It is January 2025, and the thoughts of political folk turn to the 2026 Scottish election. Since the world was young, or so it seems, politically interested types have tried to persuade their favoured party to listen to their ideas, convinced of the utility of all and any policy musings to capture the imagination of voters, thus setting elections alight and making victory for their side a guaranteed outcome.
As I write, zealots of left, right, and centre are penning their fabulous thoughts, burnishing them bright, prior to sending them off to their party leader with a message beginning, “You may remember me. We met at the Northwest Area conference last year. We discussed the failure of the police to tackle bad language at local rugby matches.” There follow pages of densely argued politics that would give succour and comfort to those who hold shares in paper making companies.
Two months later, a postcard will arrive from the leader’s office. The leader is hugely grateful and has asked a senior aide to ensure that all your ideas are fully evaluated. Nobody on the leader’s staff has so much as glanced at the submission, but honour has been satisfied.
My problem is that I don’t have a party leader, so I have no one to send my brilliant thoughts to. This comes about through not being a member of a political party. So, I lay before you my six amazingly fantastic, mind-blowingly game-changing, economically and politically wholly literate policies, all infused with the spirit of all that is best in the best of all possible worlds.
From here on, in the lightness of my introduction ends and the serious business begins of winning hearts and minds in the cause of social and economic progress in this northern corner of the globe we call Scotland. So, here goes. Interested parties can buy the intellectual property rights from me, or I might settle for a pint in a bar of my choice.
Energy generation and distribution
In 2022/23, the Scottish Government was allocated £9.4 bn from North Sea oil and gas revenues. The combination of declining reserves in the North Sea, decarbonisation of the energy generating sector and net-zero policies like better building insulation and heat pumps in homes mean that the income for oil and gas will fall, year on year.
We may see occasional oil price spikes, but the downward trend is certain. The rationale for Scotland’s public finances benefitting from oil and gas revenues was that the place that produced the goods should get some of the benefit. The same logic must surely apply to Scotland’s wind, tidal, solar and pump storage generation. Scotland is a net exporter of renewable energy. We make more than we use.
So, my case is that the Scottish public purse should get 2% of all profits that come from renewable energy made by Scotland’s wind, tide, sun and hydro. And it would all go to primary school education.
Primary school education
Scotland is a small country with a world class higher education sector and one of the best educated populations on earth. But too many of our children will never see the inside of a university or even a college of further education. Too many come out of primary school without the basic life skills or intellectual abilities needed to prepare them for a life of self-sufficiency and a chance to make the most of their abilities.
My plan is that the 2% of electricity profits is spent entirely on primary school education, with class sizes capped at 20 and serious investment made in visual art, music, languages and sport. For the first five years of the policy only schools in the most deprived 25% of areas in Scotland would qualify. We invest in infrastructure to meet future demand or solve capacity problems. We need to think the same way about primary school education.
The public realm
It’s time to end the curses of littering, fly-tipping and graffiti. Let’s get serious on penalties and about policing. All offences should carry a minimum fine of £2,000 and a maximum of £10,000 (with prison terms for multiple offences). National and local government need to make it clear to Police Scotland that prosecutions are expected. We might even think of banning mobile phone use for specified periods. The very idea would put panic in the breasts of many guilty parties. But there’s no point in tough measures without publicity. Investing in a weighty communications campaign could bring early success. What we want is changed behaviours, not people in jail.
The enterprise economy
It’s time Scotland once again had its own stock exchange. Not a branch of the London stock exchange, but a business owned in Scotland raising capital in Scotland to grow Scottish businesses and providing a stocks and bonds investment platform for local people and institutions. For too long, the City of London has dominated the top end of the financial services industry. A Scottish stock exchange would boost and diversify the national economy, attract local and global capital and bring new opportunities to Scotland’s lawyers, accountants, financial public relations advisers, software developers and media.
The European Union
As we know from the 2016 Brexit referendum, Scotland is the most pro-EU part of the UK. It voted 62% Remain. We also know that Scotland was told during the 2014 independence referendum that only a vote for the Union would secure Scotland’s place in the EU. What better way to demonstrate the value of the Union than to deliver on that promise. I’ll settle for access to the Single Market, the same deal Northern Ireland has. It voted 56% Remain.
And finally….
All Scotland’s men and women’s football internationals to be televised live on mainstream TV.
Vote for me. And a happy new year to you all.
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