Summary
DISCARDED Christmas packaging on the Fraser home front awaits sorting into the confusing selection of coloured plastic bins and sacks recently provided by Edinburgh council. As if the turkey and trimmings weren't sufficiently daunting, there is now the added stress of deciding whether crackers count as waste paper orwaste cardboard and on which day each is collected.
The green movement has hit home. The Scottish Executive next year nears the deadline it has set itself for ambitious recycling targets. As with stubbing out pub smoking, attacking binge drinking and the war on saturated fatties, taking more responsibility for the planet might just make Scotland a better place to live - even if it is less because of politicians than individuals being persuaded to alter our lifestyle choices. Greenery has also established itself in Scottish politics. And in this season of goodwill, some credit should go to Ross Finnie, the environment and rural development minister. Despite routinely losing Greenock elections, the Lib Dem is the only minister in the same post, roughly speaking, since the dawn of devolution. He is no political threat to anybody, offers what even Labour ministers recognise as wise counsel, and rumbles on jovially with the job in hand.See the full content of this document
Extract
Greens Could Hold the Key to Rainbow Nation Politics
His most remarkable achievement is to have presided over the catastrophic decline of the Scottish white fish fleet while emerging politically unscathed. Not for him the fate of his deputy, Rhona Brankin, who was burned in effigy in a Peterhead quayside protest five years ago. Last week, as the mos...
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