This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.
There seems to be an awful stooshie around Humza Yousaf saying he’ll dump British nationality in the event of independence.
Spoiler alert: he’s a Scottish nationalist, what do you think he’s going to do? Wear Union Jack underpants when the big day comes?
The only real problem in the entire debate is that under the SNP, Scotland is about as likely to achieve independence as I am to achieve the art of levitation.
It’s not his British nationality that we should be worried about Yousaf dumping, however – it’s green legislation. Scottish government environmental policies are getting trashed quicker than a British TV star’s reputation on Twitter.
Mockery aside, this really matters. The effects of climate change are everywhere now, evidently. Since he took power, Yousaf has delayed the Deposit Return Scheme, and scrapped plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas.
Now it seems Yousaf is ready to roll back on plans encouraging homeowners to replace gas boilers with eco-friendly heating pumps. The announcement was only made on Sunday by Green Minister Patrick Harvie.
What on Earth is going on? Has the Scottish Government completely lost the will, gumption and courage to legislate in difficult areas?
And it’s not just the environment that’s being affected. Legislation to set up a national care service was delayed, and the alcohol advertising ban got paused too.
The handling of the gas boiler issue was execrable, coming with all stick and no carrot. Once the announcement was made, the public was left feeling they’d be penalised unless they replaced fossil fuel boilers. It understandably caused anger, with folk convinced they’d pay through the nose.
What Harvie singularly failed to explain was that £7500 grants exist in Scotland for heat pumps that could lower costs to around £500.
Instead of applying some PR skills and explaining this, Yousaf seemingly caved. When asked about the proposals, he suggested they could be watered down, saying “let’s see how far we get” in bringing the plans forward. Given his track-record in chloroforming legislation, this hardly bodes well.
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This isn’t just weak: while the Mediterranean burns it’s unconscionable. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, says the era of global warming is over and we’ve now entered “the era of global boiling”.
It’s therefore incumbent upon politicians – especially ones who boast of green credentials – to make environmental policies work. Lives, and livelihoods, depend upon it.
The Deposit Return Scheme, the Marine Protection Areas, and this new plan to make home heating more environmentally friendly are all not just needed, but vital.
Yet, the Scottish Government seems to go out of its way to handle policy in such a damnably clunky manner that ministers infuriate everyone to the point where the only option left is to abandon plans completely. Ministers seem to have no comprehension of how to bring voters onboard.
People are understandably scared of having to pay for green policies amid the cost of living crisis. All three of these Scottish government eco-policies were mishandled to such an extent that they scared voters.
As it stands, green policies will hurt some folk – often the poorest. That cannot happen. This week, we’ve seen record profits for energy companies. British Gas reported its half-year profits rose to £969m. Scottish Power showed year-on-year increases of 58%, from £481m to £1.16bn.
It was fossil fuel companies which caused climate breakdown. It must be fossil fuel companies which pay for the green policies needed to ameliorate climate breakdown, through increased taxation.
This is where the Scottish Government cannot be blamed. The powers to make the fossil fuel companies responsible for the financial burden lie solely with Westminster.
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