Lindsay Bruce asks: ‘Do England’s regions still have twice the GERS deficit of Scotland?’

johnrobertson834

I’m indebted to the eminently followable Lindsay Bruce for drawing my attention to this data. Look at the ONS table which Lindsay found:

Lindsay Bruce‏ @RogueCoder250

It’s clear that the simple Scotland vs England comparison used by GERS and much-loved by our media distorts the picture with the inclusion of the overheated economies of London and the South-East, and that Scotland’s ‘deficit’, if you want to play the game for the moment of accepting GERS, as the Scottish Government seems to be, is in the middle range for the different parts of the UK. That London and the South-East have a huge surplus while the other parts have a deficit is testimony to the laissez-faire economics of successive UK governments and the consequently unhealthy concentration of economic resources in a small, overcrowded, polluted and unliveable for most, corner of the UK.

When I saw this, I was reminded of previous reports I’ve written which similarly expose the problems of comparing Scotland’s economy with that of the much larger and more complex economy of England:

Scotland second after only London in attracting foreign investment

Rents rising many times faster in the most ‘non-Scottish’ parts of UK

Good News: Unemployment lower and employment higher in Scotland than in many parts of UK

Scots employees have higher digital skills than in most parts of the UK only 5 years after Scottish Government launched its digital strategy

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s shoddy research exaggerates the level of child poverty in Scotland by contrast with other parts of the UK

Scottish unemployment was already lower than in most parts of the UK and Scottish youth unemployment continues to be the second lowest in the EU after only economic powerhouse Germany!

 

 

 

 

11 thoughts on “Lindsay Bruce asks: ‘Do England’s regions still have twice the GERS deficit of Scotland?’”

  1. Pingback: Lindsay Bruce asks: ‘Do England’s regions still have twice the GERS deficit of Scotland?’ | speymouth
  2. Ludo Thierry August 23, 2018 / 12:15 pm

    Wow – impressive table that Lindsay found there. The London Effect really does remind one of Ancient Rome and the various ‘provinces’ paying tribute to the Central Power. Scary stuff – Wakey Wakey Scotland – this stuff is real and is happening to a Nation near you.

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    • johnrobertson834 August 23, 2018 / 3:40 pm

      I like the Rome analogy – a she implodes, I’d rather stand back at a distance than do what the Celts did.

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  3. caltonjockboris August 23, 2018 / 2:03 pm

    A picture is worth a thousand words. Clearly London and the area local to it constitute a different country but only after soaking up just about all of the financial capital investment and development funds. Excellent contribution to the dialogue. I’ll retain it for future use.

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  4. William Henderson August 23, 2018 / 3:08 pm

    Now let me guess. Where are ‘headquarters’ located?

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    • johnrobertson834 August 23, 2018 / 3:41 pm

      They claim to be able to disperse the accounts of income but some will surely accrue in the HQs unfairly.

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  5. paulamrose August 23, 2018 / 3:57 pm

    Presumably the “acceptance” of GERS is because after a year of Scotland being a normal functioning democracy the revenue and expenditure figures can be compared to what happened as part of the UK and thus show decisively that we made the right choice to end the UK.

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  6. John August 23, 2018 / 4:21 pm

    Take overheated London and SE out of the equation and we are on par with the rest of the UK , considering our population we are punching above our weight , roll on Independance ! .

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  7. gavin August 23, 2018 / 4:58 pm

    Our Imperial and sovereign capital
    Westminster, the BEEB, corporatism, oligarch funded politico’s, casino capitalism, home to all who would keep us ignorant and docile.
    Remember when we were to be “richer than Switzerland”? Well it was London which got the loot; Labour and Tory governments made sure of that (directorships, plush offices and an Ermine cloaked retirement home in return). The Home Counties which houses the City Slickers and their families. You can sell a bungalow down there and buy a castle in Scotland.

    And us—ALL we have to do to escape this scam democracy, is to put our tick in the right box.
    Sure it MIGHT (?) be tough for a wee while, but put your children first—they will reap the benefit.

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