The SNP often says an independent Scotland could be an economic success story like Ireland. Here, columnist Guy Stenhouse argues that the Irish example isn't all it seems

Whenever the SNP gets cornered on what Scotland's economy would be like if it were taken out of the UK they fluff and stutter and mumble - and then resort to their trump card.

We would be like Ireland. One of the richest countries per head in Europe. If they can do it so could we. What's the problem - far from suffering austerity we would have prosperity. They rest their case, nobody seems to argue.

In fact the Irish success story - and it is a success - is not capable of being repeated and is so distorted that the often quoted figures bear no relation to the actual economic experience of the average person who lives there.

The reason why the Irish did so well is that they played a blinder after they joined the EU and the authorities in Brussels didn’t at the time have the rules to stop them and the French didn't wake up until it was too late.

Ireland's strategy was to make the country a corporate tax haven. Extremely low levels of corporation tax, special deals for big companies, light touch regulation. It worked. Brilliantly.

Read more Guy

More economic illiteracy on a grand scale from the SNP. They need a reality check

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