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Running to stand still

Posted on February 08, 2016 by

A revealing moment from a meeting of the UK parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee last Tuesday, featuring the former Secretary of State for Scotland, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean.

Who knew, eh?

The PACAC’s hearings aren’t transcribed in Hansard, so we’ll just put that line in writing for ease of future quoting:

“My own view is that it has suddenly dawned on… the Scottish Government that the effect of these changes will be that Scotland will have less money and may find itself having to put up taxes in order to stay where it is.”

 Just so we’re all clear where we’re up to.

527 to “Running to stand still”

  1. Petra says:

    @ nycgype at 7:00 am …. ”More to this from the Tories?”

    Nycgype whilst all this ‘no detriment’ wrangle goes on it deflects from the fact that if we ‘win’ with regard to the no detriment clause we’re getting sweet franny Adams from them anyway. Tax raising powers?! Many Scots aren’t aware of the fact that Westminster will still have control of over 75% of welfare, employment, economic levers etc and can use that power to our disadvantage if and when it suits them.

    Cameron and Osborne are a couple of imbeciles but they have some of the greatest minds / experts in the country on the Constitution, economy and so on working for them, behind the scenes, and no doubt working against us: The Scots they love and value.

    And then there’s further austerity cuts predicted for the UK overall (except for areas around London that they seem to be protecting). Will Scotland be exempt due to ‘no detriment’. I don’t think so.

    Then the network of cronies that can create redundancies in Scotland at the drop of a hat ….. or rather just a wee phone call from Cammy …. TTIP if they let it go through, the banks ready to go bust again and so on.

    If the ‘no detriment’ issue is resolved so-called in our favour we’ll have them, via the scum, duping folk with the ‘Scotland is the most powerfully devolved country in the World’ mantra and as each years passes with the SNP struggling to balance the books and with the oil industry wrecked people will lose faith in the SNP. If the situation becomes dire, so dire that the majority of Scots support it, Westminster can as you say just ‘scrap’ the Scottish Parliament.

    The only hope that we have is for something ‘dramatic’ to happen that will turn the Scots against them to the point that we have around an assured 60% of support to get out. This too will have to happen before we find ourselves in the same position as Wales (Independence impossible now) with over 20% of their population having relocated from England …. most of whom vote no for Independence.

    Westminster ain’t daft they know that there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

    Reply
  2. Lollysmum says:

    yesindyref2 at 8.09am

    Your final question…. yes they would. Can’t have the readers getting real info aka truth from the comments.

    Reply
  3. liz g says:

    Nana Smith its the link to Putin destroying ISIS

    Reply
  4. Nana says:

    @liz g

    Sorry folks. I don’t have an anti anyone/sect or otherwise, bone in my body.

    Perhaps Rev could delete the link and I will go away and hide.

    Reply
  5. Andrew Mclean says:

    Nana,
    I am sure you meant no offence, I do so enjoy your links, thanks!
    I will now return to dominating the world with my Jewish Masonic cabal!

    Ha ha ha, (strokes cat)

    🙂

    Reply
  6. Sassenach says:

    I lost any admiration for Andrew Tickell (last night on Scotland 2016) when he constantly kept glancing at ‘the other guest’ before saying anything, with a look that seemed to say “Is it alright for me to say this”?

    Brush up on your TV techniques, would be my advice!

    Reply
  7. liz says:

    Nana Smith
    Had started to read it and when I realised what it was came out to alert you to it cause I know you dont want that kind of trash on Wings any more than the rest of us but David had already done it
    This one should really be removed if you can,or maybe see if the Rev will do it.
    Don’t worry about it Nana the headline did look appropriate for a news debunking site

    Reply
  8. Lollysmum says:

    Nana-don’t apologise-there is no need. Your links are gems to be scattered far & wide 🙂

    Everyone shouts ‘anti-semitic’ on the internet even when it isn’t. So the site criticises America & Israel-so what? Read & decide for yourself. Don’t let others decide for you.

