📢 Our new report, Funding Scotland’s Future: Tax Reform for a Just Transition, has made the front page of @scotsman.com. It sets out credible, progressive reforms that could raise £2.3bn a year, support climate goals, and protect those on lower incomes. ⬇️ www.futureeconomy.scot/publications...

NEW: Scotland can raise £2.3bn a year to protect its social contract and reach net zero, according to our new report released today. Watch👇 Read on for more 🧵

Great to see @futureeconscot.bsky.social’s new fiscal policy report on the front page of today’s Scotsman 💪

📢 New @futureeconscot.bsky.social report: 'Funding Scotland's Future' One question stifles progress in Scotland more than any other: 'how will we pay for it?' Our new report provides some answers 🧵

📣 Join our Co-Director @lmacfarlane.bsky.social at Scotland’s Economics Festival on 20 March with two sessions exploring the future of Scotland’s economy. 🕓 16:50 WHERE ECOLOGY & THE ECONOMY COLLIDE www.tickettailor.com/events/scotl... 🕕 18:20 SHARING OUR WEALTH www.tickettailor.com/events/scotl...

Stark new figures from Andy Wightman: concentration of land ownership in Scotland is getting worse, not better. And the new Land Reform Bill will do little to change this.

Stark new figures from Andy Wightman: concentration of land ownership in Scotland is getting worse, not better. And the new Land Reform Bill will do little to change this.

Big ideas are easy — funding them is the hard part. On 5 March we’re bringing together a fantastic panel to explore how Scotland can actually pay for a just transition. Register here 👇

EVENT: Funding Scotland's Future – Tax Reform for a Just Transition. Join us for a timely discussion in the Scottish Parliament with a fantastic panel of speakers. 🗓️ 5 March, 17:30, Committee Room 3. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/funding-sc...

Our Co-Director @lmacfarlane.bsky.social was among those asked by Holyrood Magazine to outline priorities for Scotland’s economy over the next 5 years 📈

New polling has confirmed what many already knew: council tax is deeply unfair, and replacing it is popular. Read our new blog by David Avern:

New polling shows strong support for council tax reform. Just 2% of people support the current regressive system. Five times as many Scots back reform in the next Parliament as oppose it 👇

The Scottish Government is handing £7m to bankers and lawyers to help them voluntarily borrow more expensively. This gravy train was sadly predictable — and it will result in less investment, not more. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China built more wind power last year than the rest of the world combined — by a factor of two: 🇨🇳 79.8 GW 🌍 (excl. China) 37 GW

Interesting piece arguing the UK has meaningful leverage over the US — tariffs, tech regulation, and treasuries. It would be nice, but I’m not convinced any of these provide much real leverage 🧵

Few countries are more exposed to Trump’s bullying than post-Brexit Britain. We’re utterly reliant on the US and lack any serious clout to retaliate with. As I put it when Trump got re-elected: “the UK is a sitting duck”🧵

Let me get this straight: Trump has stashed $500m raised from selling Venezuelan oil in a private offshore account in Qatar — the country that recently gifted Trump a $400m private jet? Sounds legit 😬 www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

The Scottish Budget increased the bottom two income tax thresholds by 7.4%, which was billed as a tax cut for low earners. In reality this benefits higher earners the most — but is more than offset by freezing the higher thresholds.

Our analysis of this week’s Scottish Budget 👇 Some welcome measures, but tough choices have been delayed — not avoided. Taxes will have to rise if Scotland is to maintain its social contract long-term.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Today's Budget contains some welcome changes on tax, however Scotland's underlying fiscal challenges remain. Read our full response: www.futureeconomy.scot/press/249-re...

Some significant tax reforms in Scotland’s budget: 🏠 New mansion tax ✈️ Private jet tax 💰Tax cuts for low income tax bands Full @futureeconscot.bsky.social analysis to follow soon. #ScottishBudget

"Sooner or later, Scotland’s politicians will need to have an honest conversation with the public. If the state is to sustain the services we all rely on, taxes will have to rise. If they don’t, devastating cuts are inevitable.” Writes @lmacfarlane.bsky.social 👇 www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

“If Scotland wants to maintain its proud social contract, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: most of us will need to pay a little more tax.” My op-ed ahead of this week’s Budget for @scotsman.com:

"Maintaining the status quo is not an option." Ahead of this week's Budget, our co-director Laurie Macfarlane argues that if public services are to be protected, taxes will soon have to rise. ✍️ Read in @scotsman.com: www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Greenland is SO important to the US’s national security, they just forgot to mention it in the recent National Security Strategy. Same with the Arctic. Funny that.

