Talking-up Scotland

© visitscotland.com

If you look hard enough you can even find good news at CBI Scotland. You’ll remember they came out for ‘No’ in 2014 then had to kind of back off when it became apparent they hadn’t properly consulted their members. Their site as a whole is still pretty gloomy but this one report leapt out at me. You’ll get the leaping references soon if the salmon above hasn’t already done so.

On 24^th February, CBI Scotland reported:

‘The Scottish food and drink industry is on a high right now, generating an annual turnover of £14.4bn and being lauded the world over as a prime example of the power of innovation, collaboration and quality.’

Current UK Food and Drink exports have reached £20 billion.

Scottish Food and Drink exports account for £5 billion or 25% of the UK figure with only 10% of the population and it’s not all whisky! Here’s what the report says about salmon, just salmon no other seafood included in the figure:
‘Exports surpassed the £500 million threshold for the first time in 2015, making it Scotland’s biggest, and the UK’s second biggest, food export. It directly supports over 2,200 jobs – almost 8% of the food and drink workforce in Scotland.’

Remember, too, many of these jobs are in the more fragile rural economy.

http://www.cbi.org.uk/news/the-scottish-salmon-company-making-waves-in-the-food-drink-industry/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-food-drink-global-sales-latest-20-billion-first-time-brexit-government-eu-world-markets-a7590031.html

http://scotlandimportexport.com/2016/08/09/scotland-food-drink/

(c) scottishsquirrels.org.uk

First, announced by the Trust on the 24^th February, £2.46 million is to go to efforts to save the Red Squirrel of which Scotland has 75% of the UK’s population. I’m told that it is nothing to do with them being Scottish that makes them gingers. There are actually 120 000 which is a bigger number than I expected but this marks a bit of a reversal of their decline over the last eight years, due to the funded efforts of the Trust to control the invasive, non-native, grey squirrels (Is that kind of, like, racism?) and the deadly squirrelpox virus.

http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/article/major-boost-for-scotlandrsquos-red-squirrels-thanks-to-national-lottery-funding/

When I spotted the above news, the SWT website also had an older, 30^th January, lottery-related story worth repeating I’m sure. They’re to receive £525 000 in 2017 from the People’s Postcode Lottery. The Chief Executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust said:

‘The Scottish Wildlife Trust was fortunate enough to be one of the first charities supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery…Support from players helps to protect Scotland’s amazing wildlife including ospreys and red squirrels, and create stronger links between people and nature. Building these connections through education and public events is a vital part of protecting Scotland’s wildlife for the future.’

http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/article/trust-celebrates-continued-support-from-players-of-peoplersquos-postcode-lottery/

I know this could be read as a Better Together story but Scots are big lottery players and we get back less than we should thanks to the London-centric spending. Remember the Olympics, the Royal Opera House? See this:

‘Lottery funds have disproportionately benefited most prosperous and arts engaged communities in England, report reveals’

https://www.theguardian.com/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2014/apr/28/arts-lottery-funding-imbalance-place-report

An independent Scottish National Lottery for Scottish beasties!

A critical friend commented on the layout of my blog where you have to scroll down for ages to find things. So, I thought I'd do a list of recent ones with just headlines and urls for easy access.

Food and Drink Special: Scotland’s exports surge and new SNP policies will maintain the growth.

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/13/food-and-drink-special-scotlands-exports-surge-and-new-snp-policies-will-maintain-the-growth/

North Sea oil and gas is on the crest of a ‘Third Wave’ and the SNP Government is already supporting plans for it

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/14/north-sea-oil-and-gas-is-on-the-crest-of-a-third-wave-and-the-snp-government-is-already-supporting-plans-for-it/

SNP Government is leading the way in the UK, in building affordable and social rented housing, in welfare reform and in serious plans to tackle child poverty

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/15/snp-government-is-leading-the-way-in-the-uk-in-building-affordable-and-social-rented-housing-in-welfare-reform-and-in-serious-plans-to-tackle-child-poverty/

‘Scotland’s youth unemployment rate is now the lowest since records began and it’s the second lowest youth unemployment rate in the EU. Scotland’s productivity grows four times faster than UK’

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/16/scotlands-youth-unemployment-rate-is-now-the-lowest-since-records-began-and-its-the-second-lowest-youth-unemployment-rate-in-the-eu-scotlands-productivity-grows-fo/

The non-reporting of the Scottish Government’s commitment to affordable housing reflects the inability of our political journalists to highlight any good news coming out of Holyrood.

