Finally finished reading the manifestos for the Scottish election. Some initial reflections on the economic side 🧵

Reform: “Austerity is a myth because nominal spending rose since 1999” Incredible

“It’s time to face facts: nature is a public good and meeting targets will require coordinated public investment. We can’t waste any more time waiting for private finance that simply isn’t going to materialise.” @lmacfarlane.bsky.social on Aberdeen’s pullout from ScotGov’s nature restoration PPP

I’m doubtful this will happen, and it doesn’t seem particularly well-designed. But it’s clear the cost of living crisis will force parties into far bolder territory than they’ve so far been willing to go.

EXCLUSIVE in @theguardian.com: a £100m nature finance deal collapsed - & MSPs weren’t told. Featuring our work on nature restoration and a new guest blog, it’s clear: private investment isn’t going to deliver the nature restoration Scotland needs. Read coverage: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

NEW: Private finance won’t fix Scotland’s nature crisis - only public investment can. As featured exclusively in today's @theguardian.com, private investment isn’t going to deliver the nature restoration Scotland needs. Read our new guest blog by Tom Gegg: www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/459-pr...

🚨 Election Spotlight: Eradicating Child Poverty in Scotland Scotland has made real progress but 110,000 more children must be lifted out of poverty to meet 2030 targets.

Scotland has shown that ambitious policy can bring child poverty down. But action needs to be stepped up in the next Parliament to meet targets. Our new analysis ⬇️

🚨NEW: Scotland’s ‘social contract’ keeps 65,000 children out of poverty Child poverty would be significantly higher if Scotland’s poverty rate matched the UK’s. But there’s more work to do ⬇️

The latest oil shock has led to a resurgence of North Sea petro nationalism. I’ve written for @the-breakdown.bsky.social on the illusion of plenty behind Reform, Tory and SNP claims that red-green wreckers are sabotaging our energy security by blocking drilling. www.break-down.org/north-sea-na...

Scotland’s renewable energy should benefit all of us. We’re backing the movement for: ♻️ Community-owned renewables 🍃 A public stake in offshore wind 🏭 Renewable manufacturing based in Scotland Join the #OurPower movement 👉 bit.ly/Our-power

Scotland is one of the least densely populated places in Europe. Not a single “small boat” has landed here. This is utterly absurd.

🗣️ The first in our new ‘Election Spotlight’ series. We explore the gap between Scotland’s climate ambition and delivery — and what the next Parliament must do to close it.

Alexander Dennis’s decision to close its Falkirk factory is a huge collective failure. As I wrote last year, it’s what happens when public money is used to back overseas rivals over Scottish industry:

We welcome the @scottishgreens.org pledge to replace Scotland’s Air Departure Tax with a Frequent Flyer Levy, as our recent paper set out. Here’s why it makes sense 🧵⬇️

The world energy shock is coming — it will deepen inequality in ways we've seen before. Our new @newstatesman1913.bsky.social piece argues that without urgent government action, the Strait of Hormuz crisis will ripple through our economies and rip apart our societies. Here's why. 1/

NEW: We often hear that Scotland’s more progressive income tax is “driving people out the country.” New HMRC data shows the opposite. Far more taxpayers are moving to Scotland than leaving it. Let’s look at the data 🧵

Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations was published 250 years ago today — and remains one of the most misunderstood economics books. On Wednesday I’ll debating why Smith still matters with a great panel in Edinburgh. 🗓️ 11 March, 18:30. More info + tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-smith-...

“The Scottish Government has moved from evidence-based opposition towards strategic ambiguity.” It was great to speak to @theferret.scot for this deep-dive on the Scottish Government’s evolving position on oil and gas:

What climate action? Stronger public services? Dignified social security? If so, we need fairer taxes says @lmacfarlane.bsky.social at Scottish Parliament. I explore the urgency and need to do so in this blog for @oxfamscotland.bsky.social for #TaxJusticeScotland. taxjustice.scot/blog/a-tripl...

Was great to see so many people at our event in Parliament last night. Clearly lots of appetite for bold tax reform in the next parliament. Thanks to all the speakers, and to everyone who gave up their evening to join us 🙏

To mark the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, our co-director @lmacfarlane.bsky.social has been invited by Edinburgh's Library of Mistakes to discuss the role of capitalism in shaping the next 50 years. 🗓️ Wed 11 March, 18:30 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-smith-...

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Today at the Scottish Parliament we’re discussing 5 tax reforms from Funding Scotland’s Future - our new report from Future Economy Scotland on how to fund a fairer, greener Scotland. 📕 Download your copy of the report. www.futureeconomy.scot/publications...

Tomorrow, join our co-director @lmacfarlane.bsky.social as he discusses the transition to net zero, for the next episode of foreCASt - the @citizensadvicescot.bsky.social's election insights series. 🗓️ 10.00 - 11.00am, Tuesday 3 March www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/forecast-t...

The weaponisation of AI continues apace. One day we’ll look back on this as the moment we crossed the rubicon into a far more dangerous and volatile world. Props to Anthropic for having at least a shred of morality.

📢 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.