The Pentagon has never passed an audit. Before 9/11 Rumsfeld said $2.3 trillion of defense spending was unaccounted for. It’s a bottomless pit. So much for Musk’s “government efficiency” drive.

Trump wants to increase military spending by 50% to $1.5 trillion. This chart shows how utterly absurd this is.

Here is the report Ariane Burgess MSP references above: Restoring Nature to Deliver a Just Transition to Net Zero - A holistic agenda for scaling up investment in woodlands and peatlands. By @hannawheatley.bsky.social & @lmacfarlane.bsky.social www.futureeconomy.scot/publications...

Scotland is "delaying action now for an uncertain solution in the future." Today, our senior economist @hannawheatley.bsky.social gave evidence to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on the Climate Change Plan's proposals on peatland restoration. 🎥 Listen to her opening remarks.

Suspect that much of the chaos of 2026 stems from Trump knowing he’s running out of time — politically and biologically. His health is clearly deteriorating, and the Epstein stuff is ramping up. “Secure my legacy while I still can.” Grim.

I think Laurie’s take is spot on, even though it pains me to think that Europe might be this weak.

When Trump takes Greenland with no major repercussions, he won't stop there. This doesn't mean invading Europe. But it does mean destroying European social democracy. 🧵

Venezuela isn't just about oil. It's the opening gambit in Trump's plan to untangle the US economy from China ahead of a future confrontation. The goal: a compliant South America to replace Chinese manufacturing and give US corporates unfettered access to resources 🧵

I’ve launched a new YouTube channel, New World Disorder 🚀 Clip from the first episode, ‘The Tech Time Bomb’ 👇 Full video: youtu.be/v59IonvPUks?...

Looking forward to watching more from New World Disorder in 2026. Economist @lmacfarlane.bsky.social promises an exciting and engaging analysis of the political and economic turmoil reshaping our world. He begins with this whistle stop history of the present ⬇️

📣 What next for community wealth building in Scotland? Our new report asks what it’ll take to turn ambition into action. By our Co-Director @miriambrett.bsky.social, and @neilmcinroy.bsky.social, Global Lead for Community Wealth Building at @democracycollab.bsky.social. 1/13 🧵👇

The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy is crucial reading to understand the US’s economic and geopolitical ambitions. Some key takeaways 🧵 www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

“There’s no economic reason why Scotland shouldn’t have more borrowing powers.” Our co-director @lmacfarlane.bsky.social spoke to The National about the Scottish Government’s plan to issue bonds:

“What we’re doing is shifting one source of borrowing to another that is potentially more expensive.” I spoke to The National about the Scottish Government’s plan to issue bonds. TLDR - I’m not convinced 👇

Thanks to Mercedes Villalba MSP for raising our proposals to take public equity stakes in offshore wind in Parliament this week. And to @gillianamartin.bsky.social for agreeing it’s “the right thing to do” — we look forward to seeing more on this 👏

Missed this week’s webinar on ‘Can private finance fix the nature crisis?’ The full recording is now available to watch on our YouTube channel 🎥

The UK budget increased the rate of tax on property income by 2%. As a devolved area, the Scottish Government needs to decide how to respond. Scottish landlords already pay different income tax rates to rUK: most pay more, but some pay less.

After weeks of speculation, Rachel Reeves finally delivered her Budget. But how will it impact Scotland? Highlights in 🧵 Read our full analysis 👉 www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/358-ho...

Our new analysis unpacks what the Budget means for Scotland 👇 Alongside big ticket items, there are quite a few smaller fiddly changes…

Can private finance fix the nature crisis? In this clip from yesterday’s webinar, Laurie Macfarlane breaks down the 3 reasons why market-led solutions won’t save Scotland’s woodlands and peatlands. Watch full recording to learn about what might: www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/355-wa...

While the autumn budget contained some welcome measures, it falls short of what the UK and Scotland need. Read our full response: www.futureeconomy.scot/press/221-re...

Our webinar — ‘Can private finance fix the nature crisis?’ — is starting in an hour Still time to register below 👇

Our webinar is TOMORROW & there are only a few tickets remaining! Join our Co-Director @lmacfarlane.bsky.social and Senior Economist @hannawheatley.bsky.social for a discussion on whether private finance can fix the nature crisis. 🗓️25 Nov 12:30-1:30pm 👇Book now: www.eventbrite.com/e/can-privat...

It was great to join the Skotia podcast to talk all things ScotWind with Dave Moxham from the STUC. Listen here:

Delighted to get my hands on this new book which features a chapter I co-authored with @mazzucatom.bsky.social on state investment banks. It’s packed with essays covering every aspect of green economic development, published by Oxford University Press.