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Are more Scots ‘Just about managing’ thanks to the SNP’s progressive policies to resist Tory austerity? And, Robert the Bruce wasn’t a leper!

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/17/are-more-scots-just-about-managing-thanks-to-the-snps-progressive-policies-to-resist-tory-austerity-and-robert-the-bruce-wasnt-a-leper/

Teckle! Dundee Good News Special

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/18/teckle-dundee-good-news-special/

Forth Valley Royal Hospital’s Ageing and Health Integrated Care Ward Commended

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/19/forth-valley-royal-hospitals-ageing-and-health-integrated-care-ward-commended/

Marks and Spencer to go 100% Scotch and Govanhill to get massive Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council investment

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/20/marks-and-spencer-to-go-100-scotch-and-govanhill-to-get-massive-scottish-government-and-glasgow-city-council-investment/

‘Why your first robot might speak with a Scottish accent’

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/21/why-your-first-robot-might-speak-with-a-scottish-accent/

Fighting Tory austerity again, the SNP Government steps in to help 100 000 small businesses, district heating schemes and small-scale hydro schemes.

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/22/fighting-tory-austerity-again-the-snp-government-steps-in-to-help-100-000-small-businesses-district-heating-schemes-and-small-scale-hydro-schemes/

‘Hedge Funds Bet Big on Oil’

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/23/hedge-funds-bet-big-on-oil/

SNP Minister intervenes to ensure more fish are landed in Scotland to benefit both fishermen and local businesses that depend on fishing

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/23/snp-minister-intervenes-to-ensure-more-fish-are-landed-in-scotland-to-benefit-both-fishermen-and-local-businesses-that-depend-on-fishing/

Two Massive Investments Confirmed for Skye and Dounreay

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/23/two-massive-investments-confirmed-for-skye-and-dounreay/

Visitors to Scotland’s historic sites surge by 470 000 to reach more than 4.5 million, breaking all records, in only 11 months!

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/24/visitors-to-scotlands-historic-sites-surge-by-470-000-to-reach-more-than-4-5-million-breaking-all-records-in-only-11-months/

‘Oban set to become marine tourism hub’

https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/24/oban-set-to-become-marine-tourism-hub/

 

(c) .scotland-info.co.uk

First we hear of a new technologies hub in Dundee, a robotics hub across Scotland’s universities and now a marine tourism hub for Oban.

Oban currently gets around 15 cruise ship visits per year bringing economic activity to the town’s businesses and bus trips into the surrounding and very scenic countryside. Cruise passengers visiting UK ports have been increasing steadily from around 500 000 in 2006 to more than 1 million in 2015 so there is clearly a market to be tapped. Constraining the number of visits, it is thought, is the fact that visitors to Oban have to tender across and come up the slipway from the ships. On the 21^st February 2017, Argyll & Bute Council confirmed a £3 million investment in pontoons and associated facilities to make the visits easier and thus more attractive to cruise ship owners, other marine traffic such as kayakers, yachters, tour operators and sea-life enthusiasts.

The contract for the work has also gone to local businesses providing employment locally and it is anticipated that the new facilities will generate around £20 million for the town over the next 25 years.

https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/news/2017/feb/oban-set-become-marine-tourism-hub-council-awards-contracts-build-new-step-ashore

http://www.irn-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/509-UK-Cruise-Port-Statistics-Summary-2015.pdf

(c) scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk

For the first time ever the footfall in Scotland’s castles, abbeys, palaces and other historical sites has passed the 4 million mark and this in only 11 months of the 2016-17 financial year. Historic Environment Scotland announced this 13% increase on 17^th February 2017.

