Since 2010 Scotland has grown consistently more slowly than the UK as a whole. This is thanks to its distinctive policies. It spends more per head on the public sector than England. It borrows more per head ( via the UK) as it spends more than the UK as a whole per head. It believes in green growth and has subsidised and given permissions for substantial renewable energy. It taxes more and believes growth comes from more public sector spending.
At the same time as promoting public sector led and green growth it has actively supported closing down oil and gas, Scotland’s most productive highly paid industry. Despite spending more than England, school standards are lower and NHS waiting lists are still long.
The Uk government now wishes to follow similar high tax, high spend public sector led growth. Both the SNP and Labour governments supervise poor public sector projects, with Scotland losing control of orders for new ferries and the UK under four different governments experiencing massive cost overrun of HS2.
The problem with taking higher taxes off the private sector to pay for less productive public sector activity is it is bound to damage growth. In Scotland deliberately running down the oil and gas industry damages both Scottish and UK productivity and reduces tax revenue.
The UK government is going the Scottish way in the mistaken belief they might win more votes in Scotland if they became more like the SNP. Instead it will help drag the UK growth down closer to Scottish levels.
November 28, 2025
Good morning
I do not agree with your hypothesis, Sir John that Labour are pursuing these policy to garner votes in Scotland. Smashing the UK economy as a whole is not a vote winner either side of the boarder.
As I keep saying, this is all deliberate. The plan is to impoverish the nation and set off a fire sale of assets. We saw this with Greece. They tried it with Iceland but they just defaulted, had a few years of pain and outstripped Greece in recovering.
November 28, 2025
Are Labour very stupid or actually totally dishonest and evil? Actually wanting to wreck the economy and damage the UK? Well it is rather hard to think that they really are that stupid all their policies seem to be appallingly destructive – other than perhaps relaxing planning which has not happened yet!
JR says “The problem with taking higher taxes off the private sector to pay for less productive public sector activity is it is bound to damage growth.” But for “less productive activity” read damaging negative productivity harming real private sector productivity firstly by taking the money off them and then by spending it doing active harms to further damage the private sector with red tape, unreliable rip off energy, road blocking, Chagos, workers rights, tenants rights, net zero, a bloated state sector…
November 28, 2025
Or perhaps now they realise they have zero chance of re-election and just want to leave as big a mess as possible.
November 28, 2025
I think that’s a very large part of it. The Great Reset needs to be imposed in a hurry and sufficiently embedded to make reversing it very difficult for an incoming Government … because they know they’ll be kicked out at the next election.
November 28, 2025
LL
You mean a scorched earth policy ?
Well there is merit in what you say. Labour in 2010 left no money in the kitty and, the Tories did the same to them in 2024. If this is correct, it is not only evil, but criminal.
To support my earlier comment, one only has to look at past events to see what is in plain sight before us. In particular, I wish to draw your, and others attention, to the treatment of the farmers. Similar schemes have been done elsewhere and, the same ‘investors’ & ‘beneficiaries’ have been active in those countries as well. ie Follow the money 😉
November 28, 2025
The old saying “you might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb” came to mind when the Chancellor gave her budget speech.
November 28, 2025
There might be some good or well-meaning people in Labour. Evil would seem overstated, but they have demonstrated stupidity, extreme incompetence and what feels like enmity to so many of our people.
November 28, 2025
@Lifelogic – not stupid but the ‘Plan’. They can’t dictate to those that are self-reliant, make sacrifices for their future. In other words if you are not beholden to the State you are not part of the Society our Socialist Parliament has been creating this century.
It is going to get a lot worse because it is the majority of Parliament, that only see a them and us culture, they will keep fighting the fine people of this nation until Socialist/Marxism enslavement was been achieved. That maybe never but they have stuck to it for the last 25 years and not wavered from their resolve – so they are not about to give up the war
November 28, 2025
Correct Mark. This government is he’ll bent on bankrupting the country in preparation for trying to rejoin the EU.
