10 Reasons why Scotland Needs its own Immigration Visa
Scotland doesn’t control its own immigration. It has to live by the UK’s visa regulations which do not match the immigration/workforce needs of Scotland’s economy or its communities. Scotland’s inability to bring in workers with the skills the country needs is holding back the growth of our economy and adds to the problems facing the Highlands and Islands.
Huge opportunity for Grangemouth - an independent Scotland could grasp it.
Scotland is on the brink of discovering if a just transition away from fossil fuels will be a reality or just a slogan. There is a plan for Grangemouth, Scotland’s only oil refinery, to become a world-leading hub for sustainable aviation fuels.
Three questions answered about what the UK government's new nuclear energy investment means for Scotland
The UK government has found more money for development costs for a nuclear power plant. Ironically, after claiming the cupboard was bare and they had to withdraw winter fuel allowance from pensioners who were expecting the money to help them get through this winter, they have decided to invest much more in nuclear power - which will increase the cost of energy bills not decrease them.
Here are three questions answered
Dither and delay over election promise to Scotland
One of the biggest pre-election promises of the new UK government was a new publicly-owned energy company to be based in Scotland. The first 100 days of the administration was billed as a time of pace-setting change. And yet 70 days in, even the location of the new headquarters is in dispute.
How Scotland could have “the cheapest electricity in Europe”
Power companies are regularly paid millions of pounds to turn off wind turbines in Scotland - while at the same time the UK electricity systems operator spends more millions on importing far more expensive electricity from the national power companies of France and Norway. That waste makes bills for Scottish businesses far higher than they need to be - but without independence, we have to wait for the UK to update the system.
Will GB Energy live up to the Labour Government's promises? 5 Questions Answered
The Labour Government made a big deal of its pitch to create a new energy company based in Scotland called GB Energy.
Hydrogen backbone worth £26 billion a year to the Scottish economy
A ‘hydrogen backbone’ - a pipeline for Scotland to export green hydrogen straight to Germany could be worth billions to the Scottish economy and help boost Europe’s move to net zero.
A forthcoming report by the Net Zero Technology Centre, an industry-funded think tank based in Aberdeen, calculates that the hydrogen export market could be worth £26 billion a year to Scotland.
Scotland is ‘the loser’ from UK Government’s raid on oil and gas
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the oil and gas industry were the losers from the last budget. But he didn’t go far enough – he should have admitted that Scotland is the loser. Scotland’s economic future is at stake. Failing to manage the transition from oil and gas to renewables effectively would mean a massive loss of jobs and prosperity.
A Business for Scotland proposal to ring fence oil taxes for investment is now SNP policy
Many Scots are angry that the profits from the exploitation of Scotland’s oil for the last 50 years have gone south. There is little to show for the oil boom in Aberdeen and other areas where they were extracted.
Scottish business growth outpaces the UK in three key metrics
Scottish businesses are outperforming the UK average in terms of three key metrics, according to a recent report by respected accounting group ICAEW.