Economy

The possible financial costs and risks, or savings and opportunities, of implementing a new constitutional framework are, naturally, not considered in GERS. Similarly, it does not report on the effects of faster or slower economic growth in an independent Scotland.

When you compare the map of where the wealth ends up with a map of where the UK’s wealth is generated, the union drains wealth from Scotland.

Estimated total expenditure for the benefit of Scotland by the Scottish Government, UK Government, and all other parts of the public sector was £99.2 billion. Spending increased by 21.0%, reflecting the costs of the health and wider economic interventions in response pandemic.

There is no evidence for the claim that HS2 will cost Scotland. In effect, all money spent by Scotland on HS2 is returned through the Barnett formula.

The article reports comparative analysis of economic and planning policy documents from Scotland, England and the UK.  This indetifies four key policy areas for ‘inclusive growth’: skills, transport and housing for young people; city-regional governance; childcare; and place-making.

the best performing policies were captured and adapted to inform a suite of model policies with global application.

There are issues, such as the distribution of income, which merit particular attention in Scotland's case.  There are also contradictions in explanations of Scotland's economic performance that have to be addressed.

Brexit is just the latest and most obvious example of the democratic deficit which makes the Union so damaging to Scotland and renders it impossible for the people of Scotland to have any control over our country’s future.

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.