Gordon Brown – As Green As He Makes Out?
GORDON Brown’s no greenhorn. He’s been in the business for ten years. So when he tells us his plans for five new carbon neutral “eco towns“, we wonder why he has left it until now to make his announcement?
But Simon Jenkins has heard it before.
The one concrete proposal to emerge has the virtue of being literally concrete: five “eco-friendly” towns , apparently on derelict rural sites in the south. No matter that these were announced five years ago by John Prescott, including the only one Brown named (the A10/M11 “sustainable city” corridor in Cambridgeshire). This was mood music, presenting Brown as saviour of the planet and satisfying his new poor, by turning them into Margaret Thatcher’s “property-owning democrats”.
Perhaps not entirely coincidentally:
On 24-25 May, for the first time ever, 2,000 square feet of green turf will cover Trafalgar Square, transforming one of London’s most iconic attractions into “London’s village green”.
Although one of the world’s leading global cities, London can also claim to be a diverse collection of villages and one of the greenest capitals in the world.
From the rural feel of areas like Bexley Village and Wimbledon, to ‘urban villages’ like Marylebone and even Canary Wharf, Visit London is launching a campaign to help everyone discover “Village London”.
During the two-day event on Trafalgar Square people will be able to take advantage of the green space to have a picnic or just soak up the atmosphere and relax in a deck chair.
A new section on Visit London’s website is dedicated to London’s villages. So whether you want to find out about Blackheath or Wimbledon, Primrose Hill or Harrow-on-the-Hill, log onto visitlondon.com/villages.
After the event the turf, which will come from a sustainable source in the Vale of York, will be transferred to Bishops Park in Hammersmith and Fulham, where it will be planted beneath an avenue of majestic plane trees close to the River Thames and Fulham Palace.
Of for England. Gordon Brown’s England…
Posted: 16th, May 2007 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
