Dawson Park Boy

The £500k was supposed to be ring- fenced! Anyway, once the Treasurer responds to Stuart Campbell, we’ll know the answer. Tell me I’m wrong, but I think the m’ship has dropped substantially recently. Whats the current figure?

Maybe you should take a look at the latest SNP accounts and you might not be quite so complacent?

There is also the question of the ‘missing’ £500k plus within the SNP accounts? This was supposedly ring- fenced money for the indyref campaign. Letters have gone to both the previous and new treasurer but answers there have been none. This scunnered a lot of activists.

Delighted to see my PM visiting Scotland today. Lots to be proud about with the roll out of the Oxford AZ vaccination well ahead of the EU. He should also be visiting the company in Livingston who are developing another vaccine with the UK having ordered 60mn doses . Just shows - Better Together.

Yes - this is devastating! The Murrells are on ‘a shoogly peg’.

There has been no serious attempt to reform the tax code since the eighties. Yep. One of the biggest abuses was highlighted by the Rangers case where they were bypassing the PAYE system and paying their players by means of payments to offshore trusts and the players taking money back and calling them loans. I don’t think this was just Rangers. I think other clubs were doing the same. It took HMRC god knows how many appeals to win the case but thankfully, they won. Just shows how rotten football is at the top level!

Yes PAYE is a great system.

Thanks for that. I think, however, I’m speaking for the vast majority of ordinary folks who really don’t get this stuff. Anyway, time will tell. BTW, you’ve just shown your true colours with the personal abuse.

I certainly do not, I've been PAYE all my days and have no investments or dividends. And I think you know exactly what I mean; offshore trusts, tax havens, the UK's criminally lax attitude to financial malfeasance such as money laundering. It's happening on an industrial scale and it's one of the many factors in 1 in 4 children in Scotland being raised in poverty. Yes, I know what you mean. Im just straightforward self- employed, no offshore trusts, etc. However, it’s easy to talk about these things but harder to legislate. Labour and Conservative have tried but it’s not as easy as you make out and I wonder if it’s maybe overdone?

I agree 3 years is too little. However, if, as you say, his sentence was 6, then it’s our soft justice that’s at fault. Just can’t see why people don’t do the time they are given?

Not quite getting all this tranny stuff. Maybe I’m old fashioned. If, say, a man thinks he’s in the wrong body and gets surgical and chemical treatment, whatever, and becomes a woman, I’ve no problem. If, however, a man suddenly feels female and goes out and about as a woman and goes into female toilets, then that is nuts . He deserves everything that comes to him. I know my wife and daughters would quickly tell a big hairy man in a beard to gtf. There are two sexes - male and female - end of. Dont know where all this multiplicity of genders come from? Seems the SNP and Nicola with her wokerati of followers are in favour of this nonsense.

What is your view on companies and individuals who legally avoid paying tax - are you happy that the rest of us cover the shortfall, or do you think the rules need tightened ? Not quite sure what you mean. Everyone is entitled to legally minimise their tax bills. Im sure you do. What do you want done?

Taxes in Scotland are already higher for middle and higher earners than in RUK. We also have far fewer high earners than London and the South East which means that tax rises need to be spread over a wider range of incomes than merely ‘hammering the rich’. There aren’t enough of them. All countries are taking a hit to GDP. The fishing industry is minuscule re. GDP but, in a short period it will bounce back. Demand everywhere has reduced for top of the range fish and shellfish as restaurants are shut and people tend not to cook lobsters, crab etc. at home. Brexit is a short term problem as, with fishing, supply is limited and once demand picks up, Scottish fishermen will be fine. Natural resources - fossil fuels are a no- no just now, wrongly in my opinion but the oil industry currently contributes very little to the economy. Regarding wind and green energy, the SG talks the talk but in reality the industry is controlled from abroad. Hardly any activity takes place in Scotland apart from the consumer end of the market. Depressing, I’m afraid.

The state pension paid to current pensioners is paid out of current contributions. There is no fund. If you increase pensions you need either to increase contributions or increase GDP which will give a bigger return on larger earnings overall.

Must agree with that. Difficult one but, having paid the penalty, redemption must always be an option. Good luck to him.

Well, if it’s rubbish, why don’t they say so?

Surely if it was ‘rigged’, the SG would be the first to point it out as apparently the figures belong to the SNP government?

Thanks, I’ll give it a rest for a bit. Some real nutters on here. Impossible to debate with. Actually, can I recommend the pro independence site, ‘wings over scotland’. They are very tolerant, very polite and can handle a few Britnats with a bit of panache and intelligence. Interestingly, around 90% of them can’t wait to see the back of the Murrells. Give it a go.

Wrong Greece, Italy, most Southern European states are far worse.

Bit more like Harry Enfield’s take on Yorkshiremen.

Fair enough. Reasonable position.

Regarding the point about other European countries leaving the EU, I think the desire is there, but the practicalities are horrendous due to most of them being in the eurozone. For them to leave would be an operational nightmare!! Fortunately, we retained the pound which made it substantially easier.

Let’s clear up some misunderstandings. I am a British nationalist. My country is Great Britain (UK), call it what you like. I feel just as much aligned with a Yorkshireman as I do with an Aberdonian. I also feel Scottish as I was born here and am from Ulster Scottish heritage. I therefore feel no need for my country to be independent as it already is, especially after Brexit. I accept that some folks feel differently and want independence for Scotland as is their right. I agree that economics, prosperity, trade, etc doesn’t come in to it and a desire for sovereignty is a noble cause. However, quite a large number of ‘soft Yes voters’ don’t quite feel as strongly as that and it is them that need to be convinced of the economic arguments, and a prolonged period of austerity as outlined by the Growth Commission might be ‘offputting’, to say the least. Hopefully, this is clear, but I won’t bank on it.

Yep. It was good but not very well attended. I made my points. Main speaker was SNP councillor from Lanarkshire (no fan of Saint Nikla ) Were you there? Democracy and freedom of speech are great things.

Absolute rubbish. Depends on the criteria used. My MP gets all thumbs up but I totally disagree with what he voted for?