World set back 10 years by Bush's new world order, says Blair aide

The Guardian ^ | 4/14/04 | Paul Brown

[LibWhacker]

George Bush has had a "devastating impact" on global sustainable development and set the world back more than ten years, says Jonathon Porritt, the prime minister's senior adviser on the subject, today. Writing in Guardian Society Mr Porritt, who is the chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, says it is hard to exaggerate the damage done to the planet by Mr Bush's drive for a "new world order".

On a whole series of issues including climate change, international aid, family planning, nuclear proliferation, trade and corporate responsibility, "staying true to a discredited model of extreme economic liberalism has set the world back a decade or more", says Mr Porritt.

He says it is not surprising that the rest of the world has done so badly because Mr Bush has given them the perfect "out" from their responsibilities.

"Developing countries are increasingly disenchanted with what they see as a narrow, unfair and protectionist agenda," he says, "Japan is mired in its own economic and political failure, Russia plays the field for whatever it can get out of it, and even the EU has started to lose the plot, with a least five countries seeking to renege on their climate commitments. ..."

Against this backdrop the British government looks like a world leader but even here the title of his report on progress is Shows Promise: But Must Try Harder.

The five-year review says that a lack of political will and a failure to understand that quality of life is not just about economic growth has led to slow progress towards the government's sustainable development goals. But Mr Porritt singles out Tony Blair's leadership on climate change and Gordon Brown's efforts on global debt as bright spots.

He says that in some of the 15 areas he judges the government on, for example waste management and traffic, the performance has been "dreadful". Four areas "show promise" and two - air quality and river water - manage a "good". He accepts that the government intends to do more but it is not a brilliant picture.

"Far more effort needs to be made to differentiate between smart growth (that generates wealth and social benefits without damaging the environment) and today's wholly unsustainable growth that inevitably ends up damaging people's real quality of life."

On this criterion he gives Britain's economic growth a "poor" rating and says eco-taxation policy has become bogged down.

The government gets a "disappointing" rating in four areas: employment, because of longer working hours and gender wage gaps; health, because life expectancy in poor communities is not rising; housing, because energy efficiency is low; and greenhouse gas emissions because of increased traffic and air travel. The four areas "showing promise" are poverty reduction, education, wildlife and land use.

[chilepepper]

set back 10 years from what?

Blair is after all a member of LABOR, which is pretty much a socialist party...

so what have we put off for 10 years? perhaps we can put it off even longer?

[RightWhale]

Only 10 years? We ought to go back to 1960 and try it again. This time handle Vietnam correctly and don't kill the manned space program. There are probably a few other things that could be changed for the better such as not assassinating JFK, MLK, and RFK among others.

[r9etb]

"Setting the world back 10 years" would erase the stain of Clinton.... Is there a down-side to that?

[CasearianDaoist]

Gee does this mean if he gets another 4 years that the socialists' agenda will be set back 20 years? Talk about gravy.

[LibWhacker]

Socialist hell, although pipsqueak would probably say Nirvana.

[LibWhacker]

Please, God . . . Let Dubya get reelected!

[WOSG]

Clock Set back for Global Socialism - we are now 15 years from Socialism

Two terms of Hillary after a GWB term to 2008 ought to do it. This guy shouldnt fret, he should take the long view. A ten year setback isnt bad, given the long view.

[Uncle Miltie]

Best news all week!

[boris]

"George Bush has had a 'devastating impact' on global sustainable development"

'Sustainable development' is one of those terms that should have you 'reaching for your sixgun'.

What it means is:
-Massive taxes on developed countries and transfers of wealth to the Third World;
-Onerous regulations to further limit your freedom and economic choice;
-More government intrusion into private business and loss of sovereignity to make the U.N. a "world government", among other things.

--Boris

[LibWhacker]

Sobering bump!

[demlosers]

George Bush has had a "devastating impact" on global sustainable development and set the world back more than ten years, says Jonathon Porritt, the prime minister's senior adviser on the subject, today.

What a buncha crapola - 'global sustainable development'?

This pus can sure pack those silly nominal words together.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Living in a dreamworld for a decade, the West needed a wakeup call.

Bush is the alarm clock.

[John Lenin]

Take this, treehugger!

[WOSG]

1960? Hell, go back to 1913 and stop WWI, the New Deal and the Russian Communist Revolution. Those 3 are root-cause responsible for 90% of the bad stuff in the century, including the millions killed in genocides and wars, and the building of huge government/socialist powers.

I am for turning the clock back one century!
Where's my danged time machine?

[Blood of Tyrants]

What he means is that Bush's conservatism has caused 10 years worth of damage to the NWO movement by the leftists.

[Southack]

""staying true to a discredited model of extreme economic liberalism has set the world back a decade or more", says Mr Porritt. ... "Developing countries are increasingly disenchanted with what they see as a narrow, unfair and protectionist agenda," he says...

What claptrap are they teaching in European schools these days?! Since when is "economic liberalism" equal to "protectionist agenda"?!

Sheesh...

[cwb]

To show what hypocrites these people are we only have to look at how they responded to Saddam. This guy literally committed one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the world...when he spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf and ignited his oil fields.

Along with that, he destroyed what was the most prestine land in Iraq, as he killed the Marsh Arabs and devasted their land. If this were any other Western world leader, the UN and their environmental brethren would've called for his arrest and conviction for crimes against humanity. Heck, these people should be happy that Bush has finally brought one of the worst enironmental criminals in history to justice.

[Keith]

"discredited model of extreme economic liberalism "

yes...a system which has continued to allow us to kick your weeny Limey ass...

[LibWhacker]

I'm pretty confident we'll win in the long run . . . But you may be right. Except if the Clintons move back in the WH, we'll never be able to dislodge them. :-(

[E=MC²]

World set back 10 years by Bush's new world order, says Blair aide

And this is a bad thing how???