SNP GROWTH COMMISSION: KEVIN HAGUE GIVES HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS ON BBC RADIO SCOTLAND 26 May 2018 On Friday, shortly after the SNP’s Growth Commission published its long awaited report, These Islands Chairman Kevin Hague appeared on BBC Radio Scotland to give his first impressions. The audio is available below. Comments ANDREW MCLEAN 29/05/2018 19:28:41 Your Commentseems like a step forward from previous disasterous attempt. Abit more realistic but the more info that people are getting it makes Indy even less as a prospect. Looks like SNP ARE STILL' All at sea'. . David Wood 05/06/2018 21:42:13 The comment from Andrew McLean is disappointing, and unhelpful. I thought the idea of These Islands was to put forward a positive case for the Union. I've listened briefly to Kevin Hague's comments. And am not even surprised that John Beattie interviewed him, despite him admitting he has not even read the report. I had to laugh however, when the phrase fiscal responsibility was mentioned, given the UK Governments approach to this, which is currently a shambles. I will pay more attention once Mr Hague has read the report, and perhaps Mr Beattie too. I would like to hear a positive case for the Union, instead of the negativity I always hear from Unionists about the Scottish Government. Frankly I am sick and tired of the pro Union bias that BBC Scotland shows. Kevin Hague 11/07/2018 15:20:38 Hi David - I hadn't fully read the report simply because it was released only during the hour before the broadcast while I was driving to the studio (it was released later than planned) - but I have now fully read it an written a detailed and fully peer-reviewed response which will be published by These Islands in the coming week or so. What you describe as a current fiscal "shambles" is a deficit of 2.4% compared to what the Growth Commission themselves (optimistically) assume would be a stand-alone Scotland's starting deficit of 6.7% (by which time the UK's deficit is forecast by the same people to be 0.7%). Westminster may indeed be in an absolute shambles with its handling of Brexit, but the fiscal situation we share with the UK today is (by the Growth Commission's own analysis) spectacularly better than that an iScotland would start with (hence the need for continued and greater austerity which the Commission tacitly accepts independence would trigger) Kevin Hague 21/04/2019 11:39:08 ps. David Wood - here's the considered response to the paper, reviewed and explicitly endorsed by a number of senior economists http://www.these-islands.co.uk/publications/i312/growth_commission_response.aspx Add Your Comment Please log in to create your comment LOG IN