MEMBERS of Global Justice Dundee met with many activists from various community groups last week, to discuss climate change policy and share our disgust that the Scottish Government has dropped its target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030. To find out that, in addition, the government had ignored the earlier warning from the Climate Change Committee that such a target was unachievable is doubly worrying and makes us doubt whether the government’s target was ever sincere – or mere virtue signalling.
We know that a new climate change policy package will be produced, but the government’s lack of significant action to date has led us to wonder whether even these changes will be adequate to reach the longer-term ambition for net zero by 2045. I feel that whilst the government has been introducing policies to tackle climate change, these are far short of what is required, and there are often lengthy delays in implementation.
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Examples include the long delay between the first Circular Economy Strategy in 2016 and the current Circular Economy Bill, which is inadequate in many respects. The gap between current household waste recycling levels and the target for 2025 is another indication that bold targets alone are insufficient to drive change.
At one of our meetings this week, we saw a film from Scotland: The Big Picture called Why Not Scotland? on rewilding projects around Europe, which showed the dramatic results that can be achieved in changing landscapes and adjusting lifestyles to make room for nature, if ambition is combined with determined actions.
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The Scottish Government from here on needs realistic targets, together with urgent action in order to tackle the big issues that cause climate-changing emissions, such as heating, transport, agriculture and the wasteful linear economy. It’s now time to fully support a proper fossil fuel treaty.
Scotland is shamed and embarrassed by this climbdown after claiming the high ground with its ambitious target. It is up to the Scottish Government to prove that they now have the courage to tackle the really serious creators of carbon emissions, and to work actively with communities to bring about the changes in public attitudes and behaviour that are also required.
Mike Barile
Global Justice Dundee
WHATEVER happens with the Tory no confidence vote, Humza Yousaf still retains the right to remain in office as leader of his party and his country. So say the Holyrood parliament rules.
Unfortunately, Anas Sarwar has spotted the loophole and submitted a further vote of no confidence, this time in the SNP government. If – and I suspect it’s a big if – his vote is carried then we might expect a Scottish election, providing the SNP fail to elect a replacement leader.
READ MORE: Alex Salmond claims BBC interview sparked Scottish politics 'crisis'
Having said that, it could quite easily be Sarwar’s downfall. The Scottish electorate are no fools. They know that, like the Scottish Tories, Sarwar’s party is just a branch of the English Labour Party. The consequence of that being that Keir Starmer would be in total control of Scotland as well as England and Wales and even Northern Ireland to some extent.
Now that would destroy totally any chance of Scotland even dreaming about independence. But would it?
Salvo is still trying to pull some strings within Europe, putting Scotland’s historical case for returning to its independence as before the now very questionable 1707 unifying agreement with the English government.
Another alternative to independence might be for us to simply declare a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Not a popular choice among the pundits, but mebby possible given the aforementioned mentioned Labour Party involvement.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford addresses Scottish Greens ahead of no confidence votes
However, I personally cannot see Anas Sarwar being successful in his attempt to be First Minister of Scotland. The SNP, for all their woes, have provided a very middle-of-the-road socialist government with the appropriate policies, however successful or otherwise they have been. This is compared to our friends and families who bide in England.
Do we want to live under an English Labour government? Similarly with the Tory party if it wins another term in office? I THINK NOT!
I would also suggest that if Sarwar forced a Scottish election we would see more constituencies turning yellow once again.
Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife
ISN’T it ironic that Rishi Sunak is desperately trying to save his skin by promoting the morally repugnant Rwanda legislation designed to get rid people (called migrants) seeking sanctuary, whilst by contrast Humza Yousef finds himself in trouble by promoting identity legislation – gender recognition, hate crime – in order to protect people.
Perhaps Shakespeare provides an apt summary: “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones”. The challenge therefore for all decent politicians is to reverse that process.
Peter Malcolmson
Lerwick
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