• Contact
  • About
DONATE
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
North East Bylines
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Brexit
    • Education
    • Environment
    • European News
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Science
    • UK News
    • World News
    North East for Europe at an earlier London march

    The North East in London for National Rejoin March

    Tyne Bridge

    Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

    Fishing protest

    Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

    NUFC foodbank

    Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

    Darlington protestors

    Protestors greet Sunak and Truss at Tory Hustings in Darlington

    RMT Union banner

    When do strikes work? History shows the conditions need to be right

    Cartoon of Liz Truss with shopping trolley

    Tory leadership election: policy shopping is no way to treat people

    Border control at Dover

    The moral argument for open borders

    the quilt

    Join Hands for Ukraine at the Royal Albert Hall

    Trending Tags

    • Ukraine
  • Culture
    • All
    • Animation
    • Books
    • Illustrations & More
    • Music
    • Performance
    • Poetry
    • Social Media
    • Theatre
    • TV & Radio
    Eurovision sign

    The North East could host Eurovision in 2023

    Vandebilt

    The house that Vandebilt: by Vandebilt

    Tyne Bridge

    Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

    NUFC foodbank

    Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    Master Chef of Great Britain

    Master Chef of Great Britain at Lumley

    Prezzo

    Discovering the new summer menu at Prezzo

    Chef and son

    MasterChef’s’ Posh Street Food chef’s own summer of entertainment

    Scottish highlands

    The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

    Kleo Tabuku

    Top chef to open Newcastle restaurant, Lovage

    Pop up park

    Pop up to the park in Sunderland

    The Blackbird Inn, Ponteland

    The Blackbird Inn flies high with its new summer menu

    gymnast

    Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

    Kennedy and Rhind

    Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

    Trending Tags

    • Business
      • All
      • Economy
      • Rural
      • Technology
      • Trade
      • Voluntary Sector
      Fishing protest

      Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

      Scottish highlands

      The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

      loo

      A room with a loo

      Newcastle quayside

      Newcastle named as one of the best cities for graduates

      Brexit economics

      New research shows the economic effect of Brexit

      Wetherspoons pub

      Wetherspoons sparkle: has it gone flat?

      Leon Fussell rehearsing

      Unsung Heroes at Queen’s Hall, Hexham

      Houchen and spade

      Vampire daylight: a week in the life of Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor

      Keir Starmer

      Open letter to Sir Keir Starmer

      Trending Tags

      • Region
        • All
        • Co. Durham
        • North East
        • Northumberland
        • Teesside
        • Tyneside
        • Wearside
        Tyne Bridge

        Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

        Wildfire at Witherwack

        “Busier than Bonfire Night” as wildfire rages for over 20 hours

        Fishing protest

        Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

        NUFC foodbank

        Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

        Summer, Lower East Side. Weegee Ⓒ ICP (International Center of Photography)

        Classic Street Style: Weegee, Doisneau, Forsyth: three cities, three photographers, three decades

        Darlington protestors

        Protestors greet Sunak and Truss at Tory Hustings in Darlington

        Promo image

        Cutthroat Island: preparing to terrify landlubbers!

        DCFO Peter Heath

        Fire chiefs urge public to behave responsibly amid hot weather warnings

        Pride flag

        Northern Pride: Newcastle proves it’s loud, proud and still fighting

        Trending Tags

        • Opinion
          Titanic coming out of Southampton

          The 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s departure

          There is an England

          There is an England

          Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union"

          The parody of disinformation: Boris Johnson on Ukraine and Brexit

          Boris Johnson’s comments on Ukraine and Brexit are an insult

          TV Agency staff jumping in the air

          The TV Agency celebrates 10th anniversary with global success

          North East of County Dublin

          North East of England and North East of County Dublin: Compare and contrast

          North Sea oil rig

          Copping out of COP: Ukraine, fossil fuels and nuclear fusion

          Placard with Boris Johnson as a clown

          Dictators, media and mobility: erosion of identity, sustenance and safety

          close up on a child's eye

          Racism and misogyny where there should have been safeguarding and security

        AUDIO
        No Result
        View All Result
        • Home
        • News
          • All
          • Brexit
          • Education
          • Environment
          • European News
          • Health
          • Politics
          • Science
          • UK News
          • World News
          North East for Europe at an earlier London march

