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.
Amazed this is the only non-specialist newspaper coverage for the ScotWind story this morning. It’s a significant development because:
(1.) It undermines the “sold off on the cheap” argument from SNP critics
(2.) But also exposes the SNP’s exaggerated rhetoric on renewables
(1.) It undermines the “sold off on the cheap” argument from SNP critics
(2.) But also exposes the SNP’s exaggerated rhetoric on renewables
🔴 Shell has given a 3GW floating wind lease back to Crown Estate Scotland after reportedly failing to sell it on to another renewables developer
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Shell hands back ScotWind lease risking £3bn of investment amid 'fierce headwinds'
Shell has given a 3GW floating wind lease back to Crown Estate Scotland after reportedly failing to sell it on to another renewables developer
www.scotsman.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Amazed this is the only non-specialist newspaper coverage for the ScotWind story this morning. It’s a significant development because:
(1.) It undermines the “sold off on the cheap” argument from SNP critics
(2.) But also exposes the SNP’s exaggerated rhetoric on renewables
(1.) It undermines the “sold off on the cheap” argument from SNP critics
(2.) But also exposes the SNP’s exaggerated rhetoric on renewables
1/ SNP position on tax claim becoming increasingly untenable. Scot Gov has no information to demonstrate the HMRC analysis (which shows claim is false) is wrong, and won’t say if it believes the claim turned out to be true or false in 2024-25. And yet Swinney keeps repeating it.
November 10, 2025 at 6:22 PM
1/ SNP position on tax claim becoming increasingly untenable. Scot Gov has no information to demonstrate the HMRC analysis (which shows claim is false) is wrong, and won’t say if it believes the claim turned out to be true or false in 2024-25. And yet Swinney keeps repeating it.
Reposted by Sam Taylor
🚨 For years I’ve been arguing the ScotWind auction was *not* a huge financial scandal and that leases were not sold “on the cheap”. Today, Shell vindicates that analysis by handing back a ScotWind lease agreement to Crown Estate Scotland - literally giving it away for nothing.
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
🚨 For years I’ve been arguing the ScotWind auction was *not* a huge financial scandal and that leases were not sold “on the cheap”. Today, Shell vindicates that analysis by handing back a ScotWind lease agreement to Crown Estate Scotland - literally giving it away for nothing.
🚨 For years I’ve been arguing the ScotWind auction was *not* a huge financial scandal and that leases were not sold “on the cheap”. Today, Shell vindicates that analysis by handing back a ScotWind lease agreement to Crown Estate Scotland - literally giving it away for nothing.
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
🚨 For years I’ve been arguing the ScotWind auction was *not* a huge financial scandal and that leases were not sold “on the cheap”. Today, Shell vindicates that analysis by handing back a ScotWind lease agreement to Crown Estate Scotland - literally giving it away for nothing.
Reposted by Sam Taylor
1/ An email obtained by @kathleennutt.bsky.social was presumably leaked by someone incensed by Angus Robertson’s performance before a Holyrood committee last week, in which he adamantly denied - 3 times - that he had ever been invited to attend a Historic Environment Scotland board meeting.
November 9, 2025 at 1:01 PM
1/ An email obtained by @kathleennutt.bsky.social was presumably leaked by someone incensed by Angus Robertson’s performance before a Holyrood committee last week, in which he adamantly denied - 3 times - that he had ever been invited to attend a Historic Environment Scotland board meeting.
1/ An email obtained by @kathleennutt.bsky.social was presumably leaked by someone incensed by Angus Robertson’s performance before a Holyrood committee last week, in which he adamantly denied - 3 times - that he had ever been invited to attend a Historic Environment Scotland board meeting.
November 9, 2025 at 1:01 PM
1/ An email obtained by @kathleennutt.bsky.social was presumably leaked by someone incensed by Angus Robertson’s performance before a Holyrood committee last week, in which he adamantly denied - 3 times - that he had ever been invited to attend a Historic Environment Scotland board meeting.
Neil Gray participated in just one meeting discussing GP walk-in centres, on a Sunday, the day before John Swinney announced the policy in his SNP conference speech. This is not how a serious government makes serious policy.
November 9, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Neil Gray participated in just one meeting discussing GP walk-in centres, on a Sunday, the day before John Swinney announced the policy in his SNP conference speech. This is not how a serious government makes serious policy.
