Exposed Mark 2
The list of those 'exposed' by the Icelandic banking crisis grows:
Ceredigion County Council: £5.4 million
Gwynedd Council: £4million
Caerphilly Council: 'unknown but thought to be substantial'
Gwent Police Authority: £1 million and a familiar story, that they could see serious problems looming but couldn't withdraw their money when the bank's credit rating dropped below the Authority's 'acceptable minimum' because conditions of the loan prevented early repayment.
And cover from the Treasury for all of those exposed? What are the chances? As the list grows and grows, the chances of that warm blanket of guaranteed cover must be getting slimmer.
And I wonder just how long it's going to take the SNP to tweak on their website:
Success
Independence would enable Scotland to become more successful. Other small European countries have higher levels of economic growth and living standards than Scotland. Independence gives those nations the powers to shape their country for the better. Scotland could have this too.
Off our east coast lies Norway, the second most prosperous country in the world. Off our west coast lies Ireland, the fourth most prosperous country in the world. Off our north coast lies Iceland, the sixth most prosperous country in the world.
These independent countries represent an arc of prosperity - and Scotland has every bit as much potential as any of them.
UPDATE
Add Caerphilly Council to the list. They'd invested a total of £15million with two of the stricken banks for just three months ... "just like that" as T Cooper used to say, whose timing was rather better than the council's it seems.
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