Last week in parliament saw me raise the issue of public ownership of offshore wind. As the pillars and turbines become more visible in the Forth and along the length of the east coast, who’s benefitting?

Of course, the skills of private firms and multinationals are welcome and required. But there should also be an opportunity for a public stake in it and a public energy company to operate there. Denmark has taken a 20 per cent stake in every offshore field. It has neither stopped big multinationals operating nor seen them flee.

Moreover, research from the House of Commons library shows that the largest shares of UK offshore wind are owned by Danish state company Ørsted, with 20.4 per cent, and Norwegian state operator Equinor, with 9.2 per cent. Meanwhile, UK public entities own 0.03 per cent.

In Scottish waters, six state operators are engaged but none reporting to either Edinburgh or London. Instead, from Communist China through the UAE, Norway, Ireland and France to the conservative government in Sweden, we’ve state companies from other lands.

It’s not just the loss of wealth and profits. State-owned energy provides energy security, access to affordable power, a just transition from fossil fuels, and investment in new technologies. It should be done here, so that we benefit from the turbines, not just watch them turn and struggle to afford the energy they produce.

I also raised the issue of Julian Assange, whom the USA is seeking to extradite for his exposure of its war crimes through his site, Wikileaks. His only offence in the UK has been a minor breach of bail, something which usually only merits a very minor sentence. Yet he’s been held in Belmarsh maximum security facility since April 2019. He’s also not been allowed to attend a court hearing since January 2021. That is cruel and unusual punishment.

The UK was complicit in the Iraq war and the horror it unleashed, and now it’s facilitating this persecution.