Jamie Halcro Johnston: DRS disaster was entirely avoidable but for the hubris of one militant Green minister
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Another week, another arrest
Over the weekend, Nicola Sturgeon became the second successive former SNP First Minister to be arrested, this time as part of Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform investigation into alleged fundraising fraud in the SNP.
As with others from the party arrested – her husband, Peter Murrell, and the party’s former treasurer, Colin Beattie – Ms Sturgeon has been released without charge pending further investigations.
I will make no comment on the investigation other than to say that we must allow it to run its course and the SNP must cooperate fully with Police Scotland.
However, a growing number of senior SNP figures are calling for Nicola Sturgeon to be suspended from the party until the matter is fully resolved, or for her to resign her membership voluntarily.
As this article goes to print, embattled current First Minister Humza Yousaf appears unwilling to take this action.
And so Ms Sturgeon remains a member of the SNP despite her arrest. In fact, only hours before her arrest, Mr Yousaf – her preferred candidate to replace her – was glorifying her time in office.
It is becoming increasingly obvious to everyone that Humza Yousaf is a lame duck leader of a dead duck party. And Scotland deserves so much better.
The SNP-Greens have finally paused the disastrous roll out of their deposit return scheme.
Their decision to kick it into the long grass has left local businesses out of pocket and, with Scottish ministers refusing to even consider compensation for what is a mess of their own making, the real prospect of businesses being forced to take the Scottish Government to court.
But this DRS disaster was entirely avoidable. Despite repeated warnings from trade bodies, producers, hospitality, retailers and from the Scottish Conservatives, hapless minister Lorna Slater stubbornly pressed on with an unworkable scheme.
Hundreds of millions of pounds spent, millions wasted, businesses forced to make changes they now don’t need, huge uncertainty for already struggling sectors – and all because of the hubris of one militant Green minister.
It has been a shambles, and the blame rests solely on the shoulders of Lorna Slater, SNP-Green ministers and nationalist MSPs who supported her – none of whom will admit, even now, what a mess she’s made of it all.
Last week, I spoke in a Scottish Conservative debate on the future of our oil and gas sector, and particularly the role it has played, and continues to play, here in the Highlands and Islands.
Hundreds of local jobs are still supported by the sector, and there are new opportunities for the future. But the SNP, Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour all want a presumption against new developments. That would cost local jobs and leave us more reliant on foreign imports.
As we rightly transition to new, greener technologies, only the Scottish Conservatives are standing up for our oil and gas workers.
