Simon Cleary

Economist, Dad, Wannabe Guitarist. Mostly tweeting about the Scottish economy, renewables, universities and stats. Expect graphs. Views my own etc.

[The National @ScotNational]

NEW: New rules for wind farms could reduce the number of new developments in Scotland by 80%, according to a recent report

https://t.co/V2ZOjrVyya

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

“International companies may decide it is simply no longer good business to develop in Scotland."

New windfarm rules 'will drive billions away from Highland economy’

https://t.co/4Vmmo8u4R3

@WilsonC75HT

[Magnus Davidson @DavidsonMagnus]

Very remote towns are depopulating at a faster rate than any other classification. Coupled with public sector quality info from the Times yesterday showing Highland ranking as bottom we have to be asking how on earth we try to stop these growing inequalities in the ‘periphery’.

[Sophie Hale @hale_shale]

Indeed, had the UK had maintained its market share in the products the UK sells, then our goods exports would have grown by $64 billion between 2019 and 2022, rather than shrinking by $4 billion. 9/13

[Adam Bell @Adam_Grant_Bell]

All this adds up to meaning today's announcement means basically nothing. It's energy policy as culture war, rather than a contribution to energy security. /fin

[Paul Smith @Paul_SLG]

“Several times … chair Toni Coombs had to plead with objectors to let council officers and those who supported the application have their say, without interrupting - finally asking for one man to be removed.”

The scheme? A church and care home.

https://t.co/2Ecp3nWJQP

[Magnus Davidson @DavidsonMagnus]

We need to be making a case for how to deliver social transformation akin to ‘power from the glens’, I.e. a meaningful just transition for many reasons.

Not least to shut down regressive anti-development campaigns capitalising on the use of progressive points to community wash.

[Nick Bloom @I_Am_NickBloom]

Important paper showing the gains to mothers and society from WFH. A 10% increase in WFH is shown to increase mothers employment by 1%. This is particularly true in professions which are more family unfriendly, like finance and marketing. Two implications:

1) WFH is driving faster economic growth by increasing the labor-supply of mothers. This is a huge benefit to society, and likely one reason for the post-pandemic surge in US economic growth.

2) WFH supports children's development by allowing parents to spend more time with them. This provides individual family benefits, and also wider social and economic benefits.

So the big-name CEOs and Politicians claiming WFH is damaging growth have got it 100% wrong. WFH is likely powering the current economic boom by increasing labor supply and productivity, while also improving personal and family time.

Paper: https://t.co/Izk1XjpQIK

[NLS Map Collections @natlibscotmaps]

We have just released a new Woodland in Scotland map viewer. https://t.co/NXi2q6SCkt
The Library partnered with @ZuluEcosystems, who have extracted a digital layer showing woodland from the mid-19th century Ordnance Survey maps. https://t.co/HqxbdiU2ug

[Neil Lee @ndrlee]

Only five metropolitan areas increased their share of UK GDP between 2001 and 2020

Milton Keynes (0.6% → 0.7%)
Edinburgh (1.5 → 1.6)
Bristol (1.5 → 1.6)
Manchester (4.6 → 4.7)
London (25.8 → 29)

(OECD Met area database)

[Simon Cleary @SimonJPCleary]

One in six of the workforce in Shetland is aged 65 or over, compared to just one in 100 in Tower Hamlets.

For National Older Workers Week I've looked at the growth in older workers.

@workingwiseuk @bbcshetland
@shetnews #nationalolderworkersweek

https://t.co/P4vay2uyHJ

[BiGGAR Economics @BiggarEconomics]

We will be reviewing the 2023 applications for the Socio-economic Consultant positions on the 30th of October. So if you would like to work with us please send in your CV and Cover Letter next week!

More details at: https://t.co/EL1nY7pfY9

[Magnus Davidson @DavidsonMagnus]

Important to understand how these economic levers are targeted to mitigate our social issues. The region is not homogeneous with acute challenges and opportunities felt at a local or county level. It’s no longer the era of the Highland Problem, it’s north, west, and Island.

[Douglas Fraser @DouglsFraser]

A year after moving from Glasgow to the Highlands, I’ve been reflecting: the challenges facing the north mostly come from opportunities and growth.
https://t.co/eeVugnERYJ

[Sam Dumitriu @Sam_Dumitriu]

Yet some projects stand out.

Incredibly, £267m has been spent on the Lower Thames Crossing’s 63,000 page planning application.

Norway built the world’s longest road tunnel and the world’s deepest subsea tunnel for less.

[Magnus Davidson @DavidsonMagnus]

Very welcome proposals. Investment in Scrabster from multiple agencies paying off. For communities close to the resource, operations and maintenance bases deliver generational benefit from renewables perhaps not seen elsewhere in the country.

[SSEN Transmission @SSETransmission]

⚡️ New @BiggarEconomics research shows that our £10bn 'Pathway to 2030' #Investment programme will enable the connection of 11GW of new #OffshoreWind capacity, which could power more than 10m homes and support more than 20,000 UK #Jobs

Find out more: https://t.co/A0ZxMQmDT0

[Simon Cleary @SimonJPCleary]

Energy transition projects have become so large that the £billions used to describe them are difficult to understand.

So we have introduced a new unit of measurement, 1 Queensferry Crossing

@TheForthBridges

[BiGGAR Economics @BiggarEconomics]

Our Wellbeing Economy Lead @ShonaMairead presented the findings of our study on the contribution of Scotland's estates to the Wellbeing Economy this morning at the @ScotLandEstates conference.

You can read more about that study here: https://t.co/WJocdwDGtt

[BiGGAR Economics @BiggarEconomics]

"Industrial tourism” or, less charitably, “nerd tourism,” has also long pulled people to Britain’s mills, mines and canals."

Our Economics Director @SimonJPCleary spoke with @OliviaRudgard on the experience of wind energy development and tourism in Scotland.

#energy #tourism