General Election 2015

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

The captain on my ship showed me an advert for Portsmouth Harbour who are advertising for a nuclear Pilot. The only thing nuclear at sea is Subs so looks like they are getting ready to move the Subs South.

[iTony]

The captain on my ship showed me an advert for Portsmouth Harbour who are advertising for a nuclear Pilot. The only thing nuclear at sea is Subs so looks like they are getting ready to move the Subs South.

There's a few "subs" on here I believe.

[saintnextlifetime]

That line was trotted out by his previous aliases.

You'll have proof of this, of course?

Makes no sense and really matters not one jot.

Just the type of comment I would expect from someone who spends nearly all day, everyday on here.

It's a minor meltdown, you have t laugh, well, I do.

Well, you seem to be an expert on all things "meltdown". Also, I don't know if you have missed out an "o" or an "'" àla Yorkshire speak?

PS Back on topic, I'm no sure who I'll vote for yet, could be a last minute decision.

You'll vote for whoever doesn't like Polish people going from recent posts.

Going by your recent posts , you'll be voting for a homophobic party. .

[iTony]

That line was trotted out by his previous aliases.

You'll have proof of this, of course?

Makes no sense and really matters not one jot.

Just the type of comment I would expect from someone who spends nearly all day, everyday on here.

It's a minor meltdown, you have t laugh, well, I do.

Well, you seem to be an expert on all things "meltdown". Also, I don't know if you have missed out an "o" or an "'" àla Yorkshire speak?

PS Back on topic, I'm no sure who I'll vote for yet, could be a last minute decision.

You'll vote for whoever doesn't like Polish people going from recent posts.

Going by your recent posts , you'll be voting for a homophobic party. .

I've got nothing against a bit of gaiety, SNLT. I'd rather see people happy and in a fulfilling relationship than live a lie and be miserable. That's why I encourage folk on here just to come out of the closet and be truthful to themselves so to speak.

[Sergie's no1 fan]

So after David Cameron begged us to stay part of the UK he comes out with this http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/19/conservatives-pledge-annual-report-on-scottish-government-impact-on-uk .

I think he was expecting us Scots to just shut up and get back in our boxes after the referendum, now when we will finally have a voice in Westminster we aren't allowed to be heard. We can have "more power" as long as we don't prosper more than the rest of the UK. The SNP want to break up the Union but clowns like this are doing it with much greater effect.

[BuddyHolly9]

So after David Cameron begged us to stay part of the UK he comes out with this http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/19/conservatives-pledge-annual-report-on-scottish-government-impact-on-uk .

I think he was expecting us Scots to just shut up and get back in our boxes after the referendum, now when we will finally have a voice in Westminster we aren't allowed to be heard. We can have "more power" as long as we don't prosper more than the rest of the UK. The SNP want to break up the Union but clowns like this are doing it with much greater effect.

We always have had a voice.... we will be sending down the same number of MPs as we always do. Remember SNP don't speak for all of Scotland, they won't represent the majority of votes cast although may send down the majority of seats.

[BuddyHolly9]

Also, could one of our older posters educate me please. Have the SNP always played so far to the left or is this simply a void they can fill given labour since Blair?

[Stuart Dickson]

Also, could one of our older posters educate me please. Have the SNP always played so far to the left or is this simply a void they can fill given labour since Blair?

It's not as straight forward as that Holly. They've always been a single issue party so pigeon holing them into any sort of category is ridiculous. Homophobe, Gordon Wilson, the party leader throughout the 70's - for example - is possibly just to the right of Nigel Farage in terms of policy, whilst the likes of Jim Sillars, Margo McDonald and Winnie Ewing were all pretty intrinsically to the left of the political spectrum. The fact that laterly Sillars and McDonald were pushed more and more out of the party would perhaps be a clue to how the main body of the party works and where it stands currently.

There is a huge amount of opportunism within the party right now. It's easy to pledge an end to austerity in the UK when you are never going to be in control of the budget, it's much harder to defend that claim though when you see the SNP record in government in Scotland.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Stuart Dickson

[Stuart Dickson]

So after David Cameron begged us to stay part of the UK he comes out with this http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/19/conservatives-pledge-annual-report-on-scottish-government-impact-on-uk .

