Walt Disney once said that laughter was America’s most important export – but luckily Scotland can count on a few more than that.
I’ve always been one to champion great Scottish exports, but even I was pleasantly surprised to see that we’re actually leading the way for the UK.
Recent figures have revealed that in the past year, goods exports from Scotland have risen seven per cent compared to last year, which equates to a staggering £28.8 billion.
When compared to the rest of the UK, it appears that Scotland has grown at the fastest rate – so we must be doing something right.
It’s interesting to see from the level of imports compared to exports across the UK that Scotland is only one of two regions where exports outweigh imports.
The other is Northern Ireland due to its extensive level of trade across the Irish border.
The figures have been released by HM Revenue and Customs for the year to June 2018 and exports as a whole for the UK were up by just over five per cent, amounting to £331 billion.
This strong export growth is fantastic news for Scotland, especially as it’s across a variety of areas, from oil and gas to whisky. In fact oil and gas exports alone increased 29 per cent to £7 billion.
It’s also worth noting that Scotland’s results reflect an 18 per cent growth in exports to the EU alone – representing £14.9 billion.
With the Brexit deadline looming and its inherent uncertainty, could this upward trend be about to all change? It’s hard to say.
Exporting can be a daunting prospect for some businesses for fear of sanctions or blocks on borders, which is why the UK and Scottish governments have specific support measures in place to tackle this.
Naturally they want to encourage the exports growth picture which is why the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation was established to inform businesses and help them manage risks.
It’s estimated that there are 400,000 businesses in the UK that have the ability to export but don’t – and the reasons for this aren’t clear. Most likely it’s fear of penalties and no guarantee of success.
Of course exports are important for our economy, but it’s far from the largest contributor. It’s trade in services like accountancy, offshore energy and digital products that make up the bulk of the British economy.
Nevertheless, more can be done to boost our exports, and the international trade secretary, Liam Fox announced a strategy in recent months aiming to increase the total number of UK exports to 35 per cent of gross domestic product.
And what about Scotland? The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced this week that the Scottish Government will team up with CBI Scotland to help boost performance further.
CBI says that it provides influence, insight and access to ultimately help businesses create a more prosperous society.
Through this particular three year partnership with the government, CBI will deliver 300 business peer-to-peer mentorships aimed at increasing awareness of the benefits of exporting and ultimately boosting our overseas activity. They will also jointly host a business conference in November this year encouraging companies to enter international markets.
The Scottish Government is investing £20 million in this project, and it could help cement Scotland’s reputation as a key player in the global economy.
Despite the uncertainty of Brexit, it’s clear from this high value injection that the Scottish Government is continuing to support businesses and our vibrant economy by encouraging export growth.
Let’s hope these latest results from HMRC are a sign of more to come for Scotland, as well as representing a degree of post-Brexit stability, especially if these government promises come to fruition.
It was worrying to read new findings that show almost half of young people ‘can’t live’ without social media.
Barclays polled 2,000 UK adults aged 15 to 24 and found that they are increasingly dependent on the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and can’t bear to be away from it.
There is no doubting the power of social media for good. Not just for personal use but in business, with its ability to connect people from all walks of life and worldwide reach.
I’ve spoken out in this column before to say that almost half of small and medium-sized businesses in Scotland lack the online capabilities that could improve productivity and save on costs, with 56 per cent of SMEs north of the border not using social media.
As new generations grow up online, I firmly believe that this stat will change – with this country’s young people’s digital skills coming to the forefront of Scottish businesses for the better.
However, reading the new findings from Barclays, there certainly has to be a balance when utilising social media in both your personal and business life to ensure it doesn’t have an adverse effect on your health.
The timing of the study has been important too, as the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) called on young people to cut down their social media usage – with thousands now taking part in “Scroll Free September” in Scotland and across the UK.
A third of social media users and half of young users, aged 18 to 34, believe quitting social media for a month would help them sleep, better improve their real world relationships, and benefit their mental health and wellbeing.
With so much pressure on young people that comes from social media use, including cyber bullying and negative body imagery, it would be interesting to see the results of this campaign and whether those who take part really do feel the benefits from cutting back.
Laugh
Glaswegians are lauded for their sense of humour and visitors don’t have to look far for a laugh in the city.
It’s fantastic to see tourist reactions to the Duke of Wellington statue, looking stoic and posed outside the Gallery of Modern Art, sporting some pretty special headwear in the shape of a traffic cone.
It was even funnier last week to see his special cone transformed into a floral number, more Carmen Miranda than British Statesmen.
The colourful handiwork was created by florists O’Banion’s Flowers, who gave the old duke’s hat a covert flowery makeover – along with a number of other statues across the city.
Billed as a ‘sneaky wee bit of flowery propaganda’ by the florist, the blooming great idea certainly brightened up my day.
Weep
It was great to see the Scottish women’s national football team come up trumps in Albania and win their place in next year’s World Cup in France – a first for the Scottish ladies game.
However, when I looked over the papers the following day, it was sad to see the limited coverage that this momentous achievement received.
I have no doubt that if it was the men’s team, there would be front page splashes, supplements and documentaries made of the achievement.
Over the top? Maybe. But it has been 20 years since Scotland’s men have competed on the biggest stage of world football after all.
Well done to the Scotland ladies. I will certainly be pulling out my Scotland strip and ‘See you Jimmy’ hat next June in support of Coach Shelley Kerr and the team.
