We finally have some sort of insight into how Northern Ireland is going to be governed for the current sitting of the Assembly and formation of the Executive.
And there are some positives in the draft Programme for Government. There’s a commitment to ending violence against women and girls, creating more homes (we are currently facing a six-decade low in completions here), delivering better healthcare, cutting waiting times, and the transformation of public services.
That all sounds like the sort of things we’re in favour of, but it all takes money and the cross-party will to make it happen. Traditionally, these programmes are a generalised wish list of areas we want to improve on. We’ll know in the weeks and months ahead following consultation as to whether, or to what degree, these bullet points are achievable.
Of course, creating a globally competitive and sustainable economy also remains a top priority. However, and I’ve said it before, our politicians are acutely aware and aren’t airing their concerns, or, and more worryingly, they have no realistic consideration for the challenges which lie ahead, in particular, to our net zero commitments and the rapid proliferation of green energy production.
During a previous energy strategy for 2020, everyone patted themselves on the back in cracking the 40% renewables mark. We’ve fallen far away from that level, in terms of the speed of progress.
In a little over five years, that number has to hit 80%. But our power needs could be two to three times that of 2020, as we move towards the electrification of homes, businesses and our vehicles.
We need around 50 major schemes, shovel-ready, by 2026. If that doesn’t happen, then it seems like total fantasy. We need to expedite these developments, today.