          The North East in London for National Rejoin March

          Tyne Bridge

          Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

          Fishing protest

          Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

          NUFC foodbank

          Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

          Darlington protestors

          Protestors greet Sunak and Truss at Tory Hustings in Darlington

          RMT Union banner

          When do strikes work? History shows the conditions need to be right

          Cartoon of Liz Truss with shopping trolley

          Tory leadership election: policy shopping is no way to treat people

          Border control at Dover

          The moral argument for open borders

          the quilt

          Join Hands for Ukraine at the Royal Albert Hall

          Trending Tags

          • Ukraine
        • Culture
          • All
          • Animation
          • Books
          • Illustrations & More
          • Music
          • Performance
          • Poetry
          • Social Media
          • Theatre
          • TV & Radio
          Eurovision sign

          The North East could host Eurovision in 2023

          Vandebilt

          The house that Vandebilt: by Vandebilt

          Tyne Bridge

          Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

          NUFC foodbank

          Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

        • Lifestyle
          • All
          • Fashion
          • Food & Drink
          • Health & Fitness
          Master Chef of Great Britain

          Master Chef of Great Britain at Lumley

          Prezzo

          Discovering the new summer menu at Prezzo

          Chef and son

          MasterChef’s’ Posh Street Food chef’s own summer of entertainment

          Scottish highlands

          The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

          Kleo Tabuku

          Top chef to open Newcastle restaurant, Lovage

          Pop up park

          Pop up to the park in Sunderland

          The Blackbird Inn, Ponteland

          The Blackbird Inn flies high with its new summer menu

          gymnast

          Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

          Kennedy and Rhind

          Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

          Trending Tags

          • Business
            • All
            • Economy
            • Rural
            • Technology
            • Trade
            • Voluntary Sector
            Fishing protest

            Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

            Scottish highlands

            The beauty of the Scottish Highlands

            loo

            A room with a loo

            Newcastle quayside

            Newcastle named as one of the best cities for graduates

            Brexit economics

            New research shows the economic effect of Brexit

            Wetherspoons pub

            Wetherspoons sparkle: has it gone flat?

            Leon Fussell rehearsing

            Unsung Heroes at Queen’s Hall, Hexham

            Houchen and spade

            Vampire daylight: a week in the life of Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor

            Keir Starmer

            Open letter to Sir Keir Starmer

            Trending Tags

            • Region
              • All
              • Co. Durham
              • North East
              • Northumberland
              • Teesside
              • Tyneside
              • Wearside
              Tyne Bridge

              Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

              Wildfire at Witherwack

              “Busier than Bonfire Night” as wildfire rages for over 20 hours

              Fishing protest

              Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

              NUFC foodbank

              Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

              Summer, Lower East Side. Weegee Ⓒ ICP (International Center of Photography)

              Classic Street Style: Weegee, Doisneau, Forsyth: three cities, three photographers, three decades

              Darlington protestors

              Protestors greet Sunak and Truss at Tory Hustings in Darlington

              Promo image

              Cutthroat Island: preparing to terrify landlubbers!

              DCFO Peter Heath

              Fire chiefs urge public to behave responsibly amid hot weather warnings

              Pride flag

              Northern Pride: Newcastle proves it’s loud, proud and still fighting

              Trending Tags

              • Opinion
                Titanic coming out of Southampton

                The 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s departure

                There is an England

                There is an England

                Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union"

                The parody of disinformation: Boris Johnson on Ukraine and Brexit

                Boris Johnson’s comments on Ukraine and Brexit are an insult

                TV Agency staff jumping in the air

                The TV Agency celebrates 10th anniversary with global success

                North East of County Dublin

                North East of England and North East of County Dublin: Compare and contrast

                North Sea oil rig

                Copping out of COP: Ukraine, fossil fuels and nuclear fusion

                Placard with Boris Johnson as a clown

                Dictators, media and mobility: erosion of identity, sustenance and safety

                close up on a child's eye

                Racism and misogyny where there should have been safeguarding and security

              No Result
              View All Result
              North East Bylines
              No Result
              View All Result
              Home News Environment

              Speaking truth to power : why solidarity between generations matters

              Every major crisis has profound consequences for the next generation. The financial crisis resulted in mass youth unemployment, Tory austerity devastated the youth service, Sure Start centres and child and adolescent mental health services, whilst hiking up university fees and creating mass unsustainable student debt.

              Julie WardbyJulie Ward
              24-09-2020 16:07
              in Environment, North East, Politics, UK, World News
              Abel Harvie-Clark & friend with a home-built sound system used at rallies across the region    Photo by Dom Kilbane

              Abel Harvie-Clark & friend with a home-built sound system used at rallies across the region    Photo by Dom Kilbane

              Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
              ADVERTISEMENT

              Friday September 25th is the second Global Day of Climate Action initiated by Fridays For Future, the movement that began when one concerned child refused to go to school and stood alone outside her national parliament in Stockholm on August 20th 2018 with a simple black and white placard that read ‘Skolstrejk för klimatet’ (‘School strike for climate’). Greta Thunberg is now a household name, having mobilised millions of children and young people around the world, demonstrating that the climate emergency is the number one issue that concerns young people – but it should concern all of us. 

