From stewartb It was a forlorn expectation that Unionists would have refined and improved their economic arguments since 2014! It is blindingly obvious that whilst STILL WITHIN this Union, Scotland ‘benefits’ from – of course has to rely upon – borrowing (and money creation) powers that are vested exclusively within the UK in the Union government. If ‘borrowing’ is required – as it is by most advanced western economies, almost always – then it’s hardly surprising that Scotland needs to access to Westminster’s ‘borrowed’ funds too – and more so during a global pandemic. That is only a weakness in … Continue reading Professor Gallagher and his boss Mr Brown should stop seeking to con Scotland’s electorate

In the Times today, Gers report: Borrowing figures show the value of this fiscal union by Jim Gallagher. Who is Gallagher and why does he think the UK is such a good thing? He’s the main researcher at Gordon Brown’s Our Scottish Future thunk tank and a member of the Scotland in Union Board. He’s a Companion of the Order of the Bath. And NO, he’s not a real professor, just an honorary one based on experience as a senior civil servant. A real professor, Richard Murphy, can tell you why GERS are crap and why Scotland would be better off independent: Why GERS … Continue reading Gordon Brown’s fake prof rates GERS

There were 28 648 new cases today in England. There were 2 538 in Scotland. England has ten times the population so all things being equal should have had 25 380 cases but had 326 or 12.8% more. https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases There is little media coverage of the surge and none of the large English one. Continue reading Highest number of cases is in England

This deficit, more accurately described as ‘notional’ by the Fraser of Allan Institute, is based on the GERS figures. These figures were specifically developed in the 1990s to counter the case for independence. They are almost all estimates. No one knows what the Scottish Government’s tax revenue would be. They include the cost of debt due to the UK’s trade imbalance over decades despite Scotland’s longstanding trade surplus. They include the cost of Trident, aircraft carriers and cruise missiles, we would never need or want to have. The data is manipulated to suggest Scotland is less viable than the other … Continue reading Not true

Cases in Scotland are rising fast at the moment. It is concerning but less so than in England Northern Ireland where the base level has been so much higher to start with. Scotland’s better vaccine rollout, and more successful control measures over the pandemic have combined to keep levels far below those in England and Northern Ireland and, latterly, below those in Wales. Continue reading Scotland copes with surge due to previous efforts and better vaccine rollout

This letter by Leah Gunn Barrett, published in the Scotsman yesterday is worth of wider attention: There is another reason to leave Cambo oil under the sea (Editorial, August 17). The chief developer of this oil field, Siccar Point Energy, is owned by a company registered in Luxembourg, Siccar Point Luxembourg SCA. What this means is that all profits, interest payments, supply and even labour chain contracts will flow through Luxembourg, not the UK.[1]  So since there won’t be any UK tax revenue there is no economic case for developing this oil field. And the environmental consequences of doing so … Continue reading Another reason to leave Cambo oil under the sea

Leaving aside the entertainment value in the above image for the long-term Celtic fan, Brian ‘Bad Vibrations‘, Wilson’s argument that Sturgeon loved calling for public inquiries and so should continue to do so regardless is an odd one. She has called for an earlier one on the pandemic, than the UK Government wants to see. No doubt he agrees with their strategy to protect the PM from scrutiny. What is driving Wilson? As recently as 2016, she was calling for such an inquiry into public private finance deals under the previous administration.  Previous administration, eh? Oooh was that the New Labour one … Continue reading SHOCK: Brian Wilson loves lying about Sturgeon

From Uncle Tom Gordonstoun at the Herald today: Today’s Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures are forecast to show Scotland had a deficit of up to 25 per cent of GDP in the first full year of the Covid pandemic. Who could be better than TG to use this rusty old tool once more to bash the Nats? To be fair, he does let Fiona Hyslop remind readers that the GERS figures reveal what the Union has done to the Scottish economy and not what independence might do for it, and also that: But, to counter that, we get Pamela Nash of … Continue reading Every year, they forget GERS really are crap!

According to Reporting Scotland this morning, the Great Tapestry of Scotland depicts 12 THOUSAND years of history. Kinda makes you feel proud, doesn’t it from Queen Scota driving back the ice with magic, 12 000 years through three King Ecks just one thousand years ago to the SNP victories in the 21st Century by King Eck IV? Until I heard that, I thought that Scotland and England were both closer to around just the one thousand years old. What age are the Reporting Scotland team? Did they do history at school? Arithmetic? Did they mishear ‘prehistory?’ The longer website version … Continue reading Scotland 11 000 years older than England shock

From BBC Scotland today: Deaths caused by alcohol rose by 17% last year to the highest level for more than a decade, new official figures show. The National Records of Scotland statistics show there were 1,190 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland, 170 more than the previous year. This was the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered since 2008. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58243168 One year, especially a year like 2020, where many were cooped up in their homes for long periods, is not likely to provide evidence of trend. This is particularly true when the data contradict the longer trend: Although Scotland has shown the … Continue reading Lockdowns cause blip in alcohol death figures after significant fall under SNP