No place here for trophy hunters

Being interviewed on TV and radio about a goat being gunned down by trophy hunters wasn’t what I expected I would be doing last week.

The images of a US TV host glorifying in the killing of goats and a sheep on Islay went viral around the world.

Trophy hunters also enjoy killing big cats in Africa and I’m sure they would be delighted at the chance to “bag”any wildlife they can.

We have a wildlife tourism industry in Scotland worth £65million, but some country estates are driving our wildlife to the brink and it’s time the Scottish Government outlawed the sport of killing animals like the mountain hare.

Some species like deer need to be controlled, but shooting should be the last resort and done by trained stalkers rather than a bunch of trophy hunters acting without dignity or restraint.

Protecting our marine wildlife is also important and I was delighted last week that Sir David Attenborough came out in support of a ban on the dredging of our incredible Scottish kelp forests.

I have been working on a ban through the Crown Estate Bill and it was a huge boost to have his backing .

Our biggest environmental threat is, of course, climate change and the latest shocking report from the International Panel on Climate Change is starting to sink in.

The scientists’warning was stark, just 12 years to stop the climate breakdown and a wake-up call for MSPs considering a new climate bill.

The bill could transform the way we power our transport, homes and grow our food for the better.

Alternatively, if the ambition is weak we can play our part in delivering a world wrecked by extreme weather, economic collapse and mass extinctions.

You would have expected the Scottish Government to seek urgent advice from its climate change experts on the back of the IPCC report. Instead, they chose to only ask about the long-term targets not the immediate action we need to take in these critical 12 years.

But after a week of Green pressure in Parliament, the First Minister confirmed to me that they will look again.

This is the right move. We can’t afford to kick this issue into the long grass.

Meeting renters

I was pleased to recently host a meeting for private tenants in Stirling.

We had a good turnout from long-term renters, students and landlords.

Few people under 40 can afford a mortgage these days so the rented sector continues to grow rapidly.

Rights have recently improved, with a standard Private Residential Tenancy agreement which protects tenants from unfair notice periods and rent increases.

However, tenants can still be exploited or ignored by unscrupulous landlords and letting agents, so the need for support from the council is greater than ever.

I’m interested in hearing from more tenants as we build the campaign, so do get in touch.

Funding ideas

One way to build better council services to support the vulnerable is to fund them better.

I’m proud of the millions of extra funds Green budget deals have brought into Stirling Council over the last two years.

But councils are still constrained by the tools they have to raise cash locally.

A tourism levy is one way to bring in revenue that we should get behind, but we need a much wider debate about the balance of local government funding.

Most European countries give councils a lot more control in how they raise revenue.

It’s time we did too, and Greens will be looking for progress from the SNP before we do any more budget deals at Holyrood.