Salt n Vinegar

I heard a comedian talking about trickle down economics being like someone with 10 dogs giving just one dog 10 sausages and thinking "it'll be ok, he'll share".

The problem of the UK being out of the EU while the RoI is in the EU is a biggie, no doubt about it but it isn't really a new problem. I am curious about what contingency plans there MUST have been in 1973 and 1975. If the border is a red line for all sides, could the RoI have joined the EEC in 1973 if the UK had not? Or vice- versa? What would have happened if the "remain" side lost at the 1975 UK referendum but the RoI remained? There must have been thoughts about how any of these outcomes would be dealt with, and of course these were the days before our more modern communications and IT systems. Just a thought.

It's a fair point and one with a bit of history behind it. After the 1992 General Election, Jim Sillars referred to "90 minute patriots", in reference to folk vehemently supporting their national football team but reverting to placing their trust in London for 'important stuff'. I understand that there are over 50 areas of what would be regarded as "normal" government activity that are reserved to Westminster. Wikipedia has the full list with statutory references (for the pedants). I'm not referring to micro-management minutiae making up the total number. One of the 50-odd is "fiscal, economic and monetary policy" which is about as meaningful and wide-ranging a grouping as you can get. As Gimli said in Lord of the Rings "that still only counts as one". Some other reserved highlights are - Immigration and nationality, illicit drugs, firearms, betting, gaming and lotteries, data protection, electricity, oil, gas, nuclear, energy efficiency, ports, air transport, employment and industrial relations, health and safety, job search and support. There's plenty more. It seems to me that a Government in Scotland trying to improve the lot of the folk here could operate much more sensibly and in a more efficient, co-ordinated and consistent manner with these powers being here rather than at Westminster. Justice, health and policing are devolved, but firearms and illicit drugs are not? The other political parties castigate the SNP about drugs deaths, yet presumably will uphold to their final breath the constitutional right of Westminster to rule against decriminalisation of any drugs and deny even the experimental use of drug treatment rooms - within Scotlands borders. Unemployment is hardly a trivial issue, yet immigration, employment and industrial relations are reserved. Some might think the present distribution of the 'normal' government powers is eminently sensible. The arrangement seems pretty stupid to me.

Utter nonsense. I started going to Ibrox with my dad in the late 1960s - and no unusual orange apparel was involved. I started going before I had any interest in religion or politics and never saw it necessary to conflate either of these with sport later on. My dad was a Church of Scotland elder, but I stopped going to Church/Sunday School when some earnest elderly spinster tried with a straight face to tell me that the story of the flood being a punishment from God was literally true and that a rainbow was a message. I grew up and out of religion due to being irritated beyond tolerance at daily hymns, bible readings and psalms at school and realising that the inane drivel about "religion" was being sung at games by folk who wouldn't know a church door if it smacked them in the face. A lack of belief in the supernatural renders acceptance of a monarchy "by the grace of a god" ludicrous, along with Bishops in our legislature. Independence is my preferred form of government for Scotland. I realise that these views probably put me in a tiny minority of Rangers fans, but that's life. I still get a vote, or in the case of the Scottish Parliament, 2 votes.

Look, it can't be easy, trying to run the political wing of the Old Testament - so many sinners to stone to death, such little time.

In these environmentally sensitive times I hope that no smoke is involved in the eventual announcement.

No. (As an atheist I could hardly say otherwise!)

Her religious leaning wasn't an invention or supposition of mine.. I quoted in an earlier post... From the BBC website - "Mrs Foster posted a biblical verse from the Book of Psalms on her private Facebook page on Tuesday evening: "It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure". A bit like our dear old Queen holding office by the grace of a god. I think it's nice that these office bearers have such supernatural support, otherwise they'd have a Hell of a time.

Oops! She's resigned. Looks like the big yin wasn't on her side after all. Wonder who a god will pick now? Edit... Announced that she is to resign, spread over May/June (?)

Folded leaflet received today from Tories. Usual stuff. Big photo of Baroness Commander of Tank on page 3 (shudder), smaller picture of Dross on page 4. Oh, and of course, 18 references to independence or indyref2. A smattering of "pro-UKs" too. References to ANY other policy area conspicuous by it's absence.

I suppose one positive outcome of Galloway's 'party' standing might be that he could attract some of the absolutely foaming at the mouth rabid unionist GSTQ Union Jack hugging wing of the Tory Party thus reducing their list vote. One can but hope.

Oops - I should have said "a Transport Minister" not "the Transport Minister". The bloke now having a lie down in a darkened room with a bottle of malt is Robert Coutts, an Under Secretary of State. (Not a position I'd relish.) (Thanks for the reminder about Shapps though!)

I don't always like Laura Kuenssberg but she is clearly enjoying the Transport Minister's extreme discomfort!

Transport Minister being roasted on a spit over the "who initially paid" issue on "Politics Now".

After seeing the latest PMQ utter shambles (that's me being kind) from the mother of Parliaments, I'm not only even more convinced of the desirability of independence, I'm left genuinely puzzled about why anyone would want to remain associated with that bear pit of sleaze. I can't decide if that performance by BoJo will make Dross put his head in his hands or think "what a great guy!"

Any chance of him being dragged off by the rozzers?

Nah. Storm in a teacup, she'll be fine. She has a god on her side. From the BBC website - "Mrs Foster posted a biblical verse from the Book of Psalms on her private Facebook page on Tuesday evening: "It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure".

Tell you what, when there is a nationally reported poll showing that more than a third of the Scottish electorate think that the First Minister is actually "corrupt" or has an approval rating of just +1 give me a shout and I'll comment on it. As I recall, she seems to be doing ok at the moment but I accept that the election is days away yet. I am prepared to admit that I might be wrong but I pretty strongly believe that if the Scottish electorate was offered the choice between the FM and the PM to lead the Government of their country, the PM would be a far distant second. You might believe that the Scottish electorate is not particularly good at judgement of these sorts of things, but given the gubbing of the Tories in Scotland at every general election since 1955 it's s clear to me that Scotland and England are politically very different and I for one am happy with that.

I was rather hoping for it ending up with a square go!

Nice to see ch4 giving the debate so much time. The leaders would have a longer chat if they passed each other in the corridors at Holyrood. Still, nice of the channel to notice that the constitutional future of the country is at stake.

By people that can actually pronounce Alba correctly. Tha thu ceart!

What... Is Alex going to get into a tank?

To me, the remarkable thing isn't so much that BoJo would be so crass as to say what has been reported, rather it's that nobody seems to be in the least surprised that he might say it.

I've been looking for the odds about individual seats changing hands... The only interesting one I've found so far is Edinburgh Central where Paddy Power has SNP 8/15, Tories 11/8. Ed Southern and West look like Lab and Libdem holds... As Robin Day might have said 'not scientific but interesting nonetheless'.

I hope that folk who see "ALBA" car stickers don't think that means that the driver/owner supports Salmond's shower. They have been used by Gaelic speakers/advocates for years.