“ARISE ye starvelings from your slumbers,Arise ye criminals of want,For Reason in revolt now thundersAnd at last ends the age of cant.”– The Internationale The problem is that Scotland is still in its slumbers. The diminution of debate to the primal level of Yes v No has a debilitating effect, but suits the protagonists on either side as it does not raise questions of power — … [Read more...] about Scotland’s Left must move beyond slogans
Scottish industry
Declutter the Scottish economy
When it first arrived in government, in 2007, the Scottish National Party claimed its central purpose was “to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth”. It set out Scotland’s Economic Strategy, covering context, priorities and implementation, in a single document, with admirable … [Read more...] about Declutter the Scottish economy
Caution: 5G ahead
Last week First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made a big, bold announcement on 5G, the next generation of mobile internet (fifth generation cellular network technology).She committed Scotland to becoming a ‘5G leader,’ claiming that the country would benefit enormously from the ‘vast potential growth’ that 5G could unlock. An accompanying Scottish Government document ‘Forging … [Read more...] about Caution: 5G ahead
What does the recent failure to improve Scotland’s productivity ranking tell us?
Essentially, productivity is the output produced by a single unit of labour. Given a fixed workforce, and adjusting for inflation, the economy grows by each worker (or working hour) producing more output, i.e. by productivity rising.This in turn allows for wages (and living standards) to rise, as each worker is producing more and so can be rewarded more.So how has … [Read more...] about What does the recent failure to improve Scotland’s productivity ranking tell us?
An end to austerity? UK and Scottish Budgets
When, in December 2016, Derek MacKay set out the 2017/18 Scottish Budget (the first of this parliamentary session), the Scottish Government’s block grant from Westminster was expected to fall by 2.6% in real terms over the period to 2019/20.But since then, the Prime Minister has promised an end to austerity. What might this look like and what might be the implications for … [Read more...] about An end to austerity? UK and Scottish Budgets