Wings Over Scotland

I think that wee lassie should go back to school to learn how to count…..She always seems to get her sums wrong..

It’s the old, keep repeating the lie/mantra and some will believe it.
Pure distilled Slaber pish, homeopathy as it were, it doesn’t work. (Couldn’t resist)

Or should that be Slabeopathy?

Not to mention the Basques, Catalans, Flanders and others. And of course a lot of federal states are in financial areas more powerful. Since their financial arrangements are protected by a proper constitution, they don’t need to worry about the “Barnett consequentials” of their own decisions.

Does Kezia Dugdale actually believe a single thing she says in regards to Scottish politics? Has she convinced herself she is speaking the truth?

Or the German Länder. Or the U.S. States. Or, well, you get the idea.

SLAB are prone to the placebo effect.

Don’t look at the facts, look around the facts and they will believe they have become the facts even if they are in fact not the facts.

Ok, so we have heard “the most powerful whatever” guff for sometime now. Surely this heroic statement can actually be demonstrated and backed up by example? What I would like to see, for example, is a summary table of all the devolved “whatevers” or pretend nations in the world, with columns of how many whatever powers (eg tax raising, borrowing, etc, by percentage) are actually devolved. Scotland would obviously be at the top of the list – very impressive. It would be very interesting to see if we are comparing like with like. What comparative examples are we talking about here: Switzerland? Canada? the Republic of Imaginaria? Failure to do this and one would be tempted to think that KD and her cronies want us to believe something that is not really true. Now they wouldn’t possibly want to do that, would they?

And all that in addition to being the Best (small) Country in Jack McConnell’s world. Isn’t it all marvellous.

Dippy Dug? Every time her name is mentioned i get a split-screen vision. One half is her glaekit gormless puss on University Challenge and the other half consists of her frantically Googling answers on her tablet at a pre-referendum hustings.

Aye, comedy gold right enough!

Vote SNP x 2

Perhaps Kezia is simply trying to be as literal as possible with her definition of “devolved”, since Swiss cantons are part of a confederation, and therefore it’s not technically correct to call them “devolved”. Probably the same with Canadian provinces – I believe it’s only the three territories which could be classed as “devolved”, as their powers can simply be revoked by the Canadian government, just like Holyrood’s can be revoked by Westminster.

(Which, incidentally, makes it all the more bizarre that SPICe has concluded that Holyrood would be more powerful than the likes of US states and German Länder – the very fact these legislatures are enshrined in their respective constitutions makes them more powerful than Holyrood, before you even start examining the powers they have.)

I would argue Holyrood will not even be the most powerful devolved parliament in the UK, never mind the world. Northern Ireland has power over corporation tax, for instance, and appears to have power over energy policy (barring nuclear energy, but then we don’t and won’t get that either.) In fact, the list of reserved matters for Northern Ireland is a fraction of the size of the list of reserved matters for Scotland.

Must be tiring carrying that UKOK coffin around everywhere….everyday,trying something/somewhere new…. definitely lost the plot.

I am still waiting to hear those unionists explain how the Scottish Parliament, is to be the most powerful devolved parliament in the World?

B

Are there any other “devolved legislatures” to compare with?

Aren’t those mentioned above all federations where power is devolved to the centre?

Could Kezia actually be telling the truth?

“The most devolved parliament…”

This is just a though-terminating platitude that annoys me every time I hear it fall out lab/con mouths. See also:

“The most polished turd”
“The worlds tallest dwarf”

Doug Daniel. Absolutely right. I note that three of the German Länder designate themselves free states or Freistaat. Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia (no, I’ve not made the last one up).

Interestingly, Bavaria had a bicameral parliament until it was abolished by referendum in 1998. I’m guessing then that they are not strictly necessary, regardless of what dark accusations are flung at the Scottish parliament.

Even if the Spice briefing were correct (which is questionable); there are 26 Swiss cantons and 10 Canadian provinces, so Holyrood would actually be the 37th most powerful devolved parliament in the world.

@flux_capacitor

I assume it was a quiz.
Greenland
The Herald
Captain Carrot?

Dear Kez,

It’s no’ a power when that power can be taken from you. Power devolved is power retained.

Scotland wants REAL power. And it will get it with PEOPLE POWER.

Why is it even something to be proud of?
It is still a *devolved* parliament.

