Meeting of the Parliament 05 March 2026 [Draft]
I agree 100 per cent. We have been calling for the energy profits levy to be scrapped for a long time, because there is no windfall. At least we know where the SNP stands on oil and gas.
The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee heard directly from community groups across Scotland. They are made up of local residents, community councils and volunteers who are trying to engage in good faith with the planning process and the energy transition. It was deeply concerning that the cabinet secretary dismissed concerns that were raised about energy infrastructure as narratives that were linked to the far right. That kind of language is not only wrong; it is damaging and it undermines trust. It polarises the debate and risks shutting down legitimate participation in the planning process.
I invite the cabinet secretary to take the opportunity to apologise to those individuals and groups that she has labelled as far right. Those groups and communities care about where they live. She refuses to meet them and she denigrates them in the press and badmouths them to the public. How can she claim to represent her constituency when she shows such disregard for its residents? She should be ashamed. Presiding Officer, I am sorry if my language is less than parliamentary, but you will understand my disgust at the phrase that was used by the cabinet secretary in describing my neighbours and friends as far right.
A just transition requires partnership with communities, not rhetoric that is directed at them. For the cabinet secretary to direct that language at those communities just shows what a disgusting organisation the SNP is. It is trying to discredit communities that dare to speak up and then brand them as far right in the hope of shutting them up. Those communities will not be silenced—