MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Cameron announces draft bill that will transfer more powers to Scotland
The British government has begun a historic transfer of powers to Scotland, keeping a pledge it had given to persuade Scots to reject independence as renewed nationalist support surges. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesIs there anywhere else in the world where 4 million people wield so much control over the remaining 59 million.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 08:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0I truly despise that selfish conceited woman. Every sentence she speaks starts with “We Want”
I still pay tax in the UK and as far as I am concerned NONE of it should go beyond Carlilse.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 10:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0They have too much as it is. Cue the howling.
Oh it was no mistake that Peter Jackson used Scottish accents to play the dwarves in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Selfish, consumed with greed and totally out for themselves.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 11:36 am - Link - Report abuse 0The SNP are totally over playing their hand, every time that Sturgeon woman opens her mouth, you can feel and hear the hackles bristling up the Pennines.
The fishy duo are doing a great job. They are guaranteeing a massive Tory majority at the next election. Millipede is a joke and who in England wants to be ruled by Salmond? If it wasnt for my many friends north of the border, Scotch and English, I would have been rooting for their independence. And, with the collapse in the oil price they would have now been on their uppers!
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 11:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom for 308 years. Scots are very quick to say that they contribute more to UK taxation than anyone else. BUT, even if true, that would only be applicable since about 1975. 40 years. What about the other 268 years? What about the loan that was given in 1707 and has never been repaid? It now amounts, with just nominal interest of 5% per annum, to over £2 trillion. Enough to clear the entire UK deficit and then some.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 12:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But it is true that scots have the deepest pockets and the shortest arms in the world. Over 1/3 of the population of Glasgow is in receipt of welfare benefits. Apparently working is a breach of their human rights.
Does anybody recall the campaigning in the run-up to the scottish referendum last year? How oil and gas would make scotland the richest nation in Europe? Despite that, scotland still proposed to steal 9% of the UK's assets. Curious that. If they were going to have so much money, why would they feel the need to steal? But now the oil price has dropped. And, with overtones of argieland and kirchner, fishface 2 (sturgeon) DEMANDS that the UK bail the scottish oil industry (more accurately, the UK oil industry) out.
There can be little doubt now that there should have been two referendums running in parallel. One in scotland so scots could say what they wanted. The second one in England, Northern Ireland and Wales to decide whether scotland should be kicked out.
But, with any luck, this transfer of powers should have another effect. Before long, the £8,163 that the UK gives scotland for every person in scotland every year will end. But it's not all good news. Fishface 1 (salmond) is trying to get a seat at Westminster. He should take due note of the demise of Nisman. Nisman had only upset a few, albeit powerful, criminals. How will salmond fare once he's upset 53 million English people? Will he be demanding that his personal vehicle should be a tank?
The sooner we have a totally federal UK the better, it is the only solution to this mess of a constitution we now have. You cannot have one country alone having democratic votes on their place in the union, Barnet benefit formulas that over favour them and voting rights in other countries that are not reciprocated the other way.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 12:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It's a mess, it's wrong, it's undemocratic and it is going to unravel and get nasty before it is sorted out.
Next up - N. Ireland to demand similar.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 12:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@6. Have you ever figured out federalism for the UK? Extra layers of
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 03:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0(expensive) government. Take a look at the US. There's government at municipality, county, state and federal levels. There is also township governments. And municipalities can be divided into city, town, borough, and village.
Federalism, my arse.
@7. Nobody cares that much about Northern Ireland. They want something? Piss off and get it from Ireland. Great Britain can, after hundreds of years, do without any part of Ireland. And there can be benefits. No Barnett formula payouts (the highest). The whole of Ireland can be excluded from the Common Travel Area (CTA). Gippos, i.e. Irish travellers, can be excluded, deported, dumped in the Irish Sea, shot on sight. Isn't that a right worth having?
N.Ireland has NOTHING Great Britain wants or needs. And it's stupid as well!
As per usual Vestige has no idea. He probably thinks that Northern Irelandwill demand independence or something if it doesn't getasimilar deal.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 04:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But this extremely timely article from The Economist shows otherwise: http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21640334-guns-mostly-silent-ulster-can-begin-deal-its-lamentable-economy-new-kind
Northern Ireland doesn't want too many powers transferred because it doesn't want to have to reduce spending even further.
But either way, Devolve away. Coming from a centralised state such as Spain that probably scares you. But I live in a true federation and we have shown that the Westminster Sustem is compatible with such a setup. Quite spectacularly successfully as well.
Where we granted powers to the centre to create a country, the UK devolving powers from the centre is just another way that the flexible and long living UK constitutional setup will survive.
Turn the House of Commons into an English Parliament. And the House of Lords into a Union Senate. No need of move or reinvent the wheel.
75 Senators for England
35 Senators for Scotland
15 Senators for Northern Ireland
15 Senators for Wales
1 each for Isle of Mann, Channel Islands, Gibraltar and any other small areas that should be heard.
The UK will only come out stronger from this. Inflexibility is a sign of weaknes. It is why places like Russia and Spain have so many problems dealing with minorities. It's also why the EU has problems.
