At 11am, people across the country will pause to remember those who have died in conflict. With war, once again, taking place on European soil, and global stability being tested, it’s important that we do not forget the sacrifices of all those whose courage in the face of unimaginable hardship shaped the world we live in today.
This week, world leaders will also be giving thought to the threat posed by climate change as many gather for the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan. They are hoping to rein in rising global temperatures, which are making deadly events like the recent floods in Spain far worse.
A key aim at this year's meeting is agreeing on how to get more cash to poorer countries to help them curb their planet-warming gases and to help them cope with the growing impacts of climate change. However, with the leaders of many major powers absent from the gathering, the status of the UN-led summit is being questioned.
Closer to home, we can expect debate on the transition away from fossil fuels withthe court of session due to hear the case against Rosebank and Jackdaw on Tuesday.
President-elect Trump will also undoubtedly continue to dominate much of the international news agenda this week as he works to construct his new administration. President Biden is due to meet his predecessor, and now successor, at the White House on Wednesday.
Planning will be a key focus for politicians in Scotland with statistics on the number of applications, and the timescale for a decision, being released on Monday, followed by a ministerial statement on Scotland’s planning system taking place on Tuesday.
by John Cumming, Client manager
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
The Times published an interesting piece by Greig Cameron over the weekend which highlights the struggles faced by many public bodies when hiring senior executives. The piece notes that organisations such as the Scottish Funding Council, Transport Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland have all been run under an interim chief executive in recent times, with Scottish Enterprise also currently operating without a permanent chair of the board. Cameron attributes this to an increasing number of ‘quangos’, an inability to compete with private sector salaries, and the high-profile nature of these roles putting off many executives from the business world.
Graeme Roy writes in The Herald this morning following the publication of a new academic paper, Scotland’s Economy after 25 Years of Devolution, which he co-authored. The piece suggests that key economic strategies have changed little in 25 years, despite shifting priorities and a stronger focus on climate and inclusivity. He notes that persistent issues remain, partly because of limited policy evaluations, and reliance on “style over substance”.
And in a piece of (slightly early) festive season news, Scottish Farmer reports that the award winning Garrocher Tree Farm in Ayrshire, which supplies Downing Street and The Ritz, has gone up for sale for £2 million.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
As the world continues to debate the consequences of Trump’s second term in office, Ian Williams writes in The Spectator about the potential conflict between the president-elect, and his close ally Elon Musk, over China where Musk has close business interests. Trump has taken a hard line on China, which may be tested if Musk becomes an official part of the new administration.
The Scottish Government’s acting cabinet secretary for energy and net zero, Gillian Martin, wrote a piece for The Herald ahead of her attendance at COP29, this week. Martin says that she will be calling on other nations to commit funding to ‘loss and damage’, with Scotland being the first country in the global north to do so, committing £2 million in 2021. Her piece also calls for reform to the UK electricity market to deliver certainty for hydrogen producers, and to support renewable energy development in Scotland.
In a piece for The Guardian, Hadley Freeman reflects on Kamala Harris’ election loss, and argues that the Democrats are failing by focusing on "moral superiority"instead of addressing practical issues like inflation and immigration, which resonate more with voters.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
- Remembrance: the prime minister will attend the 106th anniversary of the Armistice of 1918 in Paris – a two-minute silence will also be observed in the UK at 11am
- Climate: Delegates gather in Azerbaijan for COP29, with the leaders of the US, China, South Africa, Brazil and Australia declining the invite. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will also be absent
-
House of Commons:
- MPs will question ministers from the department for work and pensions before taking part in a debate on rural affairs
- House of Lords:
- Peers will discuss emerging digital technologies, Drax power station and the budget
- Planning: the Scottish Government is set to release data on planning applications and timescales for decisions
- Horizon: business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and the new conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, will appear at the Post Office Horizon inquiry
Tuesday
-
House of Commons:
- DESNZ ministers will take questions from MPs in the chamber
- MPs will also discuss reforms in the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
- Holyrood:
- The Scottish Government will deliver a ministerial statement in the chamber on the planning system
- MSPs to debate the government’s women’s health plan 2021-24
- Committees: MSPs on the housing committee will hear from sector representatives including spokespeople from Homes for Scotland, Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, Shelter Scotland, Living Rent and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations.
- Oil and gas: The Court of Session in Edinburgh will hear the case being brought by Greenpeace and Uplift to stop the development of Rosebank oil field and the Jackdaw gas field
- Statistics: the Scottish Government will publish data gathered from its alcohol and drugs partnership annual survey, as well as results from the Scottish Health Survey
- UK: November labour market statistics, including the unemployment rate
- US: Congress meets for the first time since the election
- Literature: Booker prize winner announced
Wednesday
-
House of Commons:
- PMQs
- Women and equalities questions as well as votes on voter ID and vaping legislation
- Holyrood:
- The Scottish Conservatives will lead a debate on rural affairs and the islands, as well as a separate debate on social security
- Douglas Lumsden MSP will lead a members’ business debate on rural roads infrastructure
- Committees: the economy and fair work committee will hear from representatives of Petroineos following the confirmation of plans to close the Grangemouth refinery
- Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall and transport secretary Louise Haigh to be questioned at their respective committees
- Select committees:
- NHS: Health secretary Wes Streeting to speak at the NHS providers conference
- Economy: Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds to address economic summit in Berlin
Thursday
-
House of Lords:
- Peers to discuss renewable energy
- Holyrood:
- FMQs
- Economy: chancellor Rachel Reeves to give Mansion House speech
- Scottish business: data to be released from the Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) with insights on turnover, workforce, prices, trade and resilience
- Sri Lanka: parliamentary elections
Friday
- Economy: Estimates for Q3 of U.K. GDP
- Welsh Labour: delegates meet in Llandudno for the party’s conference
- Moon: Supermoon
Saturday
- Scottish Lib Dems: delegates gather in Perth for the party’s autumn conference
Sunday
-
Senegal: parliamentary elections
-
UK: Glastonbury music festival tickets go on sale