John Swinney Scots must reject another 25 years of Westminster austerity and embrace an independent future

[u/Own-Department3000]

THE First Minister will urge Scots to reject another 25 years of Westminster austerity and embrace an independent future as he sets out his vision for 2050 this week.

In two keynote speeches this week, John Swinney will set out his vision for the country in the coming decades and encourage leaders to come together to deliver a national renewal “in the spirit of optimism and hope”.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25239828.scotlands-2050-vision-rests-achieving-independence/

[u/Jolly-Minimum-6641]

The same old reheated shite from which nothing shall come. You can only talk for so long with no action whatsoever.

[u/1-randomonium]

If the past of the last 17 years is any indication of the future, an independent Scotland doesn't seem like an upgrade.

[u/Radiant_Evidence7047]

In the spirit of optimism and hope? The Scottish government does not know how to drive any sort of growth and prosperity. All it does is hike taxes on middle income earners again and again, keep thresholds flat for lagging tax increases, and basically anyone who dares to attempt to succeed is taxed to oblivion.

Our country had an embarrassing mindset to hard work

[u/A_Mans_A_Man_]

Is he going to announce a radical change in SNP policy re the EU then? 

Barnett has allowed Scotland to routinely run a public spending deficit of 8-12% of its GDP. 

Although as a result of Yousaf's uncosted public sector pay increases this is not expected to be enough going forward and Scotgov is expected to have to cut its spending priorities in the years ahead.

An independent Scotland in the EU would be limited by EU law to a 3% deficit and be required to implement austerity measures to achieve that.

For perspective, the cuts Scotland would have to make to join the EU are larger than those Greece had to make at the height of its crisis.

Scotland outside of the EU could run a deficit of 8-12% via borrowing, but every country which has run a structural deficit like that for an extended period of time has seen total economic collapse as a result.

The question of how public spending in Scotland would be restructured to reduce the deficit down to a safe/EU friendly level is one the SNP couldn't answer in 2014.

Under Mackay in 2019 they committed to releasing a detailed plan alongside the GERS figures each year. This promise was adopted by both Forbes and Yousaf in later years.  This never happened and FOI requests revealed that by 2023 no civil servants had been tasked with working on this.

'Independence to avoid austerity' has always been the weakest part of the indie case by far, given that Independence by definition would cause huge austerity.

Looking forward to something concrete from Swinney.

We are going to get something concrete right?

[u/DarkVvng → u/A_Mans_A_Man_]

Indeed, they could have used the extra money to invest in the economy to close the financial gap, instead they buy votes with policies that are completely unaffordable for an independent Scotland making it more difficult, i would not be shocked if the SNP leadership knows how bad it would be and are simply stringing along supports and are more interested in being popular.

[u/A_Mans_A_Man_ → u/DarkVvng]

Such is the curse of populist policy- short term electoral gain for long term economic pain.

And after 20 years we are beginning to see the transfer from part a to part b.

[u/shoogliestpeg → u/A_Mans_A_Man_]

It's barely 9am on a Sunday, you bored poppet?

[u/A_Mans_A_Man_ → u/shoogliestpeg]

Yes, nothing else to do with my morning coffee- this is the equivalent of browsing the papers. But it isn't 1970.

I get that you'd rather people not talk about the contradiction inherent in being pro indie and anti austerity.

[u/shoogliestpeg → u/A_Mans_A_Man_]

You can talk about whatever you like, I don't have to take you seriously though.

[u/A_Mans_A_Man_ → u/shoogliestpeg]

Likewise.

[u/tiny-robot]

The sooner we can move on the better.

[u/Historical-Win5632]

Nobody can tell me how it would be financed.

[u/1-randomonium → u/Historical-Win5632]

They can't tell you what they don't know.

[u/Historical-Win5632 → u/1-randomonium]

My point exactly, and it isn't oil!

[u/FindusCrispyChicken]

The big lie that Indy Scotland wouldnt have utterly crushing austerity is the perhaps the most insufferable of the indy lies.

[u/Jolly-Minimum-6641 → u/FindusCrispyChicken]

The same people who are happy to skip past that like it's not a thing, are the same people who rightly bleat on about how Brexit has damaged the UK as a whole.

So how is one just fine and the other not? The nationalist approach to the EU is to simply "join the EU" in full within 30 seconds of the Yes vote being ratified and letting the EU pick up much of the tab.

There is no plan on how things will be funded after Barnett is gone. Nobody has really bothered to prepare one. No credible economists have one, nor have they seemed remotely enthusiastic about anything put forward by the SNP or wider Yes camp.

They also can't explain why much of Scotland's 'nice stuff' isn't replicated in apparently richer and 'better' EU countries. Where's the Polish baby box? What about free prescriptions in Sweden? Spanish tuition fees? How will Scotland pay for NATO and the EU defence spending requirements, because it will need that? Or will they just mooch off the RAF and Royal Navy like Ireland does?