Off Topic The Politics Thread

[Steelmonkey]

Andrew Neil to a SNP MP:

"You don’t contribute anything like enough in taxes to cover spending. Total Scottish tax take is £66bn. Total state spending is £81bn. Shortfall: £15bn. A gap not filled from your money. You should know this: they’re Scot Gov stats."

The SNP Fiscal policy has been shown up for years, it's nothing new. They also have a poor record on education and public health, and they've been the ruling party up here for at least a decade so they can't pass the blame onto their predecessors.

But one of the over-riding factors of their success has been Brexit, and the country being dragged out of the EU when only a third of the electorate voted for it - this gave them the advantage they needed to push for a second referendum. Couple that with the bungling efforts of Westminster during Covid and it's easy to see why the Scots (single t, not double tt Ellers) want to break away.

However, there are many dissenting voices within the SNP apparently. Some of the old guard are now privately saying they don't want Independance, as once it's gained the party will a) become irrelevant and b) be exposed for all of it's short comings. The old guard are also worried that the younger members of the party are pushing for independance at any cost, and their enthusiasm may blinker them when they sit down to broker a deal with Westminster if there is a referendum and they win.

 

[Goldhawk-Road]

The SNP Fiscal policy has been shown up for years, it's nothing new. They also have a poor record on education and public health, and they've been the ruling party up here for at least a decade so they can't pass the blame onto their predecessors.

But one of the over-riding factors of their success has been Brexit, and the country being dragged out of the EU when only a third of the electorate voted for it - this gave them the advantage they needed to push for a second referendum. Couple that with the bungling efforts of Westminster during Covid and it's easy to see why the Scots (single t, not double tt Ellers) want to break away.

However, there are many dissenting voices within the SNP apparently. Some of the old guard are now privately saying they don't want Independance, as once it's gained the party will a) become irrelevant and b) be exposed for all of it's short comings. The old guard are also worried that the younger members of the party are pushing for independance at any cost, and their enthusiasm may blinker them when they sit down to broker a deal with Westminster if there is a referendum and they win.

In many ways, the SNP have it good at the moment. They can spend money on their citizens - far more than is spent per person in the rest of the UK - and know that Westminster will stump up. They can blame Westminster if anything goes wrong, and still ride a vague independence horse to stay well in power.

I guess if a deal is done by the UK with the EU in the coming months, this will take some of the resentment out of Brexit. If it's a bumpier road with no-deal, it may accelerate the arguments for Indyref2

 

[bobmid]

I thought you supported the EU, Bob. They're all back at work. We're the laggards

I support the mighty hoops mate. Never once stated anywhere that I support the EU.

 

[Stroller]

I thought you supported the EU, Bob. They're all back at work. We're the laggards

France and Germany have extended their furlough schemes for another year.

 

[bobmid]

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[Goldhawk-Road]

France and Germany have extended their furlough schemes for another year.

May be but in France 83% of office workers are back behind their desks, compared with 34% in the UK. Germany is around 75%

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/uk-lags-behind-europe-on-returning-to-office/

 

[Goldhawk-Road]

I support the mighty hoops mate. Never once stated anywhere that I support the EU.

I could have sworn you were a Remainer, but welcome to the Brexit camp!

 

[bobmid]

I could have sworn you were a Remainer, but welcome to the Brexit camp!

Nah I was neither mate. In hindsight and after all the bullshit, u-turns and downright lies, then I would have voted remain. People knew what they were voting for but the delivery of that vote is far from what was suggested at the time. It is what it is now but I think with the unemployment figures, pandemic and the fact that our government dont even read their own small print of deals, then I think it could be the worst thing (at this time) to happen.

 

[Goldhawk-Road]

Nah I was neither mate. In hindsight and after all the bullshit, u-turns and downright lies, then I would have voted remain. People knew what they were voting for but the delivery of that vote is far from what was suggested at the time. It is what it is now but I think with the unemployment figures, pandemic and the fact that our government dont even read their own small print of deals, then I think it could be the worst thing (at this time) to happen.

May be, we won't have to wait long to find out. Even with a Brexit deal, **** will hit the fan this winter

 

[bobmid]

Obviously that's just my opinion and I hope I'm wrong but when people mention a short to medium era of hardship, then people could really suffer, more than they are doing already. Someone will obviously get rich from it though. Dont see the point in it all to be honest.

 

[bobmid]

May be, we won't have to wait long to find out. Even with a Brexit deal, **** will hit the fan this winter

We will find out one way or another. I would like nothing more for it to be a roaring success and be totally wrong.

 

[Star of David Bardsley]

Obviously that's just my opinion and I hope I'm wrong but when people mention a short to medium era of hardship, then people could really suffer, more than they are doing already. Someone will obviously get rich from it though. Dont see the point in it all to be honest.

It won’t be illegal to fly our flag any more.

