Tag: scotland

7 Comments

Statistical uncertainty, sparse data and the absence of up to date evidence – I give you the Institute for Fiscal Studies

johnrobertson834

By stewartb Candidly, this is an unworthy report from the IFS, an organisation that should stand or fall based on the rigour of its quantitative analysis and its evidence based policy pronouncements. The piece is replete with references to statistical uncertainty, sparse data and absence of up to date statistical evidence. It also makes reference to an HMRC study which found ‘an increase in net migration to Scotland during the period since tax policy started to diverge, including among the higher-income taxpayers whose taxes have increased in Scotland.’ And also reports: ‘these data do suggest that any migration response to Scotland’s … Continue reading Statistical uncertainty, sparse data and the absence of up to date evidence – I give you the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Leave a comment

Productivity, measured as GVA per hour worked, is lower in Labour-run Wales than in other UK countries and regions in England

johnrobertson834

By stewartb In the House of Commons this week (PMQs November 13) the leadership of the British Labour Party was at it again, denigrating Scotland and its government. Hansard records the response of the PM to a question from the SNP’s Brendan O’Hara on the ending of the winter fuel payment. The PM finished his answer with this: ‘I will take no lectures from his party about running the economy; the SNP’s record in Scotland is terrible.’ This rivals the false claim from Labour’s Chancellor recently that Scotland has the worst performing NHS in the UK. How to counter such … Continue reading Productivity, measured as GVA per hour worked, is lower in Labour-run Wales than in other UK countries and regions in England

4 Comments

Bank of England Governor says Brexit has damaged the economy yet Scottish Labour is allowed to hide

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson OBA The above from Huffington Post but BBC avoids being so direct. Has Scottish Labour leader and ‘Party Spokesperson on Brexit’, Anas Sarwar responded? Nope. Has BBC Scotland asked him? Nope. Why should they? This: Continue reading Bank of England Governor says Brexit has damaged the economy yet Scottish Labour is allowed to hide

4 Comments

Scotland’s progressive taxes – as ‘taxpayers choose Scotland’, today’s IFS ‘warning’ comes with another warning but BBC Scotland don’t want you to know about that one

johnrobertson834

already have reduced revenue from those affected, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. It’s analysis of the Scottish budget over recent years comes with a warning for for this year’s budget against further divergence from income tax rates in the rest of the UK. By Professor John Robertson OBA There’s something missing. This: The increases in Scotland’s top rate of income tax may have reduced revenues – although significant uncertainty remains. Scotland’s income tax rises have likely increased tax avoidance and migration – but the size of the effects is uncertain. https://ifs.org.uk/articles/increases-scotlands-top-rate-income-tax-may-have-reduced-revenues-although-significant You don’t have to be an economist to see … Continue reading Scotland’s progressive taxes – as ‘taxpayers choose Scotland’, today’s IFS ‘warning’ comes with another warning but BBC Scotland don’t want you to know about that one

9 Comments

The least lawless part of the UK has the most police yet BBC Scotland headline a handful of Edinburgh shopkeepers to tell you otherwise when crimes of dishonesty there have fallen 25%

johnrobertson834

about a growing number of high value thefts….it’s become lawless…not enough police presence.. BBC Scotland today and all day, headlining a story based on a few Edinburgh shopkeepers who have approached, or have been approached by BBC Scotland, for comment. One of them: Galab Singh Gold, who owns dozens of shops on and around the Royal Mile, told BBC News he had lost £15,000 worth of stock to theft in the last three months. Is that a huge, increased, amount from ‘dozens’ of shops or just the usual costs of shoplifting? The Gold Brothers family are worth a wee Google … Continue reading The least lawless part of the UK has the most police yet BBC Scotland headline a handful of Edinburgh shopkeepers to tell you otherwise when crimes of dishonesty there have fallen 25%

