Idealism versus Political realism.

I have recently had call to write to our Deputy First Minister and the comment have been well received by those following Social Media. Now this all centred around an Energy and Tourism Conference that she fronted in Inverness. Truth is it has probably been agreed with her predecessor but seeing as this is her constituency I consider that it was unwise to become dragged into this particular forum as it was used indirectly as a platform for the Field group of companies to launch their ‘attack’ on the Highlands for a plethora of Battery schemes(BESS) as they were partners in this conference. The reaction to Kate Forbes has been totally negative. Perhaps a more astute player would have handed the baton to another and dodged the negative publicity. Perhaps she is still a bit politically naïve or was this aimed at re-aligning her support of renewables to the party policies.

And therein brings us to modern Politics and especially Scottish Politics. There are two sorts of politicians. One the idealist and one the career politicians with ambitions for Cabinet and the big pay cheques. Regrettably many idealists are like the Borg. They get assimilated by the Party. They become part of the Collective. This starts on day one when they enter Parliament with high ideals and ambitions to change politics to the better. First they find a PA who is war weary and well versed in political realism. They will direct the new MSP’s diary, will tell them when to vote,  which committees may be available, when to eat and probably even when to defecate. The new MSP will be allowed their one moment of independent glory with their first speech. Then the whips will close in. The SNP have developed that into a fine art but Nationalist Politics from history have a well-earned and unfortunate reputation for that. They will tell them when to vote and what to say. It is a brave man or woman that challenges their writ. Part of this is the allocation to committees which in reality is in the hands of the whips. A safe pair of hands can look forward to a good committee in an area that interests them and ultimately the career path to the Cabinet. Now alongside what is an unrelenting workload the interest of the constituents slowly get flooded out with Parliamentary responsibilities. More and more are dealt with by staff rather than your MSP. The Standard letter. And then what I will call the step to oblivion. Appointment to the cabinet albeit in a minor roll to start. Therein lies Cabinet responsibility which in fact means that you must tow the line on ALL cabinet decisions however much they may go against constituent’s interests. Running along side this is the role of the Lobbyists. A Politician is one of the few jobs in the UK that needs no qualification or experience. A waste operative(binman) has more qualifications. Lobbyists on the other hand are very articulate and personable individuals, normally graduates, with a whole phalanx of skilled and capable staff in the wings. They are employed on their ability to influence politicians be they from big business or national charities. So our Politician has lost their idealism in the face of reality and has been assimilated into the Collective (the Party). However much they might wish to stand alone only the true maverick will and for them it will be a lonely place and a limited future. They will now listen more to their colleagues, secretaries and lobbyists than to those who voted them in. Ok they may walk the walk and talk the talk in the constituency but as soon as they step into the confines of Holyrood, or in similar vein Westminster, they are again part of the Collective and their views are that of the Party.

There are many that will challenge my view of modern politics and politicians and I will agree this is a broad brush approach but had more open discourse been allowed we can only wonder whether the disastrous record from Ferries to Scottish NHS to Schools to Marine parks to new National Parks to the Deposit Return Scheme to Independence and so many more would have been so allowed to fester as it has. I will concur that this mostly relates to the SNP and Green parties and Conservative and Labour are less restrictive in the management of MSPs but then they re not in power and to hold power may well prove as controlling as the Nationalists. Certainly Westminster has proven less accommodating to individual thoughts but then many mavericks exist down there and it has a far longer history than Holyrood.

What has this to do with Renewables? Simply that the current policy of the SNP in Holyrood is to sacrifice the whole of Scotland to an industrialised landscape owned by mostly foreign corporate investors and hedge funds with income and profits exiting Scotland to the overall cost of landscape and local residents in some wild and unrealistic vision that Scotland will lead the world in Renewables, when in fact we lag behind nearly every other country in Europe if not the rest of the developed world. And when it all goes pear shaped they have the temerity to blame Westminster even when all planning is a devolved issue, Energy Consents is a Scottish body and the power of approval rests with Scottish Ministers.