It’s the same attitude that is content with a respectable loss for Scotland at the football.. because we put up a good showing and didn’t get totally pumped.

Let’s look at this from another perspective:

Scotland is actually the weakest, proper country in the world.

The most powerful devolved legislature in the world……but doesn’t have its own television channel. Yeh right!

Every time I see or hear anything from mizzzzz Dugdale , it brings back memories of her Silent Moment on Question time , a classic moment in TV history , it’s what comedians dread dying on stage , nothing she has said or done since that moment has changed do you hear the Silence ? .

Before politics in Scotland changed did our children not benefit.
Was being part of the Union detrimental for our children?

Interesting to note that all this extra devolution only came about because of the Indy Ref.

Holyrood could be the most powerful legislature in the world the universe and everything but if the party in power are taking orders from Westminster then it’s power is useless.

Iain More says:
27 January, 2016 at 2:55 pm

I see the UKOK Jack wavers were busy today

Ruby replies

The Union Jack wavers with Orange flares!

Someone said today that it was fishermen outside Holyrood protesting.

According to a person who passed they were Rangers fans upset about the laws prohibiting sectarian songs,hence the Union Jacks and orange flare.

Apparently two of their number were “unlawfully ” arrested for this last night. They feel it is their right to sing or swear inthe ground regardless of who it offends,and that the SNP are creating a police state.

She forgot to mention the 50 federal states in the USA.

All of which individually proscribe legislation affecting matters such as …

State income tax
State sales tax
Drivers’ licenses
Fracking licenses
Abortion rights
Prohibited substances
Gun licenses
Criminal law, felonies, penalties & sentencing
Appointments of prosecutors, judges & attorneys
Medical licenses
Legislator structures
Voting rights
Fishing licenses
Education curricula
Land ownership
Building codes
Fire codes

and so on …

Perhaps when Scotland can tick off this relatively short list I recalled just from memory, (having lived in three of their states), she might be right.

Until then however, having control over where we might wish to place “Caution, Squirrels” road signs in Argyll & Bute just doesn’t cut it.

Just seen the photo of the “fishermen” outside the parliament building, flairs and union flags? what not one fisherman is a yes supporter?
Regardless orange or red or white, all types of flairs used on fishing boats, whatever sympathy I had has sunk beneath the waves like the bonny shoals of herring that once were!

Just lisened to Alex Rowley Kezia’s depute in debate in the Scottish parilament. He is absolutely brilliant, Come on Kez release this Exercet on the May elections. I was spell bound by his aurity cunning and debating skills he is the true voice of Scottish Labour. I am now in a panic about both my forst and second vote. Why hide such stella resource to the cause of Scottish Labour. Bring him on.

Alastair

Increase your medication. 🙂

So we’re not going to have as much power as Nanavut, Newfoundland, Appenzell Ausserrhoden or Zug yet we’re supposed to be grateful?

There are actually 26 Swiss cantons and 13 Canadian provinces.

This means there will be 36 devolved parliaments in the world which will have more power than Scotland, not 2.

First of all, I don’t think WM ever intended that there would be a a fair fiscal framework behind the Scotland Bill. I believe the intention was always, and still is, to erode Scotland’s block grant by stealth over time. That would be popular darn sarf.

They still hope the SNP/SG will take the bait of more powers, and get shafted.

I believe the SG will reject the Scotland Bill. So what might have happened is just daydreaming IMO.

And anyway, third? A lot of commenters above clearly share my doubts about being third.

Firstly, we were only to be given partial power of some spending and limited opportunity to change taxes. In the case of VAT, we we to get a share, but no ability to change it. What is that supposed to achieve? These count for very little.

Secondly, important areas are missing. Are there any devolved governments outside the UK without the ability to have their own broadcasting? Not as far as I can see. They may still get the central state offerings, but they have their own beyond this.

I want to see Scotland as the 194th equal member of the United Nations.

Sorry, meant to say 39 more powerful parliaments, not 36. I can add up, honest!

‘Kez – The Blunder Years’

Look out for Labour Blunderbuss during the election.

Marcia
Was going to do a pop back but you have cut me off atthe legs.

Forget the world. Within the UK, Scotland has less powers than N Ireland and British Crown Dependencies of Channel Isles and Isle of Man, the latter even having its own currency. Both Dependencies have their own administrative, fiscal and legal systems, which is why neither the Isle of Man nor the Channnel Isles have MPs in House of Commons.

