Tag: economy

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The dark Brian Wilson allowed to challenge SNP universalism on winter fuel allowance in a typically under-educated manner

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Professor John Robertson OBA Brian ‘Bad Vibrations’ Wilson, former Minister under Tony Blair, is in the Herald today to claim: Winter fuel payment u-turn exposes flaws in SNP’s universalism Have I read it? No way? Do I need to read it? No way. I have the oven-ready, fully-researched, response from a think tank set up by that real socialist, the late Jimmy Reid. The facts, from the Jimmy Reid Foundation: In 2012, I read and was much impressed by their The Case for Universalism An assessment of the evidence on the effectiveness and efficiency of the universal welfare state which made these telling … Continue reading The dark Brian Wilson allowed to challenge SNP universalism on winter fuel allowance in a typically under-educated manner

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‘Millionaire ‘Sir’ Tom Hunter gets it wrong by urging Scotland to emulate Singapore!

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By JB So Tom hunter, the businessmen, has urged the Scottish Government to emulate Singapore by cutting tax and red tape in an effort to reverse what he described as “managed decline”. He also said that “If we can get better wealth creators to Scotland, they will create the jobs, they will pay more tax, not because of the rate, because of the take.” Millionaire urges Scotland to emulate Singapore to reverse ‘managed decline’ | STV News  Managed decline? On the former according to the database numbeo.com comparing Singapore to Glasgow ( it doesn’t let you put in Scotland) we … Continue reading ‘Millionaire ‘Sir’ Tom Hunter gets it wrong by urging Scotland to emulate Singapore!

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Revealing how BBC Scotland skewed the response of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to a Scottish Fiscal Commission report: – but why, is there a legitimate, public service reason?

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By stewartb The Scottish Fiscal Commission published April 8 a report entitled ‘Fiscal Sustainability Report – April 2025’. An article in the Scotland section of the BBC News website covered this under the headline: ‘Significant challenges’ for health funding, warns report.’ (See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgxyegeelyo ) As will become apparent, two things about the BBC article are significant: (See https://ifs.org.uk/articles/scottish-fiscal-sustainability-report-immediate-response) By avoiding any mention of the UK or of Westminster, the BBC misses important context- and perspective-giving references prominent in the IFS’ commentary. The IFS response states right up front: ‘Today’s Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) report highlights the fiscal challenges facing the … Continue reading Revealing how BBC Scotland skewed the response of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to a Scottish Fiscal Commission report: – but why, is there a legitimate, public service reason?

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A BBC Political Editor’s cri de coeur for the North in response to Labour’s investment focus on SE England contrasts with BBC Scotland’s response …..what was it, anyone?

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By stewartb The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent announcement of major infrastructure investments to catalyse UK growth seems to have received little attention from the mainstream media that supposedly ‘serves’ Scotland. However, what’s been lacking here is in contrast to commentary elsewhere, notably in the north of England. An article in Bella Caledonia (February 3) by Neil Blain reflects on the news coverage in Scotland of the Chancellor’s big speech, or rather its near absence from most of the mainstream media in Scotland: ‘Reactions to the Silicon Valley and Heathrow announcements were more evident in England than Scotland, in the … Continue reading A BBC Political Editor’s cri de coeur for the North in response to Labour’s investment focus on SE England contrasts with BBC Scotland’s response …..what was it, anyone?

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Putting the Scotland’s below inflation cost increases into context

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By stewartb Mr Whittle chooses to be a Tory. He has no doubt been delighted that the UK had a Tory government in Westminster for more than a decade prior to mid-2024, with his Tory colleagues responsible for setting most UK fiscal and all monetary policies. Plus responsibility for determining the financing of local government in England, with its knock on impacts for the ‘block grant’ transferred to NI, Scotland and Wales. And so he really does need to face up to and acknowledge his own party’s impact! in government! From the Swim England website dated November 21, 2023: ‘Ongoing high … Continue reading Putting the Scotland’s below inflation cost increases into context

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Latest UK national debt has fallen by £1.5 TRILLION so Labour cannot deny pensioners a country in which it is possible to live in their old age

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Thanks once more to Dottie for alerting me to this. From Richard Murphy, today: The national debt has just fallen by £1.5 trillion There is a very strange feature that, as far as I can see, has not had much attention paid to it so far within the Whole of Government Accounts for the year to 31 March 2023 that were published yesterday. Ignoring the fact that, as I noted yesterday, these accounts were subject to qualification by the National Audit Office because about 90% of the data from local authorities required for their preparation was either unavailable or had not itself been audited, some … Continue reading Latest UK national debt has fallen by £1.5 TRILLION so Labour cannot deny pensioners a country in which it is possible to live in their old age

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Scotland’s oil and gas revenues, even ten years after we were told it was running out, are still FOUR TIMES that of Guyana’s apparently ‘mind-boggling oil wealth’

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In 2022, the South American country Guyana produced $7.5 billion in oil and gas revenues.1 In the same year, Scotland produced $31.8 billion in oil and gas revenues.2 Today, in the Guardian: Hundreds of thousands of Guyana citizens living at home and abroad will receive a payout of around £370 each after the country announced it was distributing its “mind-boggling” oil wealth.3 If $7.7bn is ‘mindboggling’ then what is $31.8 bn, especially when we were told it was soon to run out? Sources: Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown … Continue reading Scotland’s oil and gas revenues, even ten years after we were told it was running out, are still FOUR TIMES that of Guyana’s apparently ‘mind-boggling oil wealth’

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Scotland’s free prescription costs static in line with inflation despite 29% increase in those over 75, over 10 years

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, yesterday: The total (net) cost for dispensing items and providing services in 2023/24 was £1.62 billion, increasing by 6.5% from £1.52 billion in 2022/23. This follows a period of largely rising cost, increasing by 35.3% over the last 10 years.1 UK general inflation in the same period was 34%.2 The inflation rate specifically for pharmaceuticals from 2015, was 33.5%.3 For 2014 it was 1.45%4, giving a total of 34.9%, almost exactly the same as the 35.3% for the cost of prescriptions. In the same period: The number of people aged 75 … Continue reading Scotland’s free prescription costs static in line with inflation despite 29% increase in those over 75, over 10 years

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England’s national debt is on course to treble over the next half a century

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BBC Business yesterday, reported: UK [sic] national debt is on course to treble over the next half a century due to several pressures, according to the government’s official forecaster. Those pressures include an ageing population, climate change, and rising geopolitical tensions, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said in a report. Remarkably, the report does not mention the most important reason for the UK’s historical debt going back decades now, since the British Empire could no longer force its manufactured goods onto colonies and extract their raw materials free of charge. England does have a surplus of around £130 billion … Continue reading England’s national debt is on course to treble over the next half a century

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Who constitutes the country? Surely, families in poverty are part of that?

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By Alasdair Macdonald ’Country before Party’ is what the Labour manifesto pledged. Setting aside for the moment what ‘country’ connotes, how does Ms McNeill and other Labour MPs justify their decision to support the continuation of the ‘two-child benefit cap’? Their argument is that ‘the country(?) cannot afford it at present. But, who constitutes the country? Surely, families in poverty are part of that? And, why are they in poverty? Because they have not got enough money even though, in most cases, at least one member of the family is in paid employment, and wages are low, hours are few … Continue reading Who constitutes the country? Surely, families in poverty are part of that?