Scottish Referendum / Independence - Vol 6

[McWigglebum4th]

Edinburger said:

Show me any government, any business, or any organisation who have every delivered everything on time and under budget and I'll show you someone who doesn't have reasonably accurate specs/scopes/estimates!

You expect me to disagree?

Go find the father of "freedom" and tell them that the scottish government can't deliver everything under budget

[barryrs]

Edinburger said:

The usual one pulled out of the bag is that the building of Holyrood was seven times over budget and Scotland can't manage budgets, etc.

Good to see the Commonwealth Games were delivered £37m under budget.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west...

As reported in 2010

"When Glasgow won the Games, the estimated cost was £373 million but this rose to £454 million last year. However, this increased to £523.6 million in May when inflation was added for the first time."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/commo...

So by revising the projected cost up and factoring inflation they managed to save a few quid; good job all round then!!!!!

[Axionknight]

[Edinburger]

barryrs said:

Edinburger said:

The usual one pulled out of the bag is that the building of Holyrood was seven times over budget and Scotland can't manage budgets, etc.

Good to see the Commonwealth Games were delivered £37m under budget.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west...

As reported in 2010

"When Glasgow won the Games, the estimated cost was £373?million but this rose to £454?million last year. However, this increased to £523.6?million in May when inflation was added for the first time."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/commo...

So by revising the projected cost up and factoring inflation they managed to save a few quid; good job all round then!!!!!

Two words: scope creep.

[HD Adam]

Two Words: Over Budget.

[///ajd]

Edinburger said:

Two words: scope creep.

Lol.

Do you find you are you gritting your teeth writing this?

The main weakness in your argument is the suggestion that holyrood somehow has more competent politicians that the rUK.

Yet you only have to cast your mind back to Christina McKelvies cringeworthy letters to the EU (and the equally embarassing for the SNP replies from the EU), to realise that competence is worryingly thin on the ground. Terrifying to think they sort of gave Christina a proper job really.

[Wombat3]

///ajd said:

Edinburger said:

Two words: scope creep.

Lol.

Do you find you are you gritting your teeth writing this?

The main weakness in your argument is the suggestion that holyrood somehow has more competent politicians that the rUK.

Yet you only have to cast your mind back to Christina McKelvies cringeworthy letters to the EU (and the equally embarassing for the SNP replies from the EU), to realise that competence is worryingly thin on the ground. Terrifying to think they sort of gave Christina a proper job really.

Scope creep on the hosting of a sporting event? What did they do? Double the number of events after Glasgow bid for the thing???

[///ajd]

Wombat3 said:

///ajd said:

Edinburger said:

Two words: scope creep.

Lol.

Do you find you are you gritting your teeth writing this?

The main weakness in your argument is the suggestion that holyrood somehow has more competent politicians that the rUK.

Yet you only have to cast your mind back to Christina McKelvies cringeworthy letters to the EU (and the equally embarassing for the SNP replies from the EU), to realise that competence is worryingly thin on the ground. Terrifying to think they sort of gave Christina a proper job really.

Scope creep on the hosting of a sporting event? What did they do? Double the number of events after Glasgow bid for the thing???

Apparently, there was requirement creep to include some additional publicity material for the games that was tagged onto the bill. Alledgedly it was £25m and it was spent on some paragraphs about sport in some sort of White Paper? Some of it was also siphoned off to rewrite scottish history on the government funded 'visit scotland' website. Etc.

Yes, lets talk about using public funds to promote (in a biased inappropriate way) a single political party on an official tourism website. The ministry of public enlightenment is alive and well.

[MintyScot]

McWigglebum4th said:

Nationalists claim EVERYTHING done by the scottish government comes in ahead of schedule and under budget due to the magic forcefield effect in scotland.

If only this was the case...In reality nationalists believe the Scottish government is better because it is Scottish. Somehow a Scotsman is superior to an Englishman or Welshman for example. As a Scotsman I find nationalism and this train of thought repulsive. One of the reasons I cannot support the SNP.

Also regarding the GERS report. I ventured onto the SNP facebook page. Anyone seen human centipede? It is the same idea, full of people with their heads buried in each others arses.

[simoid]

Edinburger said:

The figures are from Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) which is compiled by statisticians and economists in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser of the Scottish Government and it is an accredited National Statistic publication, which means that it has been independently assessed by the United Kingdom Statistics Authority as being produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Do you REALLY think the figures are untrue?

No! I'm happy to use the best available figures and draw conclusions from them - unlike yourself.

[AstonZagato]

Generically, when GERS shows something positive, Nats trumpet its importance and accuracy. When it is not so positive, the numbers are an estimate and these things are unknowable.

[simoid]

AstonZagato said:

Generically, when GERS ANYTHING ABOUT SCOTLAND shows something positive, Nats trumpet its importance and accuracy. When it is not so positive, the numbers are an estimate and these things are unknowable OR THE FAULT OF THE ENGLISH, WELSH AND NORTHERN IRISH.

