The New Fat Scotland 'Thanks for all the Fish' Thread.

elantan

Shakethedisease wrote: »

Iain Gray and the usual suspects have been all over twitter with this. But I for one am having serious trouble with Scottish Labour's sudden turn to all things 'green'.

This was him in May 2014. Check out the last sentence in particular.



Scottish Labour are really going for it with the left/green vote. Aided by the usual media spin. The SNP won't willingly allow fracking, too many in Scotland are against it, too many of their own MSP's and MPs are on record being extremely vocal of their opposition to fracking and not least, their voters and members would desert them in droves. If Scotland is to frack, the orders will be given, and Holyrood over ruled from elsewhere.

They did the right thing abstaining. Labour were rubbing their hands in glee thinking they would vote against this ( Labour ) motion. Instead all they've got is headlines saying the usual 'SNP accused'. I'm getting heartily sick of the whole thing to be honest. But one thing I do know is that Scottish Labour have flip flopped on policies such as this one so often, that it must be difficult for anyone to trust a word they say anymore.

They're onto APD now. They're using the Greens ( already and obvious objections on many environmental issues ) to back them up imo. Harvie wants to be very careful with this going forward. It's Scottish Labour that get the 'credit' for this sort of politcing and 'SNP accused' in Scottish media headlines, not the Greens. They'll hardly get a mention. However I doubt there will be many SNP voters enjoying seeing Harvie and his MSP's siding with Scottish Labour every vote going either. And Scottish Labour are lining up all the environmental votes and motions they can find at the moment.

Careful Patrick !

Aye that's what I was working out last night .. the Greens are going to be used as a labour play toy ... that's dirty politics that is

And I I'm starting to get scunnered with it all

Shakethedisease

Generali wrote: »

Erm how did the Scots Government stop companies doing something that it isn't in their power to stop them doing?

By implementing a moratorium. Has there been a single bore hole drilled ? No.

28/05/16

The petrochemical giant Ineos has moved its fracking operation from Scotland to England amid frustration at the Scottish Government’s failure to back the controversial gas extraction technique.

Scotland on Sunday has learned that the multinational has informed Scottish ministers of its decision which has been made to take advantage of fracking opportunities south of the Border. Nicola Sturgeon’s administration has imposed a moratorium on fracking in Scotland and last night the government’s line appeared to harden when the new energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said he was “deeply sceptical” of proposals to exploit shale gas reserves beneath the ground

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/snp-fracking-policy-prompts-ineos-to-send-experts-to-england-1-4140648

The SNP did the same with nuclear energy plant plans too.

The Scottish Government has used its planning powers to block new nuclear generation, even though electricity generation and nuclear energy are reserved matters. This is about the only case I can think of where a devolved administration has successfully exploited the overlap of devolved and non-devolved powers to obstruct a UK Government initiative

https://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/scotland-and-nuclear-power/

I reckon when all is said and done Scottish Labour are out to try and take the credit for anti-fracking in Scotland/putting pressure on the Govt when the SNP do come out explicitly against it.. Like they did with the Cal Mac ruling recently. It's all pretty transparent stuff.

It's the Greens who have to be extremely wary. They're in danger of simply being overlooked and lumped in with a 'hey we've gone a bit green for 10 minutes look at us' Scottish Labour... instead of being credited for their own very long standing, hard argued and genuinely felt policies.

elantan

The 45 mins FMQ seems better, Nicola had a few tough q's to answer, she did no bad,

Generali

Shakethedisease wrote: »

By implementing a moratorium. Has there been a single bore hole drilled ? No.

28/05/16http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/snp-fracking-policy-prompts-ineos-to-send-experts-to-england-1-4140648

The SNP did the same with nuclear energy plant plans too.

https://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/scotland-and-nuclear-power/

I reckon when all is said and done Scottish Labour are out to try and take the credit for anti-fracking in Scotland/putting pressure on the Govt when the SNP do come out explicitly against it.. Like they did with the Cal Mac ruling recently. It's all pretty transparent stuff.

