Wednesday , October 9 2024

Scotland’s massive Fiscal Deficit and the decline in Educational Standards under the SNP

SCOTLAND not only has the highest public spending deficit in the European Union beating Greece to take top spot; but Scotland also has the worst deficit in the OECD. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group of 34 member countries that discuss and develop economic and social policy. OECD members are democratic countries that support free market economies.

Scotland’s overspending is a chronic problem which has been made infinitely worse by the SNP led government and Scotland has now amassed a fiscal deficit of £14.8bn in 2015-16. 9.5% of GDP, compared to 4% for the UK as a whole.

Under EU Law for a country to seek EU membership it must have a deficit of 3% or less – Scotland’s Fiscal Deficit at nearly £15bn and very nearly 10% , is the highest in the EU; even higher than Greece, and Greece as we know is an economic disaster area. This is the scenario that Sturgeon is trying to inflict upon Scotland by her suggestion that an Independent Scotland could thrive within the EU.

Throughout the 2014 independence campaign the SNP claimed a separate Scotland could automatically remain within the EU, but Ms Jacqueline Minor, Head of representation for the European Commission in the UK has directly contradicted that.

Ms Minor said Scotland would have to apply from scratch and follow the usual accession process joining a list of candidate countries including Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She also stated that Scotland would have to commit to joining the euro and tackle its £15 billion deficit to meet membership rules. Ms Minor also suggested an independent Scotland would have to wait several years to apply with Commission President Jean Claude Juncker ruling out any further enlargement while he is in office until 2020.

Meantime Scotland’s schools have recorded their worst ever performance in an international survey of pupils. Scotland’s scores for maths, reading and science all declined in the latest set of Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) figures.

It was the first time since the tests began in 2000 that all three subject areas were classed as “average”, with none “above average”. Scotland has fallen from “above average” in reading and science to “average”.

Scotland now has the unenviable record of not only having the worst Fiscal Deficit in the OECD, but Scotland under the SNP has also slipped alarmingly to its worst ever performance in an international survey of pupils. The Pisa testing system was set up in 2000 among countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

There is no genuine case which can be made for a second Scottish Independence Referendum. It is merely the noisy clamour of those for whom Independence is paramount at any cost; regardless of the economic insanity and the reality that with a deficit greater than Greece we would be destined to become an impoverished third world nation. It is long past time that Sturgeon, Salmond, Robertson, Swinney et al, ceased from rabble rousing and endless calls for IndyRef2 and concentrated on repairing the disastrous parlous downward spiral of the Scottish Economy and Scottish Education, for which they are collectively responsible.The majority of Scots voted on 18th September 2014 to remain part of the United Kingdom and there is no sensible credible viable reason to revisit this historic decision.

 

About Betsy MacKay

Betsy M MacKay MA MSc completed a Master of Arts Degree in 1978; brought up her family, and by the early 2000s was ready to return to University. She returned to University to complete a Second Masters Degree , graduating in 2005 this time with an MSc in European Policy, European Law and European Economic Analysis.

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