<\/p>\n
John Swinney: key priorities (pic: DB Media Services)<\/p>\n
John Swinney has identified regionalisation, energy and Europe as three big policy areas \u201cto get Scotland\u2019s economy moving up the gears\u201d. <\/p>\n
In a speech to business leaders he said the regions need to be empowered in order to maximise their potential, though he did not say if this meant emulating the mayoral offices in England.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlasgow and Edinburgh in particular, with their distinct strengths and characters, can be powerhouses for economic growth..with the benefits felt nationwide and at all levels of the economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see the energy and talent of these cities, all of our cities, unleashed, because each corner of our country has a depth of potential that is currently untapped.<\/p>\n
\u201cScotland as a whole will only truly flourish when all parts of Scotland are flourishing and so we will empower our cities and regions to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
His second push will be \u201creconnecting with the European Union\u201d following the \u201cmistake\u201d of Brexit and the \u201ceconomic harm\u201d which had \u201cleft Scotland paying a high price\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe impact of Brexit is felt in the balance sheet of every business. It is there in the fiscal pressures facing government and in the day-to-day business difficulties people across Scotland experience as they struggle to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a mistake the effects of which we must mitigate, but more than than, a mistake we must reverse.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cRejoining the EU should be, indeed must be, a national mission. Anything less leaves us weaker an, in an increasingly uncertain world, dangerously exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n
His third priority is realising the full benefit of Scotland\u2019s energy wealth. \u201cAn energy policy that works for Scotland would see energy abundance translated into lower energy costs for businesses and households alike,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLower energy costs have the potential to create for Scottish business the same sort of transformational competitive advantage as lower corporation tax has delivered for Ireland. It is an opportunity we must grasp with both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cChoices made here in Scotland have enabled the expansion of low-cost renewable generation. But the full benefit is not yet being fully felt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the right mix of storage and transmission we can become a location of choice for investment in the high-energy industries of the future. And with energy policy for Scotland decided in Scotland, with Scotland\u2019s interests at its core, we can deliver the just transition that was promised to oil and gas workers in the north-east.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, UK choices are accelerating the demise of oil and gas and hampering the deployment of renewables. What could and should have been a managed transition is becoming increasingly a tragedy for Aberdeen and the north-east.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of this is acceptable. None of it is good enough. And if we are serious about Scotland\u2019s economic and social wellbeing we have to change course.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are constitutional arguments, yes. They are economic arguments, too. And whether it is Europe or energy, they are issues we can no longer afford to duck or ignore as a country.\u201d<\/p>\n
See also<\/p>\n
Public sector needs change of culture<\/p>\n
Swinney drops strong hints on Amazon tax<\/p>\n
\t #Regions #energy #economy #moving #Daily #Business<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
John Swinney: key priorities (pic: DB Media Services) John Swinney has identified regionalisation, energy and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[272,306,649,526,6186,13894,13895,13896,2273,13897,10819],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7932"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7932\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}