The Very Meh Humza Yousaf Thread.

[strichener]

50 minutes ago, StellarHibee said:

Where are they then? You were already provided with statistics that show the exact opposite of your BS claim.

I think you need to go back and read the Scottish Government position in 2018 to understand why my claim isn't BS and why you have now made a c**t of yourself for three replies in a row.

I'll even help you out.

Quote

The policy aim of minimum pricing is to reduce alcohol-related harm by acting in two ways: to reduce, in a targeted way, the consumption of alcohol by consumers whose consumption is hazardous or harmful, and also to reduce the overall population level of consumption of alcohol.

If you look at harmful consumption of alcohol, it reduced in the 15 years before MUP.  It has not accelerated in the 4 years of data since.  If you want the stats then they are freely available to you.

Also the article published earlier as evidence was based on the implementation date to the end of 2020.  I'll leave you to work out why that is.

Edited May 11, 2023 by strichener

[StellarHibee]

18 hours ago, strichener said:

I think you need to go back and read the Scottish Government position in 2018 to understand why my claim isn't BS and why you have now made a c**t of yourself for three replies in a row.

I'll even help you out.

If you look at harmful consumption of alcohol, it reduced in the 15 years before MUP.  It has not accelerated in the 4 years of data since.  If you want the stats then they are freely available to you.

Also the article published earlier as evidence was based on the implementation date to the end of 2020.  I'll leave you to work out why that is.

Nope. Provide the stats yourself. If you're going to make a questionable argument, be prepared to provide the data.

[ICTChris]

Not sure if this is the right thread but there’s an interview with a former Yes Scotland worker in the Herald where he’s pretty scathing about the SNP.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23520654.ex-yes-scotland-director-snp-trashed-us---lost-2014/
 

Had to laugh at his alternative suggestion for a leader of the Yes campaign over Salmond - Elaine C Smith!

[Leith Green]

2 hours ago, ICTChris said:

Not sure if this is the right thread but there’s an interview with a former Yes Scotland worker in the Herald where he’s pretty scathing about the SNP.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23520654.ex-yes-scotland-director-snp-trashed-us---lost-2014/
 

Had to laugh at his alternative suggestion for a leader of the Yes campaign over Salmond - Elaine C Smith!

Heavy "jilted at the alter" vibes with that interview. 

 

[strichener]

On 12/05/2023 at 16:03, StellarHibee said:

Nope. Provide the stats yourself. If you're going to make a questionable argument, be prepared to provide the data.

It's not questionable, from the BMJ

Quote

There is no clear evidence that the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) of alcohol in Scotland has led the heaviest drinkers to change their behaviour, research has found.

If you can't be arsed educating yourself then that's on you I'm afraid.

Edited May 15, 2023 by strichener

[Suspect Device]

 

Not exactly off to a good start in the ratings. 

[ScotiaNostra]

I havent seen him mentioned in the news much lately, though might be that I have just missed it

[renton]

46 minutes ago, Suspect Device said:

 

Not exactly off to a good start in the ratings. 

Not exactly had a great start in terms of how he gets to present himself (no chance to define himself outside of an embattled party and it's previous leadership - having to constantly give no comment to the media). He might get a chance at a reset dependent upon the outcome of the police investigation (and dependent on how that goes). 

Just as possible is that Sunak will hang on to the last possible second, meaning the SNP could dump him late in the year and attempt a hard reboot.

Edited May 24, 2023 by renton

[welshbairn]

2 hours ago, Suspect Device said:

 

Not exactly off to a good start in the ratings. 

I'd say that was pretty steady given the catastrophic start to his leadership. 

[Antlion]

3 hours ago, Suspect Device said:

 

Not exactly off to a good start in the ratings. 

I see STV is right behind the confidence trick that Sarwar, Cole-Hamilton, and Ross are “party leaders”. How they continue to get away with this - and why we let them get away with it - I don’t know.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

I wonder how many of those thousand people would have the slightest clue who Cole-Hamilton even is?

[BFTD]

2 hours ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

I wonder how many of those thousand people would have the slightest clue who Cole-Hamilton even is?

A vanishingly small number.

