This was supposed to be ‘the Green Government ever’ – ‘Vote Blue, Go Green’ –   as Cameron said, well it hasn’t turned out that way. Will anyone ever use that phrase again?

The last five years has been truly remarkable for all the wrong reasons in relation to the ‘green agenda’. The Conservatives in particular have increasingly shown their lack of interest and contempt for a wide range of environmental issues and the ideas surrounding sustainability. Everything is to be sacrificed on the altar of economic growth and business development. The moderating effect of the Lib Dems is probably real enough and their five new Bills are sensible but their voice is slight against the Tory right.  Past behaviour is perhaps a rather better guide to future intentions.  Here are nine memorable points from the last five years:

1.Forests – I can’t remember a policy being pulled in mid-consultation, but forest privatisation was one of the first signs of the Tories intent;  it backfired badly and was a shambles by any standard. http://www.38degrees.org.uk/pages/forests-campaign-media-coverage .

2. Bonfire of the quangos    No more Sustainable Development Commission or sustainability anywhere in evidence in Government … http://www.theguardian.com/environment/cif-green/2010/jul/23/sustainable-development-commission-porritt

3.Planning policy changes  This triumph of policy making inspired the Daily Telegraph (front page) and The National Trust to combine forces to oppose the change to a planning regime designed only to appeal to private house builders … http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/hands-off-our-land/

4.Energy policy   Keeping the lights on whilst addressing the looming issues of climate change has produced an ad hoc energy  policy which changes continuously and creates uncertainty among investors and practitioners and pricing policy for future electricity which seems utterly bizarre. As Conservative MP and member of the energy and climate change select committee Phillip Lee told a pre-election debate at the Energy Institute that he was deeply unconvinced by what passed for Conservative energy policy. He admitted that the party had relegated energy policy to a “second fiddle” issue in the election campaign and is still yet to set out an official position on a host of energy and climate issues. Energy policy which a Tory MP describes as http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/james-blog/2400063/missing-a-conservative-energy-policy    Tim Yeo, Senior Conservative backbencher lambasts “blind unreasoning hostility” to onshore wind farms, warning it will leave consumers paying for more expensive offshore turbines instead to read more go to:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/windpower/11465812/Onshore-wind-farm-ban-will-raise-energy-prices-Tory-MP-Tim-Yeo-warns.html

5.Owen Paterson the then ex-Environment Minister gave us the Green Blob –- The Telegraph view  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10978678/Owen-Paterson-Im-proud-of-standing-up-to-the-green-lobby.html

the Guardian view   http://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2014/jul/21/what-is-green-blob-owen-paterson-environment-lobby-cabinet

6.Policies ignoring science – The Badger Cull and a letter decrying its lack of scientific credibility from past Presidents of the Royal Society http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/oct/13/badger-cull-mindless

7.Eric Pickles … in his stand in role in the 2013/14 floods and his quote ‘We thought we were working with experts’ ( of the Environment Agency) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/eric-pickles-government-made-mistake-in-taking-the-advice-of-the-environment-agency-9117340.html

This produced a rash of cartoons of Eric Pickles as a sandbag https://twitter.com/tweeterofwit/status/432998067768274944

8.SUDs policy …. Implementation of the Flooding Act 2010 on SUDs – delayed, delayed, and delayed again and then after four years of prevarication the SUDs Advisory Bodies (SABs) were dropped, presumably keeping the house builders happy – a U turn at the end of the Parliament. http://cic.org.uk/news/article.php?s=2015-03-23-inquiry-into-flood-resilience-of-the-future-published-today

9. Cut the Green Crap  – The then the real view emerges …..  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/21/david-cameron-green-crap-comments-storm

Oh yes and removing ‘environment’ from the election agenda ….