Greens have today warned that both the Scottish and UK Governments are failing to properly assess the carbon impact of a potential era of UK gas extraction by the controversial process of fracking.

Appearing before the Economy, Energy and Tourism committee of the Scottish Parliament, both UK and Scottish Government Energy Ministers were questioned by Patrick Harvie MSP on whether the climate change impacts of the gas extracted would be taken into account during the licensing process.(1) The UK Minister, Charles Hendry MP, confirmed that climate change would not be a factor considered.

Respected climate researchers at the Tyndall Centre estimate that if just 20% of shale gas reserves identified in Lancashire are burnt, 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide would be released: 15% of the UK’s carbon budget to 2050.(2)

In November 2011, SEPA granted a licence for the extraction of coal bed methane in Canonbie, Dumfries and Galloway. Another firm is drilling for coal bed methane in Airth, Falkirk, though without yet using the fracking technique.

Patrick Harvie said:

“Charles Hendry showed the UK Government’s breath-taking irresponsibility in admitting that the climate change impact of shale gas will not be a factor in deciding whether to approve applications for fracking. But that was nothing compared to the Scottish Minister Fergus Ewing, who appeared to be completely at sea on this issue.

“I have been asking questions regularly on this for months now, and the Minister knew it was coming up at today’s meeting. I’m shocked that he remained unable or unwilling to answer a few clear and specific questions, and it’s clear that if Scotland is going to resist this dangerous new drive to extract ever more fossil fuels, we’ll need a Minister who is at least up to speed on the basics.”

Notes

1. Scottish Planning Policy states that ‘potential pollution of land, air and water’ should be considered factors in planning decisions. See paragraph 232.

2. For an estimate of the carbon impact of UK shale gas, see the Tyndall Centre report, especially the last paragraph.

Greens have welcomed today’s demonstration of cross-party support for legislation lifting the ban on same-sex marriage and mixed-sex civil partnership in Scotland, and have called for a Bill to be published this year.

Patrick Harvie MSP joined with all other opposition leaders in signing the Equal Marriage campaign’s pledge of support, ahead of what is expected to be the most well-attended reception ever hosted at Holyrood since the creation of the Scottish Parliament.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“It’s really encouraging to see so much support for Equal Marriage both inside Parliament and outside, and all that’s needed is for the Government to come forward with the legislation.

“I see no reason why a Bill couldn’t be published this year, and I’m convinced that when MSPs have the chance to vote on this, Scotland will once again set the pace of change for the rest of the UK by backing equality for same-sex couples. This is a vital signal about the kind of progressive society that Scotland wants to be in the 21st century.”

On Thursday, the matter came to the Holyrood chamber, with a debate opened by Johann Lamont, entitled Scotland’s Future. Here’s my contribution to the debate:

…and a discussion in the Newsnight Scotland studio the same evening:

Speaking after this morning’s Scottish Parliament debate on the independence referendum, Scottish Greens have called for both UK and Scottish Governments to give ground to prevent the referendum becoming mired in legal conflicts.

Patrick Harvie lodged an amendment to the one put forward by Alex Salmond, calling for parties to work together to resolve questions of process so that the real debate about different visions for Scotland can begin in earnest. (1)

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“The Scottish Government should show willing, by accepting that the Electoral Commission is the right body to oversee the referendum, just as it does elections in Scotland. Similarly, the UK Government should accept that other aspects, like whether 16 and 17 year olds should be able to vote, must be decided by the Scottish Parliament.

“By making these concessions, both sides will find that their aspirations for a fair, legal and decisive referendum can be achieved all the quicker, and we can move on to the crucial choices we face about the kind of society we want Scotland to become.”

Notes

1. The amendment put forward in Patrick Harvie’s name (not selected for debate) can be read here.

Patrick Harvie today offered his congratulations to the newly elected Scottish Labour Party leadership team, and warned that Scotland has already changed around the Labour Party, whether they like it or not.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“Johann Lamont and Anas Sarwar are both hardworking and capable people, and I’d like to congratulate them on their success today. But they have a tough job ahead of them in trying to reinvent Labour in Scotland.

