Kmflett's Blog

I’ll have more to say on this but below are a couple of paragraphs from Andy Burnham’s Evening Standard column (Nov 5 ’21) which bring a welcome focus on class politics and building a popular movement for a Just Transition.

What was most unnerving in Glasgow was the stark difference in mood between the Blue Zone and the rest of the city. Inside the bubble, the talk was of abstract percentages and far-off dates with remarkably little reference to the struggles of ordinary families recovering from the pandemic.

Outside, in the taxis and pubs, the talk was of the number of private jets at Glasgow Airport and 40+ SUV cavalcades sweeping through the city. To the extent that people have picked up anything from COP26, it’s a sense that the drive to net zero will mean cost and inconvenience for ordinary people and off-setting for the wealthy and entitled. All of a sudden, you can feel how net zero could become the new Brexit — a debate that gets very divided on class grounds. And, right on cue, reports have started appearing this week of calls for a referendum on decarbonisation.