It’s GERS day again in Scotland. That’s the day when we go through the annual fiasco of Unionist gloating about accounting that literally does not add up that delivers economic data that makes no attempt to record the reality of what happens in Scotland. Let me explain why....

First, let’s remember that GERS was intended to be divisive from the moment it was named, which name was not, I am sure, chosen by chance.

And let’s also remember that GERS was originally a Tory 1990s creation designed to suggest that Scotland could never be financially viable. It was never intended to actually show a true picture of Scottish financial affairs.

And even though it’s been refined since GERS still has a built in flaw. It shows taxes paid on income in Scotland. But it shows spend for Scotland, even if spent in England. They’re not compatible of course. And as a result it compares unlike figures - which is false accounting.

Only showing income in Scotland means tax paid on Scottish originated income recorded outside Scotland, like Scottish rents paid to English landlords, is not in GERS. The same is true of finance: interest paid on Scottish loans is almost always taxed in England. Bias is built in.

And it gets worse, because remember, these rents and interest, and probably quite a lot of profit as well,are simply not recorded in Scotland meaning that when it’s said Scotland is poorer than the rUK remember that the stats are designed to show that.

The tax take is also understated for another reason. That’s because the tax paid on the ‘spend for Scotland’ that’s actually spent in rUK is not credited to Scotland, even though the cost is charged to it. That just increases the absurdity of GERs.

As I have long said, GERS is CRAp, which means it is a Completely Rubbish Approximation to the truth. It’s not all wrong. But it’s not good enough to form any real conclusions. I wish the Scottish government would address this issue. It’s vital that they do. Too much hangs on it.

But even if they do remember one other thing, which is that GERS gives no clue as to what Scottish finances would be if it was an independent country. Those who claim it does are just wrong. It shows Scotland as a part of the UK, and that’s very different.