Ken Huggins for the Green Party in North Dorset writes:
An aspect of government decision making that we need to consider is: who exactly is influencing the decision makers? Our precious democracy has evidently been significantly highjacked by vested financial interests, leaving it corrupted to the point where it no longer serves us the way we need it to.
Research by Fossil Free Parliament reveals that between last October and December government ministers met with fossil fuel industry representatives an average of almost twice every working day. Surely the industry most responsible for climate change should not be allowed that many opportunities to lobby and influence the ministers responsible for developing our country’s energy & climate policies.
Political donations are another means by which our democracy is corrupted. Anyone puzzled by the softening of Labour’s approach towards loosening regulation of the financial industry should note that bankers and financiers have been replacing trade unions and small donors as the principal backers of the Party. And Labour’s warm relationship with the oil and gas industry, including plans to fund attempts at carbon capture and storage (CCS) to the tune of £22bn, needs to be seen in the light of fossil fuel sponsored events at the Labour party conference, and donations to the party from companies lobbying on behalf of oil and gas companies.
Whilst Reform UK is loudly calling for the scrapping of all Net Zero policies, it’s worth noting that prior to the 2024 general election campaign 92% of Reform’s funding came from fossil fuel interests and climate deniers. Claims that we can’t afford Net Zero are based on treating private industry investments in renewable energy projects as though they are a cost to the taxpayer, which is clearly nonsense. They also completely ignore the crippling costs of inaction, with increasingly extreme weather events disrupting businesses and livelihoods, damaging people’s property, and hitting farmers hard.
As far back as the 1960s the fossil fuel industry’s own scientists warned them of the danger of catastrophic climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Rather than change course and focus on renewable energy, the industry chose to coordinate a global media effort to dispute climate science, and to lobby against fossil fuel restrictions. This kept their profits flowing so that in the short-term vast sums of money could be made by a few people, at the expense of a comfortable long-term future for all of us. The Green Party stands for the changes needed to ensure honesty and transparency in politics, and to secure a liveable future for everyone. Join us !
First published in the New Blackmore Vale magazine July 2025