Being inflexible and unwilling to adjust to new realities is what destroys a system.
The UK will survive and be stronger. There will always been pressure for any constitute nations in any multinational state to secede. But I don't think the UK will have a problem. And if it does then it will still survive.
No, he probably doesn't.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 06:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But he does read from your own article that regional corp tax powers will move to N.(E.)-Ireland in 2017.
What is that place anyway - half the people there don't consider themselves British and GB foots the 6 Billion p.a bill. Now they're wanting more devolved powers. What a phail.
“Being inflexible and unwilling to adjust to new realities is what destroys a system.”
- Yes well the British will be as inflexible as they want to be, and lets see you do something about it Jonny Foreigner. It the bulldog spirit that has kept the empire as it is today ... what .... oh fizzlesticks .
@10
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 07:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“What is that place anyway - half the people there don't consider themselves British”
Well it certainly isn't Irish anyway. The most recent LucidTalk poll showed that only 25% consider themselves Irish including less than half of Catholics. In fact 23% of Catholics considered themselves British. Plus the % of people who want a United Ireland immediately remains in single figures. So sorry to disappoint you - and Conqueror.
The SNP is only interested in fostering grievance and destroying the UK
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 08:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Instead of trying to wreck a country, perhaps they should focus on using their power to improve the lives of Scottish people
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/SNP/11364492/The-SNP-is-only-interested-in-fostering-grievance-and-destroying-the-UK.html
////
History is a very patient person, he loves to prove fools wrong,
and time will tell this to be true.
Briton 2015
Camer-moron is a serious turd.
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 08:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Roll on May so we can flush this turdy ( and the rest of his party ) away.
@10
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 10:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I can understand how someone from outside would wonder what Northern Ireland is all about, but I assure you that they are the loveliest people and they enhance the UK enormously, I would be gutted if they were no longer part of the UK.
But like other people have explained to you, there isn't any wish on behalf of the vast majority of people living there to become part of a united Ireland. The EU and the Euro is a disaster, I feel sorry for the Republic.
@13
Completely agree, i'm voting UKIP
Why are people like Vestige (along with so many Spaniards and Argentines) so concerned about how the UK spends its tax?
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 10:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“GB foots the 6 Billion p.a bill”.
So what! It isn't your tax. Indeed considering how tax is squandered by Spain (and Argentina) and the level of corruption it surprises me that more of that isn't highlighted. Sorry but I am all for fiscal equalisation within a country. My country has been practising it successfully for 100 years so that we don't have 20 million people living in 2 states and 3 million living in the other 4 states and 2 territories.
For some perverse reason there is a meme that London should rid itself of any areas that it spends more than it earns from. But there has never been any real reason or logic on WHY?
However such an argument does thereby support Catalonian independence. Go figure!
As for how people living in Northern Ireland identify themselves..... I've yet to see any sort of logical follow up on this.
In the UK people can see themselves as a myriad of different national identities. Being Irish is not incompatible with being British. Nor all the other identities. Ulstermen, Northern Irish or whatever.
None of that translates into some sort of support for leaving the Union. No single identity or group can be correlated exactly with any support for independence or union with the Republic of Ireland.
Vestige comes out with lots of predictions or snide hints at some (usually anti-English) outcome to many things. But so far he hasn't actually predicted anything that has happened.
Scotland didn't leave.
Northern Ireland doesn't have any real desire to leave.
And Australia is probably more monarchical than republican than anytime in the past couple of decades. I mean the younger generation and immigrants positively love the Queen. And that is totally against Vestige's claims and logic
That's alright Vestige. One day you'll stop being ashamed of your country.
Vestige
Jan 23rd, 2015 - 11:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0has got one thing right,
He is always wrong...lol
#15 - Vestige did predict at least 1 outcome. That Scotland would in fact stay in the union.
Jan 24th, 2015 - 12:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0Said it on this very site.
So no he's not always wrong ... That makes you wrong in this instance Briton.
Vestige is also correct regarding the fate of the majestic ones in their Australian franchise in the future.
Vestige has been polite and factual while trying to help people on this site.
Vestige is using a phone so will say no more for now.
“Vestige is also correct regarding the fate of the majestic ones in their Australian franchise in the future.”
Jan 24th, 2015 - 05:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0Open ended predictions are the coward's way of projecting certainty. He does the same for Northern Ireland. Fudges around the issue but accept that's Northern Ireland will stay British.
Perhaps Aistralia will become a republic, but Vestige won't see it. He will be dead before it happens. The date keeps getting pushed further and further into the future. And who knows, the republics that first spring to mind for most Aussies (US, China, Indonesia, Russia) don't inspire much confidence in that form of government.
They're been predicting republics in Australia for more than 170 years.... And they always seem so tantalisingly close..... but alas 2015 and still no republic on the horizon. Currently the betting is perhaps later THIS CENTURY!!!
As for using a phone, 70% of my posts are by phone the rest by iPad. Both of us are showing our age.....for one it is not complimentary.
