Tag Archives: snp

WELL DONE RUTH DAVIDSON!

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THE SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVE LEADER PUTS ANDREW MARR IN HIS PLACE –

No one watching this morning’s Andrew Marr show on BBC1 could have been left in any doubt about this so called impartial commentator’s position on the Scottish Independence issue. 

Davidson put in a sterling and feisty performance against a truculent Marr who constantly interrupted her clear and spontaneous answers to his hostile grilling. He was simply not interested apparently in the majority public opinion in Scotland which undoubtedly is that we need another referendum like we need a hole in the head.

It is well known that Ms Davidson had to be dragged kicking and screaming across her own self-imposed red line some years ago on what is now known as Devo-max. This is roughly the devolution of the majority government powers from Westminster to Edinburgh, with the exception of defence and foreign affairs. 

However, that is in the past, and Ms Davidson’s insistence today on being heard in a hostile setting is tribute to her skill as a communicator. Of particular note was her message that the media generally in London should learn the difference between what the SNP want, and the very different views of the majority of Scots.

Anyone looking for a clear and unambiguous definition of the UK Government’s stand on the upcoming Brexit negotiations with the EU vis-a-vis Scotland, can do no better than listen to what Davidson insisted on saying despite Marr’s constant interruptions.

Its time Marr took a holiday!

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THE BIZARRE SHAKING HANDS WITH THE UNBELIEVABLE

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MRS MAY PLAYS IT RIGHT –

NOW FOR A FEW FINISHING TOUCHES – TO THE SNP!

Discard the headlines in most of today’s British press as many of us know that Mrs Sturgeon’s curve ball on a proposed Indyref2 next year had been expected by Downing Street for some time.

This blog has consistently argued that not only should Mrs May decide the timing of any second Scottish referendum, but that the deciding vote on such a vital issue as the split-up of the UK should be a minimum of 60%.

It is to be hoped that the Tory leadership in Scotland is actively pursuing this latter aspect with the Prime Minister. However, so far there has been a deafening silence from its Holyrood leader and others at the top. If it does come to a second referendum, for whatever reason, it should also be remembered that independent estimates put the number of Scots who voted Yes for independence two years ago, but who voted for Brexit, at some 400,000! These people obviously will be a prime target of any future No campaign. There is headway to be made from this group.

Sturgeon’s consistent attempts to turn Scotland into the poor man of Europe are both despicable and bizarre as she knows that the economic argument for independence will become even more unwinnable as the Brexit negotiations get underway. She is gambling on winning a referendum in the short term, largely based on the emotional vote of her core support, as opposed to the chances of losing it in say, two years down the road. By then it will have become crystal clear to everyone that in order to survive as an independent country, any Scottish government would have to either increase taxes dramatically, or seriously cut spending. 

This would obviously have major adverse effects on all our public services, in particular education and health. It must also be remembered that the Scottish deficit is £15Bn, 9.5% of our GDP compared to 4% for the UK as a whole. This figure is the highest in the EU and way ahead of Greece even at 7.2%!!

What about the currency? If a separate Scotland joined the EU, as current rules require, it would almost certainly have to use the Euro. As we all know, this has been a monumental disaster for the many countries in the EU with widely differing economic systems and problems. Does Sturgeon want Scotland to join the same sinking ship?

The SNP’s determination to ruin the country against all good economic sense is unbelievable. 

So Mrs May’s equal determination to play the long game in order to preserve the Union is much to be admired. In fact, her best course is to withhold approval for any second referendum until after the next Holyrood elections in 2021 when a proper mandate for this will be readily apparent or otherwise.

STURGEON SHOWS HER TRUE COLOURS

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A TAX AND SPEND BUDGET

In a shameless deal with the Greens, the SNP managed to get its Budget passed in the Scottish Parliament yesterday. Despite sluggish economic growth and consumer demand, but true to its Socialist/Marxist principles, the SNP deal with the Greens means that hundreds of thousands of ordinary working Scots will pay an extra £400 in Income Tax this year, compared to workers earning the same wages in England!

Sturgeon and her cronies have again shown their lack of economic competence by pandering to the SNP and Greens extreme left wing, Tax and Spend activists. Measures should have been introduced in the Budget to grow the economy by creating better conditions for investment and business, which would lead to more and better paid job opportunities for all of us.

There’s a French saying that every country has the government it deserves. Under Sturgeon, this shameless raid on the pockets of some 370 thousand Scots can only be the thin edge of the wedge in what is becoming a worsening Scottish economy. We Scots certainly dont deserve to be punished financially as a result of economic incompetence by our rulers. Well worth remembering when we next go to the polls!

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

THE INCREASINGLY PATHETIC, AND INCOMPETENT, SNP

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ONGOING FALL IN SUPPORT FOR NICOLA STURGEON

There is strong support across much of the political spectrum for Scottish Tory Leader, Ruth Davidson’s fresh attack on Miss Sturgeon for trying to bully we Scots into ‘yet another fratricidal conflict’. The result of the 2014 Referendum was quite decisive in that the majority of Scots voted to stay in the Union with the rest of the UK. Sturgeon stubbornly refuses to recognise that her aggressive anti-Brexit position now carries even less weight with voters.

There is obviously very little public support for a 2nd independence referendum, with a weekend opinion poll finding just 27% of Scots want another one before Brexit takes place. This is down from 47% in June.

Instead of trying to heal the divisions in the Scottish Nation, Sturgeon continues with phase 2 of her already failed independence rhetoric, with almost daily irrational rants against one or more, or all of the various aspects of Brexit.