I remember some consternation in the press during the Eighties because of a survey that exposed how few people knew who the members of Thatcher's cabinet were. People like Heseltine were pretty well known, but most folk didn't know or give a f**k beyond the small handful who got their own sketches on Spitting Image. A common reaction to John Major becoming Prime Minister was, "who?"

Then picture how unimportant and replaceable most MPs seem now, and consider that even fewer people care about MSPs. Bear in mind you're talking about the branch leader of...are the Lib Dems the fifth or sixth party in Scotland these days? Plus, he can't even afford oversized props in a desperate bid for attention, like Oor Wullie.

Frankly, he probably turns up at the village hall for surgeries and is asked to wait to see the MSP like everyone else.

[ScotiaNostra]

I caught a bit of Humza speaking on the radio today and hes a numpty really is I guess the politest way to say it.

[Trogdor]

He's looking more and more like a stop gap. 

[Aufc]

The SNP really are clueless when it comes to finances. Reading a news story there that they want to increase taxes even further on higher earners. Is that their only solution? Maybe if they stopped wasting millions on fucking ferries then we might actually get somewhere. I have said this so many times. Scotland doesnt have a lot of higher rate tax payers thus we need more. At this rate, anyone over 40k will be paying 50% on anything about this rate. Not exactly encouraging further higher rate taxpayers. 

I say that as someone who has voted SNP in the last few elections. They are a fucking shambles. This is the issue when you have people involved in high lever government who has no experience of working in a decent sized business. 

[Gringo]

Maybe it’s time to drop independence, do a deal with the UK government to have an independence vote at a set date (20 years from now) and work constructively to make devolution work for the benefit of us all.

We still don’t know the SNP policy on currency, trade, taxation (except high). They’re a shambles so maybe 20 years will give them time to work out their policies.

[renton]

1 hour ago, Gringo said:

Maybe it’s time to drop independence, do a deal with the UK government to have an independence vote at a set date (20 years from now) and work constructively to make devolution work for the benefit of us all.

We still don’t know the SNP policy on currency, trade, taxation (except high). They’re a shambles so maybe 20 years will give them time to work out their policies.

Which UK Government will they be doing this deal with? The one likely to be gone in 18 months? The one after that? In theory 20 years could be a minimum of 4 different governments away. Probably more. So which one do we do a deal with to get a referendum?

[renton]

2 hours ago, Aufc said:

The SNP really are clueless when it comes to finances. Reading a news story there that they want to increase taxes even further on higher earners. Is that their only solution? Maybe if they stopped wasting millions on fucking ferries then we might actually get somewhere. I have said this so many times. Scotland doesnt have a lot of higher rate tax payers thus we need more. At this rate, anyone over 40k will be paying 50% on anything about this rate. Not exactly encouraging further higher rate taxpayers. 

I say that as someone who has voted SNP in the last few elections. They are a fucking shambles. This is the issue when you have people involved in high lever government who has no experience of working in a decent sized business. 

All I saw in the Medium Term Strategy is a commitment to maintain a progressive two regime. Doesn't necessarily mean income tax.

They need to bite the bullet, and get council tax reformed into a version of a Land Value Tax. Could potentially raise a lot of money from some very broad shoulders that way.

[welshbairn]

They should hit Anders Povlsen with a danegeld reparations tax. 

[Zern]

On 26/05/2023 at 09:57, Gringo said:

Maybe it’s time to drop independence, do a deal with the UK government to have an independence vote at a set date (20 years from now) and work constructively to make devolution work for the benefit of us all.

We still don’t know the SNP policy on currency, trade, taxation (except high). They’re a shambles so maybe 20 years will give them time to work out their policies.

That's been the tory mantra at FMQs for over a decade.

However it is the UK government that refuses to work with the Scottish Government. Brexit is a case in point. At every stage the Scottish Government sought to work with the UK and was dismissed, rebuffed and ignored.

The GRR bill is example of how the SNP/Greens work when in government. The SNP/Greens had the numbers to vote it through as a partisan issue, they did not do that and sought buy-in from every other party in the Scottish Legislature. They done this on other bills too.

That's an example of working for benefit of us all.

It's not that they are not willing to deal with the UK gov, it's more that the present UK gov refuses to admit the Scottish Government to have any legitimacy or say in UK policy that affects Scotland  or even Scottish policy at present.