The Scotsman’s right-wing tabloid headline today is based on this from Audit Scotland published on 13 November 2025:

Altogether, the net benefit to Scottish Budgets since the introduction of devolved taxes in 2015/16 is around £4.1 billion.

^{https://audit.scot/publications/financial-sustainability-and-taxes}

Services not improved eh? What is the evidence in the Scotsman? It’s a Survation UK-wide opinion poll of 2032 so that means around 200 at most, a tiny percentage of the Scottish population in a poll carried out by a pollster with a bad rep finds a barely one hundred folk who think that? I can’t see the data tables published yet.

Why do they think that? First, because, judging by a BBC Scotland vox pop in the streets of Dunfermline this morning, they think the Scottish Government is directly responsible for filling grit bins and pot holes, but also because they never get to hear improved services of the kind below.

Do their views survive a collision with the evidence? This kind of evidence:

Five NHS waiting lists where Scotland does better, often far better, here for you, but ‘Record reporter’ uses the one where you can’t compare

One year after First Minister’s promise NHS Scotland’s overall waiting list for new outpatient appointments has fallen for the 6th month in a row with NHS England’s list now a shocking 51% longer per head of population

95% of Scotland’s schools in good condition up from only 62% under Labour yet Herald platform Anas Sarwar to accuse SNP

Scottish Government gives schools 20% more cash and 30% more teachers but the Sunday Mail has another Labour pamphlet as a front page

Daily Record manages to miss easily accessed figures proving that the SNP has closed the attainment gap in Scottish schools and widened it with England

Never mind the media trivia scramble for a few police officers leaving or failing a training course, here’s what matters to you – 25% more officers in Scotland yet violent crime almost three times as common in England & Wales

UK Labour Government to copy SNP policy on specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams from 2013, 16 years too late, in a culture where these offences are between twice and three times as common!

UK unemployment 35% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland

In less than 4 years child poverty in England predicted to be 45% greater and in Wales’58% higher than in Scotland, affecting millions of them