#Mairi McAllan

[realpeterabell]

You've never had it so bland!

Having been preoccupied with Other Stuff for most of the morning, I sat myself down a few minutes ago with my laptop atop my lap (I’m a traditionalist that way.) ready to confect a morsel to feed the ravenous beast that is the blog. Things being as they are, I thought it best to check the headlines before proceeding to cast pearls of wisdom that might better resemble turds of absurdity in light…

[hellyone]

EU started to be discussed again. The Brexit heroes have fallen off the country's agenda one by one, but the country continues to live in chaos. There are also parties and names that intend to return to the EU. One of these names is Energy Minister Mairi McAllan and her SNP party. McAllan claimed to

[seanews11]

Energy Secretary visits Port of Aberdeen to discuss ambitious floating offshore wind plans

Port of Aberdeen, the UK’s oldest existing business with the country’s newest harbour, shared its ambitious vision to become a national hub for floating offshore wind with Mairi McAllan MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Net Zero, during her visit on 20 May. Touring the port’s £420 million Aberdeen South Harbour expansion, which officially opened in September 2023, Ms McAllan was presented…

[beardedmrbean]

April 25 (UPI) -- Scotland's Scottish Nationalist Party-led coalition imploded Thursday after a three year-long power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens that kept the SNP in power collapsed in a row over the scrapping of carbon emissions targets.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said he had told the Scottish Greens leadership their coalition was over and that he was ending their so-called Bute House agreement, telling a press conference that the compromises the pact involved were no longer worth it.

"It is no longer guaranteeing a stable arrangement in parliament, the events of recent days have made that clear, and therefore, after careful consideration, I believe that going forward it is in the best interest of the people of Scotland to pursue a different arrangement," said Yousaf.

"That is why, following a discussion with my cabinet this morning, I have formally notified [Ministers] Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater that I am terminating the Bute House agreement with immediate effect."

Yousaf, who replaced Nicola Sturgeon as first minister after she unexpectedly stepped down in March 2023, will now lead a minority government with the 39-year-old hailing the step as a "new beginning" for his party.

But he also held out the possibility of a relationship with the Greens going forward, saying he wanted to negotiate a "less formal" agreement with his former partners in government.

The 70-seat pro-independence coalition -- backed by seven Scottish Greens MSPs -- in the 129-seat Scottish Parliament was formed to allow the two like-minded parties to jointly govern -- although the Greens were the junior partner in the arrangement.

The split, a week after the government announced it was abandoning its target of cutting carbon emissions by 75% by 2030, was met with a furious denunciation from Greens co-leader Slater.

"This is an act of political cowardice by the SNP, who are selling out future generations to appease the most reactionary forces in the country," she said.

"They have broken the bonds of trust with members of both parties who have twice chosen the cooperation agreement and climate action over chaos, culture wars and division. They have betrayed the electorate.

"By ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signaled that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted."

Net Zero Minister Mairi McAllan confirmed on April 18 that Scotland would instead switch to five-year "carbon budgets" in line with the English and Welsh governments, with the aim of achieving its zero emissions target date of 2045.

McAllan told MSPs her decision was driven by the U.K. Climate Change Committee's conclusion that government failures to tackle emissions from home-heating systems, transport, agriculture and lack of progress on nature restoration projects meant the 2030 targets were no longer realistic.

The ditching of the 2030 targets that brought down the SNP-Greens coalition comes seven months after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed back a ban on new combustion engine vehicles by five years to 2035, arguing that amid an inflation and cost-of-living crisis government could only win the green argument by bringing people along with it.

Forcing expensive upfront costs onto already struggling consumers risked losing the whole green proposition, he said.

