Giáo trình Unit 10: Freedom of Information - Tiếng Anh ngoại giao | Học viện Ngoại giao Việt Nam

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94 Reading the News 1
UNIT 10
Freedom of Information
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they are printed or shown, or a person who is in charge of a
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country
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work in your country? Discuss with a partner.
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change direction, or present an opposite point of view.
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95
Reading the News 1
First, label which paragraphs these three arguments come from.
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government no matter who submit them.
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the truth.
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b. Members of the clearing house said that the information must be managed and warned
that some revelations could sadden former ministers.
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because it is sent by a reporter for openDemocracy.
Reading the News 1
96
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contaminated blood transfusion from the
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try to get some answers for himself.
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months, there was nothing.
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he was looking for, but then staff from
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said the information had to be “managed”
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that former ministers “will be very sore”
about the disclosures which included a
private acknowledgement from the health
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authorities had been negligent.
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November, open Democracy revealed
how this secretive clearing house, which
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as “Orwellian” by the head of the National
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also breaks the law, which is supposed to
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editors from rival newspapers across
Fleet Street including the and Guardian
Observer Times Telegraph, the , and Paul
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have also called for a number of steps to
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they see as a vital pillar of press freedom.
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the MPs’ expenses scandal would never
have come to light and our taxes would
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FOHDQLQJ. We’d never have known about
the Prince of Wales’s private lobbying
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weapons programme.
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Yet now our fundamental right to access
information and scrutinise the workings of
government is being . IDWDOO\XQGHUPLQHG
Freedom of Information Is a Right, but the Government
Is Intent on Suppressing It
From HIV-infected blood to the cladding scandal, the Tories are avoiding
democratic scrutiny
By Mary Fitzgerald February 13, 2021
97
Reading the News 1
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regulator has slammed the government for
repeated and “unacceptable” failures.
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accident. From ignoring MPs’ parliamentary
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of public contracts and the “stonewalling”
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has used the pandemic as D SUHWH[W IRU
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pass for decades but was told last year
that he’s not permitted to ask questions
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not a news outlet but a “campaigning”
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that press freedom in the UK is being
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secretary is yet to materialise. Meanwhile,
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“exactly the same way … whether or not it’s
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Other disclosures suggest that many
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been treated in similar ways.
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public statement this week that it is “fully
committed” to transparency, denying there is
anything “secretabout the clearing house.
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which says it must release details about
the operation? Why are there no published
guidelines or criteria about when requests
should be referred to it, no published
statistics on what it reviews? Why does it
even exist, when there is no legislation or
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personal details are shared across Whitehall,
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extract basic information that we are all
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Fleet Street to speak with one voice, and
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to cover public service contracts outsourced
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answers about the clearing house, too.
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it’s our right, and its corrosion has profound
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telling local councils it is “appropriate”
98 Reading the News 1
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contracts outsourced to private companies amid rising pressure.
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a. die i. investigation
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c. reveal k. organisation
d. release l. claim
e. strengthen m.acknowledgement
f. demand n. transfusion
g. respond o. criticism
h. extract p. government
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it’s “intolerable” that so many people,
like his father, “have been killed due to
Whitehall action – and now we’re having
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in the process due to Whitehall action”.
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believe we are piecing together one of
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place in a generation.
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d. ,Q D VKRFNLQJ BBBBBBBBBBBBBB from her new book, Mary King reveals how she
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Explain the following words and expressions, as used in the article.
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……………………………………………………………………………………………
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……………………………………………………………………………………………
d. a pretext for secrecy and evasion
……………………………………………………………………………………………
e. the government’s “vindictive” response to media criticism
……………………………………………………………………………………………
f. pressure is mounting
……………………………………………………………………………………………
100 Reading the News 1
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Read the article and answer the following questions.
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b. What have editors from rival newspapers across Fleet Street done together?
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101
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been talking about discovering the wonder
of nature during lockdown and there are
constant reports of droves moving out of
towns and cities for more pastoral locations.
2
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actions groups protesting, petitioning and
even praying to save precious stretches of
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new view isn’t earmarked for development.
3
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heartbreaking images of wrecked nature
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only one in a vast catalogue of destructive
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on green belt that is also precious peatland.
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against the government’s road building spree.
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Lancashire, to name but a few.