Dugdale’s ignorance/BT propaganda is truly dire.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the main tactic for the election :

1) Pump the Scotland Bill up wherever you can -the Indy is a bizarre place to do it though as nobody reads it now surely? ;

2) When the bill fails (as it will – agreement seems unlikely) then its SNPBaaad time again with added bullshit ;

3) Ummm that’s it.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Cameron tried to use the impasse in the bill as justification to refuse to recognise indyref2…..

Interesting times.

@proud cybernat at 1.56

Thanks for that link. Just spent a most enjoyable half hour laughing at Scottish labour’s farcical attempts to lay a finger on Nicola or Bbc journalists.

Where do we find a list of what will NOT devolved? Or do we have to wait until after the refusal to see their underhand tricks exposed.

Having seen some of Kevin Haugues utterly offensive and juvenile tweets on Twitter, I am not convinced he should be allowed access to a computer without adult supervision.

@One_Scot

Re KH. He does more for the Indy cause than for the Onionist!

He may appeal to some of his pals, but his antics will convert no one from Yes to No.

However, juvenile jibes are more likely make No voters check what the Yes side have to say of a serious nature, and convert!

Please help us in Edinburgh East from having Kezia as our MSP.

SUPPORT ASH DENHAM SNP….

link to crowdfunder.co.uk

Just listening to ‘Holy Wullies Scare’. 🙂

Re the USA and others, a federal state is different.

Key difference is in a proper federal state the state government cannot be suspended by the central government whereas in devolution settlements the devolved govermnent can be suspended at any time central government wishes.

The next big event after 5th of May 2016 will be the SLAB choosing it’s next leader, Kezia is toast and the poor wee thing does not it!

No doubt it will be decided by head office in London, due SLABs history it will be a press-gang affair as one and all know it’s a poisoned chalice.

Roll on May it’s going to be a fantastic Month.

The Scottish Gov has mitigated the ‘bedroom tax’. Cameron is a coarse low life.

Google paying 3% tax.

The majority in Britain would like the migrants re-settled, multinationals making vast profit paying their taxes and a Falklands settlement.

The third most devolved body sounds great doesn’t it. U.S. and Australian states have more powers. But they’re in federations you see. U.S. states can set their own VAT rates, decide on serious issues like abortion and the death penalty and much much more. And none of those powers can be taken back by the senior body. Power devolved is power retained.

Being the third, or even first most devolved body isn’t much to crow about, though it’s eye catching copy for the ill informed.

It’s a question of sneaky semantics with the focus on the word ‘devolved’

‘Devolution’ is statutory granting of powers from the government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level.

‘Devolution’ differs from federalism in that devolved powers may be temporary and reside solely in the sovereign state. Legislation creating devolved parliaments can be repealed or amended by the unitary sovereign state.

A definitive world list of sovereign (or unitary) states with devolution are: Azerbeijan, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Phillippines, Portugal, Serbia, Solomon Isles, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, UK, Uzbekistan. 33 in total.

All of the devolved areas in the foregoing list (e.g. Greenland in Denmark, Hong Kong in China, Kosovo in Serbia, Zanzibar in Tanzania, Crimea in Ukraine etc. etc.) have more autonomy and powers than Scotland.

Scotland is actually the 2nd weakest devolved Parliament in the world; as N Ireland has more devolved powers. Wales is the only devolved area in the world weaker than Scotland.
So just another big fat lie from Kezia & Slab.

“Why be normal when you can be special?”

Oh that’s a keeper

I would like to recheck the facts in parts 1 – 672; but am unable to find them.

O/t.

Rev Stu,

I know you have been getting that stupid Hague and others going on about Wings in your logo. Perhaps they should know that in the College of Heraldry and in accepted symbolism,outstretched Wings which are upright like those on your logo symbolise two things ,Swiftness and Protection

In view of what you do and contribute,I believe this to be very, very ,appropriate. How little they know about the culture they try to protect.

Kezia’s central premise is that “Holyrood will soon be the most powerful devolved legislature in the world” and it seems like Stuart and others have torn that apart already.

I find it curious that the very week where John Swinney has been suggesting that he is long way from finding the fiscal framework acceptable we see Kezia taking it as a given. You could argue that since the Smith Commission, becoming A more powerful legislature has never seemed as in jeopardy as it does this week.