The figure for 2015-16 was also a record at 3.8 million so the trend is very positive news for tourism in Scotland.  St Andrews Cathedral was the location for the 4 millionth visitor.

http://nen.press/2017/02/17/four-million-welcomes/

A number of reasons have been offered for the surge despite the poor weather over the summer of 2016. Accord to eTN Global Travel Industry News, Brexit and terrorism have been two of, but the not the only major factors for Scottish tourism generally:

‘Tourism in Scotland has enjoyed a bumper year mostly due to a combination of Brexit and terrorist incidents in traditional holiday hotspots. Some areas of the country experienced their best summer season in more than a decade, with improved flight connections and the publicity created by films and TV shows such as Outlander adding to the boost.’

http://www.eturbonews.com/74508/bumper-year-scotlands-tourism-booming-thanks-terrorism-and-brexi

One particular record high has been a very large spending increase by American tourists, up 28% to £633 million in the 12 months ending September 2016.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-38678980

That they are coming here in increasing numbers does cannot necessarily depend on perceptions of low terrorism risk, visits to the UK as a whole are also up and there is a wide choice of alternative and sunnier locations largely free of terrorism threat. The appeal of the sights and the sites is what we have. I you doubt this have a look at this gallery:

http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/who-needs-holiday-abroad-you-3860247.

Historic Environment Scotland manages 300 sites from Shetland to the Borders. Edinburgh is the best city in the UK and has been for three years running.

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-voted-best-city-in-the-uk-for-third-year-running-1-4104729

And, we have no meanie plans to make tourists pay for medical treatment which, by the way, is the best in the UK.

Oil and gas are on a third wave of profitability, the financial sector is betting heavily on its recovery. Our food and drinks sector is surging in profitability. Investment in renewables is strong with 100% reliability of supply imminent and job growth beginning. The integration of health and social care is well underway with bed blocking and mortality rates falling. Our NHS has been crisis-free over the winter. Scottish Government help for small businesses and investment in housing is also increasing significantly. I’ve proved all of these in earlier posts. We’re leaving the British Empire. Everybody else has and nobody wants back in. It’s the natural thing to do.

Now there is something bad, what is it? Oh yes our mainstream media. It’ll make you ill:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/12/news-is-bad-rolf-dobelli

Don’t watch or read any of it. Use your trusted online sources like Indyref2 and Wings although they might make you depressed too. If you just want facts try these two:

https://www.snp.org/updates

http://www.gov.scot/Home

© atkinsglobal.com

Highland council has just (22^nd February 2017) confirmed planning approval for a £93 million Marine Harvest Feed Plant for Skye and for the prototype of a revolutionary new type of Floating Multi Turbine Platform to be sited near Dounreay. According to Highland Council: ‘these two projects will bring hundreds of jobs and millions of pounds in investment to the North.’

Work on the Feed Plant is expected to start within one month. The developers, Marine Harvest, have already successfully built and integrated a similar plant into the Norwegian economy, in 2014 and describe the project as:

‘This is a great opportunity to build a partnership with the local community throughout the project development. Once we are operational we will not only have the direct work force but will be aiming to establish a local supply chain in the same manner as we did in Norway. The opportunity for generating sustainable jobs in the area cannot be understated and I am really looking forward to encouraging as much of this as possible moving forward.’

http://www.fishupdate.com/team-assembled-to-deliver-marine-harvest-feed-plant/

The prototype floating wind turbines near Dounreay are expected to require a workforce of about 100 people at Nigg Energy Park in Ross-shire.

There are tremendous advantages in floating wind turbines and their wider use in Scottish waters will further consolidate the ability of Scotland’s already impressive wind power to provide constant supply. Stanford University has summarised the advantages:

