Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
If I’m certain of anything it’s that, despite UK Government claims, Scotland wouldn’t have the third highest per capita military spending in the world behind the USA and Israel.
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You do know that GERS is commissioned by the Scottish government and compiled by independent statisticians, yes? Blaming its findings on a supposed U.K. government smear campaign is batty even by sep standards.
Besides all this, if you reduce Scotland’s apparent military spending to the same level as Ireland (around £0.8bn a year) then Scotland’s deficit is still eye-watering. Obsessing over the size of the UK’s defence budget, which is not even out of proportion for a NATO member, is missing the point entirely.
Of course within a single unitary state called the United Kingdom none of this is a problem. Throughout history, different corners of this island have seen their fortunes rise and fall, and rise again. The whole island does not have to be equally prosperous, all the time, for all its inhabitants to share in the opportunities presented by the prosperity of the whole.