It’d also trying to buy votes from a cohort who are rapidly investing all our institutions.
Very soon there will be an Islamic political party supported by like minded voters in all our cities.
We see in Derby where the Mayor doesn’t speak English.
Liebour will be the architects of our destruction cheered on by the rest of the uniparty.
We have just one chance to turn the ship around
November 28, 2025
Ian
I believe there already is. They call themselves the Greens.
November 28, 2025
Agree Mark. Labour are pursuing these policies to garner votes across the whole of the UK not just Scotland. They have ceased to be the Worker’s party and are now the Benefiter’s party We do not have enough wealth creators and tax payers left to fund this Big State model.
As an aside, why do Labour deem it an economic success to finish the parliament with no government borrowing in that year, when they’ve borrowed billions in the prior 4 years? Surely the Government should be aiming for a balanced position over the full 5 year period?
November 28, 2025
Agree M B,
The evidence is now overwhelming that 2TK has a plan, and its not good for all us stakeholders in the UK. He’s working on weakening both the economy and our society to re-integrate us into an enlarged United States of Europe. The major EU states all have far larger public sector participation in GDP than we do, he is moving to align ours with theirs. He has said he will not disclose or discuss with us the ongoing ‘re-set’ deal with the EU, while it is obvious he has a close relationship with its president.
2TK is not an imaginative chap, so who is pulling the strings?
I fear the only way to oust this government is an economic shock, perhaps a run on the £ and higher borrowing costs causing even his socialist supporters to depart. He will not go easily.
November 28, 2025
I think Reeves is stunned that the new economics is not working. I think she thought that by now she would be parading through the streets to cheers and rose strewn pathways.
She looks stunned. And she sees that the next budget will ‘ask for a bit more’ too.
Unbelievably in his ‘letter to the voter’ Farage mistook servicing the debt for ‘debt repayment’! Rachel is going to have to womansplain to him that when the deficit continues the debt increases.
Unless we find the means of propelling Rupert Lowe into Downing Street, I see no flicker of hope.
November 28, 2025
Before everyone screams, Farage/Reform claimed £100 billion ‘debt repayment’.
None of the debt has been repaid, they are servicing the debt ie paying the interest charges.
November 28, 2025
I think you’re using semantics Lynn.i think we all know that was to service the debt.
November 29, 2025
Well all of us know, but Farage does not, or he would have said so.
December 1, 2025
How is Rupert Lowe not a Tory, or Ben Habib, it shows how far to the centre left the Tories went. Farage and Zia made a huge mistake with these two.
November 28, 2025
Indeed and the appalling treatment of landlords with excessive taxation and red tape – which also harms tenants, the net zero agenda, war on motorists, open door low skilled immigration, net harm Covid Vaccines… cui bono? Certainly not most people or the economy.
November 28, 2025
When Reaves says to the HoC will will “ask” people to pay a little more this is very clearly deceiving/lying to the House. She clearly means we will demand with menaces and a threat of jail you pay a lot more in tax? Is lying to the house just fine now? Or does she not understand the meaning of “ask”?
November 28, 2025
Starmer’s Labour government policies are more likely to deliver no growth rather than low growth. The downside risk is recession, even depression. What is the point of investing and working in the face of the overwhelming regulatory and tax burdens now inflicted on UK businesses?
November 28, 2025
@Oldtimer92 – ‘risk’ or desire? It is part of the ‘Plan’ they Parliament have been taught that they must secure the ‘Great Reset’ to change the World and if that means fighting and impoverishing the people of the whole nation so be it.
November 28, 2025
Before the Blair nonsense the UK operated as a cohesive entity. Now there are different opposing nation groups frequently opposing each other’s ways, creating muddle, waste and low performance.
November 28, 2025
I assume you are referring to devolution that was given to Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland. Whilst England was omitted and left to be governed by the UK parliament. An absolutely disasterous policy, though mainly for England.
November 28, 2025
Disastrous for all regions of the UK in fact.
See the David Starkey video “Blair did more harm than two World Wars video”.
