Reform loses an MSP and X loses the SNP – Politics Show

Interesting that it's just, I mean, as soon as it was done yesterday, attention turned to Rosebank.

I think the mood music on Rosebank that was expressed yesterday is pretty similar to what I've heard over the last few months, which is that I get a feeling, and I have done for several months, that they are lining up to say yes to Jackdaw and no to Rosebank.

I think it's largely a political move because I think the government looks like they want to give a win to both sides, basically, and, you know, say to industry, look, we've given you Jackdaw.

But say to environmental campaigners, look, we've given you Rosebank.

And that kind of, you know, if you look inside the cabinet, that's sort of what they're saying to the cabinet as well.

So the mood music to me looks like they are heading down a track of saying no to Rosebank.

That's a victory of politics over economics, I have to say.

But that was obviously discussed in more detail yesterday.

Yeah, we are in that realm at the moment of trying to read the language.

I have to say, when I was with the Energy Secretary yesterday, Miata Fanbula, when she was making this announcement and doing her BBC interviews, she definitely had her rationale for this decision on Jack Down very clear.

And ultimately, the choice I had to make was in a world where we need gas as we make that transition, do we have homegrown gas, which is what Jackdaw provides for us, that I can then put conditions in terms of the emissions that are generated by this project, or do we import it from abroad? And my set view was the common sense response to that was to make sure that we have homegrown gas.

On Rosebank, let's not over-interpret our language, because let's be clear, we do not know, but I was tuned in to her being very clear that these are different decisions, as she put it, very different projects, decisions that would remain separate.

If they are heading towards an approval of Rosebank... then they have rolled the pitch in an entirely opposite direction.

So it would be quite a strange briefing if that was the case.

I mean, we pretty much know that Ed Miliband was OK with Jack Dahl, but is not OK with Rosebank.

Who's very close to me at a fundamental level,

historically.

Absolutely, yeah, indeed.

And we are therefore led to presume and to infer that she thinks the same way.

So the pitch is being very clearly rolled in that direction.

I think what you'll see over the next few weeks, though, is much more of an exposition of what the consequences are of saying no to Rosebank.

which are quite extensive for the government financially, even if not for industry, the consequences are quite marked.

So I think you'll start to see that coming out.

And they may change the way that they are rolling the pitch, as they say.