    This is how the lid is kept tightly shut on any news from the middle east. Israel’s atrocities towards it’s neighbours need to be publicised.

    There’s some good stuff there about places blockaded for 4 years having blockades lifted at last. That isn’t anti-semitic. It’s actually good news for the people living there.

    Reply
  9. liz g says:

    Nana Smith no need to hide Hun.
    That headline does look like something that belonged on a site that debunks the Media.
    That’s why I looked at it, really to see what they were covering up now rather than an update on what was going on over there.
    Although I do hope the Rev deletes it,cause its nasty.
    Having said that it does make you question the sanity of those kinds of people, that reporting makes MSM journalist look like candidates for Mensa

    Reply
  10. liz g says:

    Nanna Smith
    This is my 3rd try repling to you Hun may be the length of them.
    Don’t hide I looked at it because of the headline which does read like it belongs on a media debunking site X

    Reply
  11. Petra says:

    Thanks Nana you’ve just posted something I was looking for earlier and it relates to my last post.

    Westminster agreed previously that their Westminster politicians should / would attend particular Committee meetings at Holyrood. In their ‘we value Scotland Better Together’ way they have opted out of attending eleven meetings over the last few months.

    The latest is Employment Minister Priti Patel, female cut throat version of IDS, who has decided not to attend Holyrood’s Welfare Reform Committee meetings no doubt, for one, because Westminster has decided to cut the Employability Scheme grant due to be devolved to Scotland by 80%. This is going to have a MASSIVE, detrimental effect on Scotland socially and economically. And don’t they just know it.

    There are a couple of Labour MSPs on the Committee such as Hugh Henry Convenor and Neil Findlay who must be aware of the horrendous repercussions this is going to have for Scotland.

    Will the Labour controlled BBC, STV and / or newspapers such as the Daily Record inform the Scots as to what’s actually going on here or are we still being subjected to a blind eye being turned on the contraventions of Westminster impacting on the well-being of the Scots?

    It’s make your mind up time for SLab. You botched it last time round pre 18/09/2014.

    Who comes first now? Scotland and the Scots or Westminster?

    Reply
  12. liz g says:

    Lollysmum @ 9.25
    As a ravin atheist that link is a hatefest.
    I know what you’re sayin about shutting down criticism of Israel and I agree.
    But that’s not what this is.
    I’m reluctant to draw any more attention to it so don’t think I am ignoring any reply I will read it ofcourse just not respond to any more comments unless to support Nanna.

    Reply
  13. Bob Mack says:

    Please give up the criticism of generic posts intended to inform. The link by Nana is indeed relevant if only for a view through another pair of eyes. You are not obliged to believe everything.

    I have read Mein Kampf and the Satanic Verses. I take nothing from either other than lessons on what is wrong with them. Knowledge can only be gained by looking at other viewpoints and comparing them to your own values.

    Continue your great work Nana.

    At this rate we will have a book burning get together in the near future.

    Reply
  14. Lollysmum says:

    Wee Ginger Dug takes Ruthie to task on daring to lecture about poverty

    link to weegingerdug.wordpress.com

    Reply
  15. call me dave says:

    All the councils have agreed to the Swinney proposals.

    @Nana:
    You carry on with your posts. 🙂

    PS:
    Andrew Whitaker: Kezia Dugdale can lose war but win campaign

    It’s OK he’s just doing a Torrance:
    Kezia to get the silver and Ruthie the bronze.

    link to archive.is

    Reply
  16. Legerwood says:

    Kezia Dugdale writing in the Herald today – Agenda section – extolling the virtues of her 1p tax.

    Cannot believe she still thinks it is a goer.

    Reply
  17. Fred says:

    @ frogs, interesting stuff about slavery & miners/salters, this is not a long time ago, there are people now living in Scotland who knew folk whose grandfathers were born into slavery.

    When Harriet Beecher Stowe of “Sunny Memories” was feted by the Sutherland family at Stafford House in London when campaigning for abolition in the US, she was told in no uncertain terms that the Sutherland tenants were worse treated than slaves in the American south.

