UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair's Environment Speech 24-10-00
(posted 24-10-00)

Contrary to speculation in the press, the PM did not use his first speech on the environment since coming to power to bash environmental groups or indeed announce huge state subsidies for solar power. In fact he focused on a more subtle message: forming a partnership between the government, green groups, business and the consumer.

His only previous speech was made shortly before the last election in '97 after the Guardian ran a word search on all his public speeches and drew a blank on 'environment'.

But why did he choose now to return to the subject? A response to the fuel blockades? A premonition of a winter of extreme weather brought on by global warming? Or perhaps a sudden increase in interest registered among his infamous focus groups? We think none of these.

He seemed to be speaking about himself when he said, 'Where 15 years ago many thought that there would always be a trade off between progress and the environment, we can now see a way through'. The point is Tony has undergone a personal transition, from seeing the environmental movement as an anti-enterprise hair shirted army of complainers, to viewing it as a movement for creating win/win business opportunities. From flat tyre to turbo charger. He concluded, 'Let's sell the new insight, we can be richer by being greener; and by being greener we will enrich the quality of our lives'.

How he has, at this point, formed this view, we don't know. Perhaps he has heard Amory Lovins or Bill Ford or Ray Anderson setting out win/win business scenarios. Or perhaps the generally positive stance in the boardrooms of leading UK companies has gradually trickled through. However this conversion was achieved, it appears genuine to us. We look forward to seeing environmental issues at the top of the UK Government's agenda as he promised, and we would be pleased to see him represent Britain at the second Earth Summit.

Full text www.green-alliance.org.uk