The Tories tried to use the new Scottish economy figures to bash independence. It didn’t end well for them.

Ruth Davidson doing a speech at the Tory party conference
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On 22 August, the Scottish government published its Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report, which estimates public service revenue raised in Scotland.

The GERS report can’t be used to understand the finances of an independent Scotland, because it reflects the economic and financial realities of Scotland within the United Kingdom. But that didn’t stop the Scottish Conservatives starting an old Scottish constitution debate on Twitter.

It didn’t end well for the Tories.

The Scottish economy and GERS

SNP strategist Ross Colquhoun took to Twitter to announce the key ‘take-aways’ from the GERS report:

However, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party leader Ruth Davidson did not delay in denouncing the idea of Scottish independence:

And SNP MP Peter Grant snapped back to inform Davidson that GERS doesn’t reflect the reality of an independent Scotland:

It appears Davidson was jumping the gun, as nobody was even talking about Scottish independence.

SNP MSP Paul Wheelhouse also demanded an apology over the coverage of GERS by BBC News:

The reaction

As usual, Twitter didn’t disappoint. Some people provided very valid comparisons with other small independent nations:

Voters also challenged the Scottish Conservatives on the way their compliance with Brexit put the economy at risk:

And they questioned the economy continuing under the status quo:

Others pointed out that Scotland is a country that is committed to equality and social justice:

The Scottish Conservatives are using the GERS report for petty political advantage. The Tories continue to criticise economic performance in Scotland, yet are happy to go along with Brexit. For Scotland, the potential implications of Brexit could cancel out the progress made in its economy over the past 12 months.

So perhaps the Scottish Conservatives should stop obsessing about independence and get on with the day job.

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Featured image via Conservatives/YouTube

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