IT’S a topsy turvy world these days. It must be since I’m with Nadine Dorries. Finally, something she and I can agree on: that this month’s PM, Rishi Sunak, should attend the climate summit in Egypt.
Historical exploitation of both human and natural resources has ensured a way of life in the developed world that outstrips the emerging nations, even before the devastation of climate change. There’s no arguing that climate change impacts us all, but sadly some more immediately than others.
READ MORE: U-turn looms as Downing Street looks AGAIN at Rishi Sunak COP27 attendance
From June to August this year, Pakistan experienced an almost 200% increase in rainfall plus the melting glaciers that resulted in floods affecting more than 33 million people, causing the destruction of an estimated 1.7 million homes and nearly 1,400 deaths. That’s before the extermination of livestock, ruination of harvests and next year’s seedlings and the destruction of what we take for granted: roads, schools, hospitals, shops, everything that makes up day-to-day life.
Ironically Pakistan contributes less than 1% of the global greenhouse gases that warm the planet. In 2021, however, the Union of Concerned Scientists ranked the UK fifth behind the USA, China, Russia and Germany as the top CO2 emitters! Is it any wonder that Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s climate change minister, said that “developed nations must make the transitions and follow through on the pledges they have made at COP, from Paris to now”? Yes, we’re way past the blame game, but acknowledging the dire need for action, both concentrated and cooperative, is essential.
READ MORE: Holyrood to help young people have their say on climate change at COP27
Scotland may not yet have its place back on the world stage, but I welcome the idea of the FM out there, talking up what we have done, can do and expect to do in the in the coming months and years for the benefit of our country, our people, our contribution to the future of the planet. No contest: the FM making connections before a discredited Boris Johnson, allegedly planning to attend with the intent of promoting his personal salvation. The world leaders will smirk, knowing that Sunak is hiding away. It’s not a show of strength and determination, staying at home, supposedly tackling various crises. It’s fear writ large. Leave the country and there could be a(nother) coup! Instead, we’re served distractions from continuing and emerging Tory failures.
Sunak knows the Tory party can’t survive another short-term PM. Anywhere else Braverman would have stayed sacked, but the quickest rehab on record means the ERG continues to be well placed, keeping the right-wingers on side for the time being. He will use his Home Secretary to promote the red-meat policies on borders and migrants so beloved by the Tory party and their voters.
READ MORE: 'Judge us by our actions': Michael Gove defends Rishi Sunak over 'disgraceful' COP27 snub
He’ll talk tough as he “examines” security breaches with Truss, casts further doubt on her suitability, “apologies” for her new errors, and finds a low-level scapegoat or better still a foreign agent to blame. All burnishing his new identity as “leader” as we’re faced with Austerity 2: bigger mortgage bills, public-service cuts and recession.
Labour will huff and puff, to no effect, no early election. They will soon be distracted by new “fronts” opened up by the Tory party: “woke speak”, “culture wars”, and most especially Labour’s roll over in relation to protest and worker and union rights in the name of UK internal security.
Sunak is no better than his predecessors, but as he digs in, yet again, Scotland will be made to suffer. Pro-indy grass roots are no Braveheart groupies, but the main opposition to the dysfunctional Union. We too are going to have to dig in for just a bit longer as we work towards independence.
Either that, or we’re stuck in a pro-Brexit state, selling off the public services, recycling our meagre ration of emptied food tins, watching the sea levels rise.
Selma Rahman
Edinburgh
THE same old crew who put the ship on the rocks have clambered aboard again. And we’re supposed to be reassured because the purser has put on the captain’s hat!
Bruce Crichton
Hamilton
WHILE Boris Johnson and Tory government ministers repeatedly made bombastic claims on BBC news and political programmes about their success in managing the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly around the slightly earlier introduction in the UK of vaccines (compared with our European neighbours, many of which rolled-out their vaccines more extensively), these claims remained mainly unchallenged by the highly paid hosts, reporters and commentators of our public broadcaster.
Yet, when Lula’s victory over Bolsonaro was announced on BBC News at One, Brazil was referred to as the country which “suffered one of the world’s deadliest outbreaks of Covid”. The Covid-19 death rate per head of population in the United Kingdom, with its “world-leading” health service, is to date roughly the same as that of Brazil.
READ MORE: Brazilians deliver tight win to Lula da Silva in rejection of far-right politics
Since Rishi Sunak took over as Prime Minister, many Scottish Tories have expressed relief that Boris Johnson was not given the opportunity to return to that role, but it was clear this situation was contrived by the self-declared man of “integrity” who immediately abandoned his principles and made a shady deal for the former chair of the right-wing European Research Group (ERG), the discredited Suella Braverman, to resume her role as Home Secretary. If Tories cannot honestly look each other in the eye due to the complete betrayal of “professional” and “accountable” government at Westminster, never mind the lack of “integrity”, how can Scottish Tories expect the public to believe they will sincerely act in the best long-term interests of the Scottish people, especially as long as they continue to deny the right of the people of Scotland to determine their own constitutional destiny?
Stan Grodynski
Longniddry, East Lothian
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