Ed Davey’s choice of words when presenting a political case is always worth close attention as he is a man very interested in the details and nuances of political messaging. (He was for a while under Ming Campbell’s leadership in charge of refashioning the party’s messaging.)
So what to make of his initial description of his role in charge at the Department of Environment and Climate Change? He said,
Greening the economy isn’t just good for the planet – it’s good for the wallets, purses and pockets.
In choosing to present issues in that way, he’s very much following in the footsteps of Chris Huhne. It is not so much a deep green message that is against economic growth, as a lighter shade of green, saying environmental action is good for economic growth.
It’s a broad tent approach – pitching green measures not just at those deeply concerned about the environment but also at those who are much more concerned about other issues – such as jobs and income.
That’s a wise approach, because long-term policies with long-term objectives require a broad consensus not only amongst politicians but also amongst the public. That requires pitching to the wider audience in just the way he is doing.
* Mark Pack is Party President and is the editor of Liberal Democrat Newswire.
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4 Comments
The real test for Mr Davey will be if he can defend the environment against the predations of the Treasury, who appear to see all this wishy-washy green stuff as detracting from the government’s desperate quest for growth.
The first challenge will be whether concerns about the National Planning Policy Framework are heeded, or will the DCLG (spurred on by Mr Osborne) stick to their previous line that development must be approved in all but the most exceptional circumstances.
It’s all very well the “messaging” (or was that massaging?) but we have in Global Climate Change and various resource and pollution issues, grave problems affecting all of us for generations to come. If we hide the real warning to people under a cloak of “it’ll make you all feel better really”, people a few years down the road will object most strongly (a la Gordon Brown with “we have abolished boom and bust”) when it is realised that economic growth as currently defined simply can’t carry on. I agree many people are very reluctant to accept how this message affects them, and in a number of cases to deny there IS even a problem – I just think we cannot disguise a problem just because it is difficult for people to face up to. I thought we Lib Dems were into honesty in politics.
John,
That is not what the draft National Planning Policy Framework says. It says that there shall be a presumption in favour of sustainable development. The issue is the definition of sustainable, and it needs to be clearly defined to include environmental sustainability. Regardless of the NPPF, local authorities need to get their own development plans in place.
It’s also dishonest. The “green” policies being pursued by our current government are designed to make UK residents pay punitive prices for their energy consumption, while encouraging rent-seeking behaviour from politically favoured companies.