NUCLEAR POWER LOBBY CAN’T FOOL SCOTLAND.

NUCLEAR POWER LOBBY CAN’T FOOL SCOTLAND.

MURPHY JOINING NUCLEAR POWER MARKETING MEN.

Shirley-Anne Somerville today accused the nuclear lobby of trying to con the Scottish people ahead of a nuclear industry conference, featuring Jim Murphy, on how to sell nuclear energy to the Scottish public.

Ms Somerville also called for Scottish Labour MSPs to stand up to Mr Murphy and Labour MPs efforts to bully them into supporting nuclear energy.

The PIME 2009 conference is focussed on how to convince the public that nuclear technology is safe – it includes sessions such as “increasing public acceptance” , “making the nuclear case – what advertising can teach us” and a session on how to convince voters on nuclear energy.

In their own opinion poll it shows that a majority of Scots remain unconvinced over nuclear power.

SNP MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville said;

“Edinburgh is an excellent location for international conferences but I find it odd that a conference on how to sell the nuclear idea to the public is meeting in a country with a long standing opposition to nuclear power stations.

“Unfortunately the Scottish people are smarter than that and the Scottish Secretary should have thought long and hard before becoming a tool of the nuclear marketing men.

"While Murphy is preaching nuclear policy Scotland's renewables industry will be getting a new boost as we move forward with offshore renewable energy.

"Labour and the nuclear lobby must learn to stop coming to Scotland and preaching policies that neither the Scottish Parliament nor the Scottish public want.

"The nuclear industry is clearly concerned that with recent research from Greenpeace showing nuclear waste from new nuclear plants is seven times more dangerous than we were first told the public are seeing through the nuclear lobby’s hype.

“It is well known the public have higher trust in Greenpeace than in nuclear energy companies and in the Scottish Government and SNP than in Labour’s nuclear spinners.

“With Labour MPs urging the Calman Commission to take planning powers over nuclear energy back to London Labour’s position will be completely unacceptable to the majority of the Scottish people. It's time those Labour MSPs with a no-nuclear track record stand up for their principles and face down Mr Murphy and his nuclear marketing men.”