#Sp11 Manifestos: Scottish Green Party

How do you assess the green elements of a Green Party manifesto without just reprinting the whole thing? Well, there's far more to the manifesto than just traditional 'green' issues, so you're not about to see the whole 28 pages here. If you want a summary of ALL the commitments and not just the green ones, you can see them here.

Commitments are in red, my comments in black:


GOVERNMENT

By working with local authorities and businesses large and small, and by harnessing communication technologies, empty ofce space in our town centres can be transformed into the seeds of a nationwide network of community work hubs. Having more people working locally would relieve pressures on our transport infrastructure, have a positive impact on carbon emissions and bring life back to our local communities

The Scottish Green Party will review schemes such as Regional Selective Assistance to ensure that long-term social, environmental and ethical objectives are met

A tax on land values would reduce the speculative holding of land. The owners of disused land and properties would face a levy giving incentives to the productive economic use of land, where local communities require it and where it’s consistent with planning rules

There's nothing worse than seeing a town or village decimated by large gap sites and boarded-up shops. Allowing local communities to use these resources is sensible.

We’ll ensure that skills agencies prioritise areas like renewable energy, low carbon industries, creative and cultural industries, waste management, manufacturing and the built environment so that we have the skilled workforce needed to deliver on the potential of these sectors

We’ll introduce a Green Procurement Bill to support localisation, small businesses and social enterprises, and to make Community Beneft clauses the norm in major public sector contracts

We’d build on the success of the Climate Challenge Fund by continuing to support community projects, with additional tiers of support including a small grants scheme with minimal bureaucracy, and a ‘partnering’ system so successful projects can help build capacity in other communities. The fund would be expanded to £25m a year

We’ll build on the limited carbon assessment of Scotland’s budget to enable transparent scrutiny of budget documents in relation to carbon costs

Scotland was praised for carbon-costing it's budget, but it is a very crude analysis. it's one of those "better than nothing" moments.

HOUSING

a renewed programme with a budget of at least £100m per year to pay for a retroft programme as part of the existing Energy Assistance Package. This scheme will be free, universal and will roll out on an area-by-area, street-by-street basis

For those in private rented housing we’ll introduce minimum energy standards to ensure tenants are not stuck in fuel poverty

A long-standing commitment from the Greens which other parties flirt with, but usually tie it into a means-tested service. Hitting every house in every street will do a lot more to cut emissions while doing it cheaper through economies of scale.

ENERGY

Scotland’s renewables can more than meet our domestic electricity demand, and we can export clean energy to our neighbours. We believe this can be done by 2020, and thereafter we’ll continue to support increased renewable capacity for export, including through a commission to develop plans for a North Sea High Voltage Direct Current ‘supergrid’

The SNP committed to producing 100% renewables by 2020, but with fossil-fuelled power stations still providing energy so that the renewable portion could be sold off to our neighbours. Likewise, the LibDems also promised 100% "equivalent" renewable electricity. There's no point in producing 100% of our energy needs from renewables if we don't use it - clean energy is supposed to replace fossil fuels, not top it up for a profit.

expanding the remit of Scottish Water to become a publicly-owned renewable energy company

The plans for Scottish Water are in direct contrast to the LibDems, who want to effectively privatise it to pay for all their manifesto commitments.

We would also back Public Energy Companies at local authority level, and a range of social enterprises that would put control of energy generation into community hands

local authorities can assist such schemes by producing heat maps for their area, and by setting targets for heat load to be delivered from renewables by 2020

Heat maps is one of the very few Tory green commitments. They could have had so much more!

Grant schemes to provide incentives for the installation of micro-renewables will further boost this sector and such schemes could operate as part of the Energy Assistance Package

We oppose the proposed new coal-fired power station at Hunterston, and would use the planning system to prevent further nuclear and coal expansion

Existing nuclear power stations would be closed at or before the end of their normal working lives, and will require nuclear waste to be stored on site in secure, monitored and retrievable conditions

Given that Hunterston manages to leak radioactive waste when it rains, I'm not convinced having existing power stations store their own waste is the best idea. But then I'm not convinced a central repository is a good idea either. Maybe we should build our own space agency and have it all blasted into the sun?

CCS must be shown to be a realistic, efficient long-term option before its deployment, and it will only offer overall emission reduction if used at existing fossil fuel plants

The other parties are all staking everything on CCS.

Existing annual [emissions reduction] targets are too weak, and we back 4.5% annual reductions

include a business transition service designed to gain competitive advantage in new markets

create a network of community based work hubs to reduce overhead costs faced by small businesses

FOOD

engage with the agriculture sector to move from oil-based production to organic

An urgent review of the Allotments Act is needed, designed to meet the needs of modern communities for local growing space, not only through allotments but also community gardens, city farms, ‘Landshare’ schemes and the transfer of unused public land into the Common Good

Greens will bring in a new £80m a year fund for small farmers and crofters

We’ll also support small rural abattoirs, a key part of our local food networks

If you've followed the problems that Stonehead has had trying to find an abattoir that will take his pigs, you know how hard it is for small farmers and crofters.

