The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) put is it as well as anyone. “Today’s Budget locks in a high-tax, high-debt steady state in a world of low productivity growth and higher interest rates. Even the historically large tax share of GDP now planned is only just enough to stabilise – not reduce – a debt ratio stuck around 100 per cent of GDP for the … [Read more...] about UK Budget 2025? Get real. The world has changed
Scottish Government
Enough campaigning. Is the next Scottish government prepared to govern?
Fixing Broken Government, a latest report by Professor Jim Gallagher of Our Scottish Future will no doubt be dismissed by some as a partisan attack on the SNP Government. That would be a grave mistake. If the SNP hopes to govern Scotland after next May then this report will be essential reading. There are some senior SNP figures who will recognise the accuracy … [Read more...] about Enough campaigning. Is the next Scottish government prepared to govern?
Build, baby, build
Ross Greer MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, thinks I'm "super-rich" as the owner of a small (50m2) second home (lodge) overlooking Loch Earn. “All over Scotland people are being priced out of the communities they’ve grown up in, all while tens of thousands of homes sit empty for most of the year. They are being hoarded by a small number of wealthy people who clearly do … [Read more...] about Build, baby, build
Scottish education: genuine partnership or pre-election fix?
It is safe to predict that education will remain high on the political agenda in the run-up to the 2026 Holyrood elections. In recent years, many aspects of educational provision have attracted criticism and all parties will be anxious to claim that their policy proposals will lead to improvements. Among the topics that have featured in hostile press reports are these:the … [Read more...] about Scottish education: genuine partnership or pre-election fix?
Ferreting out radioactive leaks from Trident
Last month, Scotland’s crowd-funded investigative journalism outfit The Ferret, in partnership with The Guardian, published documents showing that radioactive water from the Royal Navy’s Coulport armaments depot leaked into Loch Long after ageing pipes burst and flooded areas where nuclear warheads are handled. Loch Long is a 20-mile-long seawater loch that flows into the Firth … [Read more...] about Ferreting out radioactive leaks from Trident