Can Scotland afford to be independent?

Independence is about the right of people in Scotland to decide their own future

We’re the ideal size

Scotland is a wealthy nation with a big economy

We’re educated and talented

We have extraordinary energy resources

There is no set of official accounts that tells us how an independent Scotland’s economy would fare, nor what its finances would look like.

The economic situation has been made even worse by the unfolding disaster that is Brexit. Scotland voted to remain in the EU, because it was manifestly in our best interests to do so.

The accounts don’t suggest Scotland is in debt at all. People just don't understand how to analyse the UK Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report (GERS).

A poll for Prospect Scotland found that 75% of Scottish voters would vote for independence if they felt that the economic plan for an independent Scotland meant we would be better off. 

"We make the case for maximum devolution of power and responsibility possible at any time, particularly in areas such as the economic levers and business policies. In turn, this will allow a Scottish Government to boost economic growth."

This week, Craig talks to SNP Policy Development Convenor Chris Hanlon and Agnes MacAuley from SNP Greenock & Inverclyde about the latest GERS figures and what they mean (and don’t mean) for Scotland, independence and the post-pandemic recovery.

A review of the economic and political circumstances around a second independence referendum.

GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland) 2015/16 reported Scotland’s fiscal deficit to be in the region of £14 billion per year, portraying Scotland as the country experiencing some of the most challenging financial circumstances in Europe.

Investment has become a dirty word in the era of ‘investment banking’. Investment banking is widely considered to be one of the causes of the 2008 financial crash (Varoufakis, 2015).