Richard Murphy: Whatever happens now, green politics are crucial

I’ve been a birdwatcher most of my life, but a lot more over the last decade or so. I am not an expert. Nor am I one of those birdwatchers who chases after rarities. I recognise some get pleasure from that, but for me, the bird in front of me is the one that I am interested in, whatever it is (it’s  the goldfinch outside my window, as I write this)

Why confess this here? And what has it got to do with Scotland’s political economy, and the usual themes that I address in this column? The answer is, quite a lot. 

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The reason is that, however much I might wish that most people might learn more about economics, monetary systems, tax reforms and other things like that, I have to recognise that many people will not. That, however, does not mean that they do not care. Far from it. It is just that they have other things to care about, and there is very strong evidence that nature comes very high on the list of things that people do think matter. 

In the UK as a whole it is reckoned that we spend maybe £250 million a year on bird food.

A large proportion of the population, maybe representing a third of people in Scotland, are likely to be members of an organisation that promotes wellbeing in the natural world, and for those who visit it on a regular basis. 

Scotland also has some stunning habitats and some of the best locations for birdwatching that you could find anywhere in the world. People, like birds, flock to them. And all those people are likely to have an above average awareness of the risks that climate change, our current patterns of behaviour, and the activities of big business have on nature. 

That awareness matters. I would love it if everyone was a campaigner for economic and political reform, including independence. However, having a large number of people who are aware that the existing politics supports the continued exploitation of nature is also vital. They all realise that we must, eventually, create a climate of political change if we are to survive. 

All of those who watch nature, walk in our green spaces, hate the pollution of our beaches, are concerned for the wellbeing of our seas, and respect the right of all other forms of life to live in peace alongside us on this earth, will ultimately realise that unless they support an alternative politics the change that they desire is not going to happen. 

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The techno-geeks in the many organisations who are working for political and economic reform across Scotland that I know, and whose work is so welcome, are essential if there is to be a better country. But, without the support of all those people who realise that our existing systems are failing, nothing that those economic experts say, do, or demand will ever happen. In that case the nature lobby might well become the foundation for the future that we need. 

We should never ignore the concerns of the angry nature lover. They have seen the future, and do not like it. Their desire for something better is as powerful as that of anyone involved in the political economic debate. 

Green politics, with a small g, is what will change Scotland in the end, however tortured are the political relationships of Holyrood today. We would be wise to remember that.