    Reply
  18. call me dave says:

    Nicola Sturgeon tells Cameron to stop Treasury sabotaging Scottish deal: In the Guardian

    Interesting comments column.

    link to archive.is

    Reply
  19. Onwards says:

    @Petra, I can’t ever see a situation in which powers were given up or Holyrood abolished.

    If we get to a see-saw situation where it comes to a choice between moving backwards, or gaining more powers or full independence, then I only see it going one way.

    In future disputes, most Scots will take the side of the Scottish Government over the Tories.
    I think they know that. That’s why they are trying to get away with no further devolution, by making the SNP scupper a flawed deal.

    Reply
  20. yesindyref2 says:

    @Nana
    After davidb’s comment I looked at the site. davidb is quite right to point out it’s anti-semitic, but on the other hand it alerts people who look – e.g. me – that there may be an anti-semitic problem.

    In other words it’s informational, not an endorsement to post a link. And no, links don’t require “health warnings”, let the clicker beware!

    Reply
  21. yesindyref2 says:

    @Lollysmum
    Yes, to hide, though that posting did stay. Doesn’t have the same effect though, specially as I forgot to say it was a link to the press release and speech! Ah well.

    I take back what I said about the Herald again, there’s an article about a “U-turn” over the Scottish Fiscal Commission, but no quote from the 4 SNP MSPs as to what their “excuses” were – to which the quote from Jackie Baillie referred.

    Daniel Sanderson can be OK (waits the chorus of groans and disbelief), but that was just poor journalism.

    Reply
  22. Rock says:

    Petra,

    “As an example have you read any of Craig Murray’s recent (and brilliant) articles”

    Against Morag’s better instincts, I was a strong supporter of Craig Murray as an SNP candidate.

    Then he revealed that Carmichael has been a close personal friend of his for years.

    I hate anyone who is a close personal friend with the enemy.

    Like Cameron and Milliband appealing and fooling their supporters as strong opponents of each other while their wives, and by association themselves, being close personal friends.

    Reply
  23. Northchiel says:

    Very perceptive “Petra” at 0828am

    Reply
  24. Fred says:

    Rock, don’t worry pal we’ll Crowdfund your legal expenses. 🙁

    Reply
  25. Petra says:

    @ Rock says at 9:11 pm ….. ”Petra … “As an example have you read any of Craig Murray’s recent (and brilliant) articles”

    ”Against Morag’s better instincts, I was a strong supporter of Craig Murray as an SNP candidate. Then he revealed that Carmichael has been a close personal friend of his for years. I hate anyone who is a close personal friend with the enemy. Like Cameron and Milliband appealing and fooling their supporters as strong opponents of each other while their wives, and by association themselves, being close personal friends.”

    I understand what you’re saying Rock. But there’ll always be aspects (traits) of other people that we don’t like. All I’m saying is don’t cut your nose off to spite your face. We have few friends out there in the Independent media and online such as Craig Murray and The National. Because they are ‘online’ their ‘business’ is open to scrutiny in a way that yours and mine aren’t. Yes we’ll find a side to ‘them’ that we’re not keen on. If we had the same ability to scrutinise each other on here, personally, we’d probably come across people that we don’t like either. Don’t like what they do or the people they associate with. Right now the name of the game is to get our Independence and to my mind we all have to pull together to achieve that aim.

    And just to add how many people have faced up to the Establishment in the way that Craig Murray did in an attempt to protect vulnerable people from torture and death? He lost his job, salary, health and much more no doubt when he did so. It’s, for one, also impacted on his ability to get the type of position he would like to have now so having liked Carmichael once upon a time becomes meaningless overall.

    Reply
  26. Fred says:

    Drags Morag in as obfuscation. Sleekit?

    Reply
  27. Peter Clive says:

    Are we independent yet?

    link to moflomojo.blogspot.com

    Reply


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