ANDREW Neil took to Twitter today in a thread that suggested Scotland has undergone "one of sharpest falls among developed countries in ranking of national well-being". The claims have already been debunked extensively by The National's new Fact Check service.
Referring to a report by a self-employed and self-styled “political economist” called John McLaren, BBC journalist Neil quoted the findings which suggested that Scotland "fell 5 places into the bottom half of 32 OECD nations across a range of measures including income, education, longevity and inclusivity".
McLaren was previously a special adviser to both Donald Dewar and Henry McLeish and is a staunch Unionist. His report was found to be misleading, yet has been widely reported on by a number of media publications.
Scotland has suffered one of sharpest falls among developed countries in ranking of national wellbeing and is now on a par with Slovenia. Scotland fell 5 places into bottom half of 32 OECD nations across range of measures including income, education, longevity and inclusivity.
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) January 27, 2020
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