Yet more anti-independence bollocks masquerading as journalism

In honour of James Naughtie badgering Nicola Sturgeon on the Today programme this morning re: something Alex Salmond said in 1999 (!) about the pound and Scottish  independence, lets pick out yet another tiresome example of anti-independence bias and show it up for the utter bollocks it actually is.

This time it’s the (Glasgow) Herald with its recent article headlined “Lloyds could move HQ post-independence”. !!!!!!! Oh no, disaster, loads of jobs might be lost if Scotland voted yes!!!!!

Except, Lloyds Banking Group isn’t headquartered in Scotland. Its company website clearly states its head office is on Gresham Street in the City of London. Its registered office is in Scotland right enough, which is what the CEO was specifically referring to in the interview the Herald derived its completely makey-uppy bollocks from, but – as any accountant will happily explain – where a company is based and where its registered are two very different things. 

So the (Glasgow) Herald article set out a threat, engaged in fear-mongering even, on the basis of a potential something that was just flat-out bullshite.

There’s  two ways of explaining this, 1) the (Glasgow) Herald business journalists know jackshit and/or 2) they or the editor is that rank rotten biased against independence, they’re willing to trot out any made up shite to support the party line. Either way they clearly aren't credible.

But, who didn’t know that already? Besides, the bulk of today’s independence chat was flannel and noise, which served only to distract from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research’s finding that if you divvied out the UK national debt post-independence, it would equal 86% of national income in Scotland vs 101% for the rest of the UK. 

And to be clear the blerk who reached this conclusion is not pro-Scottish independence given an earlier article wot he wrote  started off with post-communist Russia (I shit you not) as a wholly inappropriate and fear-mongering reference point for what an independent Scotland might be/have to contend with.

And this debt number is very, VERY important. Up until now, the national debt has been used as yet another scare tactic by terribly serious anti-independence people. The argument here has been as follows - yes well, independence doesn't just mean keeping the oil to ourselves don't you know, we'd have to take on our fair share of UK liabilities as well, oh yes. 

Except, now, when you deliberately stop quoting totals and start looking at percentages, it turns out that would be a good thing, a very good thing. Really, there are two stories here. One, it turns out Scottish independence does more to reduce public debt than any amount of taxes on the disabled, impliying independence would generate mucho financial benefits for all concerned north of Carlisle. And two, the Scottish broadsheets and London meja are shit scared of basic facts getting out.

Actually there’s a third. Personally, I was mad impressed with Alastair Darling during the more intense stages of the credit crunch. Now, with his anti-independence chat he comes across as being about as credible and insightful as Johann lamont’s left bollock with all the dignity of a badger that's just shat itself. What happened to him?