November 28, 2025
You take us back into very welcome UK breakup territory – well done.
November 28, 2025
I’m sorry I don’t understand this comment ??
November 28, 2025
That’s exactly what the EU wanted with its plan for “a Europe of the Regions.” It’s classic divide and rule – with the EU Kommissars sitting above the construct managing and controlling it.
November 28, 2025
You mean, “Divide and conquer.” ?
November 28, 2025
“has actively supported closing down oil and gas, Scotland’s most productive highly paid industry”
Ah! how I recall Alex Salmond, when asked how he would pay for his desired independence. He replied with the oil revenue. “It’s oor oil”
November 28, 2025
Once again Trump – who has scrupulously avoided visiting Kyiv – is demanding that Ukraine capitulate to Russian maximalist terms for ending Putin’s war of aggression. Trump also wants large sums of Russian monies frozen in Belgium in “compensation”
Trump has repeated that Zelensky is “ungrateful” for Trump having failed to provide any military aid at all to Ukraine since his second coming. Whilst providing $billions in aid to Israel
Trump’s 28-point peace plan appears to have been written by the war criminal Putin and his envoy “Steve” Witkoff – who has also never visited Kyiv – but who has made no less than seven trips to Moscow
Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said yesterday “This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly sceptical it will achieve peace” Those fears have escalated after Witkoff reportedly coached Moscow on how to handle Trump!
Republican representative Don Bacon wrote on X. “He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations”. Ex senator Mitch McConnell (R) suggested Trump “might need to find new advisers”
What exactly is the hold that Putin has over Trump? This issue needs to be addressed ASAP
November 28, 2025
And this is relevant to the current discussion how ? Why do you think we’re interested in your off-topic views on random topics ?
November 28, 2025
Relax Mr Cold.
Putin has rejected further ‘negotiation’ and accepted that there is no point in trying to negotiate.
The problem the west (Trump) has is that there are more defections than soldiers on the Ukrainian front lines. The soldiers know it’s over.
With no defence lines or army Putin will now impose his demands which are:
An election in Ukraine (he calls it denazification)
Recognition of the Russian language in Ukraine
Reducing the Ukrainian Army to 40,000 (probably the existing numbers)
The 5 regions that have voted to rejoin Russia and probably more referendums in Odessa, Dnepro, Kharkov, Sumi.
If he was particularly vindictive he would demand that Ukraine join the EU immediately.
Reply A very Russian view. After four years Russia is unable to capture the whole Donbas. The Ukrainian army is much larger than 40,000 which is why Putin wants to size limit it.
November 28, 2025
Afraid Uk politics in general has become an absolute mess, and a very expensive one at that.
Government has become far too complex as it seeks to micro manage the population with its incompetent, advisors, ministers and leaders and unfit for purpose justice system..
We are no longer have a true democracy, but an elected dictatorship.
Local government is the same, they used to look after the infrastructure, Lopping trees, maintaining roads, paths, drains, ditches, parks, schools, playing fields, street lights, rubbish collection, and their own housing. Now they are a virtual money collection and distribution system for the Government, with fines, penalties, and grants, for a whole host of minor infractions, whilst forgetting about the basics.
November 28, 2025
The “Scottish Way” can only be applied north of the border because English Taxpayers are forced to fund the largesse the SNP lavishes on its crumbling public services.
That largesse is going to become completely unaffordable before long and no-one’s going to fund a similar model in England. At best, it’s a short-term plan to try and retain a few votes north of the border but I don’t think it’ll even achieve that.
The shambles will continue to limp along for the next few months and they’ll get absolutely hammered next May – unless they cancel the Scottish, Welsh and local elections.
November 28, 2025
I think they have laid the groundwork for an early GE. The spending is now and the taxes are delayed.
None of us know how to vote to get what we want.
November 28, 2025
Is that any surprise? There has been NO Parliament or its Government that has perused a growing economy to provide the income to fund after-all what is the ‘blackmail’ money to bribe the electorate.
