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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague
@kevverage.bsky.social
1.9K followers 960 following 1.4K posts
Investor/chair of a couple of Scottish businesses; chair of constitutional think tank These Islands; keen analyst of Scotland’s economic data (particularly “GERS” #fml); occasional political commentator; runner, hill walker & dog lover - views own, obv
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · Sep 7
to be like any other normal European country, a fiscally autonomous Scotland would have to significantly increase taxes and/or severely cut public spending - this is the simple truth that much of the SNP’s rhetoric around GERS seems designed to obscure

www.these-islands.co.uk/publications...
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Reposted by Kevin Hague
mjowen174.bsky.social
Matt Owen @mjowen174.bsky.social · 1d
If you could please do us a favour and RT (or whatever it is on here) my writing CV I would be extremely grateful. I am a very capable writer of words, mainly “humorous”’ and if you have some PROPER paid work for me, please DM me. Thank you for your time www.mathew-owen.co.uk
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 2d
and for the record: i’m against those who try and persuade people to support breaking up the UK by deploying fallacious arguments and false grievances
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 2d
the renewables investments in Scotland that are supported by subsidies (contracts for difference) paid by GB bill payers as a function of the integrated GB energy market - those ones?
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 3d
and let’z not forget the Yes case was to assume £6.8 - 7.9bn a year of oil revenue for an indy Scotland … a figure that turned out to be massively over optimistic
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 3d
and breaking up the UK - forcing Scots to bear massive spending cuts and/or tax rises while also dismantling the GB energy market upon which the Scottish renewables industry depends - don’t forget that bit 👍
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Reposted by Kevin Hague
theseislands.bsky.social
These Islands @theseislands.bsky.social · 4d
The most serious failure of the SNP’s latest independence paper is that it completely ducks the question of how an independent Scotland would get its public finances onto a sustainable footing.
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 4d
bonkers
danneidle.bsky.social
Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 4d
Big development on our July storyabout a dodgy tax relief claim by Dundee United and tax firm ZLX.

The club made a huge claim for R&D tax relief which said that 24% of the players' time, and 80% of the chef's time, was spent on "research and development".

Not credible.
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Reposted by Kevin Hague
sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 4d
I assume Jenrick will be asked to confirm if he has a similar position on burning Bibles in public - it may be offensive but it should not be illegal.

But would he really pretend he would attend the court case to show solidarity & support to a Bible burner too? He surely would not.
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 4d
i have muted the person you’re responding to and will now do the same to you (“Macnaughton”) - pointless interacting when you are so resolutely opposed to simple economic facts getting in the way of your heart’s desire to break up the UK

👋
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 4d
i am resolutely positive about the values of unity and solidarity and the importance of informed debate - you only perceive me as being negative because i vocally oppose those (like you, it seems) who resort to misrepresenting economic facts in their desire to promote the separatist cause
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 4d
i see we’re now at the “if you believe in accurate presentation of basic economic facts then you should leave Scotland” stage of joyous and civic nationalism 🫤
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 4d
and if you’re reduced to telling me i should leave Scotland because i believe in accurately representing economic data… well frankly maybe go away and have a wee word with yourself?
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 4d
with the best will in the world, i refer you back to the *actual numbers* - how can you seriously seek to create a grievance out of these simple and undisputed facts: average revenue/head generated while benefitting from far higher than average spending/head?
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 4d
i see you’re not interested in civilised debate - tbh when you’re arguing against your own Government’s National Statistics i suspect you know in your heart of hearts that you’re floundering

nothing wrong with wanting secession, but perhaps steer clear of lying about economic facts?

hey ho - bye
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Reposted by Kevin Hague
sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5d
natcen.ac.uk/publications...
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Reposted by Kevin Hague
sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5d
Scottish Social Attitudes report a dramatic dip in British identity in Scotland in 2024
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
ps who do you think this “you” is that you’re referring to?
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Reposted by Kevin Hague
kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
why don’t you engage with the actual numbers?

we generate close to average revenue per head but get £2,600 more spending per head — these are the Scottish Government’s own numbers - your insistent repetition of a false grievance doesn’t make it true
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
also - just fyi - according to the Scottish Government’s own calculations Scotland was a small net fiscal contributor *to* the EU

I know facts can be uncomfortable at times, but you really should engage with them if you want to be persuasive
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
why don’t you engage with the actual numbers?

we generate close to average revenue per head but get £2,600 more spending per head — these are the Scottish Government’s own numbers - your insistent repetition of a false grievance doesn’t make it true
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
and as for being like any other nornal independent country: I’m on record as saying Scotland could be - you’d just have to persuade Scots to have far higher taxes or much lower public spending 🤷🏻‍♂️

www.these-islands.co.uk/publications...
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
i notice you’ve decided not to try and defend your “gives us scraps back” false grievance, so i suppose that at least is progress of sorts
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
if you see me suggesting Scotland can’t be independent, be sure to let me know
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
that’s an irrelevant observation - the claim being made was that Scotland is short-changed when it comes to pooling and sharing tax revenues across the UK; that claim is patently, demonstrably and irrefutably false
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kevverage.bsky.social
Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 5d
so you haven’t looked at the actual numbers?

according to Swinney’s own National Statistics, scotland contributes a similar to UK average revenue per head but benefits from £2,600 higher spending per head

“give us scraps back” you say?
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