Election 2021 Debates

[BigDoddyKane]

I was just checking some of the info on that swedish referendum on the Euro, Its interesting that it seems it was the left parties and greens were against taking the euro and the parties on the right were for taking the euro

Edited May 5, 2021 by BigDoddyKane

[BigDoddyKane]

Correction, one of the parties was center right who was against

[SandyCromarty]

2 hours ago, Baxter Parp said:

Quite apart from the fact that two BoE governors have said that sterlingisation would be the best solution for both countries and the decision to deny the option was a political one, not an economic one, the BoE and Westminster can't stop any country from using Sterling as it's a freely tradeable currency.

The problem as I see it is when Scotland would apply for EU membership.

The Copenhagen Criteria sets out the aquis required, the main thrust of it is that countries must have stable functioning democratic institutions which ensures the protection of the EU's base values. They must also have functioning market economies, with the ability to withstand competition in the single market.

That for me is the crux of the matter in that how could Scotland be assessed as a singular competitive economy if it's economy and currency is tied to a non EU country's currency.

Twice the UK, in it's 47 years EU membership, withdrew from the ERM and opted out of the Euro, with that alone an Independent Scotland tied to another country's currency would fail in it's application.

Scotlands only course towards EU membership is to have it's own currency so it can independently operate a functioning market economy as the Criteria requires.

It cannot do so if the Bank of England is controlling it's currency.

Surely that is simple to understand.

[SandyCromarty]

5 hours ago, Saltire said:

Sterling is an internationally traded currency. At the point of independence we would retain our share of Sterling and can decide whether to retain it or covert it to any number of other internationally traded currencies or our own. We can have a central bank or a currency board managing a basket of currencies/ gold reserves. The UK can't prevent us from using the pound but we would be tied in to the RUK rates of interest etc until such times as we move to another currency.

This would only last through the negotiating transition period which would be around 3 years, once Independent Westminster and the BoE have made it quite clear that we cannot use the pound sterling, do not think for one minuet tat that is only a political scare tactic. The cost of separation to the ruk and some to Scotland will be enormous and they will be vengeful. 

[SandyCromarty]

3 hours ago, Burning Barns said:

This is, pretty much, the ALBA policy on currency and the creation of a Scottish Central Bank.  

However, ALBA were excluded from the so-called "Leaders' Debates" for no discernible reason.  Ross, Sarwar and Rennie aren't even leaders of Scottish political parties, but of course, they had to be there.  Glorified branch convenors.  

Could the reason be that Alex Salmond was not the Leader of a political party since 2014 in Holyrood.

[Burning Barns]

3 minutes ago, SandyCromarty said:

Could the reason be that Alex Salmond was not the Leader of a political party since 2014 in Holyrood.

Not being invited to take part in the first one was understandable, since ALBA hadn't actually released a list of candidates at that point.  I had some hope that Channel 4 would be the exception, thinking of the "box office" value, more than anything else.  

BBC Wales invited as many parties as possible to take part in their debates, making BBC Scotland's position look all the more ridiculous.  Excluding a party which has elected representation and more members than another "party" who were invited, during an election when normal campaigning can't take place, is utterly shameful.  

I've not had a single Lib Dem leaflet all election.  Morally, politically and economically, bankrupt.  

[Saltire]

12 minutes ago, SandyCromarty said:

This would only last through the negotiating transition period which would be around 3 years, once Independent Westminster and the BoE have made it quite clear that we cannot use the pound sterling, do not think for one minuet tat that is only a political scare tactic. The cost of separation to the ruk and some to Scotland will be enormous and they will be vengeful. 

Sorry Sandy, that is incorrect, we can use the pound without the consent of the BoE or UK government for as long as we want. There is nothing they can do to stop us. The international debt markets, and currency trading, exchange sterling outside the UK every day (Sterling accounts for around 13% of the total of currency trading globally).  My preference is our own currency at the earliest point that makes sense. We have options on currency and that clearly needs to be artictulated in the run up to the referendum and is our decision to make not RUKs. A downside of keeping the pound, or pegging to it, is ceding monetary policy to the BoE and the difficulties that presents for divergent economic needs.

[sophia]

23 minutes ago, Burning Barns said:

Not being invited to take part in the first one was understandable, since ALBA hadn't actually released a list of candidates at that point.  I had some hope that Channel 4 would be the exception, thinking of the "box office" value, more than anything else.  

BBC Wales invited as many parties as possible to take part in their debates, making BBC Scotland's position look all the more ridiculous.  Excluding a party which has elected representation and more members than another "party" who were invited, during an election when normal campaigning can't take place, is utterly shameful.  

