SNP MSP accused of ‘disinformation’
She says report (from OWN government) is fiction
A NATIONALIST MSP has been accused of pushing ‘disinformation’ after launching a series of attacks on official figures showing the Union is worth £2,184 a year to everyone in Scotland.
Stephanie Callaghan posted on social media about the annual Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures: ‘GERS are CRAP: Completely Rubbish APproximation of the truth’.
After her comments were condemned by other social media users, she issued a statement saying the figures ‘provide no indication of what Scottish finances would look like in an independent Scotland’ and they are ‘designed to understate Scotland’s income, overstate Scotland’s expenditure, and provide little useful insights’.
She also shared comments from economist Richard Murinsult phy describing the figures as ‘a work of fiction that describes a Tory vision of Scotland, into which they can sink as many costs as possible, so that they can make it appear that Scotland is a burden which they are, inexplicably, desperate to keep control of ’.
The figures are compiled and published by the Scottish Government.
Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘To see an SNP MSP denying basic economic facts is par for the course. But by pushing disinformation about the GERS figures, Stephanie Callaghan is accusing Scottish Government officials of misleading the public.
‘These figures are produced for and by the Scottish Government and neutrally drawn up using independent, accredited methods.
‘The SNP may not like the fact that every Scot is £2,184 better off as part of the UK.
‘But Nicola Sturgeon must intervene to discipline MSPs who spread false claims as a response. She should immediately disown this grotesque distortion of the facts, and its to the integrity of Scottish officials.’
The GERS report, published this week, showed the amount of public spending per head of population was £1,963 higher in Scotland than the UK as a whole in 2021/22, while the amount raised through measures like taxation was £221 lower. It means the overall windfall per head of population is £2,184, or just less than £12billion for Scotland as a whole.
The data also showed an independent Scotland would face a notional deficit of £23.7 billion, or 12.3 per cent of GDP, which is more than double the UK’s and higher than any EU country.
In the GERS document, the Scottish Government states: ‘GERS is produced by Scottish Government statisticians. It is designated as a National Statistics product, which means it is produced independently and has been assessed by the UK Statistics Authority as being produced in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.’