The Scottish Government

#29

Your post simply reeks of tasteless, curmudgeonly innuendo, cloaked insinuation and crass, clichéd misrepresentation, of the kind one would readily associate with the stale cynicism of the worst kind of Labour adherent – an entrenched mindset which led in no small way to that party’s celebrated and long-overdue rejection in May.

Despite your disparaging words and muddled allegations, you fail to make a single original or valid point in your frenetic spin against the SNP – in stark contrast to the catalogue of shady dealings, shedding of principles and sheer betrayal of trust we have seen from Labour at all levels of government in just the past 10 years.

Before May, we barely had a Scottish Executive worthy of the name (‘White Heather Club’?!!) – let alone a Scottish Government!

As better-informed contributors rightly remind us, this National Conversation is about airing the views of the wider public, not party politics. However, it is the SNP who have brought about this opportunity, and only the SNP who are challenging the London-led parties in Holyrood for the people’s right to decide their nation’s future.

Ironically, in seeking to bring about a fresh perspective, free from past prejudices, the process has certainly succeeded in flushing you out!

Away with backward-looking negativity, and forward to a brighter future!

Well done SNP for your fresh look at scotlands future. We need a vibrant economy to sustain any kind of future for our nation. To that end infrastructure is the key part in starting that economy. The third Forth crossing is a matter of extreme urgency, We can do little until it is completed to remove the bottleneck that is west of Edinburgh. This, plus better rail and road links to ALL Scotland will help spread commerce beyond the central belt. The west coast above Dumbarton is bereft of anything but tourism and defence. We need to channel the energy potential of the west and far north to our grid and thence to the uk/europe grids. Only by doing that can we go beyond the Oil reserves and shake our reliance of the russians gas!
Our way forward is inventiveness, it always has been, that and engineering excellence. We can take the world lead in carbon control by using our strenghths in those fields to kick start our economy throughout the nation so that we do indeed become all 'Jock Tamsons Bairns' and not keep it all in the Lothians and Lanarkshire!
So in summary, build the bridge NOW, cheap trains/ferries to all communities. Build renewables/carbon capture energy generation and give scots the contracts to build this infrastructure. Find a way to do this and in 20 years we will be the envy of the world. We would be able then to forward our social care/education and humanitarian agendas.
Thank you for listening.

As a Welshman, living in England I find the question of constitutional reform one that requires a level of debate based around pros and cons for all nations within the Union. History will always play a part in all of these debates, but it is critical to look at what works and what doesn’t. It is easy to lower the level of debate, like the Daily Mail, to one bordering on us and them, or invaders and foreigners; this leads to headlines of ‘the Scots get more money per head, paid for by the English’ or ‘the English are ruled by a Scottish Cabinet’. Such polarised views are no helpful, and mask the real questions for us all. Independence is of course an option, and one that given the events in Northern Ireland can be addressed via a referendum, this would be welcomed by all concerned, including the English. However, a federalised approach may also work, which is the case in many nations in Germany and the US, where sovereign states are linked through a common constitution (something that if the UK had would assist this debate); or a recognition that greater powers for the Scottish Parliament, though a good thing need to be counterbalanced by changed elsewhere, including amendments to the financial settlement between the UK Government and the Scottish Government, alongside a debate in England around localised Government there. If we approach this debate objectively all sides could benefit. There is a recognition that there needs to be a differentiated approach, in the same way at a local level where some Council services in one area are available to its residents and not in another, it is a matter of utilising the resources available to Governing bodies to do right by their electorate. Having visited the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly I have been impressed by the level of access and focus, I think the English Regions could learn form these natural extensions to the current fabric of the UK.

31 stuart

The SNP are sticking up for those who dont want independence they get to vote NO in the referendum DUH. The point is that the SNP are the only party who want to ask the poeple of scotland what THEY want. It is the other unionist parties that are not sticking up for all the people of scotland by refusing to listen or talk to the people. All the people. Alex salmond has made it perfectly clear he is willing to reach a consensus with the other parties they however are not willing to do this with him. This conversation is an opportunity for everyone in scotland to put their veiws accross. The only people who dont seem to want to be represented on here are the people voted in to represent us. SNP voters are angry because they feel they are not being listend to while they are willing to accept what everyone says in the referendum.

The following letter was printed in the Herald dated 23rd Aug. Your contributors to the 'conversation' may agree that it is worthy of wider dissemination.

Writer Ian Rankin has gone on record as saying that the 'national conversation' on Scotland's constitutional future made the country an 'exciting place'. By preferring 'conversation' to 'debate', Alec Salmond has endeavoured to raise the issue of 'where do we as a society go from here' above party politics. If it has caused a 'buzz', as Ian Rankin suggests, he will not be too unhappy.

