Much of rural Scotland - the Highlands, the islands, the Borders - does not have access to the gas grid. Because of the way energy is priced in the UK, it is much more expensive to heat your home with electricity than gas. These areas have an elderly population, a great many of whom face a shivery winter. All the colder now, because of the Labour government’s withdrawal of the … [Read more...] about The excessive price of the energy Union
climate crisis
Just transition is correct response to Europe’s far right
‘Kiss goodbye to the European Green Deal,’ Simon Hix of the European University Institute glibly remarked as the results of the European elections rolled in. Voters had swung to the far right, with a backlash against ‘net zero’ European Union policies on greenhouse-gas emissions, as pundits far and wide had predicted. But had they? As backdrop, over the next five years and … [Read more...] about Just transition is correct response to Europe’s far right
Are there thousands of jobs at risk in North East Scotland?
The future of the oil and gas industry in the North Sea is a core issue in the Scottish campaign for the July 4 general election and featured heavily in the June 11 televised debate among five leaders that, typically, generated more heat than light. Here's a dispassionate view from one of our leading economists. Aberdeen and Grampian Chambers of Commerce (AGCC) has recently put … [Read more...] about Are there thousands of jobs at risk in North East Scotland?
Swinney must move beyond old orthodoxies
John Swinney, Scotland’s new first minister, faces no shortage of challenges. Lurking behind many of them lies a common cause: an economy that is not working. Data published this week shows that Scotland’s economy shrank by 0.3% in February, leaving the country on the brink of recession. Economic downturns rarely spell good news for voters or politicians. But if the new … [Read more...] about Swinney must move beyond old orthodoxies
What next for Yousaf and the SNP?
Another interesting week in Scottish politics as the SNP-Green alliance breaks up and no confidence votes loom for First Minister Humza Yousaf and his government. One positive result may be that lightly-informed English commentators stop referring to Scotland as “a one-party state” as they have done for the last three years and more. After all, it can’t be both an SNP hegemony … [Read more...] about What next for Yousaf and the SNP?