I've not had a single Lib Dem leaflet all election.  Morally, politically and economically, bankrupt.  

There are guidelines and I think they are based upon seats at the previous election.

To compensate, smaller parties are given air time and before the main debate on Tuesday, interviews with parties including Alba leader Alex Salmond, All for Unity’s George Galloway, Reform UK Scotland leader Michelle Ballantyne and UKIP Scotland’s Donald Mackay were broadcast. 

[Burning Barns]

7 minutes ago, sophia said:

There are guidelines and I think they are based upon seats at the previous election.

To compensate, smaller parties are given air time and before the main debate on Tuesday, interviews with parties including Alba leader Alex Salmond, All for Unity’s George Galloway, Reform UK Scotland leader Michelle Ballantyne and UKIP Scotland’s Donald Mackay were broadcast. 

I still think an exception should have been made, given the restrictions on the usual forms of campaigning, due to the pandemic.  

I also think it would have made the debates more balanced, as there would have been three in favour of independence, with three against.  Reflecting the current mood of the electorate.

[Baxter Parp]

1 hour ago, SandyCromarty said:

They must also have functioning market economies, with the ability to withstand competition in the single market.

How does sharing a currency negatively affect a functioning market economy?

[Ned Nederlander]

1 hour ago, Burning Barns said:

I still think an exception should have been made, given the restrictions on the usual forms of campaigning, due to the pandemic.  

I also think it would have made the debates more balanced, as there would have been three in favour of independence, with three against.  Reflecting the current mood of the electorate.

There are over 20 parties on the ballot - 10 of them are standing more candidates than Alba

For a debate to be 'balanced' enough for Alba to take part you'd be looking at 13 participants - they'd get about 4 minutes each.

[Highland Capital]

A TV debate of the main five parties plus Alba plus Reform UK plus UKIP plus Scotia Future plus RestoreScotland plus Scottish Libertarians plus the German porn star from the Family Party plus All for Unity plus Freedom Alliance plus Andy Wightman plus Bonnie Prince Bob plus Jesse Rae sounds absolutely brilliant.  It'd be pandemonium! 

[Burning Barns]

19 minutes ago, Ned Nederlander said:

There are over 20 parties on the ballot - 10 of them are standing more candidates than Alba

For a debate to be 'balanced' enough for Alba to take part you'd be looking at 13 participants - they'd get about 4 minutes each.

My response to that would be to make the programme longer.  Out of interest, who would be the thirteen participants?

[Burning Barns]

4 minutes ago, Highland Capital said:

A TV debate of the main five parties plus Alba plus Reform UK plus UKIP plus Scotia Future plus RestoreScotland plus Scottish Libertarians plus the German porn star from the Family Party plus All for Unity plus Freedom Alliance plus Andy Wightman plus Bonnie Prince Bob plus Jesse Rae sounds absolutely brilliant.  It'd be pandemonium! 

That would've been amazing.

[Ned Nederlander]

3 minutes ago, Burning Barns said:

My response to that would be to make the programme longer.  Out of interest, who would be the thirteen participants?

Here's a link, add 8 of these zoomers to the 5 main parties:

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-election-2021-who-are-the-20-smaller-parties-running-for-holyrood-including-scottish-family-party-abolish-the-scottish-parliament-party-and-alba-3226016

[BigDoddyKane]

Interesting list, I quite liked the Scotia Future party ideas

They might be complete roasters I dont know but the ideas i like

[Burning Barns]

33 minutes ago, BigDoddyKane said:

Interesting list, I quite liked the Scotia Future party ideas

They might be complete roasters I dont know but the ideas i like

They're basically a two man outfit, run by veteran politico, Chic Brodie.  He's been involved in politics nearly fifty years at this point with the old school Liberal Party, the Lib Dems, then the SNP and now SF.

[sophia]

Alex C-Hamilton commented on Patrick Harvie thus:

"He had an hour and a half and didn't mention climate change once"

Harvie, at best, had a fifth of seventy minutes and that's without factoring in Glenn Campbell interrupting Nicola.

He did.

 

[NotThePars]

7 hours ago, Highland Capital said:

A TV debate of the main five parties plus Alba plus Reform UK plus UKIP plus Scotia Future plus RestoreScotland plus Scottish Libertarians plus the German porn star from the Family Party plus All for Unity plus Freedom Alliance plus Andy Wightman plus Bonnie Prince Bob plus Jesse Rae sounds absolutely brilliant.  It'd be pandemonium! 

 

[coprolite]

10 hours ago, Baxter Parp said:

How does sharing a currency negatively affect a functioning market economy?

Ask Greece