The Scottish Government

Patrick Kirkwood

I took issue with you last post. You say that you want Scotland to have the ability to make its own decisions. Now correct me if I am wrong here but what do we have the Scottish parliament for? Is it just a big ugly looking building with loads of MSP's talking mince? Perhaps. But it is also equipped with substantial powers to govern over most domestic affairs. Sure there are reserved issues but the Scottish parliament has power in the areas which concern most people namely health, education and so on.

I don't care what anyone says these powers are extensive. I am sure that those in the constitutional convention of the 1980s would have bitten your hand off if you offered them the current settlement.

Craig

My view was always that the people of Scotland wanted a command of what effected there everyday life and the provision of a Scottish Parliament has certainly brought that to us, even our English cousins are making noises about the fact we can decide to provide personal care for our elderly, free prescriptions and have the bufgets to manage our Schools, Hospital Police and Emergency services, lets not also forget that we Scots are a pionering nation and not a devisive lot, keeping the United Kingdom as it is will serve the countries as has done in defence, culture change and facing up to those who would want to control the lives of us all, just as the Nationalist Socialist Party led by Adolf Hitler, there are no good examples of Nationalism that will serve the good that comes from our unity as British people, so leave well alone and if the SNP are not happy shift your butt elsewhere and let the rest of us get on with living and being good neighbours.

I have recently moved over to Livingston from the West of Scotland. I love Edinburgh as a city and all the attractions that it has on offer.
It is our capital city and rightly so but OMG the roads are in some state of disrepair!! Everywhere you go there are potholes,ridges,ruts dug up areas and complete car wreckers.
If this government are going to have any credibility as a force for making this a better country and a better place to be,then they better get started on the roads in our capital city before they will get my vote!
It can't be a very good impression for any visitors seeing what a Nationalist Government have to offer in the way of infrastructure.

I feel that the Union has and will with stand more threats than the Scottish National Party. Scotland does not need independence to thrive as a nation. Who wants to have a country where we face an economic future where we cannot afford to keep the luxuries that we enjoy today? Scotland is very much substituted by the rest of the union and the SNP admit themselves the national spending on services per head of population would be far less under an independently run country. It is time that instead of cutting our ties with the union, we move closer to our union with Europe. Scotland is a very cultural and democratically rich country, we should cherish that. The Scottish Parliament should continue and perhaps with more powers, however powers we can manage correctly. It is time that less democratically represented regions in England are offered a parliament in order to run there issues closer to home. Devolution for the entire United Kingdom with a centrally run government is the way to go. NOT independence.

If we do not know where we have been, how will we build a new future and not repeat the mistakes of the past?

I am so happy that as part of our growing journey to independance, the SNP as our Government, have recognised and will soon address, the problem of our terrible ignorance of our own history.

This imposed ignorance has been, until now, a highly effective part of the deliberate attempt to remove our identities and cover up a past filled with injustice and oppression.

We must have independance, and soon if we are to survive and thrive despite the sustanined campaign to denude Scotland of all of it's industry, fisheries and people.

We can do it....But it must be soon.

Been a while since i have replied, however it goes to show that there are alot of citizens of this Great nation which don't want to see it splinter in the face of scared nationalists. Britains future lies united, with a firm British union, a firm connection to the European continent (which needs reform to make it less of a intangible web of Rule and instead a community of common values and history combined together with an open attitude to the world) a revival of links with the Commonwealth and the rest of the Anglosphere and a rebalencing of ties with the United States.

United, we shall see past this century and cement our place in human history.

Divided we will Fall

Before Scotland can achieve 'full independence' it will have to extricate itself from the jaws of the EU. The "Treason(sic) of Lisbon" action by Bruiser Broon was another nail in Independence's coffin. This wolf in sheep's clothing is an Enabling Bill which means that all sorts of power will be ceded to Brussels when it's finally ratified and an EU President and Foreign Minister is sworn in (not elected, mark you) a year from now. An official EU flag and Anthem will swiftly follow, and a familiar pattern will unfold: " ...bought and sold for Euro gold, sic a parcel o' rogues in the nation..." (still!).

#369 Michael Brown

Clearly the answer to your question is YES, we can afford to lose this talent because we are already managing without it! If their talent had been invested here we might have had a case for independence proved by the prosperity they could have created here? Or have they just exploited the sytem created by others where they have settled?


Pity the First Minister came back! If all the ex patriate Scots came back and made a contribution of equal value to that of the First Minister we would really be up the creek without a paddle.

If they want a vote then let them come back here first. Perhaps like Sir Sean they would prefer to live in a warmer clime rather than put up with the cauld dark winter nights that we dedicated hardy Scots put up with.

Scottish and Proud. That's what I'd like to be, what I'd like my children and their children to be. How can we possibly be proud to be Scottish when Scotland continues to be governed by another country? It's like living with Mummy and Daddy but saying your all grown up. I'm happy with England as a neighbour but I would want tmy neighbours telling me how to run my house. I think it is an insult to every person living and working in Scotland for others to say we couldn't manage on our own. We are all grown up and it's time to stand on our own to feet.
Iam Scottish, not Brtish nor European, Scottish. Let's give ourselves and future generations something to be proud of.

373. Francis Fallan - Shotts Lanarkshire
"Nationalist Socialist Party"

It was called the National Socialist Party, not Nationalist. As far as I know it had no interest in independence for Germany, which was already independent (albeit with territories under French and British "rule").