Only Scotland continues to have a substantially positive trade balance, exporting considerably more than she imports and thus having a viable economy. Here are the figures for the last four years:
Deficit/Surplus in 2017
England -£128 200 000 000
Wales –£700 000 000
Scotland +£4 300 000 000
N Ireland +£1 100 000 000
Deficit/Surplus in 2016
England -£120 038 000 000
Wales –£55 000 000
Scotland +£2 148 000 000
N Ireland –£4 039 000 000
£ Deficit/Surplus in 2015
England -£110 358 000 000
Wales –£1 600 000 000
Scotland +£4 124 000 000
N Ireland –£2 311 00 000
£ Deficit/Surplus in 2014
England -113 877 000 000
Wales –£2 544 000 000
Scotland +7 917 000 000
N Ireland –£2 106 000 000
I can’t trace the equivalent data for before 2014 but there looks like a wee trend there with England’s trade deficit having cost us billions and consequently having lumbered us with the massive debts which the austerity programme was supposed to clear but could not. I can’t see why we’d leave the Union owing them any share of the UK debt whatsoever when we clearly didn’t incur it.
https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-regional-trade-statistics-first-quarter-2017
Talking-up Scotland 
See this too: http://www.thenational.scot/news/15592761.Scotland_s_exports_are_outperforming_the_UK/?ref=twtrec
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I don’t know if these are Westminster “Accounting” figures or true figures. If they are the latter they show a tidy wee surplus.
Assuming they are Westminster figures they are very good indeed and would explain the growing panic in Pacific Quay and other Westminster organisations as Scottish Independence
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Proof reader has been sleeping on the job again. He missed an as instead of an at then missed a full stop. His malt allowance will be further reduced.
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Thanks, poor attention to detail. You shouldn’t see my painting of skirting boards
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Where? Have added a having and a which instead tho
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Sorry John, my proof reader not yours. His excuse is that retirement is 24/7 with no days off or holidays.
Your malt allowance is secure.
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Unionist arithmetic will show that the deficit for England can be explained entirely by its feeding of the subsidy junkies in Scotland.
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All those food lorries heading North?
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It is food lorries heading SOUTH and being recorded as exports for English ports that is a problem and is a factor in the £15billion GERS ‘black hole’.
I can recall an STV programme from around 30 years ago which was examining the ‘subsidy junkie’ jibe. There was a tirade from a woman who was in charge of the Docklands developments – DLR, Canary Wharf, City Airport, etc. – who was venally vitriolic about the money which was being poured into the ‘Celtic fringe’ and ‘the Provinces’. The interviewer than presented her with rigorous data of the amount of public funding going into Docklands, which, per capita was far greater than the per capita expenditure on the subsidy junkies. Without any sense of irony or embarrassment or indeed, self awareness, she immediately replied that this was ‘essential for the good of the country’ – everyone will benefit. The phrase ‘trickle down’ was not in circulation at the time, but was soon to be.
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These figures really are the smoking gun: no need to get drawn into interminable arguments with Cringers in respect of matters economic – just pull out HMRC’s own figures (they’ll be on the pessimistic side as well, as noted above).
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Thanks Escargot but of course negative news broadcasters can pick the negative and say that’s what people are interested in
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