Blog

When it comes to fairer, greener ways of travelling, we still have a journey ahead of us

Mark Ruskell MSP Fri 15 Sep, 2017

With exceptional timing, Storm Aileen breezed into Scotland on Wednesday - National Cycle to Work Day. I dared myself to cycle all the way to the Scottish Parliament from home in Stirlingshire and managed the 48 miles in a little over 3 hours. Given I'm middle aged, average fitness and borderline overweight, cycling even a couple of miles to work is still worth a go and not beyond what most people can do with the right support and facilities from their employer.

We must do more to mitigate the effects of the benefit cap

Alison Johnstone MSP Fri 1 Sep, 2017

The schools are back and a new session of Parliament beckons. While most people will have had a break with family and friends, summer isn't such an enjoyable time for all. Many families face the extra cost of meals and activities which would usually be provided at school.

Last July and August, Trussell Trust UK provided 4,412 more three-day emergency food parcels for children than during the previous two months. 27% of these went to children younger than 4, including newborns, and I fear that we will see similar numbers this year.

Time to lift the fracking threat hanging over our communities

Alison Johnstone MSP Wed 23 Aug, 2017

Analysis by Heriot-Watt University has hit the headlines, warning that the so-called “opportunity” for fracking has been “over-hyped”. This adds weight to the case for a permanent ban on the practice.

Drilling into the ground beneath our communities and fracturing the rocks to enable gas to escape is something Scottish Greens have fought since it was first proposed. Opening up an extra source of fossil fuel makes no sense if we’re serious about reducing climate change emissions and limiting the damage that will be caused by rising global temperatures.

We need to take action to regulate short-term let market

Andy Wightman MSP Fri 11 Aug, 2017

This week, I was fortunate to catch-up on a film, which celebrates the life of one of America’s greatest urbanists, Jane Jacobs. In a similar vein to Sir Patrick Geddes, Jacobs’ revolutionised how we think about cities as living organisms. Moreover, her pioneering spirit and acute observations brought together policy and practice and it got me thinking about how we manage cities in Scotland.