Mike Danson

Lesley Riddoch: The SNP must take up zonal pricing fight – why aren't they? THE Daily Mail headline says it all: “Ed Miliband ‘abandons zonal electricity pricing’ plan that would charge people in southern England more…

Ed Miliband won’t give renewables-rich Scots cheaper bills. The Scottish Government should be fighting for zonal pricing & listening to community protests across the Highlands about more wind farms than Scotland or the grid can handle.
But they're not. Why not?
www.thenational.scot/politics/253...

Scotland: all the above covered by numerous commissions, committees, working groups (I've been on several), with more to come. As Benjamin Franklin said: "the only certainties in life are death and the imminent death of council taxes".

Our July Briefing covers Preventative Spending. We examine where it has been applied and consider why it has not been more widely adopted. We conclude that it requires prioritised investment, structural and cultural reform, and local decision-making.
reidfoundation.scot/2025/07/prev...

Welcome to post-growth Europe – can anyone accept this new political reality? An expert in public policy asks if it will ever be possible for political parties in Europe to be honest about the limits of growth – and still get elected.

Welcome to post-growth Europe. With limited land and no more empires to exploit, ageing populations, major climate concerns and electorates demanding ever-stricter barriers to immigration – the conditions for economic expansion may no longer exist. theconversation.com/welcome-to-p...

‘Political cowardice’: Robison tells Reeves to tax high earners Shona Robison says Labour could avoid welfare cuts by adopting the SNP's tax on higher earners.

Shona Robison urges Labour to tax rich to fill £5bn gap. The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) forecast that the higher Scottish rate of income tax would raise around £1.4 billion more than if Scotland had retained the same tax policy as the rest of the UK. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2529140...

Doors locked I presume?

Nearly 1,000 Britons will keep shorter working week after trial All 17 businesses in six-month pilot to continue with either four-day week or nine-day fortnight

Nearly 1,000 Britons will keep shorter working week after trial. All 17 British businesses in a six-month trial of the four-day week said they would continue with an arrangement consisting of either four days a week or nine days a fortnight. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Bullying, harassment and discrimination of Disabled people in the workplace Disabled workers face persistent and widespread barriers in the workplace, despite longstanding legal protections. Our research findings consistently highlight the systemic nature of discrimination, i...

Bullying, harassment and discrimination of Disabled people in the workplace. TUC report finds that workplace cultures present major barriers. 49% reported bullying or harassment. 39% had been subjected to disability-related mistreatment. www.tuc.org.uk/research-ana...

Appearing on BBC Question Time tomorrow night. A bit woozy after being stung in tongue by a wasp I almost swallowed while cycling. Spent this afternoon in A&E Ninewells - straight in no queues. Hopefully back to full speed by tomorrow night.

I find it staggering (as a non-defence person) that we are doubling down on buying/leasing US tech that we can't control independently.

There seems to be this weird groupthink that assumes the US will go back to 'normal' after Trump.