Now I haven’t had time to look into it but surely Kezia is not suggesting that more powers for the Scottish Parliament can be a good thing? Not when labour’s proposal going into Smith were the weakest offering, even weaker than the tories?

If making the Scottish Parliament more powerful were desirable then labour would not have opposed doing so? I must have been drunk or daydreaming when I watched all those SNP amendements to the Scotland Bill being rejected by the tories AND labour?

Kezia and the rest of Labour are inseparable from the failure of the Smith Commission, they have no choice but to endlessly repeat that it has worked.

Kezia Dugdale and the rest of Labour are inextricably linked to the failure of Smith Commission, they have no choice but to keep repeating it is succeeding.

Strip down her ‘logic’ in any conceivable manner re the nuance of the statement…but it comes down to this:

She’s a fuckin’ liar.

I really don’t see the point of comparing degrees of devolution. Devolution is power retained and I have no real interest in it.

Our comparisons should be with other small countries and even Cyprus,Malta, Iceland which have the full powers of independence.

Entertaining comparisons with devolved units merely gives credibility to devolution

Bloody liarALLY C, acted most dishonourably,
Chucked out his integrity – devious as can be
Hanging on as our MP, shaming our integrity
Welcome here no more is he: brazen Lib Dem grandee

Hmm… I think the key word here is “devolved”. I’m not an expert, but it seems to me that “devolved parliaments/assemblies” is a UK concept. The central government gives some powers to the regional assemblies but reserves others, including the power to abolish regional assemblies.

Comparisons with Australia, Canada, Germany, the US, Switzerland etc. is a bit of an apples and oranges thing. Those countries are federal. The “regions” (states/länder) give some of their power to the central government for things like foreign policy and defence. So completely the other way around than the UK situation.

Doug Daniel @ 2.01pm linked to a Wikipedia page about “devolution” ( link to en.wikipedia.org ). What caught my eye was that Finland was listed as having 19 regions.

Well, Finland currently has 19 administrative regions, roughly corresponding to the historical (even pre-historical!) provinces. But we have only two tiers of elected government: national (= Parliament of Finland, encompassing the whole country) and municipal (= 313 municipal councils). The middle tier (regions/provinces) is administrative. Several municipalities co-operating to provide services (e.g. health, education, bin collection, local infrastructure and planning etc.) and to implement national policies.

National legislation prescribes the bare minimum of services every council has to provide (esp. health and education), councils are free to prioritise. My council is very sympathetic to outdoor activities and sports. We have kms and kms of excellent, varied cross-country skiing trails that double as hiking/biking trails in the summer. And the first curling hall in Finland – no wonder the 2006 Olympic silver medallist were almost all from my town! And the local ski slope, with its half-pipes, local snowboarder Peetu Pietilä eventually won Olympic silver. Maybe our local art museum and even local libraries suffer a bit by this prioritation. Some other municipality might prioritise art and culture.

Finnish municipalities have some tax-raising and borrowing powers. Corporate tax, part of income tax and all indirect taxes (VAT, fuel, alcohol etc.) are national, but municipalities set their own local income tax rates and their own property tax rates. Local income tax is flat rate within the municipality but it’s partly compensated in the progressive national income tax (you pay high municipal income tax = you pay less national income tax).

It’s a really complicated system, and the truth is that most people don’t think municipal and national income tax as separate because your PAYE combines both. (We have a very efficient tax system!)

However, depending where you live, you might pay more/less tax. Just today our national broadcaster YLE (which isn’t as bad as the BBC) did a story on the tax you pay in the greater Helsinki region (c. 50k around Helsinki). The small garden city of Kauniainen, where rich people live, was taken as the base, because they’ve got the lowest local income tax rate in Finland (16.5%). In their calculations, YLE used a fictitious 2 earning parents, 2 kids family with combined income of 84,620 euro p.a. (quite a well off “middle-income family”, actually).

This graph
link to yle.fi
and story sort of sensationalises the fact that people living in different municipalities pay different amounts of income tax, even after the national progressive leveller. People in Kauniainen pay 13,207 euro, people in Pornainen pay 3,111 euro more.

So, Finnish municipalities have more “devolution”, or are more independent in setting their local income tax and property tax, and all that money accrues to the council, not the central government.