              I have been proud to stand on a platform with extraordinary motivated and articulate young people, and to move over and give them the microphone or loudhailer. We need to listen and pay attention not always to be the ones talking. Too often people of my generation dismiss the youth voice, forgetting that we were all young once with important views, relevant ideas and a fresh perspective that can cut through the layers of waffle and bluster that so many politicians choose to employ.

              Young people like Malala Yousuf and Greta Thunberg have been challenging perceptions and ruffling feathers for a few years now, particularly amongst the elite whether it be war lords or presidents. And in their wake come people like Abel Harvie-Clark, inspired to act and not simply to join in the adulation. Abel is a north east member of the UK Student Climate Action Network which I have been supporting since it first emerged in December 2018 and subsequently became one of the main organisations behind the September 2019 Earth Strike, the first General Strike to happen in the UK since 1926. 

              I was pleased to be invited to speak at the UKSCN Climate March in Leeds last summer, but I also went to listen because it’s the years of continually being ignored, dismissed, belittled and patronised that make young people so angry. If you have done your homework, as Abel and millions of other climate strikers have, you know that if atmospheric CO2 levels exceed 1200 parts per million (ppm) it could push the Earth’s climate to a tipping point with deadly and irreversible consequences. In fact we may already be too late as scientists reported last year.

              Every major crisis has profound consequences for the next generation. The financial crisis resulted in mass youth unemployment, Tory austerity devastated the youth service, Sure Start centres and child and adolescent mental health services, whilst hiking up university fees and creating mass unsustainable student debt. Covid-19 has put much education on hold and the climate crisis is an existential threat. Why wouldn’t you strike? Why wouldn’t you lie down in the corridors of power? Why wouldn’t you demand that politicians tell the truth and polluters stop polluting? I and a growing number of terrified older people are thankful that young people at least are not afraid to speak truth to power.

              I have been proud to stand on a platform with extraordinary motivated and articulate young people, and to move over and give them the microphone or loudhailer. We need to listen and pay attention not always to be the ones talking. Too often people of my generation dismiss the youth voice, forgetting that we were all young once with important views, relevant ideas and a fresh perspective that can cut through the layers of waffle and bluster that so many politicians choose to employ.

              Julie and a grandparent climate activist
              at Arendalsuka, Democracy Festival in Arendal, Norway 2019
              Photo by Elise Sijthoff

              In March 2019 I was in the European Parliament when Greta Thunberg spoke to a packed room. Her words made uncomfortable listening precisely because she speaks the truth, not only about what will happen if we don’t act, but about large-scale political failure.

              In the UK Thunberg was flatly refused an audience with the government although Jeremy Corbyn and Caroline Lucas met with her and huge crowds mobilised at meetings in Bristol and elsewhere in solidarity across the country. Trump, the Tories and the ultra-libertarians (many of whom are climate-change denying Brexiteers) are dismissive and mocking of Thunberg precisely because she is young, as if youth has no agency and child rights were not an actual thing despite 30 years of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

              These are the same people who don’t want young people to vote. The same people berating youth for being idle and feckless. The same people encouraging you to join the army and learn some discipline. Indeed, in the UK, we may be in danger of something akin to National Service as part of the recovery programme post-coronavirus whereas EU Member States are rolling out a new enlightened youth initiative aimed at environmental volunteering, projects to help refugees, and other social actions.

               Abel has already joined up the dots between the multiple crises facing us. “The conservative idea that we face a choice between protecting good jobs and taking action to tackle climate change is a serious distraction from an urgently needed ambition to organise for a worker-led Green New Deal,” he says and goes on to argue, “Ecologically unsafe work should be rejected on grounds of the health and safety threat to all workers, and socially useful work or retraining should be demanded as a guarantee. From manufacturing electric buses for a vastly expanded, free public transport network, to filling the 100,000 shortage of staff in the NHS, or investing in the arts and culture, there is plenty of work to be done. But reorganising production and public services to benefit people and planet, at the cost of capital, cannot be won without a fight.”

              So let’s build the resistance by building solidarity between all generations and all people. Let’s act locally whilst being outward-looking. Let’s be proudly internationalist global citizens who will fight for a just regenerative green recovery for all.

