GERS is increasingly associated with some really desperate memes from the nationalist community. These are designed to show that GERS doesn't really represent the state of Scottish finances.
The biggest issue seems to be that because the Scottish Government doesn't control all spending then GERS is irrelevant. The idea seems to be that the £25bn worth of UK reserved spending contains a vast array spending which the Scottish Government would immediately cut on independence and helping us to close if not eliminate the deficit.
Therefore I thought it would be useful to provide a simple tool using the GERS data to provide nationalists with an opportunity to show what they would cut from the UK reserved spending to bridge the loss of the fiscal transfer.
You can find the google doc here.
Just enter a percentage figures in the yellow cells to show how much of reserved spending you would cut and it will show you how much you have cut and (in red) how much you still have to find.
Most users seem to go for defence, no surprises there. Recreation, culture and sport also seem to get a good battering whenever there is an opportunity to do so, but it's social protection that usually ends up getting plundered to make up the difference. I always wonder what specific cuts to welfare (mainly pensions) the user is thinking of? International services (mainly Foreign Aid) is also regularly in the firing line, which is quite an interesting envisioned switch of emphasis.
Finally just a couple of points. I've greyed out and blocked off the debt, common services, EU transactions and Accounting adjustments, they are either not optional (debt, EU) or just an opportunity to pretend cuts will arise from mythical efficiency savings.
Hopefully then when I ask my usual question: 'OK what would you cut' I can at least now point to this page and ask nationalists to actually show me how they would make up the loss of the fiscal transfer.
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One technical note I've used the GERS Table 3.8 data to provide the UK reserved spending. This has the effect of over estimating reserved spending which means that the fiscal gap will be closed quicker and easier in the tool than in reality. However for the purposes of this exercise it does the job.
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