Another day, another hole blown in Alex Salmond’s case for breaking up Britain. The IFS has today published its estimates (based on the OBR’s) for Scottish oil and gas revenues, and they’re less than half those of the SNP administration in Edinburgh.Salmond forecast oil and gas revenues of between £6.8 billion and £7.9 billion in 2016-17. The IFS puts it at £3.3 billion. Salmond’s best-case scenario for 2017-18 has Scotland with a deficit of 1.0 per cent of GDP; the IFS’s figures suggest that’ll be closer to 3.6 per cent of GDP. A country like Britain can ride out such fluctuations, but Salmond may find he’s swapping rule from London by rule by OPEC. On the basis of these new figures, the IFS has calculated that cutting an independent Scotland would have to keep cutting – if it didn’t, its deficit in 2018-19 would more than double. Salmond has complained long and loud about cuts made by the coalition in areas like welfare, but he should not pretend the fiscal options of an independent Scotland would be any more attractive.
Oh dear wot's been going on? Only been away for a couple of weeks, down in Kernow (best Cream tea in Bodmin and Philps pasties in Hayle Lizz!)
I see one of the best informed posters; RagnerRocks has been banned! Why? but having been on these pages for many a year I won't be told (PM's please?)
I read that Ducati also looks a little fed up with the ill-informed waffle that pervades this space. Oh well seems Squidge has the place to herself. Never mind another six months and this nonsense will be all over. I see that BoE bloke says that Salmond MUST go for Euro as it's (honest Alex) a non-goer with 'sharing the £'. And I can't see voters wanting the Euro, hmm.
As a matter of interest down in ENGLAND (that's not who rules Scotland, you know, England is NOT an Independent country - are the Nats aware of this?) It was intimated that they thought that Mr Salmond had said the £ was a 'stone around the Scottish neck' Eh? yes it was rather embarrassing to have to try and explain 'he'd changed his mind'. They also asked why everyone in England was a 'Toff' - this seemed to be applied to just the Tories, again I tried to explain that the Nats were not very cosmopolitan, and a lot were not well traveled, and to just well; ignore it.
Never mind, it was a nice 700+ mile drive home in lovely weather, bit of a hiatus going over the A9 where the hill-billy Councillors had decided in their ill-perceived wisdom NOT to have any service stations along the whole length - to 'help the bypassed communities' it appears (indeed) try telling that to an eight year old who 'wants a wee' and it's late with these 'by-passed communities' closed for the night! tut tut. AND these three 'over-taking lanes' that are on the same side on the way north - what idiot thought of that? Oh well must not go on.. this after all WAS an Independence thread?
"Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped."
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