I must be honest that I don’t read many pieces from the Daily Express but 10 hours ago Brian McGleenon wrote this piece with this headline (which I have slightly adjusted). I have also added a couple more photos for the headline that is now more accurate. When I was travelling across Scotland in 2014 a few days before their first referendum it was very clear that some areas were much more willing to take the risk of going Independent than others. However it was very clear that most people who wanted Independence were very aware that the cost would be very significant for them. Indeed it was that which the English Government was explaining to them. Sadly that was not quite how people like Gove and Johnson and Douglas Ross explained to us 18 months later that our economy could get into a terrible mess if we left the EU. They also did not bother to mention the impact onto Northern Ireland given the situation for Eire and the Good Friday agreement issues. They also chose not to focus on the promises set out by their Party towards the Scottish community. Anyway here is the piece from Brian.

Today the Financial Times reported there would be “a significant deterioration in Scotland’s fiscal position” if it is to become an independent nation. The reported stated: “Since the country’s independence referendum in 2014 suggests it will face a persistent deficit of almost 10 percent of gross domestic product.” The report said that this deficit was “well ahead of international norms”. In response to the study on the economy of an independent Scotland, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said this report was a “reality check” for Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP. He added: “This detailed analysis by a leading financial publication makes it clear there would be a ‘large hole’ in the finances of a Scotland separated from the UK. “While my focus is on blocking a divisive referendum so we can rebuild post-pandemic, Sturgeon and Salmond’s Nationalists are obsessively determined to rip Scotland out of the UK. “This report should serve as a reality check but of course Nationalists simply ignore basic economic truths. Mr Ross then added that its was “irresponsible and unforgivable for SNP” to now continue arguing for an independent Scotland. He claimed that it was wrong for SNP politicians “to continue to dupe the people of Scotland, knowing it would be the poorest in society who would suffer the most if they got their way”. He added: “With a 10 percent deficit in public finances, Scots would face extreme tax rises and brutal cuts to public services like our NHS. “The FT’s estimate that Scotland’s deficit would be almost 10 per cent of GDP means that the size of the tax increases or spending cuts needed to bring public borrowing down to manageable levels has doubled compared with the tight expenditure limits proposed by an SNP economic commission in 2018.

Perhaps the lack of explanation of the severe impact of our departure from the EU helps to explain why some people voted for us to leave, unaware of the impact. Or the prospect of Northern Ireland and Scotland leaving the UK which of course could not have been predicted before the referendum but should have been raised after the referendum in a meaningful way. Of course it may never be admitted by these three men and many more people. Sadly they did not bother to do so at the time and this current situation as expressed by Brian is only one of the reasons why our departure from the EU is having a serious impact on our nation. The impact on our economy across the nation is another one and there are many others. My own view in 2014 and now is that any break up of the UK is very damaging and I would be very unhappy if Scotland does choose to separate from the rest of the UK, but then again I was very unhappy that we were proposing to depart from the EU as that is having a very serious impact on our nation.