Analysis
What does ‘private investment’ in retrofit mean?
The First Minister has been “lobbying London firms” to invest in housing retrofit in Scotland. What does this mean?
Does Scotland jail too many people?
New statistics show that Scotland is in disturbing company in the list of European nations with the highest rates of imprisonment in Europe
How to save government in Scotland
Poor delivery by government in Scotland is reducing confidence in the public realm. How can that be turned around?
How bad is the Scottish Government’s climate readiness?
An influential new report shows that in getting ready for climate change, Scotland has many more low-quality plans than high-quality plans and much more low-progress delivery than high-progress delivery
Five things a serious economic strategy would do
The list of things the dreadful Scottish Government economic strategy didn’t do is long. Here are five of them.
Scotland’s economic strategy; both woeful and worrying
The Scottish Government’s ten-year economic strategy has been published. It is a remarkably poor-quality document largely devoid of content, and yet still threatens a significant further lurch to the right in Scottish policy.
Is Scotland taking a different approach to ‘living with Covid’?
The tone of the Covid announcements on either side of the border are markedly different – but on closer inspection there is not much that is different other than a three-week delay in implementation
Did the Scottish Government have no choice over free ports?
Is the investment promised in Scotland if it accepts free ports of a scale that makes the decision impossible? Almost certainly not.
What guarantee is there of ScotWind jobs?
There have been big claims about the jobs to result from the ScotWind sell-off but the reality of the proposed action to secure them tells a very different story
Scotland gives away its energy future
The ScotWind auction has just handed almost total control of Scotland’s energy future to overseas corporations for what looks like a pitifully small sum
Why the Council Tax is unusable
Claims that a substantial Council Tax rise are essential and too damaging to consider are both correct and will continue to be true until it is replaced
Is Scotland on the right climate change path?
The UK Climate Change Committee’s new report to the Scottish Parliament makes sobering reading for those who believe Scotland is a ‘climate leader’