As to people fleeing high taxation… It’s more like people fleeing high, inflated rent/house prices. Prices in Helsinki and Espoo especially are too high for ordinary families with children, so they move to the “fringe” municipalities and commute. Municipal income tax might be higher, and commuting costs (some of which might be tax-dectuctible), but housing costs lower, so individual household budgets are better balanced. Plus the quality of life.

Each to their own, I loved living in my cool, quirky bedsit in the coolest, quirkiest part of Helsinki but at some point I just wanted to have trees and flowers and nature and things and my own garden, so I promptly moved 50k north. Municipal income tax is higher here but housing cheaper so I have the same or more in hand – and cross-country skiing tracks literally from my own front door!

Yes, the Finnish system is a bit of a “postcode lottery” but we expect it and live with it. We don’t expect everybody to have exactly the same services, Finland isn’t a one-size fits-all society. It’s too big and varied. The national government lays down the law, what every citizen must have, then recommendations, but it’s up to municipalities how they interpret the recommendations.

It seems to me that Finnish municipalities (local councils) have more – enshrined in law – “devolved” power than the Scottish Parliament, but they’re not called “devolved parliaments”. I think Kez Dugdale and her yoon friends are just disassembling and equivocating and just plain spinning.

I’m glad more and more Scots are seeing through the spin and lies.

Who am I to say, but EVERYBODY in Scotland who desires independence MUST vote SNP on constituency and regional vote. I don’t agree with all SNP policy but the SNP is the ONLY viable VEHICLE for Scottish independence. After independence, vote for anybody you want. Jeez! Don’t descent into Caledonian Peoples’ Front or the People’s Front of Caledonia. That’s exactly what the UKOK Westminster elite wants.

Hold… Hold… Hold…

Apologies for the long rant. I just got so angry and frustrated at the oversimplification and misrepresentation of national/regional/local government around the world, as spun by the yoon establishment. Gaaarrrgh! [add emoticon banging her head agaist a brick wall here]

@niallD says
..No mention of the fact that SG were denied representing the Scottish fishing industry at the EU by Westminster.

Indeed.

Now surely with 50+ MPs at UK LEVEL,

REPRESENTING MOST OF THE COASTLINE,

The SNP can CLAIM THE RIGHT TO

REPRESENT ITS CONSTITUENTS IN EUROPE,

the communities, companies and

individuals that rely on

Scotland’s UNIQUE HIGH QUALITY

AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS.

What kind of power can be used when

WE’RE NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO SIT AT THE

TABLE..?

Can’t we sue Westminster for being obnoxious? Mental cruelty?

OT

I see from Stu’s Twitter feed that yet another Nawbag from the referendum has got a cushy, well-paid job after politics.

NIA announces @tomjgreatrex as new CEO ? link to niauk.org

So now we know that Broon is working for some hedge fund bankers, Ditto Darling, in addition to his House of Lords gig. Murphy is going to be a peace envoy in the Caucasus ( stop laughing at the back, this is serious!) and Wee Dougie was last seen in public literally carrying Bono’s bags at Davos airport.

Anyone beginning to see a pattern here?

Maybe we could run a sweep on what Stairheed Mags’ reward is going to be. We know she does not like furriners, so that rules out the international bit – maybe a charity or a quango?

Suggestions?

Tam Jardine says:

“John Swinney …. says the deal is no good the vast majority of folk will accept his position. If they do that then this will put slab and the tories firmly on the wrong side of the public.”

I certainly hope, and do believe that is the way it will play out.

If polls say only a tiny % of Scots believe the Scotland Bill meets the Vow, then that’s a good start!

It will make the election one Hell of a fight if it becomes a vote of confidence in the SNP’s judgement over the issue of rejection.

My guess is Cameron believes the Scotland Bill is a win-win for him. If it goes through, it screws the Scottish budget. If it is rejected he can claim the SNP are wreckers.

I think he might get a shock (again) with the actual outcome.

The ideal will be if a significant number of NO voters finally realise they have been played for suckers by WM.

Scottish Office trickery exposed

link to caltonjock.com

No matter how long the flexi lead…the pet can be pulled in at any time.

Sorry for being late to Kezia’s magic mushroom trance but I had to work to help fend off starvation.. 🙂

Switzerland and Germany, each in their own way, are probably the most devolved / federal coutries in the world.

Germany has 16 Länder (States) and each is a mini clone of the German State itself.

Each has its own Parliament, MPs, Ministers, bureaucrates, tax raising powers, broadcasting – albeit under the federal ARD system but adamantly independent about what they want to broadcast.

