Re: Scotland is the least successful country in western Europe.

On Jun 12, 6:06 pm, The Highlander <mich...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Scotland bottom of European league
By Emma Thelwell, Online City Reporter
Last Updated: 1:37am BST 12/06/2007

Scotland is the least successful country in western Europe, according
to a new survey.

The nation has come bottom in the Federation of Small Businesses'
(FSB) annual Index of Success, which compares living, health and
education standards, and employment rates, with 10 other small
countries, including the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and
Switzerland.

Scotland's poor health performance is the main drag on improving
quality of life, the survey said.

It has the worst life expectancy amongst the 24 'developed' nations of
the OECD, as well as among UK regions.

The FSB said the in-coming SNP Administration faced a "major
challenge" in seeking to raise the proportion of Scotland's wealth and
to reduce by 10pc the wealth disparity between the richest and poorest
parts of the country.

The report, by John McLaren, honorary research fellow at the
University of Glasgow, said Greater Glasgow is the most deprived area
in Scotland.

It said that Glasgow is "very much isolated at the bottom of the
pile", and while income is important, it is in other areas that it
"lags the most" - including housing, education and physical and mental
health.

Overall, Scotland was ranked bottom of the table, which Iceland
topped, followed by Switzerland and Norway.

Looking at the individual components of the report, Scotland's general
education performance is good, but it masks very poor performances at
the bottom end.

The report said: "Education inequality, along with the general level
of Scottish health, are the two key issues that need to be tackled."

"Poor education leads to poor employment prospects and both, in turn,
are good predictors of poor health and poverty."
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The Highlander
Tilgibh smucaid air do làmhan,
togaibh a' bhratach dhubh agus
toisichibh a' geàrradh na sgòrnanan!

Yes, let's take our hats off to Iceland - they have mastery over..well
errr - Ice? What the *** have they achieved?
Name one Nobel Prize winner from Iceland?


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