Latest news with #Scotti
The National
5 days ago
- Business
- The National
Kate Forbes urges Westminster action as Scotland's economy shrinks
Data published by the Scottish Government reveals GDP fell 0.2% in March, following a similar drop of 0.2% in February – although GDP as a whole increased over the first three months of 2025 by 0.4% Figures for January, however, saw Scotland record an increase in GDP while the UK as a whole saw the economy contract. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said with the Scottish Government only having "limited powers" over the economy, Labour ministers need to 'counter the damaging economic impacts of Brexit' and reverse the recent hike in employer national insurance contributions. The increase recorded over the first three months of the year is still below the 0.7% GDP growth recorded for the UK as a whole over the same period. READ MORE: I went on the SNP campaign trail in Hamilton. This is what I found out For the period January to March, Scotland's services sector – which makes up the bulk of the economy – grew by 0.5%, while the production sector grew by 0.3%. The construction sector was flat with 0% growth recorded, while the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector contracted 0.4%. Looking at March alone, output in the services sector was flat at 0% growth, while the production sector shrank by 1.6%. However the construction sector expanded by 0.3%. Forbes, who has responsibility for the economy within the Scottish Government, stressed the figures for the first quarter of 2025 are 'encouraging' when compared to the 0.1% growth recorded over October to December 2024, and said they show quarterly growth 'getting stronger'. She added: 'In the face of ongoing global challenges, dynamic steps are being taken to grow and transform Scotland's economy. 'We are pursuing new investment, building export potential and supporting innovation. Last week the First Minister announced that US green aircraft engine developer ZeroAvia is to establish a new manufacturing base in Scotland, creating around 350 jobs. 'Meanwhile, our Programme for Government includes a six-point export plan to help businesses tap into new markets and increase sales.' (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) But she added the Scottish Government's 'limited' powers mean 'decisive action' is needed from the UK Government to 'counter the damaging economic impacts of Brexit and tackle the economic uncertainty currently being felt by business, workers and families'. This action from Westminster must include reversing the 'damaging decision to increase employers' national insurance contributions', the Deputy First Minister insisted. Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill made clear however that 'Scotland's growth must not lag behind the rest of the UK'. READ MORE: No plan, no passion. Keir Starmer's Labour is already running on empty She insisted it is 'absolutely essential that both governments work together to deliver better jobs, wages and opportunities for the people of Scotland'. McNeill said: 'The UK Government ended austerity in Scotland with a record £50 billion block grant in 25-26 for the Scottish Government to spend on public services. 'Meanwhile our Brand Scotland trade missions are promoting Scotland's goods and services on the world stage to encourage further growth and investment, and our forthcoming industrial and trade strategies will create opportunities for people right across the UK.' She also said the UK Government's Plan for Change is 'working by kick-starting economic growth and putting more money in people's pockets'. McNeill added: 'There's been an annual pay rise of around £1400 for up to 220,000 Scottish workers and an end to zero-hours contracts for nearly 80,000 Scots thanks to our ground-breaking Employment Rights Bill.'
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
University of Cambridge study says severe drought caused invasion
Three summers of extreme drought might have contributed to British rebellion against Roman legions, according to academic drought took place between 364 and 366 AD and may have been a determining factor behind the rebellion, called the Barbarian Conspiracy, which was an attack on Roman rule in from the University of Cambridge analysed oak tree-ring records and surviving Roman accounts to argue that the droughts were a driving force in the pivotal findings have been published in the journal Climatic Change. Picts, Scotti and Saxons inflicted crushing blows on weakened Roman defences in the spring and summer of Roman commanders were captured or killed and it took two years for generals to restore order. Picts, people who inhabited northern Scotland in Roman times, attacked the province by land and sea. The Scotti from modern-day Ireland invaded broadly in the west, and Saxons from the continent landed in the final remnants of official Roman administration left Britain some 40 years Ulf Büntgen said: "Three consecutive droughts would have had a devastating impact on the productivity of Roman Britain's most important agricultural region. "As Roman writers tell us, this resulted in food shortages with all of the destabilizing societal effects this brings."The droughts led to crop failure as they no longer had the wet climate they were used to in order to thrive. They happened during a poor period for Roman Britain where food and military resources were being stripped and placed elsewhere. The researchers expanded their climate-conflict analysis to the entire Roman Empire for the period 350–476 CE. They reconstructed the climate conditions immediately before and after 106 battles and found that a statistically significant number of battles were fought following dry years. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
17-04-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Drought left Britain too hot to handle for the Romans