We will develop a Scottish action plan for organic farming, in parallel with moves at an EU level. The proposed action plan would analyse bottlenecks and include concrete, measurable targets for the expansion of organic farming

We will also work towards 100% of Scotland’s fsheries being certifed sustainable with the Marine Stewardship
Council blue tick

We will also end the dumping of waste at sea

TRANSPORT

begin a long-term shift in investment away from building extra capacity in the trunk road network while protecting maintenance of the existing road network

We’ll ensure that by the end of the next Parliament active travel will receive at least 10% of the transport budget; walking and cycling must be a particular priority for school transport

Public transport has become less and less affordable, and we will allocate £75m a year in revenue support to bring fares down

A further £650m over the next Parliament will be allocated to a fund for extra public transport infrastructure, including park & ride facilities, active travel, further rail electrification and opening railway stations

In cities, public bike-hire schemes as well as car clubs have a big role to play in cutting the number of cars on the roads.

Given the publicity that the 'Boris Bikes' received, you have to wonder that no other party has proposed a cycle hire scheme.

We will also open old and new local stations across Scotland such as Newburgh, Blackford, Bonnybridge, Grangemouth, Newtonhill and Kintore, and improvements to rural services such as a Dornoch Firth crossing

We won’t proceed with [building a new Forth Road Bridge], but will instead support the £122m repair of the existing bridge should the dehumidification approach not prove successful

We will also halt plans for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route

We will cut the national speed limit to 50mph on single carriageways to make roads safer and to help cut the costs of driving

In complete contrast to the UK government, who want to increase the speed limit. Decreasing it in Spain has had a wonderful effect on their carbon emissions.

The Scottish Green Party will work with the rail industry and trades unions to develop a non-proft body capable of bidding for the Scotrail franchise in 2014

The Greens join other parties in the call for a non-profit organisation bidding for Scotrail. It may well happen.

We’ll develop detailed preparation for High Speed Rail in Scotland, with a view to taking specifc proposals to UK Government building the case for a commitment to extend the network to Glasgow and Edinburgh, with options to go further north from there

Woop! And, indeed, Woot! You'll remember my despair when the English & Welsh Greens decided to oppose High Speed Rail. I'm delighted that the Scots are backing it.

We’ll consult on proposals for greater regulation of bus services, including a wider role for the Traffic Commissioner

we will oppose any attempt to end the concessionary travel scheme for older people and people with disabilities

We’ll oppose the return of any form of aviation subsidy, and use the planning system to prevent further capacity expansion in Scottish airports

We’ll end the use of internal UK mainland fights by the Scottish Government except in emergencies, and push for the same policy throughout the public sector; fights to any destination within reach of Eurostar should become the exception rather than the norm

That'll put a few noses out of joint!

‘Lifeline’ fights to Scotland’s islands are an essential service, and will be supported

ENVIRONMENT

The Scottish Green Party is committed to large-scale ecosystem restoration projects, including the provision of dedicated funds for peatland restoration

we will maintain our longstanding opposition to the commercial use of GM crops

Sustainable development will be encouraged in all sectors of the rural economy including agriculture and food production, forestry, light industry, renewable energy, tourism, environmental management, services and infrastructure

Subject to careful environmental impact assessments, we will encourage rural teleworking and decentralisation of government and businesses to rural areas. We will also encourage distance learning, improvements to rural public transport and other measures to make it easier for people to work in rural areas

We support an increase in native woodland cover to 40% by 2050, back community orchards, and reject the privatisation of the Forestry Commission

We see no place for large-scale incineration, and we would revise the current Zero Waste Strategy to refect that approach

nor do we back large-scale biomass plants

That's an unequivocal no. Absolutely not. No way, jose. Not on your life. Just in case you were in any doubt!

target dates for the provision of household recycling and composting services to all homes in Scotland

Organic waste is a precious resource and we will aim to have this taken out of the waste stream and composted

We’ll designate Scottish waters as a whale and dolphin sanctuary to support Scotland’s ecotourism industry, end the legal shooting of seals, block ship-to-ship oil transfers, and work internationally to end whaling globally

An Animal Welfare Unit is long overdue. The Scottish Green Party will establish an agency with responsibility for all animal-related issues

We’ll establish an immediate moratorium on the cloning and genetic engineering of all animals pending a wide-ranging investigation into their ethical, moral, scientifc and animal welfare impacts

We will also support a complete ban on the continuing cruel practice of snaring

We’ll increase support for the Eco-Schools programme, setting challenging new targets for energy and resource management, local food procurement and local biodiversity

We’ll oppose the sale of green spaces, such as open spaces and playing felds, which often takes place against the wishes of the communities who use them.

We’ll fully implement the Aarhus Convention, to ensure access to environmental justice with a funded system of environmental and land courts to complement a more rigorous approach to environmental crime

We also see the need to modernise environmental regulation and fines

Greens remain utterly committed to opposing the renewal of Trident. Weapons of mass destruction have no legitimate place either in Scotland or in global politics

Spending money on big rockets that we'll never use, and in fact can't use without the US's permission, is ludicrous.

OVERALL

I'm biased, of course, but this manifesto made me smile and nod more than any other. As it should, when it comes to green issues! It's the society I'd rather see, and the vision I'd rather come true.