Coronavirus is revealing essential weaknesses in the UK’s food supply chain. Tim Lang urges action to ensure there is enough food to go round, during the crisis. And after.
Coronavirus Bill and beyond
‘At the end of the day people will want to be assured that: (a) the powers granted under the Coronavirus Act have been and are being properly and proportionately used; (b) any proposal to extend a power beyond its natural life has a proper rationale..’
Coronavirus and the Scottish economy: update
‘The scale of the shutdown in our economy is so large it will take months, if not years, to recover, Key now will be ensuring that long-term scarring effects of any recession can be mitigated as much as possible” An update…
Get real, get virtual – keep music live in a world of crisis
Because music doesn’t just make the world a better place during the good times, it can make the world a place worth living in during times of crisis.
Scottish council cuts: enough is enough
‘Without real and substantive change in council funding, both fiscal and legislative, then the only budget option for councils will be more cuts, fewer services, fewer workers.’
Bridge over deep, dark water? Five reasons not to build it
The money could be better spent – in good sardonic style, Fraser of Allender lists the reasons for not wasting time on ‘a cracking idea’.
Floating on airbeds
‘It wasn’t only the US investment houses which were scenting opportunity. Indeed, it was a subsidiary of veteran (1908) Edinburgh-based asset management specialist Baillie Gifford, which became really excited.’ Pt 2 of David Black’s examination looks at Airbnb’s history and upcoming IPO…
Airbnb blitz is blighting cities
‘Nor is it all bad, by any means. Just as there were ‘good banks’ and ‘bad banks’ after the 2008 economic crash, so there is a ‘good’ Airbnb and a ‘bad’ Airbnb.’ But the bad outweighs the good, says the author
The need for cultural change
‘The economic statistics published by the SG tend to pick out relevant data from UK-wide surveys and administrative data. This approach needs to change if Scotland is to generate a more reliable, relevant and holistic evidence base of its performance from which to base its future economic vision and objectives.’
Statistical test of independence
‘Without fundamental change in the way we produce data in Scotland, we may find ourselves reheating old data to try to answer new policy questions’: the case for an independent Scottish Statistics Agency (Pt 1)