Roman rule in Britain was scuppered by three years of drought that led to rebellion and invasion, new tree-ring data suggests. In 367 AD, tribes including the Picts, Scotti and Saxons banded together in a co-ordinated attack on Roman Britain which has been dubbed the Barbarian Conspiracy. Now researchers believe that the invaders took advantage of famine and societal breakdown, caused by an extreme period of drought, to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defences. The University of Cambridge used oak tree-ring records to reconstruct temperature and precipitation levels in Britain during the Barbarian Conspiracy and found evidence of severe summer droughts in 364, 365 and 366 AD. Charles Norman, a doctoral student from Cambridge's Department of Geography, said: 'We don't have much archaeological evidence for the 'Barbarian Conspiracy'. 'Written accounts from the period give some background, but our findings provide an explanation for the catalyst of this major event.' The Barbarian Conspiracy was one of the most severe threats to Rome's hold on Britain since the revolt led by Boudica three centuries earlier. Part of the garrison on Hadrian's Wall rebelled and allowed the Picts to attack the Roman province by land and sea. Simultaneously, the Scotti invaded western Britain from modern-day Ireland and Saxons, from the continent, landed in the south. During the unrest, senior Roman commanders were captured or killed, and some soldiers reportedly deserted and joined the invaders. It took two years for generals dispatched by Valentinian I, Emperor of the Western Roman Empire, to restore order, but some historians argue that the province never fully recovered. Roman rule collapsed some 40 years later around 410AD. Britain was in the 'utmost conditions of famine' The new research shows that Britain experienced an exceptional sequence of remarkably dry summers from 364 to 366 AD where rainfall nearly halved. Roman Britain's main produce were crops, such as spelt wheat and six-row barley, which were vulnerable to early summer droughts. Accounts written at the time corroborate these drought-driven grain deficits. By 367 AD, Ammianus Marcellinus, a Roman chronicler, described the population of Britain as in the 'utmost conditions of famine'. Prof Ulf Büntgen, from Cambridge's Department of Geography, said: 'Three consecutive droughts would have had a devastating impact on the productivity of Roman Britain's most important agricultural region. 'As Roman writers tell us, this resulted in food shortages with all of the destabilising societal effects this brings.' Roman soldiers were partly paid in grain so a shortage is likely to have contributed to desertions in this period and a weakening of the army in Britain. The experts believe the reduced grain supply to Hadrian's Wall provides a plausible motive for the rebellion there which allowed the Picts into northern Britain. The researchers argue that military and societal breakdown in Roman Britain provided an ideal opportunity for peripheral tribes to invade the province en masse with the intention of raiding rather than conquest. Link between climate and conflict The researchers also expanded their climate-conflict analysis to the entire Roman Empire for the period 350 to 476 AD. They reconstructed the climate conditions immediately before and after 106 battles, finding that a statistically significant number of battles were fought following dry years. Tatiana Bebchuk, also from Cambridge's Department of Geography, said: 'The relationship between climate and conflict is becoming increasingly clear in our own time so these findings aren't just important for historians. 'Extreme climate conditions lead to hunger, which can lead to societal challenges, which eventually lead to outright conflict.'
The Guardian
17-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
British rebellion against Roman legions caused by drought, research finds
A series of exceptionally dry summers that caused famine and social breakdown were behind one of the most severe threats to Roman rule of Britain, according to new academic research. The rebellion, known as the 'barbarian conspiracy', was a pivotal moment in Roman Britain. Picts, Scotti and Saxons took advantage of Britain's descent into anarchy to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defences in the spring and summer of AD367. Senior Roman commanders were captured or killed, and some soldiers reportedly deserted and joined the invaders. It took two years for generals dispatched by Valentinian I, emperor of the western half of the Roman empire, to restore order. The last remnants of official Roman administration left Britain about 40 years later. Warning of the possible consequences of drought today, Tatiana Bebchuk, a researcher at Cambridge's department of geography, said: 'The relationship between climate and conflict is becoming increasingly clear in our own time, so these findings aren't just important for historians. Extreme climate conditions lead to hunger, which can lead to societal challenges, which eventually lead to outright conflict.' The study, published in Climatic Change, used oak tree-ring records to reconstruct temperature and precipitation levels in southern Britain during and after the barbarian conspiracy. Combined with surviving Roman accounts, the data led the authors to conclude that severe summer droughts were a driving force. Little archaeological evidence for the rebellion existed, and written accounts from the period were limited, said Charles Norman of Cambridge's department of geography. 