Humza Yousaf’s first programme for Government kicks several big fiscal and other policy issues into the long grass.So, do we have to wait till the Scottsh Budget likely on December 14?
Policy
Learning from Scotland: what a Labour government would mean for the right to roam
Scottish rights of access are based on a small number of exceptions which tell people where they cannot go, such as private gardens or crop fields, rather than the English and Welsh model which allows access on specified types of land only. This simplifies access rights and removes the need for complex signage and maps full of dead ends and no-go areas.
Europe must unite to stop deep-sea resource grab
“There is no legal or moral ground for allowing a few multinational corporations to profit from the vast array of minerals under the sea. European countries must give this issue much higher priority.”
Energy market reforms must embrace a social tariff
“The cap needs a complete overhaul and Britain ultimately needs to reset how initial consumer prices are determined, so that energy prices better reflect the falling cost of renewable energy. We’ve gone as far as we can with tweaking – something more radical and fully thought out is required to ensure affordable and clean energy for all.”
Climate change at the Edinburgh festivals
“Governments working together to regulate the production of greenhouse gases is our planet’s best, perhaps only, only hope. To get there, we need these issues to be in the spotlight. More power to your elbow, Greta.”
GERS 2023: uptick in oil revenues narrows the budget deficit
“And here the challenge is stark, with a likely deficit far in excess of the UK as a whole, other comparable countries or that which is deemed to be sustainable in the long-term. It is not enough to say ‘everything will be fine’ or ‘look at this country, they can run a sensible fiscal balance so why can’t Scotland?’. Concrete proposals and ideas are needed.”
Zombie Scotland must wake up to its future
“…suggestions of a return to ‘a government of all the talents’ with bells on and other ideas should form part of an honest Scottish/British conversation about the years ahead – and the best policies and institutions for achieving that rejuvenation and reinvention. One shorn of nostalgia and delusions….”
Let’s make interest rates zero – permanently
“The idea of permanent zero rates is far outside the mainstream of economic thinking. But perhaps (Joan) Robinson was right to suggest it as a viable compromise between capitalism and more radical alternatives: rewarding entrepreneurship without compounding inequality or incentivising the unsustainable use of resources. At a time like this, it’s an old idea well worth considering.”
Treasury gives Holyrood more fiscal leeway
The Fiscal Framework behind the Scottish Budget has finally been updated, giving the Scottish Government greater leeway when it comes to tax and spend poli
Ukraine’s recovery will ‘take a village’ of international actors
“Ukraine is now making unimaginable human and economic sacrifices in its commitment to Europe. Helping the country fully to recover and become an EU member state will serve as a geo-strategic investment in the sustainable security and economic performance of the continent.”