The UK’s Fish Fund - Another Slap in the Face to Scottish Industry
When we were in the EU, Scotland got almost half of the UK’s fishing funding. The UK’s replacement fund is slashing that amount. Instead, it gives Scotland a population share - less than 8%.
Shipbuilding shows why Scotland has reached the limits of devolution
The skill and commitment of Scotland’s shipbuilding workforce can compete with the best in the world. But for half a century the industry has been let down by the UK - it doesn't play on a level playing field.
A BAE Systems £10 billion deal with Norway to supply five Type 26 frigates of a design commissioned by the Royal Navy is a big win for the Clyde. But at the same time, Scotland’s shipyards stand to lose out on billions of civil contracts because of a Westminster finance model rigged against them.
Westminster knocks out Scotland’s rocket launch
Scotland’s chance to lead Europe in small-satellite launch is under threat. The Scottish Affairs Committee couldn’t have put it plainer this week: our “first-mover advantage” is being knocked back by a UK Government that won’t match the sector’s pace with sustained, strategic backing.
Independence is Good for Business: Talent and Migration
Why Scotland needs to control its own talent strategy
Scotland cannot afford immigration rules made for someone else’s economy. Our current migration system is designed in Westminster, for the politics of England - and without consultation with Scotland’s Government or its people.
Independence is Good for Business: Infrastructure and investment
Infrastructure & Investment: Building for Business Needs
When it comes to investment in Scotland’s future, Westminster consistently shows where its priorities really lie - England.
Take Grangemouth. Scotland’s last oil refinery closed this spring, with over 400 jobs lost and an entire industrial ecosystem thrown into uncertainty. Yet, only weeks later, the Labour government stepped in to nationalise a steelworks in Yorkshire, guaranteeing wages and covering costs until a buyer is found. Scottish taxpayers will contribute over £100 million annually to that rescue, on top of similar subsidies for an English refinery, while Scotland is left without any refinery capacity at all.
Independence is good for Business: International Trade
As an unequal partner in the United Kingdom, Scotland has no say over trade. Westminster sets trade policy and it does that in line with the needs of London and the south of England and with what the English people vote for.
This is detrimental to Scotland's economy, for Scottish business and for Scotland’s people. An independent country would be able to build on Scotland’s great resources and business culture to build prosperity and the wellbeing economy.
Independence is Good for Business - Energy
Last year, Scotland produced more renewable energy than the entire amount of electricity that the country used. Yet Scottish businesses and households are being charged extortionate energy bills.
This isn’t just an issue for individuals. High energy costs are a major burden on businesses across Scotland, from farms and food producers to manufacturers and tech firms. When energy bills are unpredictable or unaffordable, businesses lose their competitive edge, investment stalls, and jobs are put at risk.
Independence is Good for Business: Economic Policy
Scotland operates within a UK economic framework where the key levers of growth are firmly held in London. Monetary policy, borrowing powers, VAT, corporation tax, and industrial strategy are all reserved to Westminster. Scotland doesn’t have a central bank so interest rates are set in London too.
That means Scottish businesses operate under economic conditions not shaped in line with Scotland’s needs, but in response to what works for London and the South East, both politically and economically.
UK U-turn means Scots must continue to subsidise London’s energy
Scots are being swindled by UK energy policy. A fairer system that would have made electricity cheaper in Scotland - zonal pricing - could have fixed that. And it could have boosted Scotland’s economy - where businesses are constrained by having to pay the highest energy bills in the world. But the UK government has just ruled it out.
The UK energy secretary Ed Milliband eventually decided it was too politically difficult to make energy cheaper in Scotland, where more than a quarter of all the UK’s renewable energy is produced, than in London and the south of England.
Scotland is an Economic Powerhouse 3 - Innovation
In the past, Unionist parties and their media mouthpieces have managed to convince many Scots that Scotland was too wee and too poor to be a successful independent country such as Norway, Denmark, Ireland etc. But Scots are beginning to see through the propaganda and realise that The Union is holding Scotland’s growth and wellbeing back.