The Western Isles renewable energy solution?
by Jean Davis,
Liberal Democrat prospective Westminster candidate
for the Western Isles
I BELIEVE it is time for a serious debate about the direction we in the Western Isles should take with renewable energy. All parties are claiming to be green and all have ideas and policies but how do they apply here in this part of the world?
Liberal Democrats are committed to renewable energy, a green economy and efforts to limit global warming. But what does this mean, I hear you say. After all, all parties make such pledges and what changes?
I think our vision should be of energy secure, zero carbon islands.
In 2005 the constituency returned an SNP MP. People resistant to the large ‘industrial’ wind farms planned for Lewis gave many of these votes. Well these projects have not been approved or built but what progress has been made instead?
We wait for news on the interconnector and the Beauly Denny transmission line. Will these decisions come soon in the face of a Westminster election in a few months and Scottish Parliament elections in 2010? For any party to make such decisions now would be brave given they will alienate half the voters here whatever the decision and possibly forfeit the seat.
