Why is Scotland suffering so badly?
The last few days have seen a significant number of headlines regarding a slashing of the Scottish budget by the UK government and a fall-out between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling. However, underneath the headlines and the hustle and bustle of everyday political life there is one startling fact which is starting to emerge, the Scottish economy is in serious trouble and is likely to be the last to recover in the UK.
The last few days have seen confirmation of a significant increase in the number of small and medium-sized businesses going to the wall in Scotland and larger firms still struggling. Aside from the banking issue, which is set to see a number of Scottish job losses, the economy is in a really bad way and requires significant investment now. As politicians continue to fight their fight in the press and the media, Scottish voters are becoming more and more concerned about the short to medium term outlook.
It would seem that the Scottish economy has suffered more than most because of a collapse in exports from the UK with industries such as whiskey finding life tough. The increase in tax on a bottle of whiskey has also been greeted with dismay in Scotland with the suggestion that many jobs may be put at risk. On top of this there has also been a significant increase in bankruptcies in Scotland and more and more people and more and more businesses are struggling.
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