The Big Black Hole

[Glenn Medeiros]

Well no, no it isn't. The U.K. Deficit peaked at about 10.2% of GDP and it's now less than half that. It isn't "growing larger". It has fallen. Drastically. By contrast, the Scottish deficit is where it started when the UK one peaked, also about 10% of GDP.

 

And this is the Union's opportunity to shine.   So Scotland is now doing *Bad*, it's not pulling its weight,  drastic and urgent investment in Scotland is required.   

 

How much money is the UK gov pouring into Scotland ?   And please don't mention the embarrassing tokenistic offerings to the NE.   

[Ross.]

Scotland within the union will never have enough power, influence or options to do anything that will really fix the obvious issues affecting Scotland.

 

Slating the fiscal deficit is a criticism of the unions failures, much as if the results were positive right now it would be a case of saying that the union might actually be good for us.

 

Scotland putting Scotlands interests would without question be the best thing for Scotland.

[Ross.]

The GERS figures are interesting but if the picture was rosier would people who voted No be queuing up to vote Yes? I'm not sure they would.

 

 

If the picture was rosier, they'd be quoting the figures as proof that Scotland does well as part of the union and should stay rather than risk aliens invading.

[Ad Lib]

And this is the Union's opportunity to shine.   So Scotland is now doing *Bad*, it's not pulling its weight,  drastic and urgent investment in Scotland is required.   

 

How much money is the UK gov pouring into Scotland ?   And please don't mention the embarrassing tokenistic offerings to the NE.

The U.K. Government is pouring 9.3% of its money into Scotland despite Scotland only generating 8.2% of the taxes.

This amounts to a net fiscal transfer of about £7.4 billion, or £1400 for every man, woman and child in Scotland.

So quite a lot.

[Glenn Medeiros]

The U.K. Government is pouring 9.3% of its money into Scotland despite Scotland only generating 8.2% of the taxes.

This amounts to a net fiscal transfer of about £7.4 billion, or £1400 for every man, woman and child in Scotland.

So quite a lot.

 

Such a fucking idiot.   Let me guess the UK has been great for Wales and terrible for City of London ?

[Peppino Impastato]

The U.K. Government is pouring 9.3% of its money into Scotland despite Scotland only generating 8.2% of the taxes.

This amounts to a net fiscal transfer of about £7.4 billion, or £1400 for every man, woman and child in Scotland.

So quite a lot.

and charges Scotland 9.9% of infrastructure projects almost always located in the south of England, whilst fiddling the figures to make our tax contribution appear much lower than the true figure

[Peppino Impastato]

I don't think that wanting to go into the diplomatic service of the U.K. is unambitious.

trust me, diplomacy is not your forte

[Antlion]

Not enough diplomats resort to calling people "fucking morons" when they meet disagreement; nor do enough diplomats opine on the shiteness of particular cities and national cultural figures.

[Wee Willie]

trust me, diplomacy is not your forte

Maybe no but he'll stand tae attention for the Royals and ony Lord that's passing by.

He'll even salute and/or genuflect.

[Peppino Impastato]

Not enough diplomats resort to calling people "fucking morons" when they meet disagreement; nor do enough diplomats opine on the shiteness of particular cities and national cultural figures.

The Scottish cringe will serve him well they like that in Whitehall a good little jock, but having apparently voted yes won't, they check you out online that would be a big problem.

Perhaps his rantings on here are an extended job interview he wants to show how much he hates Scotland and that he recognises how inferior it is.

[Ad Lib]

Such a fucking idiot.   Let me guess the UK has been great for Wales and terrible for City of London ?

The City of London would be much better off as an independent country and Wales would be much worse off as one. I'd have thought that was pretty obvious.

[Ross.]

The City of London would be much better off as an independent country and Wales would be much worse off as one. I'd have thought that was pretty obvious.

 

Helps when your infrastructure has been massively subsidised and all the countries "top talent" encouraged to relocate there.

 

FWIW I think London becoming independent is likely to happen before Scotland ever becomes independent. It would probably wind up being a good thing for rUK over the long term.

[Londonwell]

www.predictableparadox.co.uk/2014/09/the-confessions-of-exasperated-british.html

I don't think Scotland couldn't prosper as an independent nation. I just think it would involve a couple of decades of pretty painful adjustment. The ease with which that could be done is nothing like as it would otherwise be, in the absence of a sustained oil price above $100 a barrel.