Reposted by Sam Taylor
Richard Murphy gives the wrongest explanation of the fiscal framework you will ever hear, spiced up with deranged and defamatory accusations about the Fraser of Allander Institute. (Part 1/2)
November 8, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Richard Murphy gives the wrongest explanation of the fiscal framework you will ever hear, spiced up with deranged and defamatory accusations about the Fraser of Allander Institute. (Part 1/2)
Richard Murphy gives the wrongest explanation of the fiscal framework you will ever hear, spiced up with deranged and defamatory accusations about the Fraser of Allander Institute. (Part 1/2)
November 8, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Richard Murphy gives the wrongest explanation of the fiscal framework you will ever hear, spiced up with deranged and defamatory accusations about the Fraser of Allander Institute. (Part 1/2)
1/ Extraordinary. John Swinney appears genuinely unaware the SNP broke a 2021 manifesto commitment to freeze income tax rates. All the more remarkable as he was personally responsible for one of the increases, when he was acting Finance Secretary in 2022.
November 7, 2025 at 8:24 AM
1/ Extraordinary. John Swinney appears genuinely unaware the SNP broke a 2021 manifesto commitment to freeze income tax rates. All the more remarkable as he was personally responsible for one of the increases, when he was acting Finance Secretary in 2022.
John Swinney cheerleading for income tax rises before the general election. Remember this when the SNP complains about Rachel Reeves’ budget later this month.
November 7, 2025 at 7:42 AM
John Swinney cheerleading for income tax rises before the general election. Remember this when the SNP complains about Rachel Reeves’ budget later this month.
1/ Farcical. Scot Gov publishes an independence paper which says: “offshore and onshore wind farms can currently provide electricity at a lower cost than gas power plants”
So… I asked Scot Gov to identify those wind farms. Obviously it can’t, because the claim is not true.
So… I asked Scot Gov to identify those wind farms. Obviously it can’t, because the claim is not true.
November 7, 2025 at 7:13 AM
1/ Farcical. Scot Gov publishes an independence paper which says: “offshore and onshore wind farms can currently provide electricity at a lower cost than gas power plants”
So… I asked Scot Gov to identify those wind farms. Obviously it can’t, because the claim is not true.
So… I asked Scot Gov to identify those wind farms. Obviously it can’t, because the claim is not true.
🚨Very significant FOI. Highlighted text suggests Scot Gov edging towards admitting its flagship tax claim isn’t true. Sounds like SFC will converge with HMRC. Extremely disingenuous to say it was always about what was “expected” to happen, and not about what actually happened.
November 5, 2025 at 3:52 PM
🚨Very significant FOI. Highlighted text suggests Scot Gov edging towards admitting its flagship tax claim isn’t true. Sounds like SFC will converge with HMRC. Extremely disingenuous to say it was always about what was “expected” to happen, and not about what actually happened.
1/ 👀 Scot Gov has been quietly editing various pages on its website to change a claim that the majority of workers in Scotland pay less income tax than if they lived elsewhere in the UK to a different claim, which replaces the word “workers” with the word “taxpayers”.
November 4, 2025 at 7:25 PM
1/ 👀 Scot Gov has been quietly editing various pages on its website to change a claim that the majority of workers in Scotland pay less income tax than if they lived elsewhere in the UK to a different claim, which replaces the word “workers” with the word “taxpayers”.
Reposted by Sam Taylor
If John Swinney hasn’t had enough of experts, he should reflect on what Dieter Helm says here about the cost of offshore wind in Scotland. Swinney’s mantra about Scotland’s “low-cost” renewables is simply false. (Note: the wholesale price in electricity bills today is ~£83/MWh.)
November 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
If John Swinney hasn’t had enough of experts, he should reflect on what Dieter Helm says here about the cost of offshore wind in Scotland. Swinney’s mantra about Scotland’s “low-cost” renewables is simply false. (Note: the wholesale price in electricity bills today is ~£83/MWh.)
According to the SNP, independence would allow Scotland to emulate renewables leader Denmark, where residential electricity prices are… higher than in GB. Oh.
November 4, 2025 at 10:56 AM
According to the SNP, independence would allow Scotland to emulate renewables leader Denmark, where residential electricity prices are… higher than in GB. Oh.
