Dearer energy

Derick Tulloch, writes (Humbug indeed! SN 21/12/14):

“The evil green taxes and renewable subsidies that so exercise the Sage of Arrochare are entirely controlled by our ‘Imperial Masters’ via the Department of Energy and Climate Change in London.”

I didn’t suggest otherwise, I pointed out that the SNP’s climate change targets – which stem from their policies – of 80 percent carbon dioxide emissions reduction and 100 percent of electricity from renewable energy, require high energy prices in order to be achieved. Higher energy prices lead, directly, to increased levels of fuel poverty.

The SNP, unopposed by the other parties, passed the Climate Change (Scotland) Act, 2009, into Scottish Law, its content is their policy.

It is neither acceptable, nor possible, to “hide behind the skirts” of “Westminster sets the subsidy and green tax rates.” If Westminster cut the renewable energy subsidy rates tomorrow there would be howls of protest from the SNP.

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Would an independent SNP government cut renewable energy subsidy rates? If “yes” then that’s a policy I’ve been unaware of until now.

I also pointed out that it is SNP policy to ban “fracking”, the technology needed to exploit the UK’s huge shale gas resources, some of which are located in Scotland’s Central Belt.

They objected to the UK government’s proposal to allow fracking across the UK and Douglas Young complained bitterly about Alistair Carmichael voting for it.

Fracking may not halve UK gas prices, as it did in the US, but it will certainly exert significant downward pressure, adding to that from growing American production and the price of gas-fired electricity and heating will fall, leading to a consequential fall in the coal price, all of which will make the relative price of renewable energy even more expensive than it already is.

Opposing fracking and pushing renewable energy is thus, effectively, supporting dearer energy, which means less industry, fewer jobs, more fuel poverty and increasing use of food banks.

So the SNP blaming fuel poverty and food banks on Westminster is indeed “humbug”!

John Tulloch
Lyndon
Arrochar