Top Scottish academic Professor Mike Danson has criticised the UK for failing to enact a proper energy policy, and living as a consequence with the booms and busts of the free market.
In a recent article for Newsnet.scot, Prof Danson implied that the lessons that should have been learned from the financial sector crash in 2008 have their parallels with the energy sector. Yet the current oil price slump is being greeted by a mix of panic and glee in political quarters.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Derek Bateman, Prof Danson expands on his argument, and predicts that Scotland will continue to suffer the consequences of there being no clear long-term energy policy that addresses the fundamental questions of energy sources, “de-carbonising” the economy, and making proper investment choices.
Mike Danson is Professor of Enterprise Policy at the Heriot Watt University School of Management and Languages. He was previously Director of Research and Professor of Scottish and Regional Economics at the University of the West of Scotland.
His interview was recorded yesterday (Monday Dec 29)