There is something inherently wrong with the gangs marauding around Parliament, tending to their egos, the next election, while ignoring their purpose. In theory they arrived in Parliament from a vague interpretation of democratic choice, to choose a government, then to hold that government to account. They are there to be the nations legislators and the refuse by offshoring to the unelected unaccountable in foreign domains. It a corrupt Parliament because it corrupts its self.
November 28, 2025
‘pursued’ although they wouldn’t have perused the idea either
November 28, 2025
With such inept policies in place, just how long can the UK continue to function?
There are not enough adjectives to describe the dire state of the economy but nothing done by HMG will make anything better.
Taking the key indicators it should be possible to extrapolate when the IMF will finally be called in – from my viewpoint it’s getting closer by the day.
November 28, 2025
Except the IMF will clearly will not have the capacity or I suspect any will to assist much or even at all.
November 29, 2025
The IMF have done it before when the Wilson/Callaghan government went bust – they know what do alright, and it will indeed make life far less worthwhile for all that remain in the UK.
November 28, 2025
I keep saying it, but how does our education system produce such idiots? Labour loves spending, trying to expand their client base, but even they should know you can’t keep spending when you are broke!
They lack vision, knowledge, awareness and a basic understanding of the economy. They will be surprised when they bang into reality, which is not far away.
Socialism, under whatever label, never works and always makes the majority poorer.
November 28, 2025
It seems to many of us that ending the ridiculous rush to Net Zero would transform our economy, but by how much?
Miliband is spending money like it was water on all his expensive green initiatives, and the loss of tax revenues from the oil industry makes it even worse. Then there is the adverse effect on our balance of payments of importing gas and electricity rather than generating it here. The balance of payments was once a critical issue, but it’s never mentioned now. Why is that ?
I would like Reform and/or the Conservatives to come up with some figures showing the net effect of abandoning net zero.
November 28, 2025
Reform done even know that there was no debt repayment in the budget.
With the best will in the world, they can’t hack it.
November 28, 2025
Well I think they obviously do know. But it can be a moot point you might make a debt repayment only to have this wiped out a week later by new interest.
Anyway loads of green loons energy “experts” BBC types do not know the different between power and energy or their units. The government’s medical “experts” thought that giving hastily prepared, net tech. “vaccines” to the health young, to children and people who had had Covid already and lockdowns were a great plan!
November 28, 2025
“if they became more like the SNP” isn’t that what our Socialist Parliament of all complexions has been doing since ‘Blair’ levelling down!
As the then Tory leader David Cameron when the fault lines of society were outlined to him said when he was seeking power ‘But we can’t reverse these things.’
‘Well, what’s the point of getting you elected if you can’t influence these areas of concern to many of the citizens?’
The proven flaw of Parliament, you are not voting change, or a direction, you are only voting for embedding of the worst
November 28, 2025
Your piece today suggests socialism has a plan. Politically maybe, economically absolutely not. On the media they only convince themselves. We await their jmplosion.
November 28, 2025
“The Uk government now wishes to follow similar high tax, high spend public sector led growth”.
Not really, they aren’t interested in growth as an objective at all – for a start Starmer said at the election a laser focus on growth was his number one objective so we knew in reality he’d do the exact opposite. Even the OBR has said that not one of the 80 or so measures in the budget will enhance growth – even allowing for their hopeless ability to forecast that’s pretty damning. Their only objective is to spend on their core voters, the welfare claimants, and expand their numbers in the hope of retaining their seats.
November 28, 2025
Socialism depends upon making and keeping people poor. Scotland and their SNP government are the Socialist Ultras and hence it is no surprise to find Labour following the Scotland low growth model to increase UK impoverishment. Although it would appear to be economically sensible for England to help Scotland vote for independence it is better to keep paying Scotland to remain in the UK rather than ending up with a failed and hence troublesome and even a possibly hostile state on its border supported by and hence controlled by either Russia or China. However, England should at least prevent Scottish MPs voting on English only matters. This is not democratic.