Each has tax raising/spending powers.

The second chamber in the Bundesparliament is the Länder Chamber with the Delegates from the Länder MPs who keep an eye on the business/voting to make sure the Länder don’t get short changed.

There are rich states and poorer states so that a system called the “Länderfinanzausgleich” 🙂 exists to help, on a sliding scale, with the redistribution of wealth from those with a healthy surplus to those who are struggling.

Bavaria was a poor agricultural state but with help from the System went from being a “receiver” of help to a “Giver”.

Kezia hasn’t a clue as to what she’s on about but then again WE all know that don’t we. 😉

Aah, as to John Swinney…

The guy looks like a meek geek accountant, or maybe some old-fashoined prudent Edinburgh banker. Balances ever diminishing Holyrood budgets, finds money for priorities, pulls rabbits out of the hat at every budget debate.

The yoons just hate him, for his competence. Envy him, and try to ridicule or smear him. For being a Finance Minister on the side of ordinary people, not vested interests, like most of the yoon establishment is.

Another NAWBAG “Alexander” has been paid off by the Establishment for his help to English Nationalism along with his fellow travellers Brown, Darling etc. Let’s not forget the EBC.

OT: Texas Instruments pulling their business out of Greenock and moving operations to “more cost effective areas”, ie: Japan, Germany and USA (All of whom have no masters).

Thank you, UKOKers!

Vote SNP x 2

@ Clochodric

Perhaps Mags could become Cultural Attache for the Clyde Fishermen. Looks like they’re cut from the same cloth.

WTF were they thinking of. Surely there must have been someone among them with some sense. Any grievance they might have had, and any sympathy they could have gathered, was shot down by them treating us all to an exemplary display of what a knuckle dragging sectarian piss up looks like.

Choobs.

A few years ago, I was writing a report of a meeting that I had attended on behalf of a voluntary organisation. John Swinney had chaired it, and I wrote something to the effect that he had the air of a country solicitor, who had come down to the city for the day.

I wasn’t allowed to say that about him – but it was intended as a compliment. There are some very capable professionals, who simply choose to work in the communities in which they are rooted, and who have a seriousness and authenticity, which can’t be learned. Add to that his intellectual acuity and his open, trusting manner, and I rather suspect that the metropolitan sophisticates of the Treasury, who only deign to speak to lesser mortals in order to patronise them, will find that they have underestimated him – and his very firm resolve to obtain a framework that will share risks and costs equitably – so that they have to concede far more than he will.

And his trump card? “The people will decide.”

@Stoker

As my previous employer (When National Semiconductor) that saddens me greatly.

Chic, it’s a massive blow for Greenock, i think they said they have been major employers in the area for 30 or 40 years.
I think they mentioned something about trying to sell off as a going concern. Either way, it’s a big blow and creates even more uncertainty for ordinary working folk and delivers another big blow to that neck of the woods.

TI – Hopefully something can be done about re-use of the plant and site – and workers. Not far from where my kids were born.

Just google “asymmetrical federalism” and you will find a Wiki page that proves Scotland is not even 3rd. So many examples of more devolution.

e.g. The Basque region and Navarre regions in Spain – they collect *all* taxes and then pay the Spanish State an amount for defence, foreign affairs and running the currency *plus* a contribution to a “solidarity fund” to help regions of Spain with social and/or demographic problems.

e.g. Six italian provinces that directly collect between 60% and 100% of their tax. Sicily collects 100%.

e.g. Greenland has full fiscal autonomy.

There is more, but add that to the two that SPICe has come across (Swiss provinces and Canadian provinces – I notice Quebec has some control over *immigration*) and you realise Scotland is not really going to get into the “Champions League places”…

You might think they are Britnats. I prefer to think of them as very good young Scottish journalists. OK, I might not agree with everything they say, but, I can see they are good at their jobs.

They are. They won. Now come the rewards of the UKOK union.

O/T
Too good for O/T

link to youtube.com

James Cook has all the attributes to do well in the world of UKOK journalism.

I think he was sent to US as a reward for surviving the “absolute chaos on the streets of Glasgow”,when Murph and Izzard were shouted at by a man.

@Stoker

Yep. Went there at the start of the 80s and left near the end of the millennium.

Put in a large percentage of my professional life there. Such was the continual ‘World War’ for that sector 80 hour weeks were the norm and 24 hour work overs were common.