1. The first and most immediately compelling advantage of floating offshore wind is access to incredible wind resource over deep waters. Currently we can only access a small fraction of the offshore wind resource worldwide due to depth constraints.
2. Offshore wind is recognized for its proximity to load centers but often still encounters significant NIMBY (“Not In My Back Yard”) resistance. Population centers tend to cluster near the coastlines, so offshore wind minimizes the distance from generation to load centers, without competing for valuable land. Opponents argue, however, that turbines negatively impact the skyline (visual pollution) or result in disruptive noise. Floating turbines address these concerns by allowing wind farms to be pushed farther offshore and out of sight.
3. Finally, there are also several manufacturing advantages to floating platforms, such as using less material in construction and reducing the need for specialty marine engineering expertise. One major cost driver for conventional offshore wind are the heavy lift vessels required to erect the turbine. Very expensive special purpose ships are required to transport the parts on site and perform the assembly. Floating turbine platforms, however, are designed to be assembled in port and towed into position using simple barges or tugboats. This can result in major cost savings and greatly increased flexibility in construction.

http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2012/ph240/pratt1/

The steady flow of good news for Scotland is out there. If I can find it….?

© fishwallpapers.com

See this opening quote from Fishing News on 13^th February 2017.

‘The Scottish fisheries minister is to take steps to require Scottish pelagic vessels to land more of their catch in Scotland rather than abroad. He has told the Scots pelagic catching and processing sector that Marine Scotland will not allocate 12% of the 2017 mackerel quota [to non-Scottish ports], pending an analysis of how much mackerel is being landed into Scotland and how much abroad.’

I have a feeling ‘pelagic’ might need defining:

‘Most of the world’s large fish populations are pelagic. They include the highly migratory species of tuna, herring and mackerel and smaller species such sardines and anchovy. Pelagic fish often occupy the open waters between the coast and the edge of the continental shelf in depths of 20-400 metres. These areas are highly productive and supply nutrients for the growth of plankton which forms the food for the smaller pelagic species.’

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/marine-environment/species/fish/pelagic

Pelagic fishing is a major part of Scotland’s fishing industry and accounts for much of the income. Essentially, the Minister, Fergus Ewing, is concerned that too much of the catch is currently being landed overseas with a consequent loss of income for the other Scottish businesses that depend on it. He wants to make sure that the economic benefits of fishing are shared more widely to ‘contribute to more inclusive economic growth’.

The minister is quoted in Fishing Times as saying:

‘I am concerned that this level of landings overseas involves significant loss of opportunity for onshore economic activity in Scotland, with potential for reduced employment and economic activity.’

There is currently a voluntary scheme but this has not been successful and the Minister will consult with the sector with a view to: ‘to incorporate a landings target, or potentially to take other steps to directly support fishing communities in Scotland’.

http://fishingnews.co.uk/news/scots-minister-withholds-mackerel-quota-to-deter-foreign-landings/

Again, an SNP minister standing up for Scotland’s interests.

(c) forbes.com

I don’t understand a great deal of the language in this article published in Oil Industry News on 22^nd February 2017 but there are some bits and pieces, along of course with that headline, which I think mean further evidence of confidence in the sector additional to that I described a few days ago in:

‘North Sea oil and gas is on the crest of a ‘Third Wave’ and the SNP Government is already supporting plans for it’ at: https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2017/02/14/north-sea-oil-and-gas-is-on-the-crest-of-a-third-wave-and-the-snp-government-is-already-supporting-plans-for-it/

See this:

‘Fund managers now have the most bullish view on oil since the first half of 2014, when Libya’s exports were nearly halted by civil war and Islamic State fighters were racing across northern Iraq….Fund managers have been able to increase their bullish bets with almost no disturbance to the market price of crude. Volatility has been most remarkable by its absence.’

Are hedge-fund managers a bit like bookies? They survive because they know what’s happening and what is likely to happen? Oil prices have been steady at $55 per barrel and have stayed there despite the increased investment by hedge-funds. As I understand it from the article, when hedge-fund managers get too bullish then prices often fall but this time they’re holding.