 

[ELLERS]

I couldn't care less if you take me seriously or not, but get your facts right
Ellers....it's only the 5G that's been banned, not the 4G.

It took the industry by surprise, and I'm just a very small cog in a massive wheel. It took another government U-Turn to make that decision, one that will cost the network operators millions, so you'll see that in the increase of your tariff over the coming years.

mmm I don’t know where to start...
let’s go back to your opening salvo regarding how I describe people?
Firstly I was working in London and passed that extinction Mob everyday. I saw them goading and spitting at police. I witnessed how they harassed not only me but many people just wanting to go to work. I even got caught up in an incident where 2 of these freaks pushed a woman with a baby and she nearly fell down the stairs... Their behaviour was disgusting so please don’t tell me How to describe them because I was there.
Secondly it really does amaze the hypocrisy of some on here? It’s okay for Some to spend weeks ,moaning at the Tories and being derogatory about them but as soon I mention something it is challenged? Funny that?
Posters mock Priti Patel and Boris... it’s all fine. I mock Diane Abbott and I’m a racist?
Posters spend weeks bashing the Tories... Idiotic posts regarding ‘testing’ no problem. I mention the Limp Dims 3 times and I’m obsessive?
if I say it’s sunny, there are some who will say it’s raining... because it happens to be me. The hypocrisy and double standards of some is laughable.
I mention that the Covid infection rate had fallen and was belittled... yet when I proved it to be correct (the weekly rate) ... nothing. This is the reason I cannot be bothered half the time.
So getting back to your 5G (Apologies for the 4G mix up). I remember it well. I said that I heard the government was going to ditch the Chinese. You said they wouldn’t. I’m am not mocking you, in fact I thought you gave a comprehensive point which I liked. My point is before you knock me about my posts take a look at some others.

 

[ELLERS]

I could have sworn you were a Remainer, but welcome to the Brexit camp!

Bob wasn’t a remainer he wasn’t decided, from what I can remember.
I was a reluctant leaver at the start and was a remainer before I got into the Brexit debate.

 

[ELLERS]

May be but in France 83% of office workers are back behind their desks, compared with 34% in the UK. Germany is around 75%

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/uk-lags-behind-europe-on-returning-to-office/

I must have missed this post... just talk to some of the French and ask them how the government has helped out! I was there 10 days ago listening to them bitch about Macron and jobs.

 

[Goldhawk-Road]

I must have missed this post... just talk to some of the French and ask them how the government has helped out! I was there 10 days ago listening to them bitch about Macron and jobs.

The reality is that there are few countries that are happy with the way their governments handled the pandemic. Far East come out best, since Sars had forced them to prepare

 

[ELLERS]

The reality is that there are few countries that are happy with the way their governments handled the pandemic. Far East come out best, since Sars had forced them to prepare

Agree. Not saying the government hasn't made mistakes but much of the stuff I hear has been overblown to make them look even worse. A few on here bitching about things isn't speaking for the whole country?
Sir Wooden top has played a binder by instructing his underlings to keep quiet but sooner or later they will need to speak... that’s when they will come unstuck.

 

[Star of David Bardsley]

I think we can all agree our government has managed to **** it up in just about every measurable way more than almost anywhere else. Probably not.

Well we can definitely agree other leaders weren’t making speeches at the start of the outbreak about how it was a great opportunity to get an advantage over neighbouring countries by keeping everything open while scaredy cat foreigners cowered in lockdown before realising we’d pissed three weeks away doing **** all and actually hundreds of thousands dying wouldn’t be a vote winner. Hopefully, anyway.

 

[bobmid]

I think we can all agree our government has managed to **** it up in just about every measurable way more than almost anywhere else. Probably not.

Well we can definitely agree other leaders weren’t making speeches at the start of the outbreak about how it was a great opportunity to get an advantage over neighbouring countries by keeping everything open while scaredy cat foreigners cowered in lockdown before realising we’d pissed three weeks away doing **** all and actually hundreds of thousands dying wouldn’t be a vote winner. Hopefully, anyway.

They have ****ed up many, many things. Some incredibly stupid and poor decisions, led by science but not led by science. The opposition parties really dont have to say much at all, their work is done for them by the incompetence of some of the decisions made, the bare faced lies told on national tv and in parliment and the money wasted (or not if you're the tory donor receiving) on piss poor contracts.

 

[ELLERS]

I think we can all agree our government has managed to **** it up in just about every measurable way more than almost anywhere else. Probably not.

Well we can definitely agree other leaders weren’t making speeches at the start of the outbreak about how it was a great opportunity to get an advantage over neighbouring countries by keeping everything open while scaredy cat foreigners cowered in lockdown before realising we’d pissed three weeks away doing **** all and actually hundreds of thousands dying wouldn’t be a vote winner. Hopefully, anyway.

There is no evidence that locking down earlier would have saved lives (according to some).
Now some critics are saying we shouldn't have locked down?
I can't see how the government can do right or wrong!