Scottish Economy thriving under Tory policies...

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Scotland's economy grew by 0.6% in the first three months of this year.

That was the same growth rate as the last three months of 2014, and slightly above the UK growth rate of 0.4% over the same period.

Unemployment in Scotland fell by 15,000 to 152,000 in the period between March and May, according to official figures.

The Scottish unemployment rate is now 5.5%, just below the rate of 5.6% for the whole of the UK.

The labour market statistics also showed employment in Scotland increased by 1,000 to 2,616,000 over the same three months.

This represented a rise of 40,000 compared to the same period in 2014, with the total number of people in employment now standing at 2,616,000.

The Scottish employment rate of 74.3% was above the UK average of 73.3%.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) fell by 1,700 from May to 74,600 in June 2015. The level was down by 21,700 on June 2014.

The claimant count rate remained unchanged over the month at 2.7%, and down 0.8% over the year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-33535056

:beer:

Generali

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-33535056

:beer:

Unemployment fell by 10% in a quarter, that is impressive!

Lucky Scotland isn't forced to endure the FFA-induced austerity the SNP would like to wreck the economy with.

elantan

Tell that to the people at the food banks

CLAPTON

elantan wrote: »

Tell that to the people at the food banks

ever faithful acolytes

but you genuinely think the Scottish economy is tanking since the referendum?

Aberdeenangarse

elantan wrote: »

Tell that to the people at the food banks

.......as they crack open another bottle of Bucky.

Mistermeaner

[ =elantan;68900075]Tell that to the people at the food banks[/QUOTE]

Work is good for society and for those who do it. People need incentives.

IMO benefits are more than generous enough that if you are queueing at a food bank it's because youve wasted money on other stuff.

How much in government hangouts is spent each year on booze, days, drugs, sky tv, holidays, takeaways, fizzy drinks, McDonads? Once I see that stop happening I'll feel sympathy for those on benefits.

The snp / socialist approach would be to make it easier for people on benefits, keep them poor so they keep voting snp and for society as a whole to be worse off

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Generali wrote: »

Unemployment fell by 10% in a quarter, that is impressive!

It is indeed.

Of course some of that is the bounce from Scotland voting No to separation, a lot of capital projects that were delayed until the referendum are now being implemented, after getting the go-ahead in the 4th quarter of last year.

It would be even better but unfortunately the SNP has implemented some deeply counterproductive policies that are causing real headwinds to employment in some sectors. (drink driving law changes, Police Scotland mergers, higher education cuts, NHS cuts, etc)

We are now also seeing real skills shortages in some areas, but unfortunately the SNP has prioritised spending money from the block grant on fully maintaining the Spare Room Subsidy for benefits claimants across the whole of Scotland, while slashing higher education spending and the number of college/Uni places.

Lucky Scotland isn't forced to endure the FFA-induced austerity the SNP would like to wreck the economy with.

Absolutely.

Scotland without the rUK subsidy would be Greece without the nice weather.

Thrugelmir

elantan wrote: »

Tell that to the people at the food banks

90% of the people busking on the streets down here have been found not to be homeless at all. Some make as much as £100 to £150 a day.

ruggedtoast

elantan wrote: »

Tell that to the people at the food banks

Tired of this argument from Nationalists. I suspect you know absolutely nothing about this issue and have never been on the front line of food bank referrals (or what real rather than relative poverty actually is)

Firstly, one of the reasons that people use food banks now is because there are food banks now. People who work in helping other people will help those people if they can, by referring them to food banks.

This point seems to be lost on the tendentious arguments of nationalists who prefer to paint an erroneous pictures of starving Scottish mothers with poor wee bairns waiting outside a poor house for a stale roll and a can of Heinz before they tramp back to their freezing tenement, crying, while English lords whip them from horseback.

The people who are referred to food banks are in genuine short term need. There are real cases of women who have had to run off with kids from abusive partners who have no food and no money temporarily.

There are also people who just aren't very good at managing their money or dont have savings and have got into short term trouble. Temporarily.

And people who work also fall into this latter category and show up at family centres and the council saying they cant afford the weekly shop, for whatever temporary reason.

Then there are people who can't seem to walk past a Ladbrokes.

Regardless of why people are referred, food banks are not used by social services as a response to food insecucurity (which does not exist in this country).

Benefits are not a lot but they are enough to feed yourself with.

Individuals receive three referrals to food banks after which point they are then referred finally to social services to investigate why they can't manage their money and offered support for budgeting or financing or whatever else.

Of course the best thing to do if you are on benefits and struggling to make ends meet. Is to get a job. One that you may, shock horror, have to relocate yourself for.

danothy

Thrugelmir wrote: »

90% of the people busking on the streets down here have been found not to be homeless at all. Some make as much as £100 to £150 a day.

Why would you expect buskers to be homeless? Why are 10% of buskers near you homeless?

Thrugelmir

danothy wrote: »

Why would you expect buskers to be homeless? Why are 10% of buskers near you homeless?

Deception used to obtain money etc in the vast number of cases.