It ain't necessarily so

Jim Mather is one of the most sensible people in the SNP, but this won't do:

Mr Mather said independence would make Scotland as successful as other small countries in Europe.

He said: "For the Western Isles that would mean over 1,000 more jobs and an economic boost over the next decade worth £2,800 for each and every person in the Western Isles."

Yes, there is an argument that independence could make Scotland more successful although that would only be the case if the Scottish government were to adopt pro-market policies. What we can't say is which particular businesses or parts of the country would do better or worse than now. No one can possibly know how many jobs will be created in any particular area or what the per-capita benefit would be. All we can say is that both an a priori and an empirical approach tell us that people in general will be better off under a free market economy.