Green Politics
Did John Swinney mislead MSPs on the Tartan Tax?
As with all good Budgets, it is only once the dust settles that the implications of the measures announced become clear and Scotland is no exception. Following the publication on Wednesday of the SNP government’s draft Budget, finance secretary John Swinney is facing calls from the main opposition parties to explain to parliament the government’s decision to forego its albeit limited tax varying powers.
IMF arrive to put right Ireland’s special version of crony capitalism
The IMF has arrived in Dublin. Despite Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern dismissing on Sunday any talk of Ireland getting a bailout from the IMF or the Stability Fund as ‘fiction’, the reality could no longer be denied on Tuesday evening as Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, was forced to admit that the governement was about to commence “short focused consultation” with the IMF and EU Officials.
OECD forecasts modest growth for UK economy
The OECD released its latest Economic Outlook today, setting out its forecasts for developments in its member countries. It is supportive of the UK government’s fiscal tightening, describing it as “substantial but necessary”, but warns that it will, when combined with weak real income growth, mean moderate output growth over the next two years.
A tale of two Budgets
Left Foot Forward's Devolution Correspondent Ed Jacobs looks at the Scottish and Welsh draft Budgets, published yesterday.
What kind of jobs recovery is going on?
There is some good news in today’s labour market statistics. There were 2,448,000 people unemployed in the three months from July to September, down 9,000 on the figures for April to June. The number of people in employment was up 167,000 from April-June, reaching 29,189,000.
Osborne to help Ireland: a “shining example of long-term economic policymaking”
George Osborne "stands ready" to help Ireland in the midst of economic crisis. It's the least he can do after cheerleading their disastrous economic policies as a "shining example".