When the Liberal Democrats Shared Power in the Coalition we had the Greenest Government Ever - not any more under Tory Cameron.

30 Nov 2015
Lib Dem logo bird projected on blockwork

With Lib Dem Minister Ed Davey running Environment and Vince Cable in Business we had a fast growing industry, the greenest set of policies ever and a growing UK manufacturing industry building wind and solar generators for sustainable power.

Now the Liberal Democrats are no longer able to influence events from within government. Cameron - who was caught by a rogue un-switched-off microphone earlier in the summer saying climate change measures were "green crap" - has now seized his chance to dismantle environmental protection, cancel research, withdraw energy saving incentives, wreck the new industries and sell off Vince Cable's innovative Green Bank.

If you take the yellow out of green you get blue... and if you take business away from growing companies they go into the red.

It's not even as though the Conservatives want to help existing businesses either. They have stood by without lifting a finger and watched the steel industry collapse - undermined by below-cost, unfair competition from their new Chinese friends.

Then they gave the Chinese a sneak preview and a week's head start on anybody else to bid for the massive HS2 infrastructure contracts. Next for a remarkably low investment in nuclear electric power - where we once led the world - they have given in exchange ridiculously expensive price guarantees on the electricity that will be produced. This means we have practically flogged off our electricity production to what is still an essentially communist state.

The weekly publication, the New Scientist, had no doubts about the seriousness of the damage being done by the Conservatives to industry, finance, the environment and energy security. The package of their actions since March (even while the Coalition was still in existence) was described as building up to make 2015 a Green Annus Horribilis.

  • March 2015. George Osborne announced £1 billion of subsidies for North Sea oil. Breaking the UK's 2009 pledge with the other G20 countries to phase out "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies
  • 16th June. Warning from the EU that UK is set to miss its agreed renewable energy targets.
  • 18th June. Onshore wind power will be excluded from subsidy from 01/04/2016
  • 25th June. George Osborne to sell of 70% of the UK's successful Green Investment Bank
  • 30th June. UK Climate Change Committee warns government that targets after 2020 may not be met
  • 8th July. Reductions to low-emission vehicle purchase incentives announced
  • 10th July. The zero carbon homes plan scrapped
  • 22 July. Subsidy cuts for solar power and for biomass electricity production announced.
  • 23 July. Green Deal help to insulate homes is scrapped
  • 4th September Tory Energy Minister, Amber Rudd, admits nothing will be done to keep coal use down if prices fall
  • 16th September. UK drops out of top ten list of countries in which to make renewable energy investments
  • 2nd October. Tidal Power scheme in Wales delayed by at least a year
  • 26th November. George Osborne abandons carbon capture research project.

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