'But our findings provide an explanation for the catalyst of this major event.' Southern Britain experienced an exceptional sequence of remarkably dry summers from AD364 to 366, the researchers found. In the period AD350–500, average monthly reconstructed rainfall in the main growing season was 51mm. But in AD364, it fell to 29mm. AD365 was even worse with 28mm, and the rainfall the following year was still below average at 37mm. Prof Ulf Büntgen of Cambridge's department of geography said: 'Three consecutive droughts would have had a devastating impact on the productivity of Roman Britain's most important agricultural region. As Roman writers tell us, this resulted in food shortages with all of the destabilising societal effects this brings.' The researchers identified no other major droughts in southern Britain in the period AD350–500 and found that other parts of north-west Europe escaped these conditions. By AD367, the population of Britain was in the 'utmost conditions of famine', according to Ammianus Marcellinus, a soldier and historian. Norman said the poor harvests would have 'reduced the grain supply to Hadrian's Wall, providing a plausible motive for the rebellion there which allowed the Picts into northern Britain'. The study suggested that grain deficits may have contributed to other desertions in this period, and therefore a general weakening of the Roman army in Britain. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Military and societal breakdown provided an ideal opportunity for peripheral tribes, including the Picts, Scotti and Saxons, to invade the province. Andreas Rzepecki, from the Rhineland-Palatinate General Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Trier, said: 'The prolonged and extreme drought seems to have occurred during a particularly poor period for Roman Britain, in which food and military resources were being stripped for the Rhine frontier. 'These factors limited resilience, and meant a drought-induced, partial-military rebellion and subsequent external invasion were able to overwhelm the weakened defences.' The researchers expanded their climate-conflict analysis to the entire Roman empire for the period AD350–476. They reconstructed the climate conditions immediately before and after 106 battles and found that a statistically significant number of battles were fought following dry years.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Drought left Britain too hot to handle for the Romans
Roman rule in Britain was scuppered by three years of drought that led to rebellion and invasion, new tree-ring data suggests. In 367 AD, tribes including the Picts, Scotti and Saxons banded together in a co-ordinated attack on Roman Britain which has been dubbed the Barbarian Conspiracy. Now researchers believe that the invaders took advantage of famine and societal breakdown, caused by an extreme period of drought, to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defences. The University of Cambridge used oak tree-ring records to reconstruct temperature and precipitation levels in Britain during the Barbarian Conspiracy and found evidence of severe summer droughts in 364, 365 and 366 AD. Charles Norman, a doctoral student from Cambridge's Department of Geography, said: 'We don't have much archaeological evidence for the 'Barbarian Conspiracy'. 'Written accounts from the period give some background, but our findings provide an explanation for the catalyst of this major event.' The Barbarian Conspiracy was one of the most severe threats to Rome's hold on Britain since the revolt led by Boudica three centuries earlier. Part of the garrison on Hadrian's Wall rebelled and allowed the Picts to attack the Roman province by land and sea. Simultaneously, the Scotti invaded western Britain from modern-day Ireland and Saxons, from the continent, landed in the south. During the unrest, senior Roman commanders were captured or killed, and some soldiers reportedly deserted and joined the invaders. It took two years for generals dispatched by Valentinian I, Emperor of the Western Roman Empire, to restore order, but some historians argue that the province never fully recovered. Roman rule collapsed some 40 years later around 410AD. The new research shows that Britain experienced an exceptional sequence of remarkably dry summers from 364 to 366 AD where rainfall nearly halved. Roman Britain's main produce were crops, such as spelt wheat and six-row barley, which were vulnerable to early summer droughts. Accounts written at the time corroborate these drought-driven grain deficits. By 367 AD, Ammianus Marcellinus, a Roman chronicler, described the population of Britain as in the 'utmost conditions of famine'. Prof Ulf Büntgen, from Cambridge's Department of Geography, said: 'Three consecutive droughts would have had a devastating impact on the productivity of Roman Britain's most important agricultural region. 'As Roman writers tell us, this resulted in food shortages with all of the destabilising societal effects this brings.' Roman soldiers were partly paid in grain so a shortage is likely to have contributed to desertions in this period and a weakening of the army in Britain. The experts believe the reduced grain supply to Hadrian's Wall provides a plausible motive for the rebellion there which allowed the Picts into northern Britain. The researchers argue that military and societal breakdown in Roman Britain provided an ideal opportunity for peripheral tribes to invade the province en masse with the intention of raiding rather than conquest. The researchers also expanded their climate-conflict analysis to the entire Roman Empire for the period 350 to 476 AD. They reconstructed the climate conditions immediately before and after 106 battles, finding that a statistically significant number of battles were fought following dry years. Tatiana Bebchuk, also from Cambridge's Department of Geography, said: 'The relationship between climate and conflict is becoming increasingly clear in our own time so these findings aren't just important for historians. 'Extreme climate conditions lead to hunger, which can lead to societal challenges, which eventually lead to outright conflict.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
