Greens raise doubt over First Minister's economy plans
The ‘economic growth’ the First Minister today claimed to be planning for Scotland cannot be allowed to jeopardize the goal of building a fairer and greener country say the Scottish Greens.
Patrick Harvie, the party’s finance and economy spokesperson, says the Scottish Government, led by a party which has been “treading water”, would do well to look at Green plans for over 200,000 new jobs.
Glasgow MSP, Patrick Harvie said:
“Even many SNP supporters admit the party has been treading water recently, so boldness is certainly needed. But that can't mean promoting business as usual and putting simplistic ideas about unsustainable growth ahead of the long term health of the economy. Instead, the government would do well to listen to Greens who’ve been demonstrating for a long time how Scotland can create over 200,000 new jobs in sustainable industries with a real future ahead of them, by 2035.
“Scotland has world-leading offshore engineering skills and a wealth of natural resources around our shores. With skills in sub-sea engineering concentrated in Aberdeen we have an opportunity to excel in offshore wind, tidal and wave energy. I’m not convinced that the First Minister truly appreciates the potential that Scotland has for an economic transformation, often appearing to favour a revival in the polluting and short-term North Sea oil industry. This is a decisive few months for the government that must decide if the narrow ‘growth’ agenda they speak of can ever be socially and environmentally benign, or just represents another version of what the Tories have to offer."