Quietly inserted in the fourth paragraph of the above report:
Scotland’s business leaders have called for more support in the face of the bleak economic outlook.
The Bank of England has increased interest rates to 1.75% and warned inflation is now set to hit more than 13%.
Retail and licence trade associations said more UK and Scottish government support is needed ahead of an expected recession.
The Scottish government has said its focus is on supporting the lowest paid.
Latest data from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) showed footfall in July was 16.5% down on pre-pandemic levels and 0.7% worse than in June.
The decline was larger than the UK average of 14.2%.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-62434365
It’s another twelve paragraphs, before we see:
Scottish government business minister Ivan McKee said he was “continuing to call on the UK government to support the lowest paid in our communities”.
He added: “The Scottish government has put in about £3bn worth of support for low paid families and we would call on the UK government to do something similar.
“VAT is a reserved matter for the UK government and we’ve asked they consider options there to be able to support businesses at this difficult time.”
This is clear evidence of the leftist, communitarian, caring values that Labour still pretends and which they deny the SNP has or acts upon.
Interestingly and in sharp contrast to most reports where all three opposition parties get a platform to blame the SNP Government, they are all silent on using taxpayers’ funds to support businesses.
For some of the other evidence that the SNP has entirely replaced Labour as the party of the left, see this: https://leftfootforward.org/2021/01/allan-dorans-what-has-the-snp-done-for-us-here-are-7-ways-weve-tackled-inequality/?doing_wp_cron=1659696213.6402590274810791015625
Talking-up Scotland 
Yes and they have done it deliberately.
In the same way that the Tories in England try to appeal to the constituency in that country by having right of centre policies,the SNP do do to same for a Scottish constituency which is left of centre.
Two very different polities which can only survive together as an entity so long as one of them is ignored.
They do that because they can,for now.
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https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2022/08/05/universal-basic-services-are-the-only-answer-to-the-crisis-we-are-facing/
A long post from Richard Murphy but it’s worth a read. Wishful thinking, but without some sort of mitigation to stem the out of control corporations, oil comps and Tory rich it’s going to be very bad for the whole of society, aside the rich oligarchs of course. Scotland needs the heck away from the dystopian UK and pronto.
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O/T but ‘core’ to many of TuS’ interests!
Anyone listen to – have a view on the content of – today’s Radio 4 Feedback programme? Is it worth a listen?
It featured this: ‘The BBC Scotland Editor James Cook explains how he manages to remain impartial, as the independence issue heats up again north of the border.’
Note the wording here: seems the assumption is that there just is ‘impartiality’ – that’s a given, it is the BBC after all!
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Link ?
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You’ll find it on BBC Sounds, Bob – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0019rrx
Probably just beyond half way through the programme. I heard it introduced but couldn’t listen at the time.
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The SNP are not a party of the left they are a party of quislings, a vichy colonial administration who run Scotland for their Imperialist masters. It’s time to get rid of this pretend independence party that have been taken over by Unionists.
Sturgeon is worked like a puppet from Downing Street , betraying us at every oppurtunity. She has been quite happily stringing us along for the past 7 years, doing nothing but taking her pieces of eight like judas . We need real leadership from someone who will project our claim of right our Sovereignty and Nationhood. The dud will only be complicit, compliant and acquies to Tory Rule.
Dissolve the Union.
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Thank You , Alastair . Now if you hang on a moment I can recommend a good resolution to your problem .
Take your head out of your arse !
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I was thinking on a Vichyssoise joke, but that response is undoubtedly more succinct…
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If only it were that simple.
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Have I got this right?
The Bank of England has just put interest rates up from 1.25% to 1.75% this week, inflation is set to reach to 13% by the end of the year, there is a real possibility of the energy price cap reaching £4000 in January, the UK expected to entering a recession in the next quarter and staying in a recession until the end of 2023 and Scotland’s business leaders are calling on the Scottish Government for more support not the Chancellor of the Exchequer?
I looked at the other parts of the massive BBC website to find out if businesses from other parts of the UK were also calling for more support and there was nothing.
Tonight Nicola Sturgeon has just retweeted this by Sebastian Payne.
Scotland’s business leaders best hope for more support is the First Minister’s demand for more tax, welfare and borrowing powers.
Will they support her?
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I checked on a few business organisations in Scotland looking to find an answer to your question.
Despite all that’s going on in terms of the economic and business environment, and all that’s happening politically in terms of policy propositions from Tory candidates to be the next PM, the dates of most recent press releases are perhaps surprising:
– the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland = 28 July 2022
– the Scottish Chambers of Commerce = 27 July 2022
– CBI Scotland = 1 March 2022.
Cat got their tongues?
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The Tories will be gone. The sham ‘contest’. How many businesses and and tax evaders voted Tory. Scotland can vote SNP and vote for Independence soon. Then sort the Scottish economy out. Brexit will damage the Scottish economy. Westminster spends £10Billion of Scottish funds on poor bad decisions. Illegal wars, tax evasion and financial fraud. Funding London N/E. Scottish funds and revenues being misused.
Scotland raises £66Billion. £41Billion block grant. £15Billion (UK) pensions and benefits. £10Billion goes on Westminster mismanagement. HS2, Hickley Point etc. A total waste of monies. Over priced, over time and always will be subsidised. Too much spent on Trident and redundant weaponry. Destroying the world.
£30Billion lost to tax evasion. £3Billion in Scotland. Scotland cannot borrow £Billions to spent on the economy. Pay back in growth. Westminster borrows and spends what it likes in the rest of the UK. (£10Billion more on average). Scotland has to pay back on the loans spent in the rest of the UK. £3/4Billion cost.
£Billions of Scottish funds that could be better spent. Scotland could raise more without Westminster colossal bad decisions and mismanagement. Scotland does not vote to support these decisions. Including on Brexit.
On average the UK raises £600Billion in revenues. Westminster borrows more to spend in the rest of the UK. Scotland has to balance the books of budget and cannot borrow to aid the economy. To be paid for in added growth.
The major Tory supporters are non Dom’s and tax evaders. Including the former Chancellor. The Tory Party are tax evading millionaires wasting taxpayers money. Especially in Scotland. Tax evaders setting tax rates for others so they can evade tax. Scotland can and will vote them out. D’Hoult and STV imposed on Scotland by unionists for unfair advantage. The unionists can still be voted out.
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