November 28, 2025
President Trump has paused 3rd world immigration into USA. We should also pause 3rd world immigration into UK, and seek out and get rid of those immigrants who are not a net benefit to this country. We can no longer afford them.
November 28, 2025
@MWB – I have sort of inferred that elsewhere – The Tory leader of the day, David Cameron when asked about ‘Stopping immigration dead in its tracks’ responded with ‘But we can’t reverse these things.’
Then you read the EU Diktat on illegals is costing Hungary €1 million a day in fines as they are defying Brussels desire to import more immigrants, sort of confirms what is happening or not happening in the UK – the EU is still in charge!
What’s the point of a Parliament if it cant correct the wrongs and ills of its predecessors?
November 28, 2025
Biden brought in 200,000 unvetted Afghan “translators.” Into the USA 300 people per plane.
The MOD has spent £6 BILLION flying in Afghan ‘translators’ so far.
How many translators did the western troops in Afghanistan employ? More translators than they had soldiers?
November 28, 2025
Sir John, reading today’s comments does remind us how corrupt the UK Parliament is in its destruction of democracy has become. 5 years before there is an election! A choice made by a Parliament that wanted the longest ‘free-loading’ amount of time – the people, the electorate had no voice. The World’s major free sovereign democracies seek approval every 2 years. Think about in the USA next year there will be elections, that is just 2 years from the last time the people of the USA voiced their opinions. They (the USA) will have then had another round of elections on top of that before the UK ‘if they are still allowed’ gets to have an opinion on those it empowers and pays to sit in a once great Parliament.
It demonstrates the fear of the people that the UK Parliament has, they deny a fully function democracy because of the imbalance it creates for their own personal ego. Even in the corporate world this attitude would not be tolerated – the shareholders regularly get their say to confirm the directions being taken.
November 28, 2025
What are we to make of this endless destruction of British national well being by our own political class?
Labour are clearly on a scorched earth policy, ensuring who ever comes into office after they are kicked out between now and June 2029, will have a socialist mountain to climb before any progress towards the sunny uplands are able to be seen.
What is their objective beyond economic collapse of our once strong nation?
On Wednesday we had the entire Labour front bench nodding like demented back parcel shelf dogs with slathering Lammy head nodding minister, as Reeves loaded yet more public spending onto the backs of the hard pressed tax payers.
Do they imagine for even a second they can get away with this national destruction?
November 29, 2025
Labour do this to ensure the next elected Party gets the blame instead of them for the dirty economic mess they always leave us as their black holes should be called, especially as they take years to clear up.
They then have the temerity to label any successor the austerity nasty party.
November 28, 2025
When self employed you have to use the most important resources you possess to deal with everything you never have to even consider as an employee and far more than the average person in the protected Public Sector.
Your brain is most folks No 1 resource and you get seriously challenged to use both left and right brains to be successful in the Private Sector.
I often wonder how many top decision makers in the Public Sector are making full use of their brains based on the track record of woeful failures?
The Japanese years ago regarded everyone as having a gold bar equivalent of their brain unlike many other countries. The Public Sector does not by default encourage people to use this most vital asset, hence the status quo of low productivity and inefficient, inefficient and uneconomic outcomes.
Scotland under the SNP demonstrates how this plays out especially when an ideology is prioritised over common sense and making the best decisions for Scotland. Britain is badly served by this dysfunctional thinking failure too sadly. The Armed forces only recruited 250 last year – think about that…
November 28, 2025
I still blame the tories for allowing labour to win the last general election ,,,,,the furtherance of net zero, higher taxation and immigration
November 28, 2025
Rupert Lowe now 3 points behind the Conservative Party.
His productivity is the greater of the two.
SHOCK POLL- Westminster Voting Intentions
Reform UK – 25%
Green Party – 18%
Labour – 16%
Conservatives – 13%
Lib Dems – 13%
# Rupert Lowe – 10%
SNP – 3%
PC – 1%
Other – 3%