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] Suspending rebel SNP MSP Fergus Ewing from the party's parliamentary group at Holyrood for a week is proportionate, a senior member of the Scottish government has said.Net zero secretary Mairi McAllan backed the proposed seven-day suspension of the former rural affairs secretary, who has been a vocal critic of Humza Yousaf's government in recent months. The suspension - which Mr Ewing has two weeks to appeal against - was approved after he voted with the opposition at Holyrood in a vote of no confidence against Scottish Green co-leader and government minister Lorna Slater amid the controversy surrounding the deposit return scheme.Mr Ewing has also spoken out against the Scottish government on issues such as the new licensing regime for short-term rental properties as well as the stalled deposit return scheme.He has also traded barbs with the Scottish Greens in recent months, describing the party as "wine bar revolutionaries" and "hard-left extremists", as well as calling the atmosphere within the SNP group "toxic". The Inverness and Nairn MSP - son of the late SNP trailblazer Winnie Ewing - said: "The SNP is not an ordinary party - we are a party that has always put Scotland first, and that means to me, putting the interests of the people of Scotland first."But in good conscience, and it grieves me to say this, I don't believe that is any longer the case." A meeting of SNP MSPs at Holyrood on Wednesday night resulted in a vote of 48 to nine in favour of Mr Ewing's suspension. Image: Net zero and just transition secretary Mairi McAllan But speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday, Ms McAllan said there is still room for free thinkers within the SNP. Asked if she had voted in favour of his suspension, she said: "In full transparency, yes I did."It is something I certainly would expect to be the outcome if I had done what Fergus did."It is part of a normal party mechanism in a democratic system."Asked whether politicians can express their opinions within the SNP, Ms McAllan added: "Of course, I like to think of myself as a free thinker."In particular the first minister has been quite clear he wants people to come to him and to speak to him internally if they have any concerns they wish to raise, he has an open door in that regard."But Fergus is a longstanding MSP, he has been a minister, he understands the procedures here and what the outcome is of voting the way he did."SNP MP Joanna Cherry claimed his rebellion was "the product of years of inadequate debate in our party about policy making".Read more:Cherry hopes new SNP leadership means 'intolerance within the party is in the past'Angus MacNeil expelled from SNP following row with leadership In a statement posted on social media, Ms Cherry - who has criticised the Scottish government's policy on gender recognition reform - said: "I may not agree with Fergus Ewing on everything but he is a man of integrity."I'm glad there were rebels on this vote. His rebellion is the product of years of inadequate debate in our party about policy making. That needs to change. Don't shoot the messenger."Ms McAllan made it clear she does not agree with Ms Cherry's comments, adding that suspending Mr Ewing was "a proportionate response to a serious breach of party standing orders which was voted on by majority, overwhelming majority, by the group in Holyrood".Mr Ewing was flanked by his sister and fellow SNP MSP Annabelle Ewing, former party leadership contender Kate Forbes, MSP Christine Grahame, and his lawyer John Campbell KC.Asked how he would conduct himself in the future, Mr Ewing said: "I choose to defend my constituents' interests and let the cards fall where they may." [ad_2]

[qudachuk]

Mairi McAllan said some of Lord Hardie’s conclusions were not supported by evidence.

[jhamazamnews-blog]

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf appoints his cabinet | UK News

Scotland’s new First Minister Humza Yousaf has unveiled his cabinet appointments. New Deputy First Minister Shona Robison has replaced Kate Forbes as finance secretary. Michael Matheson is the new health secretary, Jenny Gilruth will take charge of education, and Angela Constance has been appointed justice and home affairs secretary. Mairi McAllan has become the second youngest member to be…

[petnews2day]

Scottish Flood Forecast launches in Clackmannanshire

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/pIVdD

Scottish Flood Forecast launches in Clackmannanshire

The Scottish Flood Forecast was launched at an event in Tillicoultry today, February 8, with Clacks volunteers, who helped develop the service, on hand. Representatives from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the Met Office, the Scottish Flood Forum, environment minister Mairi McAllan, Provost Donald Balsillie and flood protection volunteers from the Hillfoots gathered at […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/pIVdD #PetCharitiesNews

[truthshield]

New action to build on forestry success story in Scotland

A number of new actions, to support the ongoing delivery of Scotland’s Forestry Strategy, will ensure forests and woodlands continue to deliver benefits for communities, the environment and the economy. Over the last three years, over 32,000 hectares of woodland have been created in Scotland, including more than 12,000 hectares of native woodland. These woods are vital in fighting climate change and nature loss, whilst also strengthening our communities and economy. A new three year Implementation Plan has been published with key actions to maximise the range of benefits that woodlands bring to the people of Scotland. Mairi McAllan Announcing the new Plan, Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “We are uniquely placed within the UK to enable responsible expansion of nature-based solutions, including increased tree cover. “We have big ambitions with forestry and to achieve our goals we must work collaboratively. Key to this is ensuring that forestry fits with other land uses and that we plant the right trees in the right places. “People and communities must also be at the forefront of our efforts to tackle climate change and we will strive to ensure that no-one is left behind or unfairly disadvantaged. “This new Implementation Plan sets out the key forestry actions required to help us achieve this.” Some of the actions to be taken forward in partnership include- Supporting farmers and crofters to realise the benefits of tree planting. Promoting the use of new wood-based products that can support the decarbonisation of other industries. Scoping and establishment of a technical training hub. Establishing a National Register for Ancient Woodlands and encouraging owners to protect and improve their condition. Developing and implementing a framework to help forestry support community wealth building. Identifying and pursuing opportunities to decarbonise Scotland’s wood supply chain; and Promoting the opportunities for people to engage in woodland-based activities to improve mental and physical well-being. Scotland’s forests and woodlands generate £1 billion to the economy each year and support over 25,000 jobs. Millions of people visit Scotland’s forests every year for recreation and this improves society’s health and wellbeing. You can view the new Implementation Plan for Scotland’s Forestry Strategy on this page. Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print. https://ift.tt/dRfjiYC https://ift.tt/2VErj3e

[qudachuk]

The Scottish Environmental Minister said ‘now is not the right time’.