The London School of Economics, eh? They sound impressive. Trusted independent intellectuals who say that independence would hurt the Scottish economy more than Brexit. Oh, well, that’s it I suppose. We’ll need to give up.
Oh wait, is it possible they do research and get the results that suits whoever funded the research or whoever can influence their bids for future funding? No, surely not.
Hmmmm.
In 2008, Libya paid LSE £1.5 million for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (the elder son) to have his plagiarised PhD thesis passed:
In 2005:
Kids Company has suffered further media criticism after it was revealed that the charity paid the London School of Economics almost £40,000 for a glowing report about the impact of its work.
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/kids-company-paid-lse-nearly–40-000-for-impact-report.html
Mike Russell said:
It assumes, that if Scotland were to become independent, we would not change a single policy, we would not use a single lever on the economy.
George Kerevan takes it to bits here saying it’s not real economics:
I’m sure I could find more but that’s probably enough.
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
There’s more to be sceptical on the ‘research’ too. Encapsulated here:
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Interestingly….Martin Geissler (BBC SCOTLAND…THE NINE) interviewed one of the co-authors of this report and got him to admit that ultimately this report was nothing more than speculation based on the status quo .
The Reporting Scotland report was much less critical of the report (RS has a far greater viewing public than the Nine) but no doubt BBC SCOTLANDSHIRE would claim they were being ‘even handed’.
Aye right!
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Here’s George Kerevan debating with one of the LSE authors of the report on @indyscotnews –
George wins hands down.
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Report only covers trade. Boris has negotiated a “deal” with EU – this not mentioned. Borders : an open border exists in Ireland – this also not mentioned. Report is indeed the usual stitch up.
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O/T BBC Newsnight has just reported on EU solidarity over the pandemic. Germany has flown military medics to Portugal to provide assistance. Germany will also be evacuating some very ill Portuguese citizens in order to assist Portugal.
I’ve posted previously about locally organised cross-border co-operation/sharing during this pandemic between communities in Germany and France.
Any fuss, any point scoring? Seems normal!
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Have LSE Factored in the savings to the Scottish economy
Such as
1 Defence spending
2.Trident renewal
3.The vast expensive diplomatic infrastructer
Which is delusional in that there no Empire or Great power status any more
4.Infrastructure projects benefitting the S.E. & London. For example HS2
5.The need to build Nuclear power stations all in order
To replenish nuclear warhead material
6.The massive hidden subsidies to London PublicTransportation
7. The Billions reqd.to repair the collapsing Houses of Parliament ( collapsing not only in fabric but in power and morality )
8.The Trillions of current debt and growing expedentiously
9.The Billions reqd to save EHNS from collaspe and avoid sell off
The list goes on and on
10. England has the highest trade deficit in the whole world which one day simply has to paid for. Enough said my case now rests
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LSE sound rather unethical in how they operate, not a good look, but as they say, money talks and some people will say anything won’t they and with Brexit, organisations will be scrabbling around for funding, (no more EU funding for meds labs etc!) so this sort of thing will no doubt become the norm. I guess it’s like some engineering depts in Uni’s, some of them are largely funded by the military and dance to their tune. Sadly it means that other research can be underfunded or not funded at all.
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More than a whiff of Eau de Latrine to this.
Craig Dalzell comprehensively dismantled the GERS economic arguments against independence previously. This report treads in the footsteps of GERS with an anti-EU twist for good measure, politically convenient for London rather than logical analysis.
Immediately striking is the timing of release not only before Holyrood elections, but before the Brexit “dividend” is quantified. Devastation of fishing, shellfish and agriculture are visible, others will surface in the months ahead.
Joining the EU may add costs (the Brexit argument) but recovery of once profitable industries are offsets, that before business relocations become an attraction from England rather than to Ireland.
EU membership transformed Ireland’s economy in a few short decades without the advantages Scotland has, that is what London fears most, hence this LSE “report”, which should be subtitles “A Union Unit publication”.
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Also worth noting Brexiteer and Anti Scottish Independence rentagob for hire Alan Sked founder of UKIP is Professor Emeritus of International History at the London School of Economics.
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Just more lies. Another dodgy report.
Scotland investment in renewables. Norway electric cars. Far cheaper to run.
The EU has invested £3Billion in develop and production of the vaccine. They are just trying to get the assured supply. The UK is benefitting from EU investment once again. Westminster is a total shambles. The Tory mess.
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How can giving your land and all its vast resources away to near fascists in another country, who treat you with contempt, possibly be beneficial?
Not only that, you give them life and death control over your children’s lives. People who could kill your grannie and say “so what”. In many thousands of cases, they already have.
It needs no studies, no analysis. It is clearly a madness beyond belief.
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Richard Murphy takes it on, too. First few paras do the job.
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2021/02/04/the-lse-report-on-the-increased-costs-in-trade-for-an-independent-scotland-is-based-on-unsubstantiated-data-and-absurd-assumptions/
“I have tried hard to take seriously the new report from the LSE on the costs of Scottish independence, as measured through the supposed impediments to trade that it will create, but I can’t. It’s available here.
There are numerous issues I can raise. First, and most glaringly obviously, the authors note that:
Unlike independent countries, Scotland does not collect detailed statistics on its external trade. Export Statistics Scotland provides useful data about onshore Scottish exports, but import data is relatively sparse.
In other words, there is quite literally no useful data on which to draw conclusions.”
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This is a re-run of the Better Together Project Fear from 2014, when people like John McLaren, academic economist and Labour tribalist and the Fraser of Allander Institute were running the same scare stories. Probably the LSE team were given the reports from then and told to bring them up to date, but continue to make the poiont that the economy will go down the drain.
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I’m sorry, but the two links you provide are not themselves sufficiently robust to call into question the ethics of an entire institution.
The second clearly states that the LSE gave warnings about Kids Company; and they were not “paid to provide a glowing report.”
The first is a section of Wikipedia article, which section itself merely says some people say he plagiarised his thesis; there is no suggestion even if he did, LSE knew it.
I am all for Scottish Independence, and will look into the findings of the report. But shouting “fake news” at reputable academic institutions is a mire that American politics has only just emerged from.
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Thomas Ryan
It is fake news without doubt
Simples do a proper projected accounting balance sheet for Scotland after indy and the remains of UK
Ah but such is impossible for Scotland and E.G. due to being unable to calculate accurately
Vat collected actual and not a estimate
Import duties of Scottish goods
Capital gains and Corporation taxation of large operative companies within Scotland but with HQ in England
And when you come to Assets then the balance well and truly tips in Scotland,s favour
Westminster has deliberately set up recording and reporting procedures in a manner that Top fiscal experts will tell you
That such is pathetic and you never would be able to make long term fiscal policies even for a family far less a Nation in order to steer a proper course
In lay man terms this is a game we are forced to play with dice well in Westminster favour
And to cap it all I quote G.Soros
If it becomes obvious that if Scotland is going to become Independent then my advice slowly but surely divest yourself of ALL What would be the rump of UK assets
Why because what is left of UK will be a bankrupt nation that could not possibly withstand the market forces that will act upon it
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I’m sorry, but the two links you provide are not themselves sufficiently robust to call into question the ethics of an entire institution.
The second clearly states that the LSE gave warnings about Kids Company; and they were not “paid to provide a glowing report.”
The first is a section of Wikipedia article, which section itself merely says some people say he plagiarised his thesis; there is no suggestion even if he did, LSE knew it.
I am all for Scottish Independence, and will look into the findings of the report. But shouting “fake news” at reputable academic institutions is a mire that American politics has only just emerged from.
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