23 May 2013

Patrick Harvie MSP has urged the Energy Minister to make sure that those communities most affected by decades of opencast coal mining in Scotland are represented on the new Scottish Mines Restoration Trust, which has been set up following the collapse of Scottish Coal.

A recent meeting in the Scottish Parliament saw representatives from every coal mining area in Scotland come together to form the Scottish Opencast Communities Alliance.

He also want to see the minutes of the independent trust made public, to give maximum transparency to a murky industry with a history of inaction and abandoned, unrestored sites.

Patrick Harvie said:

“Yet again, communities across central Scotland face the prospect of the coal industry walking away from its historic liabilities and a new player cherry picking the sites with coal left in them. The new Restoration Trust must not become the vehicle that allows the coal barons to delay restoration of opencast sites for another decade.

“The Trust must include the broad range of community voices that live with opencast coal literally on their doorstep. Those communities should settle for nothing less than full transparency from all the players currently carving up an industry with a terrible record of meeting its environmental and social responsibilities.”

Image credit: Coal Action Scotland

22 May 2013

Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, is calling on the Scottish Government to outline a timetable for the equal marriage bill, following this week’s approval of similar legislation by MPs at Westminster.

Patrick said:

“While it is welcome that same-sex marriage legislation has been approved by the Commons, it is worth remembering it still has to clear the unelected and much more hostile House of Lords. In Scotland we should not lose the leadership we have established on this issue.

“The Scottish Government’s consultation on a draft bill closed two months ago. Ministers need to lay out a timetable as soon as possible, and give an assurance that we can expect to see the bill in parliament before the summer recess. The statement on the government’s website that it will introduce it ‘later this year’ isn’t good enough.”

21 May 2013

Responding to a position paper by the Scottish Government on economic reasons for independence, MSP Patrick Harvie is appealing to undecided voters to consider the opportunity a Yes vote presents to create a fairer society.

The government paper points out the gap between rich and poor has been widening in the UK and the Scottish Government believes tackling inequalities will enhance Scotland’s “competitive position”.

A poll earlier this year for the Green MSPs showed most Scots view the prospect of a more equal society as more important in next year’s referendum than whether the nation is richer or poorer.

Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, said:

“The growing gap between rich and poor is one of the most compelling reasons to vote for independence. By deciding for ourselves how we want to run our economy we have a better chance of tackling inequality.

“To date we’ve witnessed successive Westminster governments in thrall to the City and its culture of greed and risk-taking, and a Scottish Government that advocates cutting corporate taxes for wealthy firms. A vote for independence would mean the people would have more of a say in our economic priorities.

“By taking a different approach to Westminster we can invest our energy revenues in the cleaner industries we must move towards. We can consider welfare systems that lift the poorest people out of poverty. And we can ensure those with broad shoulders contribute a fairer share.”

15 May 2013

Alison Johnstone MSP is warning against celebrating a deal struck in Brussels by EU fisheries ministers on the issue of discards.

Alison said:

“It’s too early to celebrate this deal. It still allows for a lot of fish to be dumped dead overboard. And while devolving some control to regional level makes sense we must ensure we follow the science.

“If we want sustainable fisheries that support our economy without wrecking the environment we need bold reform and I’m not persuaded we have that yet. If the European parliament agrees this deal it will be a small step in the right direction but the fight will go on.”
Campaign group Oceana says this is a “weak discard ban that still allows a substantial amount of waste”.

15 May 2013

Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian and a member of Holyrood’s economy committee, is welcoming the latest jobs figures but is calling for action on underemployment and zero-hours contracts.

Employment in Scotland increased by 54,000 between January and March this year while unemployment fell to 199,000.

Alison Johnstone said:

“While the headline figures are welcome we must not lose sight of the underlying problem of underemployment. There are still too many people who want to work more hours but the work isn’t available.

“We must also crack down on so-called zero hours contracts, which mask the fact that some people in employment have no idea how much money they’ll get in their pay packet. I continue to urge the Scottish Government to look at barring companies who use these contracts from getting public money.”