4
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been designated for industrialisation,
and now another ecologically important
marsh at Swanscombe is targeted for a vast
theme park billed as “the UK’s answer to
Disney World”.
5
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are usually made up of inexperienced,
previously apolitical, locals. Out of necessity
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current level of destructive development
is a nationwide problem requiring a
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developments are changing the character
of the countryside towards urban sprawl.
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wildlife.
6
Whats enabling this destruction is the
national planning system, which ought
to protect local communities, but now
disempowers them. Planning has been
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pouring concrete will get us out of
recession, the other that there’s a general
housing crisis rather than an affordability
crisis. Local challenges to these views are
steamrollered as merely nimbyism.
(;75$5($',1*
The Government’s Relentless Push for Development Is
Destroying Rural England
Local action alone can’t fix the Tories’ broken planning system. We need a
national fightback.
By Ros Coward February 17, 2021
102 Reading the News 1
7
Since the coalition government introduced
the national planning policy framework
LQ  the planning system has
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legislation insisted councils set housing
targets but they lacked land to meet those
numbers. Local authorities were forced to
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green belt has been released or included in
councils’ local plans”.
8
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“reforms”QRZJRD ORWIXUWKHU (YHQDIWHU
a backbench rebellion and a rethink of the
algorithm used to calculate housing targets,
the housing secretary still wants to impose
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along with a presumption in favour of
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democratic. Housing targets will be imposed
by central government and local input
sidelined. Yet the housing developments
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increase the number of affordable homes.
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policies are an even more blatant assault
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local experts were openly mocked by some
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of democracy.
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about biodiversity and speaks of supporting
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hats for photo ops, promoting “build,
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he would push through the much delayed
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tsunami of destruction.
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waging their lonely battles need this
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need it before it is too late.
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the message of the article with their partners.
| 1/9

Preview text:

94 Reading the News 1 UNIT 10 Freedom of Information 35(5($',1*7$6.6
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they are printed or shown, or a person who is in charge of a -RXUQDOLVWV QHZVSDSHURUPDJD]LQH 5HJXODWRU
E a person or body that supervises a particular industry or business activity. (GLWRU
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departmentRUDQRWKHURUJDQL]DWLRQ
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change direction, or present an opposite point of view.
1. /RRNIRUSKUDVHVWKDWLQGLFDWHDZLGHO\KHOGEHOLHIRUSHUVRQDORSLQLRQ. Underline
these phrases in the text. Notice the transition between different opinions.
2. %HORZDUHWKUHHDUJXPHQWVIURPWKHDUWLFOH. 95 Reading the News 1
First, label which paragraphs these three arguments come from.
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government no matter who submit them.
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b. Members of the clearing house said that the information must be managed and warned
that some revelations could sadden former ministers.
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because it is sent by a reporter for openDemocracy. 96 Reading the News 1
Freedom of Information Is a Right, but the Government Is Intent on Suppressing It
From HIV-infected blood to the cladding scandal, the Tories are avoiding democratic scrutiny
By Mary Fitzgerald February 13, 2021 
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contaminated blood transfusion from the
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try to get some answers for himself. 
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as “Orwellian” by the head of the National
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also breaks the law, which is supposed to months, there was nothing.
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editors from rival newspapers across
he was looking for, but then staff from
Fleet Street – including the Guardian and
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Observer, the Times, Telegraph and Paul
said the information had to be “managed”
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that former ministers “will be very sore”
have also called for a number of steps to
about the disclosures which included a
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private acknowledgement from the health
they see as a vital pillar of press freedom.
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authorities had been negligent.
the MPs’ expenses scandal would never
have come to light and our taxes would 
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November, open Democracy revealed
FOHDQLQJ. We’d never have known about
how this secretive clearing house, which
the Prince of Wales’s private lobbying
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information and scrutinise the workings of
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regulator has slammed the government for
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repeated and “unacceptable” failures. 
Other disclosures suggest that many 
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accident. From ignoring MPs’ parliamentary
the Guardian, the TimesWKH%%&3ULYDF\
questions, to the heavy redacting of details
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of public contracts and the “stonewalling” been treated in similar ways.
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has used the pandemic as D SUHWH[W IRU 
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public statement this week that it is “fully
committed” to transparency, denying there is 
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anything “secret” about the clearing house.
