2021 Scottish Parliament Election (Thursday 6th May 2021)

[Don Dan]

This is a good read for those that have the time. It’s by Professor Ronald McDonald.

 

https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_358421_smxx.pdf

 

This one as well. It’s by Laurie Macfarlane

Laurie Macfarlane is economics editor at openDemocracy, and a research associate at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. He is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book 'Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing'.

 

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/snp-must-rethink-its-economic-model-independent-scotland/

 

 

[Pasquale for King]

24 minutes ago, Lord BJ said:

 

I’m just not sure there is much of a discussion, what in Scotland belong to Scotland. I don’t really think the UK has any assets as such to get a share of.

 

It’s things like defence I think, plus the oil wells that Blair changed the English coastline to incorporate. 
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20131127/281655367861690

[Pasquale for King]

54 minutes ago, Jeffros Furios said:

It doesn't really bother me as I'm pretty pissed off with all political parties .

Next issue currency 

Currency has been discussed, there’s

so many options. This is the best. 

https://commonweal.scot/library/how-to-launch-a-scottish-currency/index.html

[Pasquale for King]

6 minutes ago, Boy Daniel said:

This is a good read for those that have the time. It’s by Professor Ronald McDonald.

 

https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_358421_smxx.pdf

 

This one as well. It’s by Laurie Macfarlane

Laurie Macfarlane is economics editor at openDemocracy, and a research associate at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. He is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book 'Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing'.

 

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/snp-must-rethink-its-economic-model-independent-scotland/

 

 

You have to take into account that Ronald is extremely anti-independence. 
Ive met Laurie once in Glasgow a few years back and have followed his work since, well informed intelligent guy and almost always spot on. 

[Don Dan]

One of the things we have going for in the negotiations with Westminster is the are crap at negotiating as Brexit demonstrated. Boris was confused by his own sides plan.

[Don Dan]

8 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

You have to take into account that Ronald is extremely anti-independence. 
Ive met Laurie once in Glasgow a few years back and have followed his work since, well informed intelligent guy and almost always spot on. 

I am in no way a financial expert so I like to read (maybe not understand fully at times) a cross section of views and assessments on financial outcomes.  Some how and somewhere along the line I’ll (we all will) have to make a decision on what i think is the best option. At the moment my view is join the EU ASAP on gaining independence if not sooner. 
There needs to be a definite plan on currency/debt/deficit and border control and some strong evidence that these plans will work and most importantly a back up plan if things start to go wrong. 
We also need a strong healthy financial foundation and bank balance from day one. How we get that I’ve no idea I just hope somehow we have been squirrelling away a nest egg for that rainy day.  

[manaliveits105]

Could we change the thread title to Scottish Parliament Election 2026 now ?

[Pasquale for King]

29 minutes ago, Boy Daniel said:

One of the things we have going for in the negotiations with Westminster is the are crap at negotiating as Brexit demonstrated. Boris was confused by his own sides plan.

He didn’t read it 

[Pasquale for King]

8 minutes ago, Boy Daniel said:

I am in no way a financial expert so I like to read (maybe not understand fully at times) a cross section of views and assessments on financial outcomes.  Some how and somewhere along the line I’ll (we all will) have to make a decision on what i think is the best option. At the moment my view is join the EU ASAP on gaining independence if not sooner. 
There needs to be a definite plan on currency/debt/deficit and border control and some strong evidence that these plans will work and most importantly a back up plan if things start to go wrong. 
We also need a strong healthy financial foundation and bank balance from day one. How we get that I’ve no idea I just hope somehow we have been squirrelling away a nest egg for that rainy day.  

I’m the same I only have a passing interest just now, nearer the time I will get glued up a bit more so I can articulate it better. 
Everything you need to know is out there though, experts have been doing the work even if the SG haven’t. 

[Pasquale for King]

17 minutes ago, Lord BJ said:

Ohh they can do lots of thing, print money, write debts off, convert debt and all manners of financial witchcraft, that no one else would get away with. However, fundamentally our debt needs to be paid pack as is real money we have borrowed. 

 

The financial markets really have countries hooked in to the ‘never never’ concept 😂Money makes world go round I guess and our pensions/investments grow. 

 

If Scotland was to leave, I’d probably be in the @smithy camp. Tell them to **** off with any debt and put the country in the strongest position to succeed. We will need to borrow a lot to set up in first place. 

Everyone always happy for others to pay higher taxes. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works. Increased tax burden will hit all and reduce service impact the worst off in society. Coming out of COVID is going to create some difficult challenges irrespective of the system of governance we operate in. 

