Salmond and Sturgeon Want the English Fish for More Fat Subsidies

Froggitt

The lion may have roared, but fortunately for the other 98% of the UK population, its been locked in a very small box.

IveSeenTheLight

Froggitt wrote: »

The lion may have roared, but fortunately for the other [strike]98%[/strike] 91.5% of the UK population, its been locked in a very small box.

A lovely analogy and one which accurately depicts this union we are in.

elantan

I reckon that lion will be roaring for a while yet

elantan

Imagine if Scotland has sent all Labour Mp's down and not SNP ... Scotland would have no voice at all then

Generali

If it's any consolation, the SNP will have a place on every Select Committee and possibly a chair or two.

.string.

I am sure all parties will be reassessing their policies after that unexpected result.

Labour looks set for a period on the doldrums and navel gazing, until a new leader can pick them up and start to evolve a new, and winning, character.

The SNP will have to rethink their expectation that they would be able, through their votes, apply pressure on a weak Labour government, and instead work out how they can converse with a much stronger Conservative Government whree anything they might achieve now has to be on the basis that it benefits not just Scotland but also the UK

The Tories have also to rethink their stance, given the Scottish election of, essentially, a single party for Westminster. They need to lance the boil of perceived Scottish disenfranchisement without weakening the Union or putting greater burden on the English tax payer.

I suspect that the early steps well be to push forward the already "skeltoned-out" Devolution enhancement, while at the same time enacting their proposall for English voting. Whether there is any enhancement of that due to representations of the SNP we have to wait and see, but I suspect that something may be given, if not anything like the SNP wish list.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I think it makes good sense to conduct discussions not just with the SNP but also with the other parties in Scotland. That would be faithful with the words in the "Vow" and, in recognising the existence of both separatist and unionist parties in Scotland, would, in the end, prove less controversial in both Scotland and England. I doubt that the SNP would see it that way now, but they would be wise to avoid demonstrating a continually parochial viewpoint which will erode their standing, especially when orchestrated remotely from Sturgeon.

The idea of going to a federalist UK has some merits (and some demerits), but that concept could not be developed quickly and the commitment to have such a UK-wide discussion could be mooted, but not now for it would delay the enhanced devolution promised.

kabayiri

Generali wrote: »

If it's any consolation, the SNP will have a place on every Select Committee and possibly a chair or two.

They can stand.

It will save money and keep them healthy.

kabayiri

elantan wrote: »

I reckon that lion will be roaring for a while yet

If Scotland is a lion then the Tories are a T-Rex.

To a T-Rex a lion is a snack...

ruggedtoast

The Tories have no intention of embracing a federalist model, or of working with the SNP. They have no need to anyway now.

All we will be getting is 5 years of neo-liberal corporate welfare, galloping house prices in the SE, and spending cuts that hit the most vulnerable first and hardest. Then there is our exit from Europe to look forward to.

Of course, I get the impression that Tory voters are generally pretty pleased about the prospect of all of this.

Generali

What to do about Scotland is an interesting conundrum.

The Tories could quote reasonably continue with BAU: they've won a majority of votes. The Scots had a chance to leave the UK and decided against and this was a perfectly possible outcome.

FWIW, I think that would be a recipe for disaster. Something needs to be done about Scotland. I don't know what that something is and TBH I don't think the Scots do either.

More 'freedom' from Westminster is meaningless unless they get more fiscal freedom. That would be an utter disaster.

The Tories could try to pay the Scots off but that doesn't seem particularly reasonable either.

So what to do about a problem called Scotland?