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The Bank’s Holiday 89

Posted on August 26, 2013 by

The debt Scotland stands to inherit as an independent nation is often used as a stick to beat the Yes camp, and various “estimates” of the size of said debt – ranging from the merely extreme to the comically deranged – are a core element of the scare stories that suggest Scotland would have a fragile economy prone to collapsing the first time there was a bad year for oil prices/production.

payday

But to understand the reality you need to dig a little into the nature of the debt, as the relatively widely-known figures of outstanding UK debt only tell half the story. Delving into the (deliberately) labyrinthine world of finance is a daunting task, but we’ll keep this as understandable as we can.

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Category analysis, stats, uk politics

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    • willie on Yelling at the tide: “If I may, can I turn attention to the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond and the recent announcement that Lomond…” Jan 23, 14:41
    • factchecker on Yelling at the tide: “Thank you Cynicus for some factual input. The professor writes “Ignorant rubbish” indeed. He claims “In seeking to justify only…” Jan 23, 14:29
    • Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “Aye, TURABDIN, there’s been notable failures. There’s been notable successes, too. Japan, the former West Germany before they were sunk…” Jan 23, 14:26
    • Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: ““As we know, Linguistic Imperialism (e.g. language deprivation and cultural assimilation) are well established colonial procedures intended to make ‘a…” Jan 23, 14:10
    • Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “Dinna be sae harsh, Cynicus. It’s Baltic oot there. Northy needs his pants aflame tae keep warm and he’s discovered…” Jan 23, 13:52
    • Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: ““Ignorant Rubbish” ? In seeking to justify only the English language being taught to Scots bairns in school, British educationalists…” Jan 23, 13:50
    • Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “My, Alf, but like your sidekick Northy, you’re a tonic sometimes. Why don’t you call for what Mummy et al…” Jan 23, 13:49
    • Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: ““The American psyche’s great flaw is that .. like a prepubescent child uncertain of its identity” This is a general…” Jan 23, 13:34
    • Cynicus on Yelling at the tide: “Northcode, 23 January, 2026 at 10:56 am “It was the English who forced their own language on the Scots. “…” Jan 23, 12:55
    • TURABDIN on Yelling at the tide: “@Hatey McHateface to this reader your argumentation can turn towards the confusing, however, I do share your perspective regarding the…” Jan 23, 12:49
    • Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: “Aye Willie, and here we are reminded that “whenever colonialism is imperiled, the colonizer reveals his fangs” (Fanon). So why…” Jan 23, 12:26
    • Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “You remind me of the people who claim to believe that the killing of one woman as she interferes with…” Jan 23, 11:07
    • Northcode on Yelling at the tide: ““… speaking, reading and writing only in Scots…” Who do those folk who believe an independent Scotland would insist that…” Jan 23, 10:56
    • Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “The calls for the slaughter of English cants crop up beneath just about every article, willie. It’s beyond credibility you…” Jan 23, 10:49
    • DaveL on Yelling at the tide: “Ah Wee Adolf McHateface, there you are, you’ve been quite subdued just lately. What was it got you all upset…” Jan 23, 10:21
    • TURABDIN on Yelling at the tide: “THE THREE R’s…..revolution, revolt or resistance….Scots do have choices other than to capitulate to the «motherhood and apple pie» schmues…” Jan 23, 10:20
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    • willie on Yelling at the tide: “And meanwhile, no word from the judiciary, or comment from the Scot Gov on the grave concerns about a judge…” Jan 23, 10:17
    • willie on Yelling at the tide: “Here Hatey you’re off on the big rant this morning. Prof Baird is a Scot who supports the maximisation of…” Jan 23, 10:07
    • Northcode on Yelling at the tide: ““A Glasgow choir will aim to ‘bridge the gap’ between queer and Gaelic identity when practises begin next month… The…” Jan 23, 09:09
    • Hatey McHateface on Yelling at the tide: “All very well, Fearghas, but which is it gets us the most disposable dosh, the biggest house, the fastest car,…” Jan 23, 08:09
    • Cynicus on Yelling at the tide: “Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh says: ‘Josephine Bartosch commented that the cyber-attack has “stripped away the chintzy veil of victimhood that has long…” Jan 23, 02:38
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “« Marx’s secularisation of the messianic seems to me to be accurate and precise, up to this point. But can…” Jan 23, 01:07
    • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Yelling at the tide: “Thanks TURABDIN. Good SPECTATOR article by MARY WAKEFIELD. “And look at Professor Gordon: they’re right to be scared. It’s not…” Jan 23, 00:09
    • GM on Yelling at the tide: “Same here.” Jan 22, 23:40
    • Dave G on Yelling at the tide: “@Alf Baird 5:05pm Have you considered seeking professional help?” Jan 22, 22:55
    • Alasdair Roy on Yelling at the tide: “These positions as President of the Employment Tribunal (Scotland) are dangerous, especially given the backgrounds of these women. They carry…” Jan 22, 21:52
    • Alf Baird on Yelling at the tide: ““Which is precisely why there is no few dozen Scots prepared to organise themselves for Indy.” Och aye thar is:…” Jan 22, 20:34

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