The Scottish Parliament spends most of its time on the unionist parties blaming every problem on the SNP’s “single-minded thirst for independence”, and the SNP blaming every problem on London conspiracies. So when something gets passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament, you know it’s either PR puff (“Parliament congratulates fireman for rescuing cat from tree”) or the sort of grandstanding which allows them to claim that they’re Doing Something but lacks any immediate effect against which they can be judged. On that basis let me outline a few of the choice details of the Cunning Climate Change Plan.

  • Target for a 42% cut in emissions by 2020, and 80% by 2050. Why this particular figure was chosen (why not 41%, or 43%?), or why there is to be a bigger cut in the next eleven years than over the following thirty, is unclear.
  • £50 discount on council tax for people who get cavity wall insulation. The cost of getting this insulation starts at £500, and it takes a minimum of five years to pay for itself (source: Think Insulation). Set against figures like that, is a one-off fifty pound bribe from councils who can ill afford it really tip the balance of the decision for very many people? Oh, except that people who don’t get with the program will be threatened with punishment.
  • Automatic planning permission for people who want to erect micro-wind turbines. So if you’d like to stop a neighbour ruining your view with ugly, noisy industrial equipment then tough

In other news, the Scottish Parliament’s last grandiose Five Year Plan (to force ‘healthy’ school meals on those who don’t want them) has resulted in a dramatic collapse in the numbers of kids taking school meals.