I think he was expecting us Scots to just shut up and get back in our boxes after the referendum, now when we will finally have a voice in Westminster we aren't allowed to be heard. We can have "more power" as long as we don't prosper more than the rest of the UK. The SNP want to break up the Union but clowns like this are doing it with much greater effect.

The only surprise to me is that this hasn't been done sooner.

If you look at the Scottish Parliaments ability to vary taxes for example, it was always obvious that if the Scottish Government cut taxes that there was a potential that this would affect the North of England as some companies may look to relocate to take advantage of the cheaper tax regime. Labour, perhaps sensibly, decided not to vary taxes either up or down in Scotland, whilst the SNP were too stupid to realise that cutting taxes could potentially increase the tax take in Scotland to the disadvantage of Northern England, pissed about thinking about raising taxes instead, and when they finally got round to maybe actually doing something they'd lost the power because they didn't realise that they had to renew it.

In a devolved country there has to be consideration for the rest of the Union when taking actions that affect the economy of other regions - fairly obviously.

[saintnextlifetime]

To be honest, as far as I recall, up until the Thatcher years the SNP were very much a one policy party. It wasn't until Salmond took the leadership that they really started making other policies known. I'm sure they must have had other policies, you just never heard about them - at least, I never. It was when Salmond said "I am a socialist" that the move to the left of centre policies really began and the slow erosion of the Labour vote followed. They were of course "famously" branded as Tartan Tories by Labour due to them being, in part, responsible for bringing down the Labour government in 1979 (?) which led to Thatcher getting elected. The Tartan Tories moniker was just a dig from Labour, the SNP weren't right wing. That's what I recall anyway, but I was just a wean then.

I can recall the Tartan Tories moniker before 1979 and I think it was designed by Labour supporters to stop the slide to the SNP. The reason that they helped to bring down the Callaghan government in 1979 was because of Callaghan's shocking handling of the referendum that year. .

[Stuart Dickson]

Was the reason that taxes weren't altered in Scotland not to do with the effect it would have on the block grant? That is, if Scotland raised any extra money then the equivalent amount would be cut from the block grant, and so there was nothing to be gained from doing so. I think that was the reason that was given by both the Lab/Lib and SNP Scottish executive/government.

Of course, you can take the opportunity to get your hardon by "bashing" the SNP if you want, that's up to you. Each to their own.

It's fairly typical of your average Natsi that the thinking was completely one dimensional and that none of them realised that you could CUT taxes.....

[Stuart Dickson]

But, but, but ... you said ...

... so bringing in more money and then getting a cut in the block grant.

That would be why I referred to altering tax, not increasing it.

It's fairly typical of your typical unionist Nat-basher that the thinking was, well, not thought out very well.

Its true, I didn't read what you wrote properly. It is true. Nigel Lawson proved it as did Norman Lamont and Ken Clarke. Lowering the level of taxation on the populous does indeed have the effect of raising the tax take. You are also right when you say that any increase in tax revenue would have seem a similar decrease in the block grant. However if does beg the question - why would an SNP Scottish Government choose to continue to beg for money from Westminister whilst refusing to cut taxes to leave Scots workers with a higher percentage of their earnings in their pockets? Could it all boil down, yet again, to this single issue of Independence, and the fact that the party chose that over the plight of those who will vote for them every single time?

[salmonbuddie]

You mean he stopped? I need to pay more attention to what he says.

On second thoughts.......

[saintnextlifetime]

But let's not let facts get in the way of a "good nickname".

To be honest, I don't recall it before then but, as I said, I was just a wean.

There were other monikers at that time , one of which was a bit humorous but none of them are ones used on here by the troller fleets. .

[Tam M]

I met Sturgeon the other weekend there. She's a wee darling. I wid.

[2becks]

Is there anything with a pulse that you widnae?

Since when does it need a pulse?

[saintnextlifetime]

There are a couple of boys getting a wee bit rattled , like. .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32390121

[saltcoatsbuddie]

cant be bothered with politics,(prefer football f**k knows why I watch st Mirren then,maybe I would get more excitement at holyrood on a Saturday)anyway watched the debate on telly the other night and the wee burd fae snp was begging to join up with labour ,then reading the paper today the same wee burd is begging tae join up with the tories ,,looks very much like power hungry to me ,,doesn't really care who she sleeps with as long as she gets in to the bed ,maybe she should have been a footballer

[saltcoatsbuddie]

I was going to answer you ,then I realised you had to edit eh?? that tell me everything about your intelligence bud ,take it putting an X at SNP is about your level ,altho UKIP is only 4 letters maybe by next election you will be up to 4 letters

[Seaside Nipper]

I'm sure I heard or maybe flash read a wee snippet about half the Scottish electorate were being predicted to vote snp ?

