https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/Pages/default.aspx
The above graph, released in December 2017, shows Scotland to be the only part of the UK with a strong balance of trade surplus and reveals the South of England to have a major trade deficit which is leading to the massive loan debt we all have to share but, under the headline:
‘Scottish exporters fall at double the UK rate’
the Scotsman, today, went on to say:
‘The number of Scottish businesses exporting has fallen to less than a third, a new survey has found. The latest Business in Britain report from Bank of Scotland shows the number of Scottish firms exporting has dropped to 29%, down eight percentage points from 37% in June 2017. The number of businesses exporting in Scotland has fallen. Across the UK the number of firms exporting dropped four percentage points in the same period to 40%.’ export fall Just under a quarter of Scottish companies (24%) said they have taken a strategic decision not export, a marginal 2% decrease in the past six months from 26% in June 2017. A quarter of firms (25%) said they had decided to focus more on UK trade in light of Brexit.’
https://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-exporters-fall-at-double-the-uk-rate-1-4690011
You need to read this carefully to see what they’ve done. First, Scotland’s strong balance of trade surplus in 2017 was achieved by 26% of our companies. It’s not the number of companies that matters it’s the total amount earned, and the Scotsman does not have this data. Scotland exports more per capita with 26% of its companies than the UK does with 40% because a relatively small number of companies, exporting Whisky, Gin, Seafood especially Salmon, oil and gas, earn far more than the larger number of smaller UK companies selling cheese or cakes.
Second, the Scotsman inserted this link in the article:
‘READ MORE: Scotland suffers £4 billion export fall’
which is based on 2016 prices when oil was trading at around one-third of its current value. This link is hopelessly out-of-date and potentially misleading – deliberate or just stupid?
Third, the Scotsman is not using measures of actual trade activity but the returns from a Bank of Scotland survey to which only 125 Scottish companies replied. It’s just a sample and quite a small one. See this:
‘As at March 2017, there were an estimated 365,600 private sector enterprises operating in Scotland – the highest figure since the time series began (in 2000).’
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate/KeyFacts
So, this article is based on research with an infinitesimally small return rate of just 0.034% which is laughably invalid.
If I was paid to write the kind of shitty propaganda we see in this Scotsman article, I’d have to put two fingers down my throat as soon as I got home.
Talking-up Scotland 
The Scotsman newspaper – just a plook of traitorous lying ultra-right Tory bastards. There is nothing more to say about these sh*tes.
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The article cannot be attributed to a misunderstanding of statistics. The report shows that the author has examined the data and selected particular data to manipulate mathematically to present a misleading article. So, it seems we ARE looking at propagandising.
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Yes, I kind of thought that.
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And like John, the journalist also used two fingers – sticking them in the air like Churchill while saying F… Off peasants!!
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Looking at the source of the regional statistics you published it’s worth noting that Northern Ireland’s biggest export market is the Republic of Ireland. Destroys the line that fluffy keeps putting out that we are risking access to our biggest market if we leave the UK
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Good point.
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And, the other side of this ‘biggest market’ argument is that it only works in one direction! England will refuse to accept Scottish exports, but Scotland will continue to accept every import from England.
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The statistics that WILL matter to The Hootsmon crew in due course are the recorded continuing plunge in britnat print media circulations (see below):
Figures from The Press Gazette 15/02/18:
Publication Total print circulation (Jan 18) Year-on-year % change
Sunday Mail 140,743 -16.31
Daily Record 134,087 -13.92
Sunday Post 123,393 -13.81
Several of the britnat print press organs seem to be defying commercial gravity. the suspicion is that they are kept in flight by commercial interests who view having print media access to ‘shape’ broadcast media news and current affairs priorities as something worth funding – and worth funding BIG.
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Yes, their days are numbered.
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All not lost.I hear Alec Salmon is to become the next big thing at the Scootsmoon.and editorials like this will have a very different slant .
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Let’s hope so.
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I think the most unself-aware comments made when the possibility of the Johnstone Press changing hands and Mr Salmond becoming Chairman, was that ‘this will change the balance of the media in Scotland’. Yes, we do, indeed, have media which cover all shades of political opinion don’t we?
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Further to the print press ‘troubles’ theme – it would appear that all is not well in the world of Trinity Mirror editorial appointments. Two eds is better than none?: From holdthefrontpage:
The editor the Daily Record newspaper has announced he is leaving after four years in one of Scotland’s top media jobs.
Murray Foote, left, will leave the Trinity Mirror-owned tabloid on Friday, 2 March.
He becomes the second senior TM editor to announce his departure this week, following the Manchester Evening News’ Rob Irvine on Wednesday.
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And, Trinity Mirror has just bought ‘Express’ newspapers, so should these editorial changes be seen in that context? Is the Mirror about to ‘re-position’ itself in the market? I had a neighbour for a number of years who was an NUJ activist at the Daily Ranger. He always said that the Mirror/Ranger group’s political positioning was driven by market considerations rather than any sincere philosophy.
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I just wanted to thank you for all of your blogs showing Scotland in a positive light. We hear so much negativity in the MSM and you help to brighten my day! Keep up the good work.
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