“This year’s PfG would have proven to be far too modest even if we were not in the midst of an economic crisis and a global pandemic. In the context of them, the goals being set by the Scottish Government are not doing enough to meet these challenges”
Green New Deal
“Generally, if you wish to be progressive, then you don’t give all your tight public finances to corporations. The words ‘public’ and ‘ownership’ do not appear in the same sentence in this report. There is little which will be substantially different from what I expect from the UK Government in the same poicy fields – and that is a worry.”
Programme for Government: who benefits as the government runs out of steam?
Amid the GERS hullabaloo yesterday (a good analysis of that is on Sourcehere), there was some other interesting things going on that deserve a bit more attention. First, the STUC, Scotland’s leading trade union body, have written to Alok Sharma MP and Paul Wheelhouse MSP, UK and Scottish Energy Ministers respectively, calling for an urgent bilateral […]
Why is Scotland’s green energy manufacturing industry in crisis, in a climate emergency?
Vinnie Collins looks at the example of Green Jobs Oshawa in Canada, where a coalition is looking to repurpose a closed General Motors plant into a Green New Deal manufacturing hub, and finds there may be lessons to learn for the case of Alexander Dennis in Falkirk. Scotland and Canada have a lot in common. […]
Vinnie Collins: From Canada to Scotland, we need to bring the fight for decent jobs and climate justice together
The case of Alexander Dennis, the bus builder based in Falkirk now expected to axe 650 jobs, highlights the need for government to think big about how it tackles this economic crisis. Alexander Dennis is the leading bus manufacturer in the UK, and a world leader in double-decker bus manufacturing. It has developed the ability […]
Scotland needs the skills at Alexander Dennis, one way or another
On Monday the Scottish Government proposed that the UK needs £80 billion of investment for a Coronavirus recovery plan – equating to 4% of the UK’s GDP. Instead, Boris Johnson has revealed his ‘New Deal’ for £5 billion of investment – 0.2% of the UK’s GDP – in a speech full of rhetoric.
Boris Johnson’s Underwhelming Recovery Plan
“You can tell a Green Deal in a second. It involves setting targets, declaring ‘climate emergencies’ and making theatrical speeches about how much you love trees. But there is no identifiable action and when asked what is actually being done there is a lot of talk of ‘investment opportunities’. That just means yet more wealth-stripping.”
Robin McAlpine: ‘Green New Deal’ and ‘Green Deal’ are opposites – Scotland has to choose
“I am sick to the back teeth of independence, a cause very dear to my heart, being kicked around the gutter in a game of image management.”
Robin McAlpine: The impact of the virus on the independence movement
“This crisis is being borne by the people of Scotland and it is the people of Scotland who should have the say on what happens next.”
Robin McAlpine: The kind of political leadership we need – and are not getting
“Times are interesting enough without fettering our country with rules that no longer make sense, never did, and will ultimately leave us vulnerable to another round of crises as the economic cycle returns to ‘normal’.”