I did vote Yes in 2014, and I gave my reasons for doing so extensively at the time. I don't regret doing so but in a second referendum in the foreseeable future I would not do so again.

One more question if you don't mind...

 

Reading through your little website there(didn't read it all was a bit tl;dr soz). What concerns that you outline that you have with the union have been addressed for you to change your vote in a future referendum?

 

Whilst I am completely at odd's with your way of thinking in almost every possible way e.g. ideologically, politically, morally e.t.c. I think it's important to get a grasp on a different side of things. As it's people like you, that people like me need to convince, for the dream of independence to be realised.   

[Ad Lib]

Helps when your infrastructure has been massively subsidised and all the countries "top talent" encouraged to relocate there.

 

FWIW I think London becoming independent is likely to happen before Scotland ever becomes independent. It would probably wind up being a good thing for rUK over the long term.

Metropolitan cities are just more important than everywhere else. They don't respect borders in a globalised world. That's just something you'll have to accept. There's a reason city-states do well.

[Glenn Medeiros]

The City of London would be much better off as an independent country and Wales would be much worse off as one. I'd have thought that was pretty obvious.

 

Since only a moron would base such decisions on the basis of some cherry picked day, month or year's figures -  can you highlight why the union has been great for Wales and terrible for London.   We'll have a decade by decade reasoning, starting with the 50's.     Catch da ball. 

[Ad Lib]

One more question if you don't mind...

 

Reading through your little website there(didn't read it all was a bit tl;dr soz). What concerns that you outline that you have with the union have been addressed for you to change your vote in a future referendum?

 

Whilst I am completely at odd's with your way of thinking in almost every possible way e.g. ideologically, politically, morally e.t.c. I think it's important to get a grasp on a different side of things. As it's people like you, that people like me need to convince, for the dream of independence to be realised.

The honest answer is "not many of them". I think the Smith Commission and English Vetoes for English Laws were at least a tepid start at this but the long-term challenges still require a lot of work.

What has changed my mind is things that were not noticeably problems then that have become so now. The erosion of our political culture, the solidification of identity politics and party tribalism especially. I consider the SNP to be a malignant force in Scottish constitutional politics in a way I did not used to to anything like the same extent.

Their behaviour and attitude since 19th September 2014 has been antagonistic, uncompromising, and intellectually vapid. The dishonesty and lack of transparency behind their inability to admit they made a lot of mistakes in the referendum and in their case for independence suggests to me that they are not appropriate politicians to manage any transition towards an independent Scotland.

So if you want a tl;dr, my trust in the SNP as good faith actors has almost vanished and the intellectual credibility of their economic case is now very clearly shite.

[Ad Lib]

Since only a moron would base such decisions on the basis of some cherry picked day, month or year's figures -  can you highlight why the union has been great for Wales and terrible for London.   We'll have a decade by decade reasoning, starting with the 50's.     Catch da ball.

Wales would be fucked without persistent fiscal transfers because it has never made or done anything that hasn't been hopelessly dependent on mining finite resources out of the ground.

However, Cardiff has been utterly transformed by devolution. Lovely city.

[Peppino Impastato]

The honest answer is "not many of them". I think the Smith Commission and English Vetoes for English Laws were at least a tepid start at this but the long-term challenges still require a lot of work.What has changed my mind is things that were not noticeably problems then that have become so now. The erosion of our political culture, the solidification of identity politics and party tribalism especially. I consider the SNP to be a malignant force in Scottish constitutional politics in a way I did not used to to anything like the same extent.Their behaviour and attitude since 19th September 2014 has been antagonistic, uncompromising, and intellectually vapid. The dishonesty and lack of transparency behind their inability to admit they made a lot of mistakes in the referendum and in their case for independence suggests to me that they are not appropriate politicians to manage any transition towards an independent Scotland.So if you want a tl;dr, my trust in the SNP as good faith actors has almost vanished and the intellectual credibility of their economic case is now very clearly shite.

So snp bad then. Shocker.

[Ad Lib]

So snp bad then. Shocker.

The SNP are bad. This is hardly a revelation.

[Peppino Impastato]

The SNP are bad. This is hardly a revelation.

False