Niall's reply is in indented italics, with my comments in plain text.
I do not have the time at present as I have been asked to analyse the 2005/6 Government figures with the remit to examine the viability of Independence based on them. Its an interesting task and one I will relish.So, Niall evidently no longer intends to give any consideration to critique of his 2004/05 "analysis" before pushing ahead with a 2005/06 version. Might not some contend that such an approach could indicate a political motive rather than concern for the facts of the matter?
As for replying to your blogspot, If I were you, I would wait for the Treasury response to my paper "The Great Deception" The economists and statisticians at the Treasury are well qualified to comment seeing as they have had 13 days to study the paper. So far they have not yet responded which indicates that they are so far in agreement with the figures. I would have expected triumphalist trumpetings if they had discovered any errors.The Treasury, as a matter of course, do not respond to such submissions. It is ludicrous to imply that for 13 days its economists and statisticians have had little else to do but dissect a letter sent them from a fringe political party (the SEP) and that contradicts well-established methodologies without even providing reasons. Further, to state that their wholly predictable lack of response indicates their agreement (thereby invalidating my findings, of course) is clearly disingenuous.
My time is limited, I get dialysis three times a week and have to run a busy accountancy practice, so you will understand if I do not waste time pulling sheets of data from the folders which contain around 1,800 pages of data, just to satisfy your queries. Your can appreciate the amount of time required just to retype or even cut and paste.I have already expressed sympathy in respect of the dialysis. But Niall's overall message is clear here: for various reasons, he will be finding time only to repeat the meaningless exercise for 2005/06 and so no more data will be forthcoming. The specific underlying assumptions of even the wildest unsubstantiated claims of The Great Deception (such as a 35.9% allocation of the UK's spirits duty to Scotland, when GERS 2004/05 uses 8.9% and even the SNP only claims 9.5%) must now go unchallenged, as the author is not prepared to devote the requisite time to facilitating such challenges. How convenient.
Finally I despair at the mentality of some supporters of the Union who have got hold of my address. Such a waste of postage stamps and envelopes. Pages from the daily Rectum screaming pure Labour propaganda and hogwash posted to me with "Get to F**k" and "Fenian B*****d" (some of the least nasty comments). I just put them through the office shredder to be used as compost for the potatoes. Hope the ink is not toxic.I too would despair at such a mentality. However, if there is a next time, instead of destroying all evidence that such hate mail ever existed, perhaps passing it onto the police would be a more appropriate response?
Have a nice day at Labour party HQ, The day of doom is fast approaching when the rotten Labour burghs will be cleansed and Scotland will be rid of the Neu Liebour parasites who regarded them as their private feudal fiefdoms. You will be out of a job and on the buroo whilst the rest of us set about rebuilding Scotland as an Independent Nation.This bipolar attempt to cast Scottish politics in terms only of the SNP and Labour, the resultant conspiratorial presumption that as I can't be SNP I must be Labour, the evident historical romanticism, the apocalyptic language and the apparent triumphalism all speak for themselves. I won't open myself to spurious allegations of libel by expanding upon the obvious.
Airson Alba!
Niall Ban.
As I said, Niall - message received. I won't ask again.
