Gordon Brown fires the starting pistol on what promises to be the closest election in decades, green business leaders ask whether the low carbon economy could prove a vote winner?
We remain divided on the scale of the impact that environmental and low carbon issues are likely to have on the election campaign, which was formally kicked off yesterday when Gordon Brown confirmed the election would take place on May 6. And this will be a very close race as many can't see a clear leader!!
Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband said that the environment and climate change could emerge as a "top three" issue during the campaign as each party seeks to tout its green credentials.
What I'd like to see is the whole thing being fought on the architecture of a Green New Deal, Only Vince Cable seems the type of spokesman we would all listen to on topics of economy and green together (some say he would be a good PM if only he joined another party).
Lord (Mandy) Mandelson talks about a low carbon revolution, he only gives it lip service as it needs to on a much bigger scale than anyone on Silicon Valley would ever recognise.
He added that there was a strong case for the parties to make low carbon policies a central part of their manifestos, particularly given the scale of the economic opportunity clean technologies represent.
"I would not even couch it in terms of climate change and would solely focus on the opportunity," he said. " But I would be very surprised if I am not disappointed by the campaign."
Lord Mandelson
"We're pleased to see the election has finally kicked off but disappointed to see that environment and energy policies seem to be taking a back-seat for all parties," she said. "The environmental business sector should be seen as one of the key drivers of jobs and growth to lead us out of the recession, not as an afterthought or add-on. Environmental matters are central to many voters concerns – it's a shame that political parties seem to have forgotten that."
However, others are convinced that environmental issues could yet emerge as a somewhat surprising electoral issue, particularly at a local level.
The Green Party announced today that it would for the first time put forward a full slate of candidates for London seats and is riding high in the polls in Brighton and Cambridge with a genuine chance of securing its first parliamentary seat. I even thought about joining the Greens myself and then heard that they were all originally Marxists!!
Meanwhile, insiders have suggested that Ed Miliband's role as Labour's manifesto co-ordinator could result in many of the low carbon policies he has pioneered at the Department of Energy and Climate Change being adopted as part of the manifesto. OK we'll have to see if this taken seriously and not left out after all the fudging of figures in the name of research, the research data was about as straight as an expense claim in the House of Lords!!
In addition, Miliband has repeatedly attempted to put down the Conservative support for wind farms and renewable energy targets as an electoral issue, and the contentious topic of wind farms, as well as the credibility of the Conservatives' commitment to environmental issues, could surprise all and play a key role in the campaign.
My thoughts are some prospective MPs do not regard climate change as a significant issue.
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