Steve Daley is a Scottish political commentator and former SNP and Alba activist. He focuses on the economic and social impacts of net-zero policies, with a particular interest in populism and its effect on working-class communities.
Scotland’s quest for net zero by 2045 is more than just economic folly—it’s a political, social, and cultural misstep of epic proportions. Scotland contributes just 0.1 per cent of global carbon emissions—an almost invisible figure—yet politicians are pursuing policies that will cripple the economy, deepen class divides, and erode individual freedoms.
This isn’t about saving the planet. It’s about political virtue-signalling, centralising power, and shifting the burden onto ordinary Scots while elites reap the benefits. Net zero is the ultimate scam which will see a retribution of wealth and power taken from the poor to the rich, and it’s time it was exposed.
Net Zero and the politics of fear
If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s how governments use fear to consolidate power and erode personal freedoms under the guise of “keeping us safe.” Now, the so-called climate emergency is being used in the same way.
During COVID, restrictions were justified as temporary, but many linger after the pandemic. In Scotland, we still have the ” temporary” booze ban on trains to prevent the spread of Covid. Many of us saw through it and knew this would be permanent and part of the Scottish government’s broader war on responsible drinkers. Climate policies follow the same playbook: declare an emergency, demand sweeping sacrifices, and assure us it’s all for our good. Whether it’s forcing households to retrofit homes, not fly, banning petrol cars, or micromanaging energy use, these measures all serve one purpose: control.
Under the guise of “saving the planet,” governments are centralising decision-making and dictating how we live and work. Net zero will see governments position themselves as “Big Brother,” monitoring every aspect of our behaviour, or, formally known in Scotland, “Chief Mammy,” insisting that they know what’s best for us. In reality, this is about keeping power in their hands while reducing our ability to question or resist.
The net zero agenda isn’t about environmentalism, but fear and obedience. Politicians know that fear, whether of a virus or climate catastrophe, is the easiest way to make people surrender freedoms they would otherwise fiercely protect.
The true cost of virtue-signalling
Politicians love to act like net zero is a moral imperative. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see it’s about politics and control, not climate.
Take retrofitting Scotland’s buildings: a £130 billion price tag. For the average household, that’s up to £30,000 to meet energy efficiency standards. Who can afford that? Not working-class families are already struggling with rising costs. These policies are a luxury for the rich but an economic nightmare for everyone else.
Meanwhile, transport policies demand that Scots switch to electric vehicles with a starting price of £25,000, despite an inadequate charging infrastructure. No wonder these policies feel designed to push ordinary people to the financial brink while elites drive forward unscathed.
We do not even need to wait. Already the damage by the low emission zone in Glasgow has stopped working-class drivers from entering the city centre and has cost working-class taxi drivers if not their money then their jobs, not to mention decreased footfall in the city centre and damage to Glasgow’s once vibrant night-time economy.
And now Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee have followed suit, which will see 1 million vehicles banned in Scotland’s cities. The majority of those vehicles will be from the poorest drivers in Scotland.
Why politicians love Net Zero
Net zero isn’t just about control: it’s a political tool. For politicians, it’s a way to score easy points on the international stage without facing real accountability at home.
Virtue-signalling to global institutions like the UN and COP allows them to dodge pressing domestic issues (of which Scotland has many). They can claim leadership on climate change while avoiding the hard questions: Why are wages stagnant? Why can’t you see a dentist? Why are Scots falling behind in education? It’s absurd how our politicians are obsessed over things they have no control over while avoiding the things they do have control over like education, health, the economy and (incomplete) infrastructure.
Even more worrying is how these policies consolidate power. Under the guise of “saving the planet,” governments gain unprecedented control over how we live—dictating what cars we can drive, how we heat our homes, what we should eat, and even how we travel. Net zero isn’t just expensive; it’s authoritarian and we are sleepwalking into it.
A war on the working class
The real tragedy of net zero is how it punishes the working class while protecting the elite.
Take Scotland’s oil and gas sector. In the last decade, 40 per cent of oil and gas jobs have vanished, falling from 112,900 to 74,100. Meanwhile, renewable energy jobs have barely increased, rising from 23,200 to just 25,700. Politicians talk about a “just transition,” but the numbers don’t lie: there aren’t enough green jobs to replace what’s been lost.
Who suffers the most? The workers. Offshore jobs are one of the few remaining avenues of skilled, high-paid blue-collar employment and once they are gone they are gone. Meanwhile, elites in Holyrood, with their salaries and perks, can afford to praise net zero without worrying about the consequences. This isn’t climate justice, but economic and class betrayal.
Net Zero’s dirty secret
Let us confront an inconvenient truth: net zero does not reduce global emissions but merely shifts them. This process, dubbed “carbon leakage,” is the unspoken hypocrisy of the green agenda. While we in Scotland congratulate ourselves on cutting emissions, the goods we import from countries with lax environmental standards carry the environmental costs we claim to have eradicated.