The article goes on to suggest that OPEC has guaranteed prices will not fall below $50 per barrel so that hedge-funds will bet on it:

‘By taking away the downside, OPEC has encouraged hedge funds to bet big on the upside, gambling on the possibility if not the probability that oil prices will rally further as the market rebalances or on some unexpected supply shortfall…Hedge funds have helped OPEC achieve its objective of higher prices since the end of November, while OPEC has reassured fund managers it will not allow them to lose too much money on their trades.’

https://www.oilandgaspeople.com/news/13492/hedge-funds-bet-big-on-oil/

This comes on top of a very optimistic report from the industry itself at the end of January 2017:

‘Shell bounces back as oil price enjoys a slick resurgence’

Predicting that prices will continue to climb:

‘Royal Dutch Shell is poised to lead a comeback this week as it reveals annual profits have more than doubled on the back of the recovering oil price. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant is expected to post bumper profits of $8.17bn (£6.91bn), a huge jump on the $3.8bn it reported at the depths of the market downturn.’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/01/28/bounces-back-oil-price-enjoys-slick-resurgence/

Any good news for Scotland in this I wonder?

Just a quick one.

Sarah Smith, ‘Scotland Editor’ has just posted:

‘The Scottish Six is dead – long live the Scottish Nine’

I don’t know why the SNP want a Scottish Six and no English news. I can think of nothing worse as we seek independence. Think about it:

1. We wouldn’t see how bad things are in England so that we can see the SNP must be doing something right in, for example, protecting our NHS from the horrors being perpetrated there and generally moderating the effects of Tory austerity.
2. Imagine twice as much bad news about Scotland.
3. Imagine twice as much of Jackie bird and Glen Campbell.

Get your news online from sources you can trust. Try this one: https://www.snp.org/updates

or this one: http://www.gov.scot/Home

Just facts, that’s all.

I rest my case.

In an announcement by Finance Secretary Derek Mackay, yesterday (21^st February 2017), business rates reprieves for around 100 000 small businesses will see ‘seven out of ten premises better or no worse off – and in most cases, paying nothing at all.’

This is the result of the Small Businesses Bonus, first introduced in 2008, being extended to 100 000 businesses. Those valued at up to £15 000 will pay nothing at all. So far the scheme has saved small businesses £1.2 billion. This is now clearly the best business package available anywhere in the UK. Only the very largest businesses will pay more. For 8 500 hotels pubs, cafes and restaurants, rate increases will be capped at 12.5%.The same cap will be applied to office space in Aberdeen to further assist the oil industry.

District heating schemes such as the Broomhill and Maryhill schemes will get a 50% rates reprieve. This is on top of the £10.6 million already invested by the Scottish Government in schemes, in Glasgow, involving 700 homes.

http://news.gov.scot/news/106-million-heating-scheme

Across the renewables sector a package of support will be available to compensate for UK (Conservative) government cuts to subsidies which have put the development of renewable schemes in Scotland at risk. These include:

‘Rates relief up to 100 per cent for qualifying community renewable and new build schemes, and a lower payment threshold for community schemes from 1 megawatt to 0.5 megawatt.

Bills capped at 12.5 per cent for small-scale hydro schemes producing up to 1 megawatt.

A new 50 per cent relief for stand-alone district heating schemes.’

Finally extra funding will be provided to local authorities to ‘address individual or highly localised impacts of the revaluation process.’

I’ve taken these facts from the SNP site:

https://www.snp.org/business_rates_in_scotland_get_the_facts

How it is reported there contrasts somewhat markedly with that elsewhere in the media. You might ‘like’ to read the Tory comment-saturated version of this news at for an object lesson in how to write propaganda:

https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/uk/almost-10000-scottish-firms-handed-business-rates-reprieve/

See the ‘bowed to pressure’ phrase? In how many ways could that have been worded to reflect the fact that governments should listen to criticism, reflect and act where they can? Does Tory MSP Murdo Fraser imagine Theresa May listening to criticism and acting on it? As for ‘bowing to pressure’, wouldn’t his leader be more likely to blame someone else as she tried to blame patients for overcrowding A&E wards? There’s one puzzling difference. – is it just 10 000 small businesses, as iNEWS claims, or 100 000, as the SNP announced? Most galling though is the staggering hypocrisy of Murdo Fraser in accusing the SNP of being too slow to react to his own party’s economic crimes.

Right at the end, iNEWS does allow the minister to get his oar in:

‘With the further measures we are now taking, combined with the powers and investment we have provided to local councils, that is a good deal for businesses, a good deal for public services, and a good deal for the Scottish economy.’