Sam Taylor
@staylorish.bsky.social
Runs @theseislands.bsky.social. “cannot stand the awesome reality of Scotland’s energy wealth” - Alex Salmond. Posting in a personal capacity.
True. Sloppy wording on my part. The lease vs lease option distinction wouldn’t matter much if the options had a high probability of converting into leases, but for ScotWind they don’t - the “raffle ticket” point I was making here:
Who says I only ever criticise the Scottish Government? The ScotWind auction really wasn’t a huge public finance scandal.
November 22, 2025 at 11:43 AM
True. Sloppy wording on my part. The lease vs lease option distinction wouldn’t matter much if the options had a high probability of converting into leases, but for ScotWind they don’t - the “raffle ticket” point I was making here:
Full article by @jburnmurdoch.ft.com here:
Britain’s tax system combines the worst of the US and Scandinavia
The UK’s experiment in eating the rich while shrinking the state has left everyone worse off
www.ft.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Full article by @jburnmurdoch.ft.com here:
3/ The full FOI response is here:
Delivery of 19 climate action policies: EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
www.gov.scot
November 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
3/ The full FOI response is here:
2/ The Mossmorran just transition plan was said to be “in progress” in February 2025 (as were many of the other policies). Given that neither Kate Forbes nor John Swinney seem to know anything about the plan, it looks very much like “in progress” should have read “no progress”.
November 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
2/ The Mossmorran just transition plan was said to be “in progress” in February 2025 (as were many of the other policies). Given that neither Kate Forbes nor John Swinney seem to know anything about the plan, it looks very much like “in progress” should have read “no progress”.
The Scottish Government loves a good announcement, but has barely any interest in what comes next: actually doing stuff.
November 19, 2025 at 9:23 AM
The Scottish Government loves a good announcement, but has barely any interest in what comes next: actually doing stuff.
3/ This is the final paragraph of the conclusion section. 🤯
November 13, 2025 at 7:10 PM
3/ This is the final paragraph of the conclusion section. 🤯
2/ “Let’s issue some bonds to help us become less profligate with our spending.”
A remarkable pitch. And not the one which is being spun publicly.
You have to read the documentation, which can be found here:
A remarkable pitch. And not the one which is being spun publicly.
You have to read the documentation, which can be found here:
Scottish Government Bonds Programme: Summary Outline Business Case
This is a summary of the Outline Business Case developed by the Scottish Government to assess the case for issuing Scottish Government bonds.
www.gov.scot
November 13, 2025 at 6:55 PM
2/ “Let’s issue some bonds to help us become less profligate with our spending.”
A remarkable pitch. And not the one which is being spun publicly.
You have to read the documentation, which can be found here:
A remarkable pitch. And not the one which is being spun publicly.
You have to read the documentation, which can be found here:
This is what the Scottish Fiscal Commission actually said:
November 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM
This is what the Scottish Fiscal Commission actually said:
10/ And this is explains why bringing pension contributions into the argument is a sleight of hand from the Scottish Government:
When Scot Gov whacked up taxes for higher earners, many will have responded by upping pension contributions to shelter some income from the higher taxes. This new “net” argument effectively says that if you sheltered from the whack, the whack never happened. Which is ridiculous.
November 12, 2025 at 8:45 AM
10/ And this is explains why bringing pension contributions into the argument is a sleight of hand from the Scottish Government:
3/ It won’t happen again, says Angus Robertson. Well that’s okay then. Nothing to see here. Because nothing is Angus Robertson’s responsibility.
November 12, 2025 at 8:32 AM
3/ It won’t happen again, says Angus Robertson. Well that’s okay then. Nothing to see here. Because nothing is Angus Robertson’s responsibility.
2/ And despite telling parliament last week that he had never been invited to a board meeting, it now emerges Angus Robertson had in fact been invited on three separate occasions.
November 12, 2025 at 8:32 AM
2/ And despite telling parliament last week that he had never been invited to a board meeting, it now emerges Angus Robertson had in fact been invited on three separate occasions.