran

Is there any point to recycling? I'm a dyed in the wool recycler but I see the younger generation dropping bottles and tins as though they've never heard of it. I'm not condemning all the young but I live between two schools and see the debris.

We generate enough waste every two hours to fill the Albert Hall. At a time where pressure on the world’s resources has never been greater, we have to find a way to be more efficient. The priority is reducing the waste we generate, and that means making things that last, that can be repaired and eventually recycled. It means making waste into a financial liability so that companies naturally seek to minimise it. Landfill tax has had the effect, here, and we can learn from other countries as well. Japanese goods are far more likely to be recycled, Austria has put a big emphasis on repairs, and so on.

I also think the retailers need to deal with packaging. The Austrian Women’s Institute once organised a day of action where members discarded unnecessary packaging at the supermarket counter. Maybe we could take a leaf out of their book.

moleswife

This week we heard how the UK is likely to be fined by the EU for failure to cut excessive levels of NO2 - it is clearly a failure of governments and local authorities to address the serious problems of traffic in our cities: nitrogen dioxide is largely caused by the diesel emissions of cars and buses yet the Mayor of London is blindly refusing to accept that the health of vulnerable people is at risk; his plans for a Silvertown Tunnel would be the final straw in east London - what are your views on this proposal? And how would you address the issues of NO2 pollution and the impending EU fines?

If you consider that 4,000 people died as a result of the Great Smog of London in 1952, which led to the Clean Air Act, similar numbers of deaths reportedly from air pollution in London in 2008 should trigger a similar response. This issue needs to move much higher up the agenda. That means raising vehicle standards, helping local authorities cut traffic pollution, and introducing an explicit prohibition in the Planning system of a 3rd runway at Heathrow, the existence of which would make compliance with NO2 limits impossible.

Mamie

Given the consensus about climate change in the scientific community, it seems that the climate sceptics still command an extraordinary amount of media time and attention. What can you (and the rest of us) do to change this?

Few things are black and white in science, but even so, we do have a near-consensus on climate change. There’s plenty of legitimate debate about the extent of the risk, and no one can predict with any real certainty where things are heading: there isn’t a computer model anywhere that can truly take into account the full complexity of the natural world. But very few scientists discount the risk altogether, and for policy makers to do so would be mad. After all, if we are wrong about climate change and still pursue policies to deal with it, we will end up with lower bills, cleaner air, healthy forests and a cleaner, more efficient economy. It’s not a bad downside. If we’re right and do nothing, then we are stuffed.

durhamjen

Why are you a Tory MP? You seem too sensible to me.

A true conservative believes in localism, democracy, conservation of our resources, stewardship of the natural world, looking out for future generations, balance of power (not domination either by big business or big government) and so on. These are conservative principles, and what can be more sensible? Part of my job is to remind my Party of that.

JessM

Just how heartbroken are you Zac about the environmental record of this government? Green Deal still subsidised and not yet even toddling a few baby steps on its own. ECO funding (for energy efficiency help to poorer homes) cut. Windfarm projects being scuppered.
Didn't get off to a roaring start did it with the cuts in feed-in tariff for photovoltaics. (No wonder the solar panel factory in Cardiff is going to become a film studio.)
Meanwhile the scientific predictions about more extreme weather events seem to be coming true - but you won't be surprised I'm sure.
Are you going to continue to battle on and try to change intransigent Tory hearts and minds or are you going to jump ship and join the Green Party?

I am forever trying to hold my Party to account on green issues, and I’m sure I always will, for as long as I am an MP. However I don’t take quite as dim view as you do. We set up a Green Investment Bank, as promised, as well as a Green Deal for energy efficiency, and a Renewable Heat Incentive for sustainable heat. We allocated £1billion for low emission cars, and much more. The share of the country’s renewables has nearly doubled in the past twelve months, and we have attracted £31billion of investment in renewables since the election, creating 35,000 jobs. We’ve also delivered genuine reforms to the appalling Common Fisheries Policy. All of these things can be greatly improved, but it’s a good start, and better by far than previous Governments. Our weakness has been in other areas. For instance we have been too slow to deliver the promised network of marine protected areas around our coast, our planning reforms represent a threat to green spaces, in my view, and the recent dismissive language used by some senior people in the Party in relation to green policies has been idiotic.