Talking-up Scotland

Much has been made today by ‘our’ media of Scotland’s supposed deficit based, in large part, on the GERS essentially estimated revenue and higher spending per capita on public services.

I’m no expert here but, at the very least, I’d like to start a discussion based on the thesis that Scottish public spending per capita should be higher for, at least again, these two reasons based on wealth production, geography and health.

1. Scotland produces a proportionally great share of the UK’s wealth and its complex geography needs higher spending per capita

This cannot be proved definitively to everyone’s satisfaction but there are pieces of evidence breaking the surface, enough to think its true. Here are only some:

• 82% of oil production
• 50% of gas production
• 25% of coal production
• 29% of electricity exported to the rest of the UK
• England runs massive trade deficit. Only Scotland has a viable sustainable economy, exporting more than she imports thus requiring no national debt
• 8% of the population, nearly 9% of the exports but only 5.25% of the imports
• New technology start-ups in Scotland surge ahead of UK average by 18%Still 8% of the population but now 30% of UK food and drink exports?
• With only 8% of the population, Scotland’s maritime sector accounts for 25% of the UK maritime sector’s (GVA) contribution to the economy and is 17.5% more productive than the UK marine oil and gas sector. Once more, too wee, too poor?
• £290 billion of tax revenue still in the North Sea and much more to the west of Shetland
• Estimates of Scotland’s oil reserves West of Shetland now massively increased to around 8 billion barrels! ‘A super-resource now on the cards.’Scottish onshore economy grows by at least double the rate of UK

I take it the complex geography argument requires no debate.

2. The people of urban Scotland deserve enhanced health-care as they continue to pay the price of the brutal exploitation faced by their ancestors in serving the Empire

I have no sources for this. All I remember is watching an edition of Newsnight Scotland or Panorama or some such more than ten years ago and being shocked by this thesis presented by a deeply impressive South Asian medical researcher from one of the University Hospitals in the West of Scotland. He was keen to defend the people of urban Scotland against the accusation that they were essentially to blame for their catalogue of health problems. He did not deny that tobacco, alcohol and poor diet were factors but something else was needed to explain why the people of urban Scotland had worse health outcomes than other similar places such as Newcastle or Sheffield.

He described how their ancestors had arrived, in huge numbers, in the area from the Scottish Highlands, Ireland and Lowland Scotland to work in the booming industries – coal, steel, shipbuilding – but no adequate infrastructure had been built to accommodate them. Poor quality housing, damp, cold and with inadequate, dirty, water supply and sewers was thrown up quickly.

In those conditions, infant mortality was very high and, crucially, only those with strong active immune systems survived. Later, in adulthood, these same immune systems were conducive to the development of inflammatory diseases and the consequent shortening of lifespans.

The current population of urban Scotland is predominantly based on those survivors with the active immune systems and so remains prone to the development of inflammatory diseases regardless of lifestyle choices.

So, this population is not entirely to blame for its problems and deserves expenditure on an advanced health system even if it does cost more.

I’ve written this quickly and welcome both criticism and support.

Here are reminders of how the GERS figures first emerged as anti-independence propaganda and how they are largely useless:

The Scottish Sun’s grammatically incorrect but politically correct and helpfully blunt assessment of GERS

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2017/08/24/my-evidence-to-the-scottish-parliament-on-gers/

 

 

Six times between 6 and 9am, today, BBC Scotland headlined:

‘The use of mesh implants in Scotland should be banned according to a parliamentary report.’

Then told us that:

‘The Scottish Government will give serious consideration to the findings.’

The implication is clear, that the Scottish Government has the power to ban these implants but has not done so despite the suffering they cause. However, from the 29^th out of 31 statements in the BBC Scotland website version of the story we see, at last:

‘The spokesman also said the Scottish government did not have the power to ban the use of mesh, which was a matter for the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which is the regulator of medical devices across the UK and is the responsibility of Westminster.’

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-45246761

No doubt, there was insufficient time to give this important detail, so an ‘editorial judgement’ was made. In the longer 1pm, 6.30pm and 10.30pm editions we might expect it to be squeezed in after the inaccurate association of responsibility has been made.

Update: At 6.30 there is the failure to identify the UK government as responsible for the lack of legislative action, the role of health board and specialists in making the decision to persist in special cases with the use of the mesh yet the suggestion that the Scottish Government has somehow ‘not done enough’ to force them to its will and then bizarrely, the the SG admits it cannot legislate on the issue. This is quite perverse reporting.

