Two weeks ago, ‘the most important climate conference of our generation’ ended in tears, quite literally for Alok Sharma. Many have said ‘The Glasgow Climate Pact’ is a disappointment, but that would imply I expected anything better. Boris Johnson warned we were at ‘one minute to midnight’ as COP opened. Today it’s fair to say we’re well into the early morning.
It seems that in Scottish politics the word of the week is “stuck”. In an emotional interview with Holyrood magazine, former First Minister Jack McConnell shared his dismay at the state of Scottish politics. He revealed the depths of his frustration at how a parliament he has longed for has failed to deliver on its potential. This prompted a flurry of engaging articles on devolution
There were more than 1300 drug deaths in Scotland last year. Every one a real person, with their own individual story, now cruelly packaged up and included as a number in the annual figures that shame a nation.
Those living in deprived areas are 18 times more likely to die from drugs than those in the least deprived areas.
It is now almost 6 months since the SNP secured a third term in government, meaning that by the time of the next election they will have governed Scotland for 70% of the time period since devolution. In the absence of any signature policies – including any real progress on Independence – a growing ennui has spread across Scotland’s political classes.
The Union – or Independence? Or co-operation? We’ve had more than 25 years of visiting and revisiting the simple in/out binary argument, and have got nowhere. We could make this century the century of co-operation – at local, national and international levels.
Far from widening participation, the Scottish Government’s no tuition fees policy, together with continual disinvestment, has created a two-tier system of provision which treats Scottish students as second-class citizens, and actively penalises Scottish universities for recruiting Scottish students.
The coalition SNP-Green Government has the powers to realise Scotland’s full potential in the renewable energy sector, create local green jobs in communities across Scotland, implement a bold industrial strategy to invest in and grow domestic supply chains, and take all necessary steps to secure a just transition for Scotland, ensuring that no individual, family or community is left behind as we transition to net-zero.
On Saturday, I interrupted COP26 president Alok Sharma’s speech at the closing ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY) to protest the UK government’s support for the Cambo oilfield. Here I explain the motives behind our protest – directed toward the Scottish government as well as Boris Johnson’s administration.
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