The above comparison from the always worth reading Ruth Henderson at: https://x.com/RuthHen05786097 is just like those simple comparisons the Unionist media love to trot out, except this time, they don’t.

Now, if the rate of collapse had been the same, per head, in the UK generally, then only around 220 000 firms (11 times 20 000) would have disappeared but it was 400 000 nearly twice as many.

Imagine it was the other way round, who would be to blame? You know, the SNP. So who now gets the credit?

Well, there’s none.

From the above BBC Scotland report:

Karen Forret’s family-owned Wilkies chain had 13 shops selling fashion and homeware around Scotland. Six did not survive and the staff of 90 has dropped to fewer than 50.

She told BBC Scotland News there was a lack of support during and after the pandemic.

“We’ve had no relief that English retailers and Welsh retailers have seen,” she said. “The relief came later – we’ve had to fight for it – and we were closed longer.”

Out of six of the stores that we closed, five still lie empty,” she said.

“It seems strange that we are fighting for our Scottish high streets, vital to our economy and tourism, and the Scottish government is not.”

She said that the advice on how to re-open came later than in other UK nations and Scottish retailers did not get the same rate relief when they reopened.

“At a time when everybody was looking for support, the Scottish government failed businesses, and they have done since.” Ms Forret said. _{https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3we675x41do#:~:text=More%20than%2020%2C000%20small%20Scottish,going%20through%20lockdowns%20and%20restrictions.}