I suspect the Scottish Government will be feeling pretty pleased with themselves this week. Last week they tied up deals with both the Lib Dems and the Greens to ensure that they will get their budget over the line.

In particular, for myself and the STUC, it was good to see the further steps towards universal free school meals as a result of the deal with the Greens. This was another measure which, added to the commitments around removing the two child cap on benefits, shows that they are taking their mission to tackle child poverty seriously.

We all know that there is a Scottish Parliament election just around the corner so who can blame Scottish Government for being in full blown election mode and seeking to apply all the populist measures they can possibly deliver in this budget.But while many of the measures are welcome, my worry is that they come at the expense of some really key longer-term priorities like investing in and building in the skills pipeline for the green jobs of tomorrow.

The Scottish Government would do well not to forget its longer-term goals because short term fixes often only deliver short term relief. And If they are truly going to be able to deliver on a wellbeing economy that really works for workers, then they need to ensure that Scotland takes full advantage of all the opportunities presented by the transition to net zero, that the next generation of workers are fully skilled up to do the new jobs that will be required in the green economy, and they need to ensure that our universities and our colleges receive the long-term sustainable funding required to deliver those skills.

That’s why I was pleased to support the rally at the Scottish Parliament organised by the University and College Union (UCU) this week, because Higher........

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