[Welshbeef]

simoid said:

AstonZagato said:

Generically, when GERS ANYTHING ABOUT SCOTLAND shows something positive, Nats trumpet its importance and accuracy. When it is not so positive, the numbers are an estimate and these things are unknowable OR THE FAULT OF THE ENGLISH, WELSH AND NORTHERN IRISH.

So funny yet so very sad this is the real situation

[Edinburger]

simoid said:

Edinburger said:

The figures are from Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) which is compiled by statisticians and economists in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser of the Scottish Government and it is an accredited National Statistic publication, which means that it has been independently assessed by the United Kingdom Statistics Authority as being produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Do you REALLY think the figures are untrue?

No! I'm happy to use the best available figures and draw conclusions from them - unlike yourself.

Economists, eh? Reminds me of this old one:

A mathematician, an accountant and an economist apply for the same job.

The interviewer calls in the mathematician and asks "What do two plus two equal?" The mathematician replies "Four." The interviewer asks "Four, exactly?" The mathematician looks at the interviewer incredulously and says "Yes, four, exactly."

Then the interviewer calls in the accountant and asks the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The accountant says "On average, four - give or take ten percent, but on average, four."

Then the interviewer calls in the economist and poses the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The economist gets up, locks the door, closes the shade, sits down next to the interviewer and says, "What do you want it to equal"?

[Edinburger]

Welshbeef said:

simoid said:

AstonZagato said:

Generically, when GERS ANYTHING ABOUT SCOTLAND shows something positive, Nats trumpet its importance and accuracy. When it is not so positive, the numbers are an estimate and these things are unknowable OR THE FAULT OF THE ENGLISH, WELSH AND NORTHERN IRISH.

So funny yet so very sad this is the real situation

Don't bring the good people of Wales and Northern Ireland into this

(before you all start - it's a joke, okay)

[simoid]

Edinburger said:

simoid said:

Edinburger said:

The figures are from Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) which is compiled by statisticians and economists in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser of the Scottish Government and it is an accredited National Statistic publication, which means that it has been independently assessed by the United Kingdom Statistics Authority as being produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Do you REALLY think the figures are untrue?

No! I'm happy to use the best available figures and draw conclusions from them - unlike yourself.

Economists, eh? Reminds me of this old one:

A mathematician, an accountant and an economist apply for the same job.

The interviewer calls in the mathematician and asks "What do two plus two equal?" The mathematician replies "Four." The interviewer asks "Four, exactly?" The mathematician looks at the interviewer incredulously and says "Yes, four, exactly."

Then the interviewer calls in the accountant and asks the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The accountant says "On average, four - give or take ten percent, but on average, four."

Then the interviewer calls in the economist and poses the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The economist gets up, locks the door, closes the shade, sits down next to the interviewer and says, "What do you want it to equal"?

So your answer to my original question is... no answer. There's a shock

[Edinburger]

simoid said:

Edinburger said:

simoid said:

Edinburger said:

The figures are from Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) which is compiled by statisticians and economists in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser of the Scottish Government and it is an accredited National Statistic publication, which means that it has been independently assessed by the United Kingdom Statistics Authority as being produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Do you REALLY think the figures are untrue?

No! I'm happy to use the best available figures and draw conclusions from them - unlike yourself.

Economists, eh? Reminds me of this old one:

A mathematician, an accountant and an economist apply for the same job.

The interviewer calls in the mathematician and asks "What do two plus two equal?" The mathematician replies "Four." The interviewer asks "Four, exactly?" The mathematician looks at the interviewer incredulously and says "Yes, four, exactly."

Then the interviewer calls in the accountant and asks the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The accountant says "On average, four - give or take ten percent, but on average, four."

Then the interviewer calls in the economist and poses the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The economist gets up, locks the door, closes the shade, sits down next to the interviewer and says, "What do you want it to equal"?

So your answer to my original question is... no answer. There's a shock

Get a grip, simoid. I'm not about to start debating the merits of GERS.

[Axionknight]

Why not, no faith in the figures Sir?

[McWigglebum4th]

Edinburger said:

Economists, eh? Reminds me of this old one:

A mathematician, an accountant and an economist apply for the same job.

The interviewer calls in the mathematician and asks "What do two plus two equal?" The mathematician replies "Four." The interviewer asks "Four, exactly?" The mathematician looks at the interviewer incredulously and says "Yes, four, exactly."

Then the interviewer calls in the accountant and asks the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The accountant says "On average, four - give or take ten percent, but on average, four."

Then the interviewer calls in the economist and poses the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The economist gets up, locks the door, closes the shade, sits down next to the interviewer and says, "What do you want it to equal"?

Well apart from the economists that wrote the white paper

They were super accurate

[simoid]

Edinburger said:

Get a grip, simoid. I'm not about to start debating the merits of GERS.

I'm not asking you to. I'm simply asking if you think the Scottish government are publishing data which shows our country's finances in an unnecessarily negative light.

Do you?