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A theme begins to emerge 125

Posted on March 20, 2014 by

Continuing our trawl through the “Devo Nano” report. No squirrels this time.

apdtaxh

Labour, of course, immediately trumpets any anti-independence opinion from big business, but suddenly treats anything welcomed by industry with great suspicion if it’s in line with SNP policy, so no shocks on that front. But not for the first time, the party seems to have rather misunderstood the entire concept of devolution.

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More powerful microscope required 73

Posted on March 20, 2014 by

All this week we’ve been mockingly referring to Scottish Labour’s devolution proposals as “Devo Nano”, nano- being a mathematical term meaning “one billionth”. The implication there is that the amount of actual power being devolved would be very very small. We’re not subtle. But as we dig down into the full 298-page report, it’s beginning to look as though our sarcastic description is in fact somewhat over-generous.

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The long and the short of it 77

Posted on March 20, 2014 by

Labour’s full Devo Nano policy document is now available, at an artery-clogging 298 pages. We’ll be having a good old wade through it today, because despite Johann Lamont’s comprehensive explanation of its contents on telly on Tuesday night, we still have a couple of minor queries over the precise details that we’d like to get definitively cleared up, and this should do it.

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A litany of idiocy 197

Posted on March 19, 2014 by

Every time today that we’ve re-watched Johann Lamont’s multi-vehicular pile-up of an interview on last night’s Newsnight Scotland, we’ve seen something new in it that we missed previously and which makes us pull this face:

gordonb

So (hngh) we’re going to have to get these down for posterity.

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Interview with the vampire 199

Posted on March 19, 2014 by

Among supporters of a Yes vote this site has often been an outspoken defender of Newsnight Scotland’s Gordon Brewer. Sometimes prone to lapsing into a poor impersonation of Jeremy Paxman, all hectoring and interrupting and not listening, on top form the BBC man is in our book the finest inquisitor of politicians in the UK, with only Bernand Ponsonby of STV capable of giving him a run for his money.

After last night, we’ve rarely felt more vindicated.

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Introducing Devo Nano 128

Posted on March 18, 2014 by

So, the wait is over. Two full years after announcing the setup of its “Devolution Commission” (comprising three MPs, three MSPs, one MEP, a pair of general-purpose office wonks and one increasingly-unhinged councillor), this morning Scottish Labour unveiled its final report, strikingly clad in the flag of, er, Shetland.

labshetland

As we write, only the executive summary has been made available – a slim 14 pages including the preamble, reasoning and recommendations. These are our observations.

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What you can’t have 129

Posted on March 18, 2014 by

We’ve finally got hold of a copy of the long-awaited report (or at least, the executive summary) from Labour’s “Devolution Commission”. While we wade through the fine detail, we thought we’d quickly let you see the list of things Labour has decided that Scotland absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, be allowed to handle for itself.

devonano1

Analysis to come.

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    • Mark Beggan on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “In short; Carrots!Aug 31, 23:51
    • Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “Chas There’s no guarantees in this life. Even sitting on your hands scared and so holding with the status quo…Aug 31, 23:44
    • Aidan on The Shortest Day: “Yes, no it isn’t James. Alcohol duty is not levied on exports, so there isn’t a specific duty to accrue…Aug 31, 23:35
    • Northcode on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “The Record doesn’t even come close to making a valid point… or any point at all. This is the Record’s…Aug 31, 23:35
    • Young Lochinvar on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “100% Yup. Why not 70%, 80, 90 or any of the above over who knows how many years before we…Aug 31, 23:23
    • Hatey McHateface on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: ““After years of simply stalling on the pursuit of independence, the SNP now appears to be in full headlong retreat,…Aug 31, 23:07
    • Young Lochinvar on The Shortest Day: “LC Very good! However you forgot to mention the bribery, offers of position and rank and overall subterfuge with a…Aug 31, 22:58
    • Hatey McHateface on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “A disappointing but perhaps not unexpected reversion to type, Northy. The Record View makes a valid point, not that any…Aug 31, 22:49
    • duncanio on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “The Daily Record’s ‘suggestion’ is merely an effort to make British Labour relevant again in Scotland so that they can…Aug 31, 22:46
    • Spartan 117 on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “Well, quite. Lard Foolkes and his ilk would happily do away with elections permanently, makes things much easier for them…Aug 31, 22:41
    • Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “Naw, Spartan. Exhibit W.Aug 31, 22:35
    • Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “That’s the Spandau gonna be well and truly cocked now!Aug 31, 22:33
    • Spartan 117 on The Shortest Day: “QED, Exhibit A.Aug 31, 22:18
    • Northcode on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “By George Foulkes, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock’s – Born in Shropshire and educated privately at The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School…Aug 31, 22:14
    • Mark Beggan on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “Anyone for a carrot! It’s feeding time at the zoo.Aug 31, 22:02
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    • James on The Shortest Day: “Ah. “…Naw it isnae….” The usual. Dan kindly provided the relevant liknk. https://wingsoverscotland.com/true-faith/ Read it, and weep, Yoon.Aug 31, 21:54
    • Effijy on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “With all financial levers controlled by Westminster these 300 years and debt spiralling up to £3 Trillion and the first…Aug 31, 21:44
    • 100%Yes on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “The reality is the more and more people voice that Independence is their preferred option to the union. The more…Aug 31, 21:40
    • Alf Baird on The Shortest Day: ““Maybe you could start one of the ‘democratic legitimacy’ processes yourself!” 20,000 sovereign Scots already have: https://liberation.scot/Aug 31, 21:37
    • 100%Yes on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “This is all because the SNP membership has grown a back bone and got upset about not being being able…Aug 31, 21:29
    • Mike Fenwick on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “For info, my contribution in The National today. Tommy Sheppard writes in The National as to ” Why a de…Aug 31, 21:28
    • Cuphook on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “Not that we’re going to get one due to our current political emasculation, but we’d lose another referendum unless the…Aug 31, 21:26
    • 100%Yes on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “The simplest solution is for Westminster to transfer the Constitutional authority to Holyrood for good and allow the Scots to…Aug 31, 21:19
    • Spartan 117 on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “Interesting indeed.Aug 31, 21:14
    • Spartan 117 on The Shortest Day: “And often with a load of abuse heaped in, along with Grrr Bloody English racism. The Siol nan Gaidheal members…Aug 31, 21:09
    • Ross on Haven’t had a dream in a long time: “Kudos for the uncle tom cobbley reference haha. Was sitting on his supposed seat the other day!Aug 31, 21:07
    • Southernbystander on The Shortest Day: “O/T I was in Edinburgh last week for a few days and walking down South St Davids Street (off Princes…Aug 31, 21:02
    • Hatey McHateface on The Shortest Day: “A billion or two deaths is WW3 once it really gets going. So far, it has just been warming up.Aug 31, 20:52
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