Well now, wouldn't that make for quite an interesting turn of events.

I am no politico and generally avoid the talking heads mob as a rule, however IMO a lot of Scottish folk are actually looking for a strong Scottish voice at Westminster , but not Independance itself. Just sayin like, in a way , it's a devo max kinda thing , but with added vim when you look at the scurrying about and major soul searching that the Wee englanderz are being forced into.

Quite amusing, but also , the flip side, the accelerated growth in support for English Nationalism. I've seen this this morph slowly upwards over the years but wIth the ugly and frankly largely misrepresentation of facts into overdrive from spin pros and jingoistic Home Counties press expect some vitriol to be poured in Scotland's direction.

I think we're all in for quite some turbulence, maybe flatulance guaranteed at the very least

[cambiebud]

What rot and from someone who supports a party who's policy on genocide is to do absolutely nothing whether it's in Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Egypt or Libya. I'd support government policy that aims to make those countries in Africa safer for people to live in.

Ok Stuart, I know I'm going to regret this and I should know better than to ask. What exactly did UK do in Egypt, other than support the overthrow of a democratically elected government by a fascist coup? Edited April 21, 2015 by cambiebud

[Stuart Dickson]

As far as I know, there would have been no increase in the block grant if the tax take had been lower, thereby potentially leaving Scotland with less money. It was basically a useless power.

And ... "beg for money"? Really? You're starting that one again?

Aye - beg....

Remember this....?

http://www.journal-online.co.uk/article/5242-snp_lose_battle_with_westminster_over_forth_bridge_funding

[Stuart Dickson]

Ok Stuart, I know I'm going to regret this and I should know better than to ask. What exactly did UK do in Egypt, other than support the overthrow of a democratically elected government by a fascist coup?

We did nothing. Nothing. Right across the whole of that region we did absolutely nothing. Not that it was the Coalitions fault. David Cameron was all for taking action in Syria when it needed to be taken, but opposition MP's voted down the motion by a shameful 285 - 272 votes.

As a result we sent a signal to the likes of ISIL that they could carry on building and growing throughout the Middle East and Africa unfettered because the UK would now only take action if our territory was being attacked. It's that lack of action, that yellow and red stained cowardice that has led to the situation where Christians are fleeing to avoid the risk of execution from a depraved bunch of religious fundamentalists. It's that lack of safety in their homelands that leads to the kind of desperation that sees thousands of immigrants cramming onto tiny boats to try and get across the Med into Europe. And then when the inevitable catastrophe happens isn't it just typical that the kind of spineless fanny that appears to dominate Scottish Politics comes out and tries desperately to make it some kind of immigration issue.

[saintnextlifetime]

Ok Stuart, I know I'm going to regret this and I should know better than to ask. What exactly did UK do in Egypt, other than support the overthrow of a democratically elected government by a fascist coup?

Britain ,helping to bring down governments and then the replacement government not going to plan , is something that has bitten Westminster in the arse for a loooong time. .

Edited April 22, 2015 by saintnextlifetime

[bluto]

I'm sure I heard or maybe flash read a wee snippet about half the Scottish electorate were being predicted to vote snp ?

Well now, wouldn't that make for quite an interesting turn of events.

I am no politico and generally avoid the talking heads mob as a rule, however IMO a lot of Scottish folk are actually looking for a strong Scottish voice at Westminster , but not Independance itself. Just sayin like, in a way , it's a devo max kinda thing , but with added vim when you look at the scurrying about and major soul searching that the Wee englanderz are being forced into.

Quite amusing, but also , the flip side, the accelerated growth in support for English Nationalism. I've seen this this morph slowly upwards over the years but wIth the ugly and frankly largely misrepresentation of facts into overdrive from spin pros and jingoistic Home Counties press expect some vitriol to be poured in Scotland's direction.

I think we're all in for quite some turbulence, maybe flatulance guaranteed at the very least

I agree.

Nationalism's a nasty, ugly thing with no regard for facts, truth or morality.