A delegation of MSPs

I just read David Maddox's latest piece at The Steamie (excellent blog for Holyrood gossip by the way, check it out).

Here's a screenshot of it - until they sort out their links for the blog, I guess I have to resort to this method.

Anyway, here's what the first sentence says:

"Patrick Harvie has today led a delegation of Green MSPs on a tour round Hunterston B Nuclear Power Station in Ayrshire."

A delegation of MSPs you say, Mr Maddox. Led by Mr Harvie. Hmmm. Suggesting what - five or six? Ten at a push?

Except that the Greens only have two MSPs - one of which is co-leader, Patrick Harvie. So the "delegation of MSPs" was probably just him and Robin Harper (assuming he was there) plus several other Greens who are not MSPs - researchers, press officers, activists.

Would I be out of line in suggesting that the first line of that story was taken from a Scottish Green Party press release - probably written by James - to make the parliamentary party sound that bit bigger and more important? Might I also be out of line to suggest a lack of editing on the part of Mr Maddox in replicating that as the first line of his post? Or am I simply being a bit mischievous?

UPDATE: James assures me that he never put out the press release until after Maddox wrote the piece... and that it explicitly states that Patrick Harvie was there with three Glasgow Councillors. Thus might we then be putting it down to a wee mistake?

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No nukes is good nukes

I see the BBC is at its biased best again with the following headlines:

Scots nuclear stance criticised

Governments fall out over nuclear

BBC reporting aside, there's a proper story behind this.

The SNP, who have been anti-nuclear since Alex Salmond was a boy, have continued that policy from opposition into government, with the result that - for the forseeable future while the SNP remain in government - there will be no new nuclear power stations built in Scotland.

Which is tremendous from an environmental point of view. The Scottish Government has focused on renewable energy, promoting wind and tidal energy in particular, harnessing the power of nature to power our nation.

But that is not the story that the media - nor the UK Government - is focusing on.

The BBC tells of "battlelines being drawn between the two governments" which is simply a distortion of the truth. Ed Milliband, UK Energy Secretary simply said:

"I disagree with the position the Scottish Executive has taken on this, I don't think it's good for Scotland."

"It's a huge number of jobs - it's 9,000 jobs per nuclear power station with huge benefits for the economy... but it does remain a decision for Scotland."

His quotes tell two things: One, that the UK Government is focused on economic issues (understandable given the mess they've made of it in recent months) at the expense of a long term environmental strategy. And two, he understands devolution. Something that can't be said for many of his colleagues at Westminster.

Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 sets out the areas of policy which are reserved to Westminster. Included in that is energy policy (including Section D4 nuclear energy and nuclear installations). However, that only covers current power plants. To build a new power station requires planning and electricity laws, both of which are devolved - giving the Scottish Government an effective veto over any plans to build nuclear power stations in Scotland.

Thus, under an SNP Government, Scotland can look forward to a nuclear-free future.

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