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which says it must release details about
pass for decades – but was told last year
the operation? Why are there no published
that he’s not permitted to ask questions
guidelines or criteria about when requests
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should be referred to it, no published
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statistics on what it reviews? Why does it
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even exist, when there is no legislation or
organisation; an epithet also used to smear
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the Guardian and Mirror when they dared
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personal details are shared across Whitehall, LQ%DUQDUG&DVWOH
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extract basic information that we are all 
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Fleet Street to speak with one voice, and
that press freedom in the UK is being
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to cover public service contracts outsourced
secretary is yet to materialise. Meanwhile,
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“exactly the same way … whether or not it’s
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answers about the clearing house, too.
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it’s our right, and its corrosion has profound
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telling local councils it is “appropriate” 98 Reading the News 1
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believe we are piecing together one of
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it’s “intolerable” that so many people, place in a generation.”
like his father, “have been killed due to
Whitehall action – and now we’re having
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in the process due to Whitehall action”.
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contracts outsourced to private companies amid rising pressure. 92&$%8/$5<:25.
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Explain the following words and expressions, as used in the article. a. shed any light on
……………………………………………………………………………………………
b. paying for duck houses and moat cleaning
…………………………………………………………………………………………… c. fatally undermined
……………………………………………………………………………………………
d. a pretext for secrecy and evasion
……………………………………………………………………………………………
e. the government’s “vindictive” response to media criticism
…………………………………………………………………………………………… f. pressure is mounting
…………………………………………………………………………………………… 100 Reading the News 1
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Read the article and answer the following questions.
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b. What have editors from rival newspapers across Fleet Street done together?
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The Government’s Relentless Push for Development Is Destroying Rural England
Local action alone can’t fix the Tories’ broken planning system. We need a
national fightback. By Ros Coward February 17, 2021 
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been talking about discovering the wonder
of nature during lockdown and there are
constant reports of droves moving out of
towns and cities for more pastoral locations. 2
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actions groups protesting, petitioning and
even praying to save precious stretches of
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marsh at Swanscombe is targeted for a vast
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theme park billed as “the UK’s answer to
new view isn’t earmarked for development. Disney World”. 3
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are usually made up of inexperienced,
heartbreaking images of wrecked nature
previously apolitical, locals. Out of necessity
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current level of destructive development
only one in a vast catalogue of destructive
is a nationwide problem requiring a
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developments are changing the character
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of the countryside towards urban sprawl.
on green belt that is also precious peatland.
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Meanwhile there are countrywide protests wildlife.
against the government’s road building spree.
7KHWensum link in Norfolk; the Stonehenge 6
What’s enabling this destruction is the
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national planning system, which ought
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to protect local communities, but now Lancashire, to name but a few.
disempowers them. Planning has been
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pouring concrete will get us out of
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recession, the other that there’s a general
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housing crisis rather than an affordability
been designated for industrialisation,
crisis. Local challenges to these views are
and now another ecologically important
steamrollered as merely nimbyism. 102 Reading the News 1 7
Since the coalition government introduced
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the national planning policy framework
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LQ  the planning system has
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on the unsuspecting residents of Dover.
legislation insisted councils set housing
Local opposition is virtually irrelevant
targets but they lacked land to meet those
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numbers. Local authorities were forced to
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having attended one such inquiry where
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local experts were openly mocked by some
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green belt has been released or included in
about biodiversity and speaks of supporting councils’ local plans”.
nature’s recovery and protecting green belts,
digressing once about families picnicking 8
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in “wild belts” DPLG ÀRXULVKLQJ ÀRUD DQG
“reforms” QRZJRD ORW IXUWKHU (YHQDIWHU
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a backbench rebellion and a rethink of the
hats for photo ops, promoting “build,
algorithm used to calculate housing targets,
build, build” and saying he won’t let
the housing secretary still wants to impose
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along with a presumption in favour of
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democratic. Housing targets will be imposed
he would push through the much delayed
by central government and local input
environment bill, which could provide a
sidelined. Yet the housing developments
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increase the number of affordable homes. tsunami of destruction.
Developers don’t want to build cheap
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Meanwhile developers shun available
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put forward a democratic, ecologically 9 7KH JRYHUQPHQW¶V LQIUDVWUXFWXUH
aware vision of what planning could do in
policies are an even more blatant assault
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waging their lonely battles need this
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or the proposal for a million houses on ([WUD5HDGLQJ7DVNV
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