6 Comments

‘Gangland violence spilling over to Scotland from south of the Border’, ‘More than 100 children charged with supplying drugs’ and ‘Gangs flooding Scots city with ‘foot-soldiers’ – Why middle-class professionals are being shielded from the truth and are easily duped

johnrobertson834

This month alone, the tabloids, with readers predominantly from less well-off communities, the Scottish Daily Express, the Scottish Daily Mail and the Scottish Sun, have headlined the plague of extreme violence, drug abuse, drug deaths, child abuse, the ‘cuckooing’ of the vulnerable, people trafficking and prostitution, surging across small-town and rural Scotland, as County Lines drug gangs from English Cities have spread into every corner. Despite their open, often rabid, hostility toward the SNP, these newspapers have been unable to resist the morbid and scary appeal of these stories for their readers, risking, to my mind, support for the Union. … Continue reading ‘Gangland violence spilling over to Scotland from south of the Border’, ‘More than 100 children charged with supplying drugs’ and ‘Gangs flooding Scots city with ‘foot-soldiers’ – Why middle-class professionals are being shielded from the truth and are easily duped

6 Comments

Despite more crime, bizarre duties, already fewer officers and lower starting salaries, England’s police forces face ‘eye watering cuts’ under Labour according to Chief

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson OBA in The Guardian today: Police service in London faces ‘eye-watering cuts’, says Met chief Mark Rowley Surely this is not possible in a country already stricken by high levels of crime with inadequate staffing levels and poor starting pay levels which inhibit recruitment. The details, you won’t see in Scottish media: The true facts are, from open, transparent, official, checkable statistics, in Police officer quarterly strength statistics: 30 September 2024, published today is: Police officer numbers increased by 220 FTE officers (+1.4%) in the last quarter from 30 June 2024 This is an increase of 193 FTE police officers (+1.2%) from the … Continue reading Despite more crime, bizarre duties, already fewer officers and lower starting salaries, England’s police forces face ‘eye watering cuts’ under Labour according to Chief

4 Comments

Staggering contrast in average mental wellbeing scores after 17 years of SNP rule in Scotland and 14 of Tory rule in England

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson, OBA From The Scottish Health Survey 2023 – volume 1: main report, published today, the above graph reveals a steady maintenance of levels of self-reported well-being in Scotland, despite 14 years of Tory austerity policies only partly moderated by the limited powers of the SNP in government but including, crucially for this measure, free prescriptions, bus passes, more GPs, nurses, beds and no NHS strikes.1 In can find no earlier comparable data for Labour-run Scotland before 2008 but we were drinking far more then. I can also not find directly comparable data for England for 2022 or 2023. They … Continue reading Staggering contrast in average mental wellbeing scores after 17 years of SNP rule in Scotland and 14 of Tory rule in England

2 Comments

Massive fall in children’s exposure to deadly second-hand smoke in their own home since 2012 as a range of SNP policies begin to bite

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson, OBA From The Scottish Health Survey 2023 – volume 1: main report, published today, the above graph reveals a marked fall in the percentage of children exposed to second-hand smoke in their own homes.1 In 2016,  the SNP Government, made it illegal to smoke in a vehicle carrying anyone under 18.2 In 2022, the SNP Government made it an offence to smoke with in 15 meters of an NHS hospital building.3 In 2022, only 15% of Scots smoked compare to 28% in 2003.4 The above and other initiatives over the last 17 years will have contributed to this … Continue reading Massive fall in children’s exposure to deadly second-hand smoke in their own home since 2012 as a range of SNP policies begin to bite

4 Comments

Latest – Alcohol consumption plummets in last 17 years

johnrobertson834

By Professor John Robertson OBA From The Scottish Health Survey 2023 – volume 1: main report, published today, the above, graph showing a steady but limited fall in average alcohol consumption in the early years of the devolved Scottish Government (Labour/Lib Dem) then a sharper fall under the SNP from 2008.1 The Minimum Unit Pricing legislation came into effect from May 2018. Research by Newcastle University published in May 2021 found that alcohol sales dropped by 7.7% in Scotland following the introduction of a minimum price, when compared to north-east England. A study published in 2021 found reductions in overall purchases of alcohol, largely … Continue reading Latest – Alcohol consumption plummets in last 17 years