It's the Greens who have to be extremely wary. They're in danger of simply being overlooked and lumped in with a 'hey we've gone a bit green for 10 minutes look at us' Scottish Labour... instead of being credited for their own very long standing, hard argued and genuinely felt policies.

So the SNP has driven away companies wishing to invest in Scotland by being a massive PITA to deal with. That doesn't bode well for the future.

Oh well, I guess you can blame the resultant failure of the Scottish economy on Westminster.

elantan

Just think independence would've solved that moaning ... sigh ... spose WM will just need to accept it

.string.

Generali wrote: »

So the SNP has driven away companies wishing to invest in Scotland by being a massive PITA to deal with. That doesn't bode well for the future.

Oh well, I guess you can blame the resultant failure of the Scottish economy on Westminster.

I have to admit, though, that the SNP are really good at not doing anything.

Maybe, just maybe, they didn't vote with the Tories because they didn't want to vote with the Tories - never mind the matter in hand.

But who cares? - not the SNP that's for sure.

Shakethedisease

.string. wrote: »

I have to admit, though, that the SNP are really good at not doing anything.

Maybe, just maybe, they didn't vote with the Tories because they didn't want to vote with the Tories - never mind the matter in hand.

But who cares? - not the SNP that's for sure.

Scottish Labour are playing games. They've already lined up votes on APD and have just announced they're going to force another vote on raising the top rate of tax to 50p. Both of which are Green policies as well ( they want a top rate of 60p ). Patrick Harvie is going to get caught in the crossfire unfortunately. These policies were firmly rejected at the ballot box just a few weeks ago.

SLab define themselves and their very existence these days in terms of what the SNP do or don't do. As do the Scottish media. All of it revolves round the SNP and they're all too blind to see what they are doing. If I see another 'SNP accused' or 'Blow for Sturgeon' headline... sheesh. It's daily. But weirdly the media very rarely cover anything the other parties do or say unless it relates to the SNP somehow. That speaks volumes imo.

I read an interesting comment elsewhere today that goes along with my own opinion in that by separating off too much from the Uk party and Westminster. That SLab and the STories are making really big rods for their own backs a bit further down the line. Let them continue I say.

Essentially, by siding with the Greens to try and look even more left wing than the SNP on fracking (which the SNP are already clearly against and have managed to prevent totally in Scotland), Labour have managed to make Scotland clearly and obviously the most anti-fracking part of the UK.

More of that kind of behaviour over the next 5 years and they’ll create exactly what their narrative demands doesn’t exist – a Scotland that’s far more left wing than the UK as a whole and travelling in an entirely different direction. That can only be good for independence, especially if SLAB decide to have “different” policies here on reserved issues than their head office in London has.

.string.

I don't follow the argument that Lab/Tory Scottish Parties are giving themselves "trouble down the line" by tailoring their policies to Scottish concerns.

They will have Scottish policies and UK policies; nothing wrong with that, anymore than, to use a favourite example, Yorkshire policies and UK policies.

Trouble in Scotland or in the UK as a whole?

Leanne1812

.string. wrote: »

I have to admit, though, that the SNP are really good at not doing anything.

Maybe, just maybe, they didn't vote with the Tories because they didn't want to vote with the Tories - never mind the matter in hand.

But who cares? - not the SNP that's for sure.

Have you forgotten they've been running a country for quite some time now?

Obviously the electorate think they're competent or they'd have been hammered in the most recent election less than a month ago.

What is it you're not getting? I'm quite bewildered that you think they do nothing. Would you care to expand or is it just your dislike that clouds your judgement?

Leanne1812

Generali wrote: »

So the SNP has driven away companies wishing to invest in Scotland by being a massive PITA to deal with. That doesn't bode well for the future.

Oh well, I guess you can blame the resultant failure of the Scottish economy on Westminster.

Would you prefer your government to just invest in anything or take a considered approach to something that may be harmful?