Sewage discharges.

[francovendee]

Having been out of the UK for over 15 years I'm denied a vote (still pay tax though) but come the next election I would try and vote to stop any one party gaining a large majority.
We've seen how that turned out for the Tories under Boris. It could happen again with another party that gets such a big majority.
It takes away the need to persuade the house on proposed new laws, you just use your whips and it goes through.

[al_yrpal]

Presume you can vote in French elections?

Al

[francovendee]

Nope, not unless I take French citizenship. I was born a Brit and as much as I love France I don't want to die as a Frenchman.
I really can't give you a logical reason, I just don't.
I am allowed to vote in council elections, for the mayor and councillors but mostly don't bother.
I don't know whether other countries let you keep your vote after a long absence from your country apart from America.
We have a friend here who left the USA when she was 18 (now 80) and she still retains her vote in the USA but not here in France as she remains an American.

[tim-b]

"Taxpayers will pick up the bill for pollution by housebuilders, government officials have admitted, as rules on chemical releases into waterways are scrapped":
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... payer-140m

Or as our Government puts it:
"100,000 more homes to be built via reform of defective EU laws":
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1000 ... ve-eu-laws

Jonathan

There's an alternative article here... https://theconversation.com/why-the-uk- ... ion-212505
It's written by an expert and is balanced in that it points out that the "Environment Agency estimates that 50% of nutrient pollution can be attributed to agriculture and just 10% to wastewater releases", which The Guardian article misses
I don't agree with wastewater discharge, but the same author has provided this... https://theconversation.com/why-are-wat ... eas-164458

I don't agree that the taxpayer should be boosting Natural England’s offsetting scheme because the developers should be doing that. I also think that the mired housing schemes should be re-examined for their viability in addressing the current housing shortage in a meaningful way, rather than as low-occupancy rural dwellings

[Jdsk]

"Taxpayers will pick up the bill for pollution by housebuilders, government officials have admitted, as rules on chemical releases into waterways are scrapped":
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... payer-140m

Or as our Government puts it:
"100,000 more homes to be built via reform of defective EU laws":
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1000 ... ve-eu-laws

Response from the Office of Environmental Protection:
“The proposed changes would demonstrably reduce the level of environmental protection provided for in existing environmental law. They are a regression. Yet the government has not adequately explained how, alongside such weakening of environmental law, new policy measures will ensure it still meets its objectives for water quality and protected site condition.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... lls-coffey

Rumour of reversal:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... sebuilders

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

"Defra’s failure to protect and restore water bodies ‘unlawful’, high court rules":
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ourt-rules

Jonathan

[Jon in Sweden]

Annecdotaly, I have seen a huge decline in the quality of water in the UK.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time as a kid fishing in Derbyshire, mainly on the Derwent and a few of it's tributaries. I don't recall ever having noticed water quality issues. I've a fairly sensitive nose too, so it wouldn't have passed me by.

Laterly, I took up wild swimming in my late teens/early twenties. We swam a lot in Scotland (as we lived there) and issues were not common.

Moving to Devon, it became apparent that sewage and agricultural runoff were a real problem. A few years ago, we started swimming in the Dart, and found that as it spilled off Dartmoor, the quality was still excellent. By the time it reached Dartington and Totnes, far from it.

Mercifully, water quality issues here in our part of Sweden are unheard of. The lakes really have extraordinarily good quality water, to the point where you can technically drink it.