But if the conservation is to be meaningful it is incumbent upon all of us to set aside party loyalty for the duration. Whether devolution blossoms into full nationhood has little to do with party politics. It is about how we Scots feel about ourselves. On the issue of devolution politicians speak for themselves, and themselves only. Wendy Alexander should take note. It is arrogance to declare that a break from Westminster would be a disaster for the Scots without giving her reasons. Her defending of the status quo carries the risk of ossification as the present becomes the past,dated and irrelevent to contemporary society. Ms alexander's seeming stridency will do little to endear herself to the wider scottish public. Her diehard supporters, perhaps, but alas a diminishing strand of the labour movement as more succumb to the reality of their own mortality.

Even in the short period of devolution to date, the Westminster model of democracy looks increasingly jaded. In Scotland coalition government has resulted in the emergence of a more broadly-based consensus on issues important to ordinary scots. A strong sense of our common humanity has resulted in advances in healthcare,elderly care, concessionary travel and student fees. In these areas England is playing catchup.

II

I've read through some of the comments posted and am quite disappointed that there hasn't been more discussion...... At first I thought it was simply a rallying of SNP supporters, then the odd 'scathing' reposte, a sensible suggestion followed by little more of the same.

Its clear that there are a large number of 'issues' that the people of Scotland have concerns about. While I agree in principle to a refurendum to determine our future, I think this blog would benefit from strands of conversation around particular issues.

Enabling citizens to participate in a detailed discussion about what a referendum might facilitate could help the debate along a bit more....and possibly lend a greater air of credibility to the discussion. Not so much a battle of hearts but minds.

I am pleased that the SNPs administration (oops - government) has varied the political discussion in Scotland which is beginning to encourage some, who would otherwise not have engaged, to think about what it might mean to them. Now is an excellent opportunity to see if "Joe Public" really cares about other aspects of political discussion as well.

Lets face it, after the bun fight over independence, it would be really handy to have an electorate that actually cared.

I support further devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament, especially on tax raising. It is a nonsense that 129 MSP sit deciding how to spend taxes but have no responsibility for raising the money. This means there is no direct accountability; nor is there the ability of our elected members to increase or decrease the overall and/or specific taxes to reflect the situation in Scotland. Taxes are set based on the UK economic situation which is heavily distorted by south east England and an entirely different economic reality may be the case in Scotland.

Where I am less sure is on full independence and I appreciate this consultation opportunity to explore the options. I have just listened to David Cairns, UK junior minister for Scotland, on the radio demonstrating a lack of understanding of the devolved situation (claiming credit for devolved areas) while at the same time talking down Scotland's ability to manage the regulatory framework for North Sea oil. It's time the English branch of the Labour Party got with the reality on the Scottish ground. It took a change of leadership in the Scottish Labour Party finally to accept they had actually lost the election. Scottish UK Ministers would do well to adopt some of that same humility if they don't want to drive those unsure of the way forward into the arms of the Nats!

No.21 - How can you judge the report quoted by No19 as "opinion" when you admit you don't know what report it is?

And while the reports that you quote may be based on sound financial figures, that does not make the conclusions contained therein anything more than an educated opinion.

The fact is that the economic condition of a future Scotland independent or not depends on a variety of factors and any conclusions as to the condition in 10 or 20 yeas time are mere speculation.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who runs the economy, it is the policies and practices that matter. A United Kingdom can provide as good an economic result for Scotland as could a independent Scotland.

For this to happen though, the Westminster Government would have to lose its London/SE England economic bias, which is detrimental to not only Scotland, but to Wales and NI and North England.


Similarly, Scottish independence will not spell certain economic disaster for Scotland - so long as both countries remain in the EU, their economies will remain part of a single market.

The question is whether we really want our country to become, as the SNP seem to want, corporate whores. Why should we be offering minimum tax, minimum regulation conditions to international corporations? While this may be beneficial to our economy in the short-term, it is detrimental to conditions of employment, and corporate contribution to the state across the globe. And in the long-term, it is only a matter of time before another country undercuts us. Why should we get involved in a race to the bottom?

I tire of the scared and the ignorant who believe the scare-mongering tactics of the "unionist" establishment.

Independence would not halt trade with Wales and England. People make these threats, of course but businesses in each of these countries aren't nearly as stupid to cut of any potential income revenues. How naive to think otherwise. Independence would offer Scotland a stronger voice with which to broker international business ties, without worrying about what London thinks.

Should we be nervous about independence? Yes! Nervous with anticipation of a more positive and productive future, free of the accusations of being 'whingers and scroungers' as any mistakes made in Scotland will be ours, not Westminster's... and any successes ours as well...or is that people are afraid of, that we might start to do things better?

so westminister has told the snp,hands off brittish oil,and claiming that the investment is all from down south,the investment comes from the multi natinal companies who operate in the north sea.there are vast ammounts of oil and gas off the west coast of lewis are the westminister mob going to claim that as well? scotland must vote for independence now and use our recources for the good of scotland while we still can.by the way could some one explain this barnet formula and how it works I have read so many different things in the newspapers and I am still confused,especially the bit that says scotland gets more than any one else anybody can see that it is london that gets it all.....