The timing thing will be interesting. I think WM will try and influence things much more than last time in terms of question, timing amongst a few other things. Think WM took victory for granted last, most certainly won’t do that this time round. 
 

They going to legalise cannabis in a Indy Scotland? It would be a vote winner, well for me anyway 😂

Sounds good, the cannabis and a republic might need to wait a bit but if it can happen in the US it can here. 

[Norm]

4 hours ago, Lord BJ said:

 

😂

 

They going to legalise cannabis in a Indy Scotland? It would be a vote winner, well for me anyway 😂

Be a nice little revenue earner too. 

[Pasquale for King]

25 minutes ago, Norm said:

Be a nice little revenue earner too. 

It would indeed, maybe we could use the bits of the stand that’s unfinished to grow it 😱😜?!?!

[Space Mackerel]

Are we still winning lads?

[Unknown user]

4 hours ago, Pasquale for King said:

It would indeed, maybe we could use the bits of the stand that’s unfinished to grow it 😱😜?!?!

And we already have a stonking set of grow lights

[Pasquale for King]

11 minutes ago, Smithee said:

And we already have a stonking set of grow lights

Hahahahaha so we do 😆

[ri Alban]

15 hours ago, Lord BJ said:

Ohh they can do lots of thing, print money, write debts off, convert debt and all manners of financial witchcraft, that no one else would get away with. However, fundamentally our debt needs to be paid pack as is real money we have borrowed. 

 

The financial markets really have countries hooked in to the ‘never never’ concept 😂Money makes world go round I guess and our pensions/investments grow. 

 

If Scotland was to leave, I’d probably be in the @smithy camp. Tell them to **** off with any debt and put the country in the strongest position to succeed. We will need to borrow a lot to set up in first place. 

Everyone always happy for others to pay higher taxes. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works. Increased tax burden will hit all and reduce service impact the worst off in society. Coming out of COVID is going to create some difficult challenges irrespective of the system of governance we operate in. 

The timing thing will be interesting. I think WM will try and influence things much more than last time in terms of question, timing amongst a few other things. Think WM took victory for granted last, most certainly won’t do that this time round. 
 

They going to legalise cannabis in a Indy Scotland? It would be a vote winner, well for me anyway 😂

No taking our share of the debt would be a despicable way to start an iScotland. A non starter. 

[ri Alban]

15 hours ago, manaliveits105 said:

Could we change the thread title to Scottish Parliament Election 2026 now ?

Mair like, change your shitie nappy. 

[manaliveits105]

 
 

 

 

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

2 hours ago, ri Alban said:

Mair like, change your shitie nappy. 

[Cruyff]

Nawbags imploding all over the shop. 

 

 

[manaliveits105]

what dates the referendum ?

[Konrad von Carstein]

5 minutes ago, manaliveits105 said:

what dates the referendum ?

The Julian Calendar?

[Ainsley Harriott]

23 hours ago, Pasquale for King said:

Currency has been discussed, there’s

so many options. This is the best. 

https://commonweal.scot/library/how-to-launch-a-scottish-currency/index.html

Cant wait to see how many scottish pounds my house is worth 

[frankblack]

34 minutes ago, Ainsley Harriott said:

Cant wait to see how many scottish pounds my house is worth 

 

Comparable to the Venezuela currency no doubt.

[Cade]

[Ainsley Harriott]

7 minutes ago, frankblack said:

 

Comparable to the Venezuela currency no doubt.

You can just tell they would make a total arse of it yet somehow it would be Boris to blame

[Ainsley Harriott]

3 hours ago, manaliveits105 said:

what dates the referendum ?

 

[Unknown user]

8 hours ago, ri Alban said:

No taking our share of the debt would be a despicable way to start an iScotland. A non starter. 

We don't have a share of the debt

[Cade]

Depends how the share of the debt is allocated.

No way in hell should Scotland just accept a 10% share of UK debt.

Itemise it.

Prove that any debt allocated was for monies spent directly in Scotland.

I'm sure that'll turn out to be far less than 10% and expose the Unionist gobshite.

[frankblack]

8 minutes ago, Cade said:

Depends how the share of the debt is allocated.

No way in hell should Scotland just accept a 10% share of UK debt.

Itemise it.

Prove that any debt allocated was for monies spent directly in Scotland.

I'm sure that'll turn out to be far less than 10% and expose the Unionist gobshite.

 

It won't be particularly difficult to show eye-watering levels of debt for Covid support, vaccine, testing, furlough without even getting on to the pre-pandemic debt level.

