The photograph shows Jack McConnell, then First Minister of Scotland, in his seat at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg in 2002.
In December there is to be another Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen but the Westminster government refuses to allow Scotland to be fully represented.
The SNP government, which first raised the issue nine months ago, has described the decision as 'disappointing' but an SNP spokesman insisted Scotland would be represented in Copenhagen. Alex Salmond has again written to Gordon Brown to demand a ministerial seat.
Mr Miliband said: "However I recognise that your contribution to this international effort is important, so I would be happy to include one of your officials on the UK delegation, which has been an offer made - but not always taken up by the Scottish Government - in previous years."
He said it was also possible for Scottish ministers to go to Copenhagen with other organisations that had observer status.Inviting Mr Swinney to nominate an official, he said: "The whole delegation will of course be constrained to supporting the UK and EU negotiating line."
How much longer is Scotland, which is leading Europe on the climate change issue, going to tolerate being insulted by the London based government? Jack McConnell was a labour First Minister and deemed suitable to have a ministerial seat at one of these summits, so Alex Salmond must be afforded the same courtesy. Is this because the Scottish government intend to go down the renewables route while England takes the nuclear road, or is it a childish effort by Gordon Brown to 'do anything in my power to stop the SNP breaking up Britain'?
It's possibly a bit of both but it's certainly a bad move and will be viewed as such by many people concerned with climate change in Scotland.
Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland and board member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland:
"At a time when the world desperately needs good examples, it is clearly ridiculous that Scottish ministers will not be allowed to be part of the official UK delegation.
"The negotiations for Copenhagen are finely balanced and Scotland's excellent Climate Change Act could make a difference, but only if people actually get to hear about it."
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16 comments:
Great Post Subrosa.
Once again the straighjacket of the union impedes Scotland's chance to lead and form opinion. Along with our Scandanvian partners, we could be doing so much more and talking about the exporting of pwoer form our renewables bonanza potential to the rest of europe.
Instead with party politics and a blinkered nuclear option approach from Labour.
C'mon Scotland, stop the world I want tae get oan!
Apologies for nicking your photo Wardog. I intended to post about this tomorrow but your post and the photo motivated me into action.
It's just a disgrace of course. Then the unionists will start bleating on about Holyrood picking fights with Westminster.
It's going to be a lot dirtier yet Wardog,I doubt if they've really started to attempt to beat us into submission.
Bit pointless anyway, the conference is discussing a scenario that doesn't really exist (man made climate change) and is merely an excuse to see who can come up with the most creative ways of raising green taxes.
Subrosa
We may not be going there, but we can still gain an advantage from that.
It now makes Murphys statement that "Scotland is the best represented small country in the world" look like even more mince than when Murphy first spewed forth.
We should be charting all these events where we are excluded for ammunition on the doorsteps, beginning with Captain Mainwaring being excluded from talks on Scottish fishing.
I'm ambivalent about climate change QM and think much of the chatter is exactly as you say - reasons to increase taxes.
Dubbie aren't you keeping a list?? I thought at least you'd have one all organised somewhere on your PC then you can post it during the campaign and we'll all use it.
Oh dearie me, surely someone has a list.
If only I knew how to organise Evernote then I would do one. Why do they make these great programmes so complex?
Subrosa
I don't do lists, I only moan.
Well type your moans on Word Dubbie. Then again, we can always go through all my comments can't we? :)
It may well be just a talking shop but that talking may result in decisions being taken in the future
...that affect each and everyone of us to some degree or other.
...and used to futher their becauses.In our name, naturally.
As one poster has already wrote. it's a useful tool to pry out of us more stealth taxes for becauses other than what they implied it was for.
But do these politicos not realise the resentment caused by their high handedness and attempts to sideline what is the will of the Scottish people as represented by our democratic institution, the Scottish parliament.
It is an unexceptable insult that the contempt shown for us by Westmidden is on such open display.
We have been dismissively sidelined yet again and our interests and concerns considered of little worth.
A little bit of condescending, window dressing is all we're worth then?
The arrogance of Westmidden knows no bounds when it comes to keeping North Briton in her place of subservance.
I along with many others who have a care for our country's well being will feel the bile rising in our throats, yet again.
...and unrelenting resentment has a tendency to turn into deep rooted anger, you know.
Aye, it's time we had the 'street parties', right enough.
... with lampposts aiding us with the entertaining of our star attractions..
I suspect it's just the foul mouthed, phone throwing First Minister of English Executive having another hissy fit and behaving like a mad dictator on powerful drugs... yet again.
The truth is that we have the right ideas about sustainable energy production and they don't, but he (the mad one) clearly doesn't want his beloved "Britian" to be represented by two different points of view.
For how much longer are we going to accept being treated like some northern county of England when when we are a proud European nation.
subrosa
67% yes a massive win thought it could win but not with that margin.
the snp would be wise to study the yes vote strategy.
because that is what they are gonna be up against.
i await your blog on the result
Of course it's Brown who's at the bottom of this. Who else other than the labour party hates Scotland so much? I've never known such hatred and it's becoming too personal.
Ooops Tris, sorry yes you're right.
Terribly windy all day here, too windy to put washing out. Dry though.
Niko, you've just done my wee post for me.
I could be bothered posting the result because there are far too many links I'd have to do to show how corrupt and law breaking the Yes side were.
The contempt shown by Brown for a parliament he helped to set up is appalling. But of course the SNP weren't suppose to win power.
DL do you think Brown was keen to see devolution? I think they were forced into it by Europe.
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