(c) SNP
Speaking at Spirit Aero Systems in Prestwick, yesterday, the First Minister made a strong case for Scotland’s businesses to be more innovative and to develop the expertise to lead new technological breakthroughs.
Within this £45 million, £37 million, up from £22 million, will be available for each of the next three years. The First minister said:
‘Scotland wants not only to embrace but to lead the key technological and social changes of the future. This is a fundamental point. I want Scotland to be the inventor and the producer of the innovations that will shape the future, not just the consumer of those innovations. New technology is key to the productivity improvements that can then raise living standards for all.’
I think and hope she’s is pushing at an open door here as we already have evidence of good early progress of the kind she is looking for. See these examples, reported here earlier in the year:
Scotland’s oil and gas extraction expertise continues to earn millions
Can Edinburgh’s high-tech expertise steal some of London’s financial business post-Brexit?
Scotland’s renewables expertise continues to earn millions.
Scottish subsea expertise to the fore again
Scotland’s expertise in oil extraction leads to opportunities far beyond the North Sea
Those are just the reports if you search my blog for ‘expertise’. Search for ‘innovation’ and you’ll get even more.
https://www.energyvoice.com/other-news/149172/sturgeon-45million-business-call-shape-future/
Talking-up Scotland 
Good to highlight this John , as the MSM are very reluctant to give this any recognition . I will share it . At Nicola Sturgeon’s speech yesterday , BBC Scotland’s John Beattie radio show said they couldn’t cover it as “they had a bad line ” ! This morning the same BBC Scotland had no problem with Davidson’s line when she was spouting off about the terrible SNP’s lack of houses and this news continued throughout the day . Looks like we are back to same old BBC and Davidson , nothing changes .
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Spot on John.
Davidson said talk about “The Housing Crisis” . . . So the BBC talked about housing. . .
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Glad I’m not listening or watching
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Confusing says ” keep your friends close and the BBC closer”
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This is an ‘investment’ of £104,000,000 into creating innivative breakthrough ideas.
There are no gaurentees that Scotland will ever recoop this money or will invent anything contructive that works.
Other countries are wisely sitting back until theres something they can actually use.
While Sturgeon invests in the prototype which will eventually be the betamax video recorder of technology 5 years later.
I dont see that as an investment
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Well Stevie , glad Scotland doesn’t rely on you to take us forward , while you are sitting waiting , Nicola is taking the initiative , who knows where it will lead !
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Stevie , Scotland will invent lots of constructive products , before you have anything constructive or positive to add.
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Hi John – Hi all.
Clydebuilt and John were (accurately) describing the biased coverage that the beeb were carrying this morning and John (Prof John) responded (understandably) “Glad I’m not listening or watching”.
Well John (Prof John) – it’s just possible that you might have to adopt a different approach in a bit! I noticed a mention about a leaked beeb memo that the Buzzfeed site were carrying a story on and have put a wee snippet below:
A BBC spokesperson confirmed the Today programme is looking at changes to which news sources would be included in daily round-ups of headlines, although they were unable to confirm whether this would apply to similar features on the broadcaster’s other shows.
This is the Today programme memo sent to staff.
Confidential
Colleagues,
For some time now a debate has been going on between the newsroom, the Today programme and R4 about the paper review. It is an important and popular part of the programme and the network but, as we know, fewer people are getting their news from the papers while an increasing number rely upon new media for news and comment.
We have been asking ourselves how best to ensure the review remains modern and relevant. We have concluded that the review needs to evolve or as someone once wrote: for things to remain the same, everything must change.
Consequently, we are going to change the way we do things if the slot is retain its relevance. The papers will continue to form the backbone of the review but we are going to include some of the “new” news sources found online and elsewhere. We think too there is a case for including foreign news titles more regularly.
Of course, changing the format means we will have to train those who write the review. Details about how we will do this will follow. We are looking to make the changes in the middle of September in time for the party political conferences.
I’d appreciate it if we could keep this information to ourselves for the time being as the BBC will be making a publicity announcement nearer the time.
Jim Waterson is a politics editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.
Is it possible that the ‘water on stone’ is yielding a tiny crack in the mighty beeb/print press incestuous news ‘reportage’ edifice? (I do enjoy a well mixed metaphore of an evening!).
If the Buzzfeed story is correct then this strikes me as fairly significant stuff. The r4 ‘Today’ programme is probably the closest broadcasting equivalent to the BritNat Establishment inner sanctum control room that one’s imagination can conjure.
The memo shows the Britnat thought processes well doesn’t it? – “..for things to remain the same, everything must change”. – and – “..The papers will continue to form the backbone of the review”. – and (most revealingly) “..Of course, changing the format means we will have to train those who write the review.” – I bet they will – not half!!
Despite all the obvious caveats – should this story be correct (and Buzzfeed have broken some good stories previously) then I believe this could turn into quite an important process. The BritNat establishment will be operating heavy control (obviously) but it is a tiny crack – and we know what can happen with those.
Thanks all, Ludo
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Fascinating Ludo, thanks very much for this. Let’s hope.
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No mention of Radio Scotland News though?
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You can bet your bottom dollar there will be no Prof.John Robertson , Wings , Peter Bell , Bella Caledonia etc. ever mentioned !
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