Economy
Mayism and the economics of nationalism
“It won’t work. May’s project will flounder. It cannot deliver the communitarian goals it strives for, and will damage Britain’s competitive position.” But: “In Scotland, things will keep going catastrophically nowhere.”
No evidence for good policy-making by soundbite
‘Instead of policy issues we were presented with one of two questions. Either “the minister wants to do this, can you provide evidence to show it is a good thing?” Or “the minister wants to…
Seeing through Sturgeon’s economic spin
‘The entire ‘analysis’ is a dire, desperate attempt to provide a Very Big Number with which to counter the Very Big Number that is published in today’s GERS figures. Sadly for Ms Sturgeon though, in…
Indy Scotland can’t bet on low bond yields
“Caution might suggest this would be a risky strategy given that we have no idea how long these ‘abnormal’ conditions will persist. Some supporters of independence will no doubt believe that it is a risk…
Carney acts, Chancellor delays a vital stimulus
The Bank of England has cut rates to an historic low but: “The experience of other central banks has been similar. They have slashed rates and pumped huge sums into their economies with only modest…
Scotland’s fiscal hole could deepen post-Brexit
If the UK economy worsens post-Brexit, Scotland’s budget will be affected. Already, the Chancellor’s decision to abandon his fiscal targets and borrow has knock-on effects we’ll find out about in the autumn. Scotland’s fiscal framework…
Brexit odds: #indyref1 precedent poor
The 2014 independence referendum in Scotland proves a useful guide to how the bookies’ odds on #Brexit have changed – and may go on changing. Remain and Leave may be neck-and-neck in the polls but…
The decline of Scottish media and political scrutiny
The news is of newspapers falling off that ‘print cliff wall’ – certainly in Scotland. But ‘real’ journalism – perceptive and objective as well as investigative – is required as never before to subject politics…
Commoditising student life
Is this the shape of higher education to come? In Scotland we worry about widening access; in London about being able to afford it all. The sheer cost of student living must act as a…
Scotland’s economy in the EU
Scottish voters will supposedly deliver a resounding vote for Remain in the June 23 referendum on UK membership of the EU. Yet, a leading economist reveals, the country’s economy is not as positively integrated in…
Scottish cabinet members: experience required
“There are big problems facing the new Scottish Government and some of them will come to a head very quickly.” Farm payments, education, the economy, jobs, tax – our economics guru examines them all.
Shoulder to shoulder 90 [make that 100] years on
Almost unnoticed in the hubbub of #Holyrood2016 this week saw the 90th anniversary of the General Strike. Here the author reflects on the power of printed news – then! – and on solidarity.