              For more information about how to support the global action whatever your age here are some links:

              Fridays for Future

              UK Student Action Climate Network

              Parents for Future

              Grandparents Climate Action (Campaign against Climate Change)

              Global Climate Strike

              Letters to the Earth

              Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

              ADVERTISEMENT
              Previous Post

              Coronavirus testing failures

              Next Post

              Who’s backing Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor: part 3

              Julie Ward

              Julie Ward

              Julie Ward was a Labour MEP for NW England from July 2014 to January 31st 2020. She was Vice Chair of the Culture and Education Committee and a member of the Committees for Women's Rights and Gender Equality, Regional Development, and Economic and Monetary Affairs. She co-founded a parliamentary intergroup on Child Rights and was Co-President of the Anti-racism and Diversity Intergroup. She served on the delegation for relations with Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo and was a member of the EU- African, Caribbean & Pacific Joint Parliamentary Assembly. Prior to being elected Julie worked in the arts and cultural sector as founder-director of Durham-based Jack Drum Arts.

              Related Posts

              North East for Europe at an earlier London march
              Brexit

              The North East in London for National Rejoin March

              byYvonne Wancke
              August 14, 2022
              Wildfire at Witherwack
              North East

              “Busier than Bonfire Night” as wildfire rages for over 20 hours

              byNorth East Bylines
              August 11, 2022
              Fishing protest
              Business

              Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

              byJulia Mazza
              August 11, 2022
              NUFC foodbank
              Culture

              Howay the lads and lasses: the new football foodbank season ‘22/23

              byBill Corcoran
              August 10, 2022
              Summer, Lower East Side. Weegee Ⓒ ICP (International Center of Photography)
              Culture

              Classic Street Style: Weegee, Doisneau, Forsyth: three cities, three photographers, three decades

              byNorth East Bylines
              August 10, 2022
              Next Post
              Ben Houchen

              Who's backing Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor: part 3

              Want to support us?

              Can you help North East Bylines to grow and become more sustainable with a regular donation, no matter how small?  

              DONATE

              Sign up to our newsletter

              If you would like to receive the North East Bylines regular newsletter, straight talking direct to your inbox, click the button below.

              NEWSLETTER

              LATEST

              North East for Europe at an earlier London march

              The North East in London for National Rejoin March

              August 14, 2022
              Eurovision sign

              The North East could host Eurovision in 2023

              August 13, 2022
              Vandebilt

              The house that Vandebilt: by Vandebilt

              August 13, 2022
              Tyne Bridge

              Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

              August 12, 2022
              Wildfire at Witherwack

              “Busier than Bonfire Night” as wildfire rages for over 20 hours

              August 11, 2022
              Fishing protest

              Dead crustaceans on North East coast: the next chapter

              August 11, 2022

              MOST READ

              North East for Europe at an earlier London march

              The North East in London for National Rejoin March

              August 14, 2022
              Eurovision sign

              The North East could host Eurovision in 2023

              August 13, 2022
              Vandebilt

              The house that Vandebilt: by Vandebilt

              August 13, 2022
              Tyne Bridge

              Newcastle shortlisted for Eurovision 2023

              August 12, 2022

              BROWSE BY TAGS

              Audio Beach Brexit Business castle leazes climate activism Co. Durham cost of living crisis Culture defra democracy ducklings Economy Education Environment fire and rescue firefighter Food & Drink food poverty Health Health & Care Home Affairs just stop oil Lifestyle Local Lockdown Northumberland Peace Performance Politics pride month refugee rescue Science Social Media Teesside TV & Radio Tynemouth Tyneside Ukraine volunteer Wearside

              We are a not-for-profit citizen journalism publication. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in the North East and beyond.

              North East Bylines is a trading brand of Bylines Network Limited, which is a sister organisation to Byline Times.

              Learn more about us

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Contact
              • About
              • Letters
              • Donate
              • Privacy
              • Bylines network
              • Shop

              © 2022 North East Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Home
              • News
                • Brexit
                • Education
                • Environment
                • UK News
                • Transport
                • World News
              • Politics
              • Opinion
              • Lifestyle
                • Culture
                • Music
                • Poetry
              • Business
                • Economy
                • Technology
                • Trade
              • Donate
              • Newsletter sign up
              • Boriiis Cartoons
              • Authors
              • Audio

              © 2022 North East Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              Welcome Back!

              Login to your account below

              Forgotten Password?

              Retrieve your password

              Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

              Log In