28 Mar 03. As our esteemed Prime Minister bestrides the world stage rumblings, particularly in Scotland, about the direction of the war are reaching our ears. A worrying article appeared in the Scotsman yesterday suggesting that the respected Fraser of Allander Institute has warned that Scotland may slip into recession in 2003, chopping the most optimistic scenario to 1.4 per cent. A prolonged war will affect tourism, Scotland’s major earner by 7 per ecnt. The Institute estimates that Scotland’s GDP contracted by 0.2 per cent last year.
There is an element of fiddling while Rome burns from the Scottish Parliament with Jack McConnell’s team stating that the war should not be on the agenda for the local elections.
The Editor, for his sins is standing as Conservative candidate for Musselburgh east local elections and the SDP appears to be gaining ground on labour which could precipitate the opening of the nationalist debate post-election.
The whole of the Uk is fairing little better with British Airways announcing new job losses and further City job cuts loom. The French intransigence over Iraq has wrecked Tony Blair’s European dream, with little hope of a concerted effort to form a European Defence policy and the economy may do to him as it did to George Bush Sr. in 1991, post Gulf War (It’s the economy stupid!).