Labour and Conservatives set to abandon green policies

Politics Home has an interesting survey of political opinion formers today. They were asked their views on how seriously Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats will take environmental policies in the future.

Andrew Rawnsley’s write-up says:

The PHI100 reckon that most of the politicians will follow the voters and downplay the environment. Saving the planet will come second to saving their skins and seats.

‘The greed of the electorate and the fear of the parties will drive it off the agenda,’ one panellist remarks.

Another says: ‘Everybody will be running away from it, at least in terms of green taxes.’

Only a tiny proportion of the panel (two per cent) believe Labour will be the party most focussed on the environment at the next election. More of the panel, but still not that many (thirteen per cent) reckon that the Conservatives will be most driven by the green agenda.

The overwhelming view of the panel is that green issues will go back to being the passionate concern only of the Liberal Democrats among the main parties. A big majority of the panel (seventy three per cent) say the Lib Dems will be the party most concerned with a green agenda at the next election.