“Labour has tried to make independence a “bogeyman”, but soon the voters will have the chance to settle that one, and all political parties must be ready to take Scotland forward whichever choice the voters make. If Labour maintain their tribal hostility to greater independence they will make themselves irrelevant.

“In the face of the UK cuts, Scotland needs an assertive left-of-centre response. The Greens have clear proposals to close the gap between rich and poor, to promote small businesses and protect public services, and to safeguard the environment from relentless exploitation. These things can’t be done without a clear challenge to free-market ideology. It will be instructive to see if Scottish Labour are willing to move in that direction.

“Meanwhile, all opposition parties at Holyrood need to find better ways of holding the SNP Government to account and offering constructive opposition. That in itself would be a welcome change of tone from Labour.”

Here’s the introduction I sent with my response:

I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to this consultation and congratulate the Scottish Government not only on the decision to publish it, but also on the expression of the initial view in favour of equal marriage.

One of my last tasks as a youth worker supporting LGBT young people was the development of a training exercise for mainstream youth workers, which involved asking participants to place various events along a timeline. In trialling this with LGBT young people, I can remember the looks of puzzlement from a group of 16-20 year olds on being asked if they knew when male homosexuality had been decriminalised. This group of young people was growing up free of the idea that they would ever have been seen as criminal. While it says a lot about the lack of visibility of LGBT history, that moment also represented a kind of hope. One day, not so very long from now, I hope to see a group of young people express the same puzzlement and incomprehension on learning that same-sex couples were ever denied the right to marry.

Download my full consultation response here.

The Green MSPs today described the Scottish Government’s new Capital Spending Plans (1) as “a blast from the past”, reserving particular criticism for substantial new expenditure on oil and gas extraction (2). Some aspects of the plans were welcomed by the party, including support for district heating schemes (3), but on transport SNP Ministers seem determined to do nothing to prevent a substantial increase in road traffic, congestion and pollution. (4)

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“The SNP are clearly stuck in a 1970s blast from the past mindset, where Scotland’s future is built on oil, not renewables. They don’t seem to have noticed that oil output from the North Sea peaked in 1999, and are in danger of trashing Scotland’s record on taking climate change seriously. These proposals would instead see tens of billions of pounds misspent on oil and gas extraction and on unconventional sources of fossil fuels. SNP Ministers appear to want tens of billions of tonnes of fossil carbon to be pumped into the atmosphere.

“At the same time, they appear to have nothing at all to say about the most important infrastructure we need for a low-carbon energy system in the future – a subsea grid connection across the North Sea to let us trade electricity efficiently with the rest of Europe. This is an outdated approach, one which misses opportunities and aggravates existing problems, and one which would guarantee the much-trumpeted targets on renewables and climate change are missed by a mile.

“Greens back moves to support district heating schemes, if they materialise, but we must go further and develop local energy companies in every council area in Scotland. This remains our greatest opportunity to generate energy locally and renewably, boosting both jobs and revenue for vital public services.”

“The SNP’s transport plans remain utterly unsustainable. Scotland could instead be investing in a transformational approach, building new public transport services, expanding light rail in the cities, and supporting a new bus fleet running an affordable and regulated service. With an Oyster-style smartcard, the whole system could be made simpler to use, and a programme of repairs and redesign work for urban roads and pavements would make walking and cycling easier and safer, as well as improving winter resilience.

“Instead, we’ve got the continuation of the discredited ‘predict and provide’ model. They’re projecting a 15-20% increase in road traffic, and doing nothing to prevent it. SNP Ministers are committed to sitting on their hands as pollution and congestion rise, roads become less safe, and the mobility gap between rich and poor grows ever wider. New road investment, such as the AWPR and the additional Forth Road Bridge, are based on fantasy economics, and would only make sense in a world where climate change wasn’t happening and where urban roads experienced no congestion.