If John Swinney hasn’t had enough of experts, he should reflect on what Dieter Helm says here about the cost of offshore wind in Scotland. Swinney’s mantra about Scotland’s “low-cost” renewables is simply false. (Note: the wholesale price in electricity bills today is ~£83/MWh.)
November 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
If John Swinney hasn’t had enough of experts, he should reflect on what Dieter Helm says here about the cost of offshore wind in Scotland. Swinney’s mantra about Scotland’s “low-cost” renewables is simply false. (Note: the wholesale price in electricity bills today is ~£83/MWh.)
Reposted by Sam Taylor
1/ Another appalling front page from the Herald. Scotland is ~64% of *onshore* wind generation today, and that won’t change much by 2030. But offshore > onshore. England & Wales expected to generate ~77% of offshore wind power in 2030, and the clear majority of wind power in total.
November 2, 2025 at 11:06 AM
1/ Another appalling front page from the Herald. Scotland is ~64% of *onshore* wind generation today, and that won’t change much by 2030. But offshore > onshore. England & Wales expected to generate ~77% of offshore wind power in 2030, and the clear majority of wind power in total.
1/ Another appalling front page from the Herald. Scotland is ~64% of *onshore* wind generation today, and that won’t change much by 2030. But offshore > onshore. England & Wales expected to generate ~77% of offshore wind power in 2030, and the clear majority of wind power in total.
November 2, 2025 at 11:06 AM
1/ Another appalling front page from the Herald. Scotland is ~64% of *onshore* wind generation today, and that won’t change much by 2030. But offshore > onshore. England & Wales expected to generate ~77% of offshore wind power in 2030, and the clear majority of wind power in total.
Reposted by Sam Taylor
some journalists’ thirst for grievance is insatiable, this is egregiously bad reporting:
the UK obviously can’t benefit from electricity which *isn’t generated* and Scotland doesn’t “bear the brunt” of these constraint PAYMENTS, it *benefits* from them (ffs)
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2558775...
the UK obviously can’t benefit from electricity which *isn’t generated* and Scotland doesn’t “bear the brunt” of these constraint PAYMENTS, it *benefits* from them (ffs)
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2558775...
November 1, 2025 at 11:21 AM
some journalists’ thirst for grievance is insatiable, this is egregiously bad reporting:
the UK obviously can’t benefit from electricity which *isn’t generated* and Scotland doesn’t “bear the brunt” of these constraint PAYMENTS, it *benefits* from them (ffs)
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2558775...
the UK obviously can’t benefit from electricity which *isn’t generated* and Scotland doesn’t “bear the brunt” of these constraint PAYMENTS, it *benefits* from them (ffs)
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2558775...
1/ Revealing coda to story below. At the end of the clip, Shona Robison sheepishly says: “I hadn’t realised. Progress has been made beyond what I had understood.”
But she had written to the committee, setting out the details of that progress, just a couple of months previously.
But she had written to the committee, setting out the details of that progress, just a couple of months previously.
October 31, 2025 at 11:53 AM
1/ Revealing coda to story below. At the end of the clip, Shona Robison sheepishly says: “I hadn’t realised. Progress has been made beyond what I had understood.”
But she had written to the committee, setting out the details of that progress, just a couple of months previously.
But she had written to the committee, setting out the details of that progress, just a couple of months previously.
What the Auditor General doesn’t say, but everyone knows, is that the person who is nominally in charge of preparing these detailed plans is not up to the job.
October 31, 2025 at 9:41 AM
What the Auditor General doesn’t say, but everyone knows, is that the person who is nominally in charge of preparing these detailed plans is not up to the job.
“Don’t mention the currency” going well on @scotnational.bsky.social letters page.
October 30, 2025 at 8:18 AM
“Don’t mention the currency” going well on @scotnational.bsky.social letters page.
Who says I only ever criticise the Scottish Government? The ScotWind auction really wasn’t a huge public finance scandal.
October 29, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Who says I only ever criticise the Scottish Government? The ScotWind auction really wasn’t a huge public finance scandal.
Kate Forbes’ remarks do indeed suggest exactly this.
October 29, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Kate Forbes’ remarks do indeed suggest exactly this.