kendo
Prussian bot
SNP and Greens agree new power-sharing deal.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-58272209
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-58272209
Scottish Politics II
- Thread starter TheDecameron
- Start date
Konteebos
Surfing on the lake of fire
...and all the press coverage is negative, what a surprise!
kendo
Prussian bot
A deal that has yet to be ratified by both parties executives and of which no detail has been published.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says the Greens need to "rediscover their principles" which is somewhat ironic.
Richard Lines
pfm Member
I've only just re-visited this thread so apologies for the late comment on the above quote. The SNP record on the NHS is nothing to write home about either and which city is it with the worst drug related death problem in the whole of Europe.
That makes them fit to run the country now let alone in the event of independence?
I must be missing something.
Have they determined what the EC would require of an independent Scotland to gain entry yet?
Regards
Richard
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Konteebos
Surfing on the lake of fire
That'll be the Anas Sarwar who doesn't pay his employees a living wage and send his kids to private school...
PsB
Citizen of Nowhere™
Every nation has its problems, often structural and inherited from the past. Based on my limited information (our daughter has worked in both), NHS Scotland is in slightly better shape than NHS England.
My guess is the EC would expedite accession talks, taking the view that:
1) Scotland was part of the EU for 40 years and was removed against the will of a majority of Scottish voters
2) Scotland would start from a point of relative alignment with EU rules (divergence has not set in yet)
3) Scotland is a relatively affluent and developed economy, compared to other accession candidates
4) there is a lot of political support from other nations in the region, including Denmark, Sweden and Ireland (+ Norway as an EEA member) which would be interested in an additional Nordic member state. France would certainly support, as would Germany. Spain would not object as long as Scotland achieves independence in a constitutional way; this is in effect the opposite of the Catalonian situation: Scotland is "nation removed from the EU by its federation, against its will, now trying to get back in", as opposed to Catalonia, "nation tries to leave its federation by unconstitutional means while remaining in the EU".
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
Yes you seem to be missing the responses to your previous posts about the NHS in Scotland. There are significantly more GPs and hospital beds per capita in Scotland than in England, A&E waiting times are lower because less people attend A&E compared with England- possibly they can see a GP instead of relying on A&E. The overall differences are no doubt a consequence of how Scottish Government chooses to allocate its overall budget. £2,368 per head of population goes to the NHS in Scotland vs £,2,182 in England. You don’t have to pay prescription charges in Scotland either.
Drug deaths among heroin addicts and poly drug abusers are of serious concern and like knife crime deaths in London, the contributing factors are complex and not easily reduced to party politics. We need to do better.
Richard Lines
pfm Member
Speaking for myself there seem to be a variety of sources on the interweb telling assorted versions of exactly how the NHS is funded. I don't dispute your figures as the per capita spending in Scotland has been the highest of the four countries for some time but it would appear the difference is reducing and it isn't clear how much of this higher per capita spending is related to the Barnett formula.
My main sticking point regarding independence is how a future Scottish government would fund things going forward.
As regards the drug related deaths in such as Glasgow - the SNP have been 'in power' for 14 years now.............. how much longer do you think we should give them?
Regards
Richard
kendo
Prussian bot
How do you stop the "street valium" which causes many of the fatalities when combined with methadone from getting into Scotland?
And don't be under the impression that it's a strictly Scottish problem, it's everywhere in the UK.
There doesn't seem to be much in the way of heroin or other imported drugs available except cocaine which still seems to be plentiful.
None of this shite is made here so how does it get here?
None of this is news either, I remember well when heroin first hit Dundee in a big way around 1980*. A whole council housing scheme (Whitfield) pop. around 12000 became virtually uninhabitable due to the numbers of "users" who were housed there. When that happened, the rest of "low rent" Dundee then enjoyed their presence and so it remains. So yes, it is a problem for the SNP but it has been a societal problem for over 40 years.
*I knew six people who didn't make it to 1990 due to HIV or overdose.
And don't be under the impression that it's a strictly Scottish problem, it's everywhere in the UK.
There doesn't seem to be much in the way of heroin or other imported drugs available except cocaine which still seems to be plentiful.
None of this shite is made here so how does it get here?
None of this is news either, I remember well when heroin first hit Dundee in a big way around 1980*. A whole council housing scheme (Whitfield) pop. around 12000 became virtually uninhabitable due to the numbers of "users" who were housed there. When that happened, the rest of "low rent" Dundee then enjoyed their presence and so it remains. So yes, it is a problem for the SNP but it has been a societal problem for over 40 years.
*I knew six people who didn't make it to 1990 due to HIV or overdose.
Konteebos
Surfing on the lake of fire
Scotland is stuck with the same drugs policies as the rest of the UK as these are not devolved. The Scottish Government has made several requests to use the approaches that have worked in other countries, like Portugal, but the UK Government has refused.
These policies are failing in the rest of the UK, too;
Drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales reach record high | Drugs | The Guardian
These policies are failing in the rest of the UK, too;
Drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales reach record high | Drugs | The Guardian
Richard Lines
pfm Member
Forgive me for posting this quote across to the 'Scottish' thread but it seems more appropriate as the current one relates to Keir Starmer??
I agree with you entirely wrt to the UK government 'blocking' a second referendum. Aiming to respect the wishes of the Scots if >60% of the population wish it is setting a high bar and how often do you conduct polls to determine this?
Regards
Richard
SteveG
pfm Member
I'd have accepted the requirement for a 60%+ vote if the same were applied to Brexit. Given how slim the margin was Brexit though (and a margin that's probably eroded now anyway as you'd have to be a moron or one of those feeding at the trough to still support it), then I don't see how the Tories could really push for it for the Independence vote. Not that it'll stop them given they've no morals etc.
Spraggons Den
pfm Member
I really want the people of Scotland to be happy. They have a history as an independent country and their own culture. But they will not gain independence during the following conditions, fact:
1. The Queen is still on the throne
2. Tories in power in Westminster
Both factors will change of course so the important question for the Scott's is when.
1. The Queen is still on the throne
2. Tories in power in Westminster
Both factors will change of course so the important question for the Scott's is when.
Spraggons Den
pfm Member
I know the SNP are a bit short on details on how they would manage the economy and I believe they currently envisage keeping the pound. Are they really content for the interest rate applied to their economy to be set by the Bank of England who are determining it based on the conditions in what remains of the UK and not explicitly Scotland. Odd.
SteveG
pfm Member
Probably best to just adopt the Euro rather than aligning the country to a sinking ship.
Spraggons Den
pfm Member
Aye seems like a good idea but adopting the Euro is not the plan at the moment - anybody know why?
Brian
Eating fat, staying slim
You really can't see how? It's called a lesson learned. This is the most obvious lesson to be learned from 2016. The problems of the 2016 referendum result being so close for such a massive change should be obvious to all and should not be repeated.
I will be amazed if the tories agree to a referendum without a need for a supermajority and I even have doubts the SNP would take Scotland out of the UK on a result similar to the 2016 referendum. A supermajority is obviously the way to go.
Spraggons Den
pfm Member
I disagree Brian.
First the majority in the Brexit referendum at approx' 1,700,000 votes was not really very close.
I also think it is double standards to set an arbitrary figure for a supermajority on a Scottish referendum or for that matter an arbitrary figure as a minimum requirement for voter turnout.
The real obstacles are the Tories in Westminster and the fact that referenda results are only advisory and can be not acted upon by parliament.
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
Brexit certainly is a quality “how not to do it” guide as I’ve said before in this context. Ultimately it’s the elected Scottish Parliament and voters in Scotland who will decide.