“Cameron announces draft bill that will transfer more powers to Scotland”
Jan 24th, 2015 - 12:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0the main problem remains intact, you dumbasses.
and it is called england and its decrepit colonies.
how can a rich, progressive country like scotland develop itself when they have a bunch of parasites stealing their money?
“blablabla.... in the world's sixth largest economy.”
who says??
merdopress?
it is the 9th (ninth) and going backwards.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html
i predict an independent scotland in less than 4 years, and a bankrupt england in less than 2.
13&14
Jan 24th, 2015 - 12:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So you will be voting UKIP in May...well done.
The result of your vote will be Ed Miliband as Prime Minister with Alex Salmond as Deputy.
Well done....
Splitting the right wing vote guarantees a Labour Prime Minister, worse still it guarantees a hung Parliament where Labour will be at the mercy of the SNP.
2 million Scot Nats with the balance of power....all because of your vote!
Flush away and see what you get!
18 - Vestige will happily clarify any fudginess. Vestige should ... nae ... will be seeing an Australian republic and indeed a Canadian republic too well within his lifetime, failing accident, injury or conqueror finding his address.
Jan 24th, 2015 - 02:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The fading out trend of the old empire and whats left of its old residual trappings will continue as ever.
As fer Scootland - ach, sticky situation, theey will nee stop til they have more poowers and the longer they're denied by London the more you feed the next nationalist agenda for the next referendum, which may be distant, but with a result like 55 45 is something yoo wannae be verry careful of.
But hoots ... appease the Scots and the N.I phone will suddenly ring.
Slowly devolving, degenerating, fading.
Vestige
Jan 24th, 2015 - 02:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You are a moron.
Firstly, unlike Argentina, Britain realised that it is not land that gives wealth and prosperity but people.
I'd doubt you would find 1% of the population of the UK who cared whether the Queen was head of State in Canada or Australia or various West Indies...but 99% would say it is up to the people of those countries to choose.
As for Scotland, it is devolving powers that feeds Nationalism, not withholding it.
Personally, I believe we are all owed a referendum and the UK should be made up of all the parts which wish to be part of it....which incidentally is all the parts that currently form it....especially the Falklands.
You see Vestige, your thoughts are incoherent and poorly thought out...the Uk wants Scotland not for it's land, or oil but because 55% of Scots want the UK.
Britain wants the Falklands, not for the land or the oil, or the Antartic,...but because 99.8% of islanders want the Uk.
Argentina wants anything it can lay its thieving hands on..because in their hearts they are still the same genocidal conquistadors of past centuries.
Monkeymagic - you are a very nice man.
Jan 24th, 2015 - 05:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“As for Scotland, it is devolving powers that feeds Nationalism, not withholding it.”
I think you'll find its both.
I don't think 55% of Scots .... “want” .... the UK.
How many of that 55% just didn't dare rock the boat. hmmm.
5% swing.
How united is the kingdom.
Be nice to the Scots.
Vestige
Jan 24th, 2015 - 06:23 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“be nice to the Scots”
no....treat the Scots in exactly the same way as you treat the 55million UK citizens that are not Scottish.
1.5million No voters have wasted enough time...No other group of UK citizens have dominated the political agenda in the same way.
The Electorate voted.....what you think they wanted is entirely irrelevant. The Nationalists set the question, and they vote went against them.
Again, and I will repeat as you seem too thick to understand. The English don't want Scotland if Scotland wants to leave. As they voted to stay then they are equal to the remaining 90%+ of the population.
same for the Falkland Islanders. If they vote to leave, good luck...if they vote to stay we will protect them from your attacks in the same way as we would defend Cornwall or Kent.
As for a 5% swing....with oil at $50 a barrel, I think you'd find more than 55% not rocking the boat....
Doesn't matter, there won't be another referendum for 50 years.
19 is totally on the wrong blog,
Jan 24th, 2015 - 07:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0asleep as usual..
19 BottyBoyPaulie
Jan 25th, 2015 - 07:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“i predict an independent scotland in less than 4 years, and a bankrupt england in less than 2.”
You heard the man everyone!!! England is going to be bankrupt in less than 2 years!!!
This prediction is along the same lines as Titman's prediction of “The Falklands will be argentine within 25 years”.
Apparently the GREENS, will transfer all power to the plants and flowers if ever they got in,
Jan 25th, 2015 - 08:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0did you guys see the interview with Andrew mar,
What is this world coming to, when some people try to elect bloody loonies into power,
this referendum is going to be very interesting,
If great Britain pulls out of the EU Let´s see what Scotland has got to say about the issue!!!!
Jan 25th, 2015 - 10:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“If great Britain pulls out of the EU Let´s see what Scotland has got to say about the issue!!!!”
Jan 26th, 2015 - 01:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0exactly.
and let's see how the llanitos- macacos survive with the gate closed.
LETS see what you two can do abt it,
Jan 26th, 2015 - 07:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0precisely NOTHING,
not your decision , not your problem,
you just concentrate on saving your own crumbling country.
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