Consider wind turbines, those towering symbols of Scotland’s supposed green revolution. Most are manufactured in China, powered by coal-fired plants, and shipped across vast oceans to reach our shores. The carbon footprint of their production and transport dwarfs any savings they might eventually generate. And yet, we celebrate these monuments to contradiction as though they herald an environmental renaissance. This is the lie at the heart of the net zero crusade: emissions are not reduced; they are outsourced.
But what makes this charade so frustrating is its utter futility. Were Scotland to eliminate every source of carbon emissions tomorrow, the global climate would remain utterly indifferent. Our contribution to global emissions is statistically insignificant, a drop in the ocean, or perhaps more accurately, a cough in the middle of a hurricane. And yet, for this empty gesture, we are expected to cripple our economy, devastate working communities, and impose untold hardship on ordinary Scots.
Why, then, would any rational government pursue such a policy? Is it ignorance? Or is it something far more cynical? This endless virtue-signalling does nothing for the planet but serves a very different purpose: it offers governments a pretext to centralise control, consolidate power, and drape themselves in the mantle of moral authority. The result is a policy that imposes misery on the many while achieving absolutely nothing for the environment.
What Scotland needs
Instead of blindly following net zero, Scotland should prioritise policies that put economic growth and working-class families first. Here’s how:
Tax Cuts: Lowering taxes for businesses and working families would give people more disposable income and stimulate the economy. By easing the tax burden, we can support local businesses, help workers keep more of their wages, and spark economic growth where it’s most needed.
Business Rate Cuts: To revive Scotland’s high streets, reduce business rates. This will support small businesses struggling under high overheads, allowing them to thrive and create jobs. A thriving retail sector is crucial for rebuilding local economies.
Investment in the Oil and Gas Sector: While pushing for greener energy, we still need oil and gas for energy security. By investing in Scotland’s domestic energy sector, we can protect ourselves from relying on unstable countries like Russia, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for all.
Energy Independence: We must focus on a diversified energy mix, including renewables, nuclear, oil and gas. This would not only reduce reliance on imports but also create jobs and ensure long-term energy security for Scotland’s future.
Net zero isn’t just bad economics, but bad politics. It prioritises the image of Scotland’s leaders over the reality of its people. It’s a policy driven by elites who are more interested in global accolades than in the struggles of ordinary Scots.
Net zero, as it stands, is a reckless gamble with Scotland’s future. It’s time to reject the illusion of environmental virtue and demand policies that prioritise the well-being of Scotland’s people over the approval of the over-promoted Holyrood elite. We can care for the environment without destroying our economy, dividing our society, and surrendering our freedoms. Scotland must chart a better course before it’s too late.
Steve Daley is a Scottish political commentator and former SNP and Alba activist. He focuses on the economic and social impacts of net-zero policies, with a particular interest in populism and its effect on working-class communities.
Scotland’s quest for net zero by 2045 is more than just economic folly—it’s a political, social, and cultural misstep of epic proportions. Scotland contributes just 0.1 per cent of global carbon emissions—an almost invisible figure—yet politicians are pursuing policies that will cripple the economy, deepen class divides, and erode individual freedoms.
This isn’t about saving the planet. It’s about political virtue-signalling, centralising power, and shifting the burden onto ordinary Scots while elites reap the benefits. Net zero is the ultimate scam which will see a retribution of wealth and power taken from the poor to the rich, and it’s time it was exposed.
Net Zero and the politics of fear
If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s how governments use fear to consolidate power and erode personal freedoms under the guise of “keeping us safe.” Now, the so-called climate emergency is being used in the same way.
During COVID, restrictions were justified as temporary, but many linger after the pandemic. In Scotland, we still have the ” temporary” booze ban on trains to prevent the spread of Covid. Many of us saw through it and knew this would be permanent and part of the Scottish government’s broader war on responsible drinkers. Climate policies follow the same playbook: declare an emergency, demand sweeping sacrifices, and assure us it’s all for our good. Whether it’s forcing households to retrofit homes, not fly, banning petrol cars, or micromanaging energy use, these measures all serve one purpose: control.
Under the guise of “saving the planet,” governments are centralising decision-making and dictating how we live and work. Net zero will see governments position themselves as “Big Brother,” monitoring every aspect of our behaviour, or, formally known in Scotland, “Chief Mammy,” insisting that they know what’s best for us. In reality, this is about keeping power in their hands while reducing our ability to question or resist.
The net zero agenda isn’t about environmentalism, but fear and obedience. Politicians know that fear, whether of a virus or climate catastrophe, is the easiest way to make people surrender freedoms they would otherwise fiercely protect.
The true cost of virtue-signalling
Politicians love to act like net zero is a moral imperative. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see it’s about politics and control, not climate.
Take retrofitting Scotland’s buildings: a £130 billion price tag. For the average household, that’s up to £30,000 to meet energy efficiency standards. Who can afford that? Not working-class families are already struggling with rising costs. These policies are a luxury for the rich but an economic nightmare for everyone else.
Meanwhile, transport policies demand that Scots switch to electric vehicles with a starting price of £25,000, despite an inadequate charging infrastructure. No wonder these policies feel designed to push ordinary people to the financial brink while elites drive forward unscathed.
