In England, private sector job creation has been concentrated to an astonishing degree in London and the South-East. The researchers argue that in the north of England and in the West Midlands in particular the only significant supplier of new jobs for many years has been the state. But that public sector employment is now being withdrawn and social security protection is also being aggressively cut. The geographical imbalance in terms of job creation is now so great that even a general UK-wide fiscal stimulus, they say, is only likely to significantly benefit the London area. Scotland, because of our natural resources and other advantages, has fared better despite this shocking geographical inequality.

Ewan Crawford: Economic imbalance no laughing matter - Comment - Scotsman.com