Green revolution takes wind out of Sturgeon’s sails
THESE days, a lot of party conference speeches have big “except for viewers in Scotland” sections to them as a result of devolution.
So Jeremy Corbyn’s announcement on what Labour would do for universal childcare in England doesn’t apply in Scotland, where the SNP’s rigid equivalent doesn’t work out for lots of working parents.
But Corbyn’s promise of a green revolution, reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050, outguns Nicola Sturgeon’s targets in her own back yard.
And that most certainly does apply to Scotland.
If you’re investing billions in renewable offshore and onshore energy, you’re going to do it in parts of the UK with the strongest winds and the highest waves.
But so unsure are Labour of their footing in Scotland and where devolved powers rest, that they played down, rather than played up, Scotland’s role in the renewables industry. It was a lost opportunity but those around Corbyn are so busy dreaming about a revolution, that they’d miss the bus to a real industrial one as it goes past.
At least Corbyn’s crowd gave us a laugh as they arrived for his high-powered meeting in Brussels with Michel Barnier yesterday.
Tumbling out of their taxi, they realised no one had any local currency to pay the driver.
“Does anyone have any euros?” one of them asked journalists. ● THE best gags this week came from unlikely quarters at the New York General Assembly.
Theresa May was asked by the holier-than-thou Daily Telegraph what she prayed for in church.
Without skipping a beat, the Prime Minister answered: “I pray for serious questions from journalists.”
Then there was Donald Trump, with his great one-liners. He told the UN that he had “accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country”.
Laughter from the world’s diplomats nearly brought the roof down.
“Did not expect that reaction but that’s OK,” deadpanned Trump, playing up his own thin-skinned reputation. Cue more laughter. I’m telling you, they’re in the wrong jobs, that pair.