We do not even need to wait. Already the damage by the low emission zone in Glasgow has stopped working-class drivers from entering the city centre and has cost working-class taxi drivers if not their money then their jobs, not to mention decreased footfall in the city centre and damage to Glasgow’s once vibrant night-time economy.
And now Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee have followed suit, which will see 1 million vehicles banned in Scotland’s cities. The majority of those vehicles will be from the poorest drivers in Scotland.
Why politicians love Net Zero
Net zero isn’t just about control: it’s a political tool. For politicians, it’s a way to score easy points on the international stage without facing real accountability at home.
Virtue-signalling to global institutions like the UN and COP allows them to dodge pressing domestic issues (of which Scotland has many). They can claim leadership on climate change while avoiding the hard questions: Why are wages stagnant? Why can’t you see a dentist? Why are Scots falling behind in education? It’s absurd how our politicians are obsessed over things they have no control over while avoiding the things they do have control over like education, health, the economy and (incomplete) infrastructure.
Even more worrying is how these policies consolidate power. Under the guise of “saving the planet,” governments gain unprecedented control over how we live—dictating what cars we can drive, how we heat our homes, what we should eat, and even how we travel. Net zero isn’t just expensive; it’s authoritarian and we are sleepwalking into it.
A war on the working class
The real tragedy of net zero is how it punishes the working class while protecting the elite.
Take Scotland’s oil and gas sector. In the last decade, 40 per cent of oil and gas jobs have vanished, falling from 112,900 to 74,100. Meanwhile, renewable energy jobs have barely increased, rising from 23,200 to just 25,700. Politicians talk about a “just transition,” but the numbers don’t lie: there aren’t enough green jobs to replace what’s been lost.
Who suffers the most? The workers. Offshore jobs are one of the few remaining avenues of skilled, high-paid blue-collar employment and once they are gone they are gone. Meanwhile, elites in Holyrood, with their salaries and perks, can afford to praise net zero without worrying about the consequences. This isn’t climate justice, but economic and class betrayal.
Net Zero’s dirty secret
Let us confront an inconvenient truth: net zero does not reduce global emissions but merely shifts them. This process, dubbed “carbon leakage,” is the unspoken hypocrisy of the green agenda. While we in Scotland congratulate ourselves on cutting emissions, the goods we import from countries with lax environmental standards carry the environmental costs we claim to have eradicated.
Consider wind turbines, those towering symbols of Scotland’s supposed green revolution. Most are manufactured in China, powered by coal-fired plants, and shipped across vast oceans to reach our shores. The carbon footprint of their production and transport dwarfs any savings they might eventually generate. And yet, we celebrate these monuments to contradiction as though they herald an environmental renaissance. This is the lie at the heart of the net zero crusade: emissions are not reduced; they are outsourced.
But what makes this charade so frustrating is its utter futility. Were Scotland to eliminate every source of carbon emissions tomorrow, the global climate would remain utterly indifferent. Our contribution to global emissions is statistically insignificant, a drop in the ocean, or perhaps more accurately, a cough in the middle of a hurricane. And yet, for this empty gesture, we are expected to cripple our economy, devastate working communities, and impose untold hardship on ordinary Scots.
Why, then, would any rational government pursue such a policy? Is it ignorance? Or is it something far more cynical? This endless virtue-signalling does nothing for the planet but serves a very different purpose: it offers governments a pretext to centralise control, consolidate power, and drape themselves in the mantle of moral authority. The result is a policy that imposes misery on the many while achieving absolutely nothing for the environment.
What Scotland needs
Instead of blindly following net zero, Scotland should prioritise policies that put economic growth and working-class families first. Here’s how:
Tax Cuts: Lowering taxes for businesses and working families would give people more disposable income and stimulate the economy. By easing the tax burden, we can support local businesses, help workers keep more of their wages, and spark economic growth where it’s most needed.
Business Rate Cuts: To revive Scotland’s high streets, reduce business rates. This will support small businesses struggling under high overheads, allowing them to thrive and create jobs. A thriving retail sector is crucial for rebuilding local economies.
Investment in the Oil and Gas Sector: While pushing for greener energy, we still need oil and gas for energy security. By investing in Scotland’s domestic energy sector, we can protect ourselves from relying on unstable countries like Russia, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for all.
Energy Independence: We must focus on a diversified energy mix, including renewables, nuclear, oil and gas. This would not only reduce reliance on imports but also create jobs and ensure long-term energy security for Scotland’s future.
Net zero isn’t just bad economics, but bad politics. It prioritises the image of Scotland’s leaders over the reality of its people. It’s a policy driven by elites who are more interested in global accolades than in the struggles of ordinary Scots.
Net zero, as it stands, is a reckless gamble with Scotland’s future. It’s time to reject the illusion of environmental virtue and demand policies that prioritise the well-being of Scotland’s people over the approval of the over-promoted Holyrood elite. We can care for the environment without destroying our economy, dividing our society, and surrendering our freedoms. Scotland must chart a better course before it’s too late.