These Islands
@theseislands.bsky.social
These Islands is a forum for debate standing unabashedly for the view that more unites the people of the United Kingdom than divides them.
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1/ Màiri McAllan’s just transition plan for Mossmorran was one of 19 policies announced in April 2024. Scot Gov had just axed its interim emissions reduction target and the 19 policies were meant to show it was still serious about net zero. Earlier this year I submitted this FOI:
November 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
1/ Màiri McAllan’s just transition plan for Mossmorran was one of 19 policies announced in April 2024. Scot Gov had just axed its interim emissions reduction target and the 19 policies were meant to show it was still serious about net zero. Earlier this year I submitted this FOI:
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Asked what happened with respect to the notorious taxpayers claim *specifically in 2023-24*, Shona Robison pulls another fast one by talking about forecasts for entirely different years, and by moving the goalposts with pension contributions (the original claim was pre-pensions).
November 19, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Asked what happened with respect to the notorious taxpayers claim *specifically in 2023-24*, Shona Robison pulls another fast one by talking about forecasts for entirely different years, and by moving the goalposts with pension contributions (the original claim was pre-pensions).
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Màiri McAllan (then Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero & Energy) announced in April 2024 that a just transition plan for Mossmorran would be developed.
Kate Forbes yesterday told parliament she would need to “double check” what has happened to that plan.
Kate Forbes yesterday told parliament she would need to “double check” what has happened to that plan.
November 19, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Màiri McAllan (then Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero & Energy) announced in April 2024 that a just transition plan for Mossmorran would be developed.
Kate Forbes yesterday told parliament she would need to “double check” what has happened to that plan.
Kate Forbes yesterday told parliament she would need to “double check” what has happened to that plan.
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1/ 👀 Scot Gov’s “Summary Outline Business Case” for the bond programme identifies one of the key benefits of issuing bonds as “promoting greater fiscal discipline”.
It even characterises this as an offsetting benefit against the possibility of paying higher interest rates.
It even characterises this as an offsetting benefit against the possibility of paying higher interest rates.
November 13, 2025 at 6:55 PM
1/ 👀 Scot Gov’s “Summary Outline Business Case” for the bond programme identifies one of the key benefits of issuing bonds as “promoting greater fiscal discipline”.
It even characterises this as an offsetting benefit against the possibility of paying higher interest rates.
It even characterises this as an offsetting benefit against the possibility of paying higher interest rates.
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Can Angus Robertson defend Scot Gov’s latest independence paper with anything other than facile “look at other small independent nations” stuff? No. Of course he cannot.
November 12, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Can Angus Robertson defend Scot Gov’s latest independence paper with anything other than facile “look at other small independent nations” stuff? No. Of course he cannot.
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1/🚨The last remaining leg on which Scot Gov was standing has today been cut away by the Scottish Fiscal Commission. An SFC factsheet updates its forecasts, on which basis a majority of Scottish taxpayers paid more tax than they would elsewhere in the UK in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
November 11, 2025 at 8:40 PM
1/🚨The last remaining leg on which Scot Gov was standing has today been cut away by the Scottish Fiscal Commission. An SFC factsheet updates its forecasts, on which basis a majority of Scottish taxpayers paid more tax than they would elsewhere in the UK in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
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🚨 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.
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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.
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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)
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🚨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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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...
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“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.
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John Swinney gives a very limp response to the Times story on Kate Forbes telling SNP members to keep quiet about currency. He was speaking this morning at the IPPR Scotland conference in Edinburgh.
October 29, 2025 at 1:16 PM
John Swinney gives a very limp response to the Times story on Kate Forbes telling SNP members to keep quiet about currency. He was speaking this morning at the IPPR Scotland conference in Edinburgh.
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Kate Forbes discovers the Streisand effect.
October 29, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Kate Forbes discovers the Streisand effect.
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1/ 🚨 Kate Forbes says SNP members “must avoid talking publicly about currency”. (According to SNP branch meeting minutes leaked at Tim Rideout’s Scottish Currency Group conference.)
October 28, 2025 at 6:41 PM
1/ 🚨 Kate Forbes says SNP members “must avoid talking publicly about currency”. (According to SNP branch meeting minutes leaked at Tim Rideout’s Scottish Currency Group conference.)
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Really good thread on the SNP’s risible energy policies.
1/ In today’s Mail, @stephendaisley.bsky.social mentions a conversation we had about the SNP’s energy policies. Short 🧵 with sources and a little bit of additional explanation…
October 27, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Really good thread on the SNP’s risible energy policies.
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1/ In today’s Mail, @stephendaisley.bsky.social mentions a conversation we had about the SNP’s energy policies. Short 🧵 with sources and a little bit of additional explanation…
October 27, 2025 at 8:15 PM
1/ In today’s Mail, @stephendaisley.bsky.social mentions a conversation we had about the SNP’s energy policies. Short 🧵 with sources and a little bit of additional explanation…
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1/ Tim Rideout has a new website. He believes a stampede of people will rapidly convert their sterling life savings into his new currency, while those with sterling liabilities will be much slower to act on converting their debts. This is not just implausible. It is preposterous.
October 25, 2025 at 8:16 AM
1/ Tim Rideout has a new website. He believes a stampede of people will rapidly convert their sterling life savings into his new currency, while those with sterling liabilities will be much slower to act on converting their debts. This is not just implausible. It is preposterous.
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Just catching up on Kate Forbes interview with Colin Mackay on Monday. How does she defend an indefensible currency position? By arguing that nobody cares about currency. If people care about their wages, I’m pretty sure they care about which currency those wages are paid in…
October 18, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Just catching up on Kate Forbes interview with Colin Mackay on Monday. How does she defend an indefensible currency position? By arguing that nobody cares about currency. If people care about their wages, I’m pretty sure they care about which currency those wages are paid in…
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1/ This is a very carefully worded statement from Scot Gov, responding to accusations that John Swinney has misled parliament on tax.🧵
October 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
1/ This is a very carefully worded statement from Scot Gov, responding to accusations that John Swinney has misled parliament on tax.🧵
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1/ This is outrageous. John Swinney misled parliament by falsely claiming that more than half of taxpayers in Scotland pay less income tax than if they lived elsewhere in the UK. Scot Gov says this is perfectly fine because his remarks were based on SFC forecasts for 2025-26.
October 14, 2025 at 4:05 PM
1/ This is outrageous. John Swinney misled parliament by falsely claiming that more than half of taxpayers in Scotland pay less income tax than if they lived elsewhere in the UK. Scot Gov says this is perfectly fine because his remarks were based on SFC forecasts for 2025-26.
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The video which ran before John Swinney’s speech showed this wave energy converter as he claimed independence would reduce energy bills in Scotland. The cost of wave power is £360-£380/MWh - about 4.5x higher than the wholesale cost in bills today. His rhetoric is utterly false.
October 13, 2025 at 2:38 PM
The video which ran before John Swinney’s speech showed this wave energy converter as he claimed independence would reduce energy bills in Scotland. The cost of wave power is £360-£380/MWh - about 4.5x higher than the wholesale cost in bills today. His rhetoric is utterly false.