Credit: PA Images
I’m not really one for fussing over whether it should be ‘less’ or ‘fewer’ but I think the Scottish Business New Network editor should know better. Here’s the main information:
‘New statistics from professional services firm KPMG show the number of businesses failing in Scotland fell significantly in the second quarter of 2017, compared to the same three months in 2016. Figures for the three months to 30 June 2017 reveal the total number of insolvency appointments decreased by 27% (196 down from 270) compared to the same period in 2016.’
That’s a big fall and headline material I’d say. It, of course, just adds to all the other recent stuff bringing a tear to many a Unionist’s eyes as they pray for their own country to go to the dogs just to blame the SNP.
You’ll have seen:
and
I get thousands of readers when I mention those two so I’m going to do it as often as I can now.
I wrote this grammatically correct piece on the same topic in April
‘Fewer Scottish businesses failing in 2017’
The above headline comes from the Scottish Business News Network, yesterday, within days of news that fewer Scottish businesses are reporting signs of difficulty than those in the rest of the UK.
Something is happening to the Scottish economy and it is very good news indeed for Indyref2, if our mainstream media will report it. This report and another on the Aberdeen office market demand growth merely adds to the optimism. Here’s a quote summing up the first part:
‘New analysis from professional services firm KPMG indicates positive signs for the Scottish economy, with a significant drop in the number of Scottish companies failing in the first three months of 2017. In the first quarter of this year, the total number of business insolvency appointments decreased by 19% (170 down from 211) compared to the same three months in 2016 (Jan to March). This decrease is reflected in both liquidation appointments (down 20%), which tend to affect smaller businesses, and administrations (down 14%), which usually involve larger organisations.’
https://sbnn.co.uk/2017/07/21/less-businesses-failing-scotland-report-shows/
Talking-up Scotland 
Hi Prof – I noticed a report on these KPMG figures on the BBC website believe it or not! (it was hidden somewhat in the ‘Business Scotland’ section but did indeed carry the basic info in a broadly positive manner.
Can it possibly be that the increased scrutiny alert readers are putting them under is allowing the occasional bit of ‘unspun’ news/info get through to the public? – I always feel the website info is presented in slightly more neutral manner (lesser degree of spinning) than appears on their broadcast output.
The BBC website headline could also be grammatically improved: “Number of Scots business failures fall” – but isn’t being cast in negative mode.
In fact Prof – if anything – the full BBC article is even more positive than your good self! – It develops the theme further with some info from an organisation called R3 which I am copying below:
Meanwhile, research by insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 has indicated that firms in Scotland have the lowest levels of insolvency risk of anywhere in the UK.
R3’s insolvency risk tracker found that, in July, 21.8% of Scottish companies were at heightened risk of insolvency, against a UK average of 27.3%.
However, the Scottish figure was 1.6 percentage points higher than in April.
‘Some cheer’
Pubs and clubs in Scotland performed strongly, showing the lowest risk of insolvency of anywhere in the UK. However, hotels showed the fourth highest risk of 12 UK areas.
Scottish retailers had the second-lowest level of insolvency risk of all parts of the UK.
Meanwhile, 36.9% of Scotland’s oil and gas extraction companies were found to be at higher than usual risk – slightly down on June’s figure.
Tim Cooper, chairman of R3 in Scotland, said: “”Overall, July’s results show cause for some cheer, along with a strong dash of caution.
“With uncertainty in the air, no business should be complacent.”:
I can only assume that the BBC Scotland Business editor must be on annual leave – otherwise that end quote from R3’s Scottish chairman would surely have have hit the editing room floor. (Alternative theory – maybe Douglas Fraser’s wife – the apparently sidelined (for being too balanced) BBC reporter/presenter Isobel Fraser – is having some good effect on her hubby’s professional standards). – Cheers, Ludo
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Thank you for these useful additions. As for the website allowing more pro-Scotland material, I think they know the online readership is more critical.
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