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Watching the third prime ministerial debate, the focus was, of course, more about what they are cutting spending on rather than how they will move economic recovery into second gear. I'm surprised but pleased that none of the parties are proposing to cut the winter fuel allowance at this time. We're really concerned about fuel poverty and it's a shocking statistic that there are (increasing) millions of people spending such a high proportion of their income on keeping warm that they can't afford other basics like food. We must, however, recognise that the fuel allowance is a short term fix. We would be better spending the billions that it costs on helping people make their homes better insulated so that they can reduce their energy use - and their bills. Whatever your view on climate change - I have gone from sceptic to strong believer - the fact is that we must do better at preserving our finite sources of energy.
This connects directly to the question on rebuilding our economy so it is better equipped for the challenges of the future. All candidates ticked the boxes - green infrastructure, green entrepreneurship, apprenticeships, investing in young people, skills for the future. New green technology got a good mention as well. That's fine but I wish politicians would understand that green growth is not just about high tech jobs - there's plenty of entry level roles out there providing employment in a socially useful, low carbon economy. What about recycling workers, land management workers, home retrofitters, energy efficiency advisers? Let's invest in those as well as the offshore wind farms. The economic, social and environmental benefits are potentially huge.
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