National Campaigns

What are your candidates’ views on nuclear power ?

Friends of the Earth Scotland opposes nuclear power as expensive, unsafe and unwanted. Opinion polls suggest most Scots agree, but what about our candidates for the Scottish Parliament?

Friends of the Earth Scotland wrote to all MSPs back in April 2006 asking for their views on new nuclear power stations in Scotland. We wrote to all constituency candidates again in April 2007 asking the same thing. You can see the responses, along with what they’ve said to their consituents, here:

ALL CANDIDATES IN ONE CONSTITUENCY

Select your constituency from the lists below.

SELECT YOUR CONSTITUENCY Aberdeen Central Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Airdrie and Shotts Angus Argyll and Bute Ayr Banff and Buchan Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Central Fife Clydebank and Milngavie Clydesdale Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Cunninghame North Cunninghame South Dumbarton Dumfries Dundee East Dundee West Dunfermline East Dunfermline West Eastwood East Kilbride East Lothian Edinburgh Central Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Edinburgh North and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh South Edinburgh West Falkirk East Falkirk West Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Ballieston Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Govan Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Rutherglen Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Springburn Gordon Greenock and Inverclyde Hamilton North and Bellshill Hamilton South Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber Kilmarnock and Loudoun Kirkcaldy Linlithgow Livingston Midlothian Moray Motherwell and Wishaw North East Fife North Tayside Ochil Orkney Paisley North Paisley South Perth Ross, Skye and Inverness West Roxburgh and Berwickshire Shetland Stirling Strathkelvin and Bearsden Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine West Renfrewshire Western Isles  

Or try the Beta version of our postcode selector

Or you can use the Scottish Parliament's Constituency Finder.

ALL CONSTITUENCY CANDIDATES OF ONE PARTY

Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrats | SNP

Here’s what the manifestos for the main Scottish political parties have to say about the matter (in alphabetical order):

Scottish Conservatives

http://www.scottishconservatives.com/manifesto.asp

“The use of nuclear power is a decision for the Westminster government to take. However, if the government endorses its use and a company applies for permission to build on a suitable site in Scotland, Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament will not block it.”

Scottish Green Party

http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/5709/title/SGP_Manifesto_2007.html

“Nuclear power is dangerous, dirty and expensive, and is not a low carbon technology: the energy involved in mining, fuel fabrication, construction, transport and waste makes nuclear comparable in carbon dioxide production to an efficient gas-powered station. It leaves toxic waste, which will remain a threat to humans for hundreds of years. The costs of cleaning up this waste, already nearly £100bn and rising, will fall to future generations.

• We refuse to be part of a governmental agreement with any party that takes any steps towards new nuclear power stations in Scotland during the next session of parliament.

• We will oppose any attempts to extend the operating licences of existing stations and will shut them down as soon as possible.

• We will require nuclear waste to be stored on site in secure, monitorable and retrievable storage.

• By working in partnership with management and unions we will ensure that employees in the nuclear industry are employed in decommissioning work or retrained and redeployed, for example in renewables.”

Scottish Labour Party

http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/manifesto2007/

“Scottish Labour will adopt an energy policy that gives consideration to all sources of energy including renewable, nuclear, gas, coal and oil and we are committed to ensuring a safe and secure supply of electricity which is sustainable and affordable. Whilst we recognise there are ongoing concerns about different sources of energy generation, we will not rule out any single energy source, as this may risk both the security of our electricity supply and thousands of jobs across Scotland. Scottish Labour will work to resolve how nuclear waste can be managed and disposed of safely.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats

http://www.nicolstephen.org.uk/manifesto.php

“I reject our old centralised system of electricity generation with its massive carbon dinosaurs and its nuclear follies. I reject its inherent inefficiency with two thirds of fossil fuel wasted as heat. I reject its carbon emissions which contribute to global warming. I reject its legacy for future generations – with nuclear waste remaining radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years.

My vision is for Scotland to become the green energy powerhouse of Europe. The Liberal Democrats are determined to support this vital investment and reject new nuclear power in Scotland. Scotland does not need new nuclear power. We do not need the risk, the waste, or the cost. New nuclear power would drain money and political will from investment in clean, green renewable energy.”

Scottish National Party

http://www.snp.org/policies

“An SNP government will not give the go ahead for new nuclear power stations. We will invest instead in developing Scotland’s extensive renewable energy potential.”

“As a starting point a Scotland led by the SNP will say no to new nuclear – power stations or dumps. An SNP government will make clear that Scotland does not require a new nuclear power station. We will involve all of Scotland in the preparation of extensive and effective clean energy legislation. It is important for Scotland that we have comprehensive legislation to take forward our clean energy ambitions. We will therefore bring together stakeholders on a cross-party and non-party basis so that we can agree a joint approach to clean energy legislation and introduce a bill in the second year of government that can attract a consensus in parliament.”

Scottish Socialist Party

http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/

“We will also campaign for the following measures: [...]
Resistance to the building of any new nuclear power plants in Scotland, and the setting of a clear timetable set for the decommissioning of existing nuclear power stations.”

Solidarity

http://www.solidarityscotland.org/

“We will campaign for a nuclear free Scotland.”
“We will demonstrate Solidarity for [...] an independent socialist nuclear free Scotland.”

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