Plainly, in her privileged position, can she be aware of the daily pressures with which we ordinary folk have to deal in the Health Service, Education and Transport for a start, as a direct result of her SNP government’s failed policies? What is she doing about the increasing number of Scots failing to find permanent work? The Scottish budget deficit is now 10% of GDP which is the worst of any nation in Europe, including Greece. Does she seriously think that this is an acceptable criterion for entry into the European Union by an independent Scotland?

Everyone knows that the SNP’s strategy for growth is not working and this fact is not lost on the Scottish voter. Hence Miss Sturgeon’s increasing, near-hysterical desperation.

If Prime Minister May has not already done so, she must make it clear to Miss Sturgeon that she cannot call a 2nd referendum without prior UK Government sanction. If we are to be propelled into one at some future date, it must also be made clear that the terms under which it is held will not be the same as under the last ‘Cameron, shoot from the hip’ one : on such a critical issue, a two thirds majority would be required to win.

Under Ruth Davidson’s leadership, there is little doubt that the Scottish Tories will be a real threat to the SNP at the forthcoming local elections.

THE PROSPECT OF A SECOND INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM 

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HAS MS STURGEON LOST IT?
Although a competent enough and shrewd politician in the past, it seems that the leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon, is becoming increasingly politically desperate and painting herself into a corner from which she is unlikely to be rescued unscathed. Of course, when you’re at the top of the heap, there’s usually only one way to go after that, and its not higher.

Instead of getting down to the serious business of trying to reunite Scots in the face of the country’s many serious economic problems, the First Minister has done little since the Brexit referendum in June last year, but indulge in non-stop spinning because of the Brexit decision, and frequently threaten us all with the prospect of yet another Indyref which we would all welcome like a hole in the head, except for her most ardent hard-core supporters.

Her latest diatribe came this week when she warned us all that she ‘wasn’t bluffing’ about holding another referendum. She then said that one would not be held this year. The SNP former leader, Alex Salmond, has predicted that a 2nd referendum would be held next year. The former SNP Justice Secretary, Kenny Macaskill, a powerful SNP figure, has just said that the economy now is worse than it was in 2014 when the last referendum was held, and lost by the Yes campaign. He points out that circumstances for another vote are both less favourable and more complicated than during the failed referendum in 2014. 

It should be noted that Ms Sturgeon said she would respect that result. Why doesn’t she? And by the way, who gave her the power to call another referendum?

The respected Recruitment and Employment Confederation – ‘Jobs transform lives’ – has just reported a fall in the number of Scots finding permanent work and that the Scottish economy is underperforming the rest of the UK. While the Brexit vote has had a UK-wide effect on confidence, Scotland has double the uncertainty with the prospect of a 2nd Indyref constantly being threatened.

Obviously, the SNP strategy for growth is not working, and the Scottish budget deficit is now approaching 10% of GDP. Instead of getting down to tackling the serious underlying problems in the Scottish economy, and they now have sufficient legislative powers to do this, the SNP continue to live in their own magical fantasy la la land, still stubbornly cherishing the impossible dream of becoming an independent country within the EU.

Its important to get back to basics. Ms Sturgeon and her SNP wonks must have forgotten that the Scottish budget deficit of some 14.8 billion sterling is the worst of any nation in Europe including Greece. With a deficit level comparable with GDP of 9.5%, this is more than twice the rate of the rest of the UK. Now, unless things have changed dramatically since I last looked, to be a member of the EU you should have a budget deficit of no more than 3% of GDP. We all know that this can be fudged, manipulated, or whatever, but to the degree required in Scotland’s case?

There is also the little problem of Catalonia. Who could doubt that Spain would be determined to vote against Scottish membership, or is this just a minor detail to Ms Sturgeon and her SNP cronies?

So Ms Sturgeon, to qualify for EU membership as an independent nation, would you be prepared to cut your Government’s spending by 10% of GDP – or make all of us living in Scotland pay 20% more in tax?

Dream on!

Scotland and Independence – Respect the 2014 Referendum result

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The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Ms Nicola Sturgeon, is a charismatic and intelligent individual, and without her leadership it is highly unlikely that the SNP would have reached the heights it now occupies both in the Scottish and Westminster parliaments. Furthermore, in the past, the leadership qualities of some of those in the pro Union parties in Scotland left much to be desired.

It was the fantasy economic case the SNP tried to argue in the Independence referendum in 2014, their unrealistic view of the future oil price in particular, which led to the majority of Scots voting to remain in the UK.

However, the SNP have again been encouraged to talk of yet another Independence referendum, this time on the basis that the majority of Scots voted in June to stay in the EU, despite the fresh embarrassing revelation that some of Ms Sturgeon’s own colleagues voted for Brexit!

Ms Sturgeon now needs to be told that ‘the express will of the Scottish people’ , a slogan she never tires of ranting, has already been delivered unequivocally by the Scots, as per the 2014 referendum result, and that THERE WILL BE NO 2nd REFERENDUM ! Mrs May must get this message across to Ms Sturgeon once and for all. Mrs May should, however, prioritise regular consultations with the Scottish Government, on the Brexit negotiations once they start. Not to do so would be inexcusable in view of the huge mandate held by the Nationalists.

A recent welcome development in Scotland, is the re-emergence of the Conservatives, after years in the doldrums, as a force to be reckoned with under their leader, Ruth Davidson, who is ably backed by Mark McInnis and Rab Forman, among others, in the party’s headquarters. However, they are simply not aggressive or proactive enough and they must do more to tackle Ms Sturgeon in the short term, rather than use their traditional tactics of the long game. Time waits for no one!