News: Stern Report

Flights > News > # 1050 (31/10/2006)

Comment:

There is something deeply disturbing about the emerging arms race between the UK's major political parties to outdo each other when it comes to environmental policy-making.

The potential threat that global warming poses should not be belittled, and cannot be ignored, but the much hyped Stern Report, which was commissioned by the Blair government, smacks more of a desperate lame duck Prime Minister seeking a legacy than it does of any serious advancing of the debate. Haven't we already had a whole sleuth of reports on the subject of late? I am lost as to who Blair's chief adviser on the environment is now - we seem to have gone from Lord Porritt to David King to Stern. I wouldn’t be surprised if he invites Swampy to spearhead his next crusade!

No sensible thinking person would challenge the core concepts of the ‘polluter pays’ principle, but where do you draw the line between a realistic and beneficial environmental policy and needless government intervention? On last night's Newsnight, environment minister David Milliband said he wanted to see a pricing regime applied to every form of carbon dioxide emission, an ambition which could only reach a final conclusion with a tax on the very air that we breathe.

Ridiculous? I hope so, but why should we let a patronising PM who swans off to Barbados every other week lecture us about climate change? I wonder what the carbon cost of his little Iraqi excursion has been? Get your own house in order before you start preaching Tone!