Meeting of the Parliament 01 June 2016
I want to bring the circular economy to the heart of the debate around this portfolio area. I acknowledge the consensual sentiments from the cabinet secretary. We will see how long they last—I hope for longer than just this debate.
For the Scottish Conservatives, this debate is about intertwining the needs of the economy and the environment—to paraphrase Bill Clinton, “It’s all about the economy.” I thank Kezia Dugdale for lending me her book of quotes from last week, if members recall.
We need to create more jobs, better jobs and jobs that survive the hollowing out of the labour market. For the Scottish Conservatives, in a circular economy the environment and climate change are paramount. We need economic growth, but we need that economic growth to be increasingly decoupled from any negative environmental externalities. We will still do things that causally do not help the environment but which do make our lives easier and better and recognise the technological advancements that we have made as a global community. Therefore, we will still take flights to be inspired by foreign cultures, or, in the case of Alex Salmond, he will take a flight to inspire them with his culture; we will still be slaves to fashion, some—Angela Constance—more than others; and we will still buy more food, electrical items and other products than we will ever need. However, we need to embrace the power of consumerism, to ensure that there is an advantage for both the environment and the economy, and make sensible Government interventions, to ensure that we both influence and change the market. We must deliver for this generation and for the next.
The Scottish economy is stagnant: unemployment is increasing and output is flatlining. That is why we must allow fracking, which will create jobs and boost the economy. According to Ernst & Young, fracking will generate up to £33 billion and create up to 64,000 jobs for the UK.