Family life? What family life?

However with the continual ‘war-footing’ and good people’s jobs always being at risk, many Scottish engineers performed heroically and I do not use that word lightly, to ensure that Silicon Glen became a reality, if only for a while.

This was not gifted to us, it was certainly not the result of UK government grants, Scotland got far less of them than other regions of the UK where large amounts of grant money were pumped in to set semiconductors up there, largely to no avail.

It was down to the rigour of our educational system, the mindset it instilled and talent-filter it applied to its graduates.

In an industry which was very difficult to make work, we did so when others tried and failed.

Honestly, even if the Fiscal Framework gets agreed and the Scotland Bill 2015 passes into law, Holyrood will still be outside the top twenty most powerful devolved legislatures in the world.

We’re not even the most powerful devolved parliament in the UK, just have a look at the powers which have been devolved to Stormont – link to gov.uk

I have been researching extensively over past 6 weeks the powers which other devolved parliaments actually have and they put even the pre-watered down Smith agreements to shame!

Have a look, for example, at the powers devolved (and enshrined in the Italian Constitution 1948) to the Regional Government of Sardinia – link to regione.sardegna.it

Then consider that the Spanish regions of Navarra and the Basque Country have a Financial- Economic Agreement (Concierto Económico) with Madrid that basically amounts to a system of full fiscal autonomy in league with what might be called ‘Devolution Max’ in Scottish context – link to scotlandfutureforum.org

I could give an almost endless list of further examples, but it’s getting on a bit and I’ll need to be up for work in the morning…

My gut feeling Gordon Brown fcuking hates the Scottish Parliament—only joking

What was the reason given,Scottish Labour Party called the parliament ,Scottish Executive ?

To echo Petra on post above, thanks to one and all.

A smidgeon OT (?), just listened to Ms Dugdale courtesy of The Rev and Peter Curran on YouTube: A shower of stream of “consciousness” Unionist drivel dredged-up and spewed out from the good lord’s sewers partially blocked due to lack of maintenance by the appropriate professionals.

Shyte and pish overflowing despite the best efforts of the BEEB’s in-house plumbers, Brian “Of The Gallous Braces” Taylor as well as Gordon “The Brewster” Brewster.

Connecting back to Petra on the Scotland Office aka The British Imperial Interests Department in Jockistan, do they, to quote Ms Dugdale from the videos cited, do they “pro-actively” brief her on a regular basis along with The Jockette Tory Tank Commander In Jock Situ plus chuck a few bones of info, from time to time, to Ra Wullie?

I think we do not need to be told anymore beyond continuing to gather the buckets of sand of hard evidence as back-up data.

Simply, shut the buggers down, and unless they possess the appropriate diplomatic credentials, bus them out to just over the border and let them hoof it to WM from there as per the “Russkies”‘s precedent of booting out the Brit Council’s boot-boy boyz and galz for they are of the same pedigree.

That does sound interesting Grouse Beater but I can’t seem to access the link!

Another Zola Budd moment over a Tennis Player (konda) ,british when she,s winning anything other when she,s not,she just has to look at Andy Murray,s history.

O/T links

link to democraticaudit.com

link to holyrood.com

Plenty money for war, eye watering …
link to motherboard.vice.com

link to ec.europa.eu

Socrates MacSporran wrote @ 11.39pm:
“Stoker: FFS, grow up man.”

Away you go and bile yer heed, raffle yer doughnut,
tickle yer sporran or whitever else floats yer boat
but please don’t tell me to “grow up” just because i
hold an opinion which doesn’t meet with your approval.

There is no need to play the condescending clown role
and i’d much prefer it if you attempted to persuade me
to your way of thinking by stating your justifications
for the belief that you hold.

Meanwhile, on the subject of your mini rant, talented
professionals do not report so-called facts, stats and
Slabber office releases without question, as both Cook
and Bicker were guilty of, along with Glenn Campbell
and Laura Kuenssberg etc etc.

I know both Cook & Bicker have their wee fan club on here
but i’m proud to report that i’m not a member and never
will be for as long as they work for an organisation which
is far more dangerous to Scotland’s future prosperity and
well-being than any Unionist “news” rag.

Hold your adoration of them by all means, just don’t expect
me to follow suit, and at least back up your stance with some
form of proof and justification for your views, simples!

Meanwhile, am away tae staun in a bag oh manure!