“On rail, the promise of a service that’s lower cost and more focused on local needs sounds great, but it bears no relation to the franchise consultation, which included a list of umpteen ways Ministers have come up with to make the Scotrail service worse. If Ministers are ready to dump that earlier document and produce a vision for a railway fit for the 21st century, then now is the time.”

Notes

1. See:
www.scotland.gov.uk

2. See p. 57

3. See p. 52

4. See pp. 44-45

The Green MSPs today confirmed the party’s support for tomorrow’s coordinated strike action against UK Ministers’ assault on public sector working conditions. Patrick Harvie MSP, the party’s co-convenor, will take part in an STUC event with the leadership of Scottish Labour and with striking public sector staff in the morning, (1) before taking part in the march from the Usher Hall to Holyrood and then meeting Holyrood staff on the picket line around Parliament.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“Tomorrow is a day when politicians of all parties should be supporting the unions and their action, which comes with a stronger democratic mandate than the UK Ministers who are imposing these unfair and economically illiterate cuts to public sector pensions. The strikes are therefore a crucial statement of resistance, and I will be out with public sector staff in Glasgow in the morning and in Edinburgh in the afternoon.

“MSPs have a responsibility to back both Scotland’s public sector employees and the wider public they serve. It’d be better if all politicians would offer the support that unions have asked for, and not cross the picket line today, but the focus must remain on UK Ministers and their reckless and divisive attack on the public sector.”

Notes

1. This event will take place Wednesday 30 November between 10.00 am and 10.30 am, at the Story Telling Centre, Royal Mile, Edinburgh.

A poll published today by the Daily Mail shows remarkable support for churches who wish to conduct same-sex marriages, with 50% of Scots supporting the bid and just 36% opposed. (1)

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“Taken alongside the widespread support for equal access to civil marriage, this is an extraordinary result, and shows a strong groundswell of support for those churches who want to marry same-sex couples. Increasingly, most Scots don’t regard same-sex couples as anything unusual: these couples are friends, family, colleagues and neighbours.

“On this issue the SNP have stood up to the vested minority interests and the remaining Dark Ages attitudes that have held Scotland back from reform on this issue. We will work with them, as will MSPs from other opposition parties, and I believe we will set an example that the rest of the UK will quickly follow.”

Notes

1. The poll of 1233 Scottish adults was conducted between 16 November and 18 November by Progressive Scottish Opinion. The question asked was:
“To what extent do you agree or disagree that gay couples should be allowed to marry in Scotland’s churches?”
Strongly agree: 19%
Agree: 31%
Neither agree nor disagree: 14%
Disagree: 18%
Strongly disagree: 18%

The Green MSPs today condemned the decision by SNP Ministers to ignore representations from public sector staff and unions to close Holyrood during the day of strike action, 30 November, and instead to support the UK Coalition parties’ anti-union position.

Patrick MSP said:

It’s an utterly cynical move, and an abuse of the Scottish Government’s power, to schedule a debate about the strikes so that only MSPs who cross the picket lines are able to take part.

On November 30th, the country will see the strongest wave of coordinated action for generations, all to challenge the UK Coalition’s ideological and counter-productive cuts. On that day, the SNP and the Coalition parties will sit together as an unholy alliance on the wrong side of the picket lines. Is this really what the SNP stand for now?

No doubt there will be empty rhetoric from Ministers about supporting the right to strike – despite knowing that Parliament can only meet if employees and MSPs alike cross the picket lines. The SNP claim they’re on the other side of the argument from the Tories and LibDems. Wrong. The picket line is the argument, and the SNP have picked a side, the same side as the parties primarily responsible for this brutal attack on pay and pensions.

The unions have been very clear about how MSPs can support them – by joining them at pickets and rallies right across the country. That’s the work we should be doing on November 30th.