Sarah Boyack Picks Up the Ball

Great article by Sarah Boyack MSP in today's Sunday Herald:

"Poor climate for delaying green bill


It's not been a good week for the Scottish environment. The SNP programme for government was a huge disappointment to climate change campaigners as we discovered a promised Scottish climate change bill will be delayed for at least a year.

The UK government is now powering ahead with plans to deliver reductions in CO2 emissions with a draft bill published in March this year and the establishment of an independent climate change committee dedicated to implementing the Stern Report on tackling climate change.
Alex Salmond's explanation rested on the requirement to produce a regulatory impact assessment - something not slowing down the SNP's bill to abolish bridge tolls.

Not only has a climate change bill been kicked into the long grass, but SNP ministers said they will oppose my member's bill on energy efficiency and microgeneration. Although John Swinney, cabinet secretary for finance and sustainable development, said he is interested in the proposals, he has not guaranteed that key measures will not be dropped.

The bill aims to reduce fuel poverty and tackle climate change by providing tax incentives to householders and businesses with one-off reductions in council tax and business rates if they install energy-efficiency and microgeneration devices in existing buildings. It would also require all new buildings to include some form of microgeneration to enable people to produce their own heat and power and see their bills reduce.

The bill is very much in tune with SNP announcements on low-carbon buildings, but rhetoric needs to be turned into reality.

My bill is backed by a wide range of groups, such as Barnardos, WWF and Energy Action Scotland, who have come together to ensure action in the Scottish parliament. It also has the support of 51 MSPs from every party at Holyrood.

The ball is now in the Scottish government's court. If we are going to play our part in tackling climate change we need to start now, not next year.

This autumn's budget review would be a practical place to start, but so far SNP ministers have only committed to including a "greener" approach, not the tougher approach of carbon reduction targets across government.

We cannot afford for Scotland to lag behind the rest of the UK. The challenge is both for the new SNP government and for the Scottish parliament to make sure we don't let that happen."

This approach is exactly how Labour should act in the Scottish Parliament - gently teasing out the disparity between the green rhetoric and reality, demonstrating a clear committment to green energy beyond what the SNP are prepared to do, and - at last - legislating while in opposition.

This approach is win-win. If the SNP support this bill, we can claim credit for it and highlight their initial distaste for it in our next manifesto. This will in turn improve our image to being seen as proactive in Parliament even while we're in opposition, rather than us not legislating, not contributing to Parliament and simply reacting to any policy the SNP or other parties propose.

If the SNP reject this bill, it severely undermines their green rhetoric and most, critically for them, makes Alex Salmond and his "Green Energy Day" look silly.

Our next manifesto must be filled with ideas like this, and our behaviour in Parliament proactive rather than reactive.