<\/p>\n
Russell Findlay taunting John Swinney at First Minister\u2019s Questions<\/p>\n
John Swinney caused uproar in the Scottish parliament after he failed to give a \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019 answer when asked if he thought the Rosebank oil field should be approved.<\/p>\n
Both Labour leader Michael Marra and his Conservative counterpart Russell Findlay pressed the First Minister to clarify his position on the controversial field which awaits a decision from the UK government.<\/p>\n
Opening First Minister\u2019s Questions, Mr Marra said: \u201cI was in London this week telling the UK Energy Secretary and the Chancellor that I support Rosebank. Does the First Minister?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amid jeers from the opposition benches, Mr Swinney replied that the application \u201chas to go through a quasi judicial process\u201d and that carbon emissions have to be compared with those of imported oil.<\/p>\n
\u201cFairly short, but not too sharp,\u201d said Mr Marra, referring to the new arrangements for FMQs. \u201cHe won\u2019t back Rosebank investment, he\u2019s blocking nuclear jobs, he can barely bring himself to say the word defence. These are all areas where we can get the Scottish economy growing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tory leader Russell Findlay asked Mr Swinney the same question: \u201cShould Rosebank get the green light? Yes or no?\u201d <\/p>\n
The First Minister responded: \u201cI answered that question to Michael Marra.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Russell retorted: \u201cOh no, you didn\u2019t. We know it is a Labour government decision but their budget said nothing. So I am asking John Swinney if he thinks it should go ahead. Yes or no?\u201d<\/p>\n
Once again, Mr Swinney replied: \u201cI answered that question to Michael Marra.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amid calls of \u201cyes or no?\u201d around the chamber, Mr Findlay persisted with his line of questions. \u201cJohn Swinney spouts his opinion on everything else that is not in his remit. So I ask for a third time, Rosebank: yes or no?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Swinney said: \u201cAnd for the third time, I answered that question to Michael Marra.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am getting a headache,\u201d said Mr Findlay, \u201cthis is absolute torture. He\u2019s got opinions on Gaza, Israel, Russia, Iran, Europe but not on the North Sea. So I\u2019ll try again. It is a yes or no question. Rosebank, do you support it? Yes or no?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Swinney said: \u201cThere is a legal responsibility for every application to be considered whether it is compatible with our journey to net zero. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have a requirement for oil and gas for some years to come and the question the UK government has to deterimine is whether the importing of oil and gas will lead to greater carbon implications than extraction in our own waters. That was the test applied to Jackdaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this is performative by Mr Findlay, but some of us take our responsibilities seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Findlay said:\u201dI didn\u2019t hear a yes or no. That is all I ask him. Why doesn\u2019t Mr Swinney show a bit of backbone. Yes or no? That\u2019s all I asked. There are 1,000 jobs being lost every month, why can\u2019t Mr Swinney get off the fence?<\/p>\n
Mr Swinney said he would take no lectures from the Tories about jobs in the North Sea, but Mr Findlay said \u201cthe people of Scotland will see that for exactly what it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe talks about energy wealth, but he would reject North Sea oil, he would kill off jobs in the North Sea and would risk energy security and rely on dirty foreign imports. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we know why. He is scared of the Green Party and Nicola Sturgeon. Isn\u2019t that the truth, Mr Swinney?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Swinney replied that he wanted to see Scotland powered by renewable energy and that independence would allow it to make its own choices.<\/p>\n
He also responded to questions from Green party co-leader Ross Greer about why the government approved the Peterhead gas plant by saying it was tied to conditions around carbon capture.<\/p>\n
Daily Business Bulletin:\u00a0Subscribe here for our free morning bulletin of breaking news<\/p>\n
\t #Swinney #swerves #questions #Rosebank #Daily #Business<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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