(c) MetroUK2

In May this year, I was able to report:

‘More than 200 engagements between Scottish Government ministers and European governments, institutions and organisations have taken place since the start of 2017. The ‘strong desire’ to connect with Scotland and listen to our views signals that the EU continues to see Scotland as an important partner – according to External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop. In just 16 months, Scottish Government ministers have initiated or accepted more than 200 meetings and visits with European partners, which on average means a European engagement has taken place at least three times per week.’

https://news.gov.scot/news/not-the-final-europe-day

Getting on with the day job, as the Scottish Tories do SFA, we read in the Scottish Business News Network, yesterday:

‘Scotland’s economic ties with Canada will be strengthened through the launch of a new Scottish Government office in Ottawa next month. The new Canada office will encourage investment between Canadian and Scottish businesses and organisations and promote Scotland as a place to work, study and visit along with encouraging collaboration between business, research, education and cultural institutions. Canada has consistently been a top 20 export partner for Scotland, with exports in 2016 totalling £610 million. It is also one of Scotland’s biggest inward investors, with around 3,650 jobs provided by 45 Canadian companies in Scotland.’

https://sbnn.co.uk/2018/08/20/new-scottish-government-office-to-open-in-canada-next-month/

Earlier reports on SG working to forge new compensatory economic links are here:

Getting on with the day-job? First Minister is in Brussels for 201st attempt to counter Tory Brexit damage to Scottish economy

Scotland moves closer to the Arctic Circle

SNP leadership on hectic northern hemisphere mission, from the Baltic to Canada and a’ pairts atween thaim, to save Scottish Economy from Tory incompetence

 

I’ve previously written reports of Scottish scientists and researchers working to improve the health and economic circumstances of the poor, across the globe. With particular regard to India and Bangladesh, Scots are involved in helping to remove arsenic from water supplies. In South-East Asia, they have been helping to reduce cattle fart!

Now we hear, in Energy Voice:

‘Around £11 million has been allocated to supporting local projects in Malawi until 2023. The cash from the Scottish Government’s Malawi Development Programme will be split between 11 initiatives aimed at improving health and education and boosting economic development and renewable energy. The projects will be delivered by Scottish-based organisations and their Malawian partners. The schemes include a £1 million pre-school and primary feeding programme run by Mary’s Meals, a £1 million emergency medicine project involving NHS Tayside, and a £1.2 million initiative from Edinburgh University aimed at strengthening rural health facilities.’

https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/179114/scottish-cash-injection-to-malawi-will-boost-renewable-energy/

For more on earlier projects, see:

Scotland’s world-leading expertise to the fore again in India and Bangladesh

Scotland’s tidal energy expertise to help poor communities in South-East Asia

From reducing cattle-fart to saving a dog’s leg, Scottish researchers lead the way

Scottish Researchers again!

September 25, 2017johnrobertson8342 Comments

Scottish Veterinary researchers working to improve the health and productivity of farmed animals in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

(c) Community Energy Scotland

Last year, Scotland had 55% of the community energy production of the rest of the UK put together. See:

With only 10% of the population, Scotland has 55% of the community energy production of England, Wales and Northern Ireland put together

I don’t have comparative figures for this year but, according to Energy Voice:

‘New data released yesterday from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre has reported a dramatic 62% increase in wind, solar, hydro, heat pump and biomass developments. Since 2011, 175 additional communities have benefited taking the number from 281 to a recorded 456 in 2017.’

https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/179116/dramatic-rise-in-scottish-community-renewables-projects/

Community ownership generally is increasing fast in Scotland in pursuit of ambitious Scottish Government targets and with funds from the same source. See these examples:

More than half way to the target of 1 million acres in community ownership

Smells like team spirit? 100% community-owned whisky distillery

Scottish Borders community wind farm to generate more than electricity – £20 million revenue to build 500 affordable home over 25 years

Scottish Government nears its One Million Acres of Community Ownership Target with nearly 500 community groups in charge of their own land

With only 10% of the population, Scotland has 55% of the community energy production of England, Wales and Northern Ireland put together

 

(c) Scottish Enterprise

From the Guardian today:

‘British manufacturing output slips to ninth globally behind France. Data shows sector starved of investment and losing ground as Brexit uncertainty persists. Britain’s manufacturing industry has fallen to ninth in the world behind France, reversing a recovery in its performance since the financial crash. The UK’s total manufacturing output stayed ahead of Brazil and Indonesia but slipped below France and remained well adrift of Germany in fourth position and Italy in seventh at the end of 2016.’

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/20/british-manufacturing-output-slips-to-ninth-globally-behind-france

Meanwhile in Scotland:

‘Manufactured Exports make up around half of the total value of exports from Scotland to the rest of the world (excluding oil and gas). The Index of Manufactured Exports (IME) increased by 3.6% in volume terms during the first quarter of 2018. On a rolling annual basis, comparing the most recent four quarters to the previous four quarters, the volume of manufactured exports increased by 8.7%.’

https://news.gov.scot/news/gdp-growth-and-quarterly-national-accounts-scotland-2018-q1

Add in the oil and gas exports at 80% and 50%, respectively, of the UK total, and things look much healthier than you’d ever know from our media.

