FionaK |
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| On the same day the Scottish government also issued the first in a series of papers which have the same ostensible aim: to inform the debate. It is a little less partisan than the other because the authors remit was to consider the advantages and disadvantages of independence; whereas the uk government remit was to assess the benefits of Scotland staying in the union. This particular paper is about macroeconomics. It recommends a framework which the authors say has benefits for both Scotland and the UK, and which they would like to see as an agreement should Scotland choose independence. There is much I do not like in this paper, largely to do with the currency and the implications of retaining sterling: but the authors do emphasise that we have to start from where we are and not from where we would like to be. I can't quarrel with that, and perhaps that is the best we can achieve. I am not persuaded because it seems to me that mainstream economic analysis is still at the heart of this framework, and I do not find that analysis is good for the people anywhere it is adopted. At the same time I am conscious that it has such a hold internationally that it is very difficult for any small nation to take a different path, and I accept that may be a complication we can do without at first. www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00414291.pdf |
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