See this for more detail:

‘UK manufacturing in recession’ despite massive Scottish energy growth

 

We’ve already seen that Scotland has 28% of the UK’s living wage employers yet only 8% of the population, that NHS Scotland will pay a living wage to all employees and that Scottish housing associations will do the same. See the links below for more on this. Now we see that small businesses in Scotland have been quick to pay the living wage and that most are not using non-guaranteed hours contracts.

From Insider:

‘FSB study reveals most small firms shunning zero hours contracts. Federation of Small Businesses says its research also reveals almost 66% of SMEs were paying staff at least £7.83 an hour before this became new national living wage rateBottom of Form. Most small firms are not using zero-hours contracts and were paying the adult living wage before it was increased earlier this year, a study shows. A survey of over 550 small businesses found that more than four out of five did not hire workers on non-guaranteed hours contracts.’

https://www.insider.co.uk/news/fsb-zero-hours-contracts-smes-13076956

Links:

Another step on the way to becoming a ‘Living Wage Nation’ and a ‘Better Nation?’

With 1 in 4 living wage employers already in Scotland, the Scottish Government aims to make this a ‘Living Wage Nation’

8% of the UK population and 28% of living wage employers. More evidence that we are different enough to want to run the whole show?

80 000 lowest paid workers in NHS England still on poverty wages as NHS Scotland follows Scottish Government policy to pay a living wage to all public-sector employees

Scottish care workers to receive Living Wage for ‘sleepover’ hours while English care workers receive only the National Minimum Wage.

 

 

(c) IT Security Guru

From Insider, two days ago:

‘High-value fraud losses halved across Scotland. KPMG found money lost to alleged fraud in cases worth £100k or more has fallen from £3.8m in the first half of 2017 to £1.8m in the first six months of this year.’

More dramatically, though, we see that the nine Scottish cases of high-value fraud accounted for less than 0.5% of the £895 million total across the UK!

https://www.insider.co.uk/news/fraud-money-kpmg-scotland-embezzlement-13091281

Does this suggest, at least in part, that white-collar crime, like other forms of crime, is falling in Scotland but not elsewhere in the UK and, so, points once more to differences of the kind we might expect to see in a country thinking it should run its own show?

Here’s the evidence that crime generally is falling in Scotland but not elsewhere:

Staggering drop in Scottish youth crime after Jack McConnell quits reported by only Northern Echo and Evening Times

Serious violent crime soars in broken Tory England but falls in SNP Scotland

Retired Professor fails BBC Reporting Scotland Editor on Organised Crime research

Racial hate crime continues to fall in Scotland as it soars in England and Wales, but BBC Scotland finds suitable distraction

And, here’s evidence of other differences:

More evidence of a difference that makes a difference as ‘Half of Scots pledge to donate organs after their death’?

Scottish Nationalism is a very different and a better thing than English/British Nationalism and, at last, BBC Scotland seems to have faced up to the fact.

BBC News tries to spread knife crime crisis into Scotland to tell us: ‘You’re no different. Don’t get any ideas!’

SNP moves to finally put an end to foxes’agony being ripped apart by hounds as the English Tories plan a return to the unspeakable business. Different again?

8% of the UK population and 28% of living wage employers. More evidence that we are different enough to want to run the whole show?

Racial hate crimes increase by 33% in England & Wales while falling by 10% in Scotland: Who says we’re not different?

Young Syrian refugees happier in Scotland than in the non-Scottish parts of the UK. More evidence of difference?

Why are prison officers staying in post in Scotland as they flee the tide of violence and self-harm in England and Wales?

Another wee difference as Scottish consumers seem more willing to pay more for ethical goods?

8% of the population but 11.8% of the charitable donations – ‘punching above our weight?’

Have ten years of progressive SNP policies made Scots more optimistic?

 

Credit: apdesignShutterStock

I’ve returned after a week in southern Spain.

There were several million others there, drinking, showering, hosing gardens and watering Spain’s 60 million pigs, amongst many other water-based activities. but I still felt guilty after passing this ‘river’ and it’s tightly-packed, desperate, fish:

I couldn’t enjoy myself for thinking this is unsustainable and imagining the place like the image under the heading, in 10, 20, 30 years?

Will Scotland’s water supply turn out to be more valuable by far than our oil is, in years to come?

Anyhow, I’ve missed a lot in the last eight days and will return to my twin tasks of talking-up Scotland and dressing down BBC Scotland as soon as I can. I’ve been checking out the work of Wings and Indyref2, secretly, when my wife seemed to be asleep and I see they’ve been doing sterling work.