[manaliveits105]

1 hour ago, Ainsley Harriott said:

 

[scott herbertson]

On 10/05/2021 at 14:31, Pasquale for King said:

I’m the same I only have a passing interest just now, nearer the time I will get glued up a bit more so I can articulate it better. 
Everything you need to know is out there though, experts have been doing the work even if the SG haven’t. 

 

 

Legalizing that too?

[Pasquale for King]

5 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

 

 

Legalizing that too?

Hahahahaha never tried it but it isn’t illegal now 🤷🏾‍♂️🤔?

[Pasquale for King]

2 hours ago, Cade said:

Depends how the share of the debt is allocated.

No way in hell should Scotland just accept a 10% share of UK debt.

Itemise it.

Prove that any debt allocated was for monies spent directly in Scotland.

I'm sure that'll turn out to be far less than 10% and expose the Unionist gobshite.

Fair point, for example we are paying our share of Hs2 which will bring no benefit whatsoever to Scotland. 

[Enzo Chiefo]

3 hours ago, Cade said:

Depends how the share of the debt is allocated.

No way in hell should Scotland just accept a 10% share of UK debt.

Itemise it.

Prove that any debt allocated was for monies spent directly in Scotland.

I'm sure that'll turn out to be far less than 10% and expose the Unionist gobshite.

Full Fiscal Autonomy is the way to call the bluff of the wee gobshi*e Sturgeon. Scotland raises £61bn in taxes. Let her keep everything we raise in tax and stop her sucking on the Barnett teat. Charge her defence costs, a miniscule percentage of our annual spend anyway, and debt interest. Give her borrowing powers and let her produce her budget and work out how she covers our annual £81bn spend. It would be a short and bloody experiment but it would finish Sturgeon and the SNP for good.

[Enzo Chiefo]

47 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Fair point, for example we are paying our share of Hs2 which will bring no benefit whatsoever to Scotland. 

We are NOT contributing anything towards HS2. The Scot Gov website confirms this. It is wholly funded by the UK govt.  Yet another example of the distortion,  half-truths and downright lies that circulate on social media.  

[Ainsley Harriott]

1 hour ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

We are NOT contributing anything towards HS2. The Scot Gov website confirms this. It is wholly funded by the UK govt.  Yet another example of the distortion,  half-truths and downright lies that circulate on social media.  

That's how nationalism works it spreads lies to the gullible to build up unecessary hatred.

[Boris]

1 hour ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

We are NOT contributing anything towards HS2. The Scot Gov website confirms this. It is wholly funded by the UK govt.  Yet another example of the distortion,  half-truths and downright lies that circulate on social media.  

Not all tax raised in Scotland stays in Scotland, according to this page.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Scotland

 

Looks like about 1/3.

 

Things may have changed, but I'm not sure that 100% of all tax raised in Scotland goes to Holyrood.

[Boris]

28 minutes ago, Ainsley Harriott said:

That's how nationalism works it spreads lies to the gullible to build up unecessary hatred.

See Brexit...

[Boris]

1 hour ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

We are NOT contributing anything towards HS2. The Scot Gov website confirms this. It is wholly funded by the UK govt.  Yet another example of the distortion,  half-truths and downright lies that circulate on social media.  

The Scottish Govt hasn't contributed anything, that's true

 

https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202000015934/

 

However if not all tax raised in Scotland goes to Holyrood, then tax payers in Scotland are indirectly contributing to it.

[Boris]

2 hours ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

Full Fiscal Autonomy is the way to call the bluff of the wee gobshi*e Sturgeon. Scotland raises £61bn in taxes. Let her keep everything we raise in tax and stop her sucking on the Barnett teat. Charge her defence costs, a miniscule percentage of our annual spend anyway, and debt interest. Give her borrowing powers and let her produce her budget and work out how she covers our annual £81bn spend. It would be a short and bloody experiment but it would finish Sturgeon and the SNP for good.

UK govt spending 2020 about £928 billion 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/298524/government-spending-in-the-uk/

 

UK tax take 2020 £556 billion 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/284298/total-united-kingdom-hmrc-tax-receipts/

 

I'm just picking numbers out there, but the difference between UK income/expenditure seems a bigger gap than figures you quote for Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

[Boris]

Granted the figures above will include pandemic factors, but that much?

[Enzo Chiefo]

42 minutes ago, Boris said:

UK govt spending 2020 about £928 billion 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/298524/government-spending-in-the-uk/

 

UK tax take 2020 £556 billion 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/284298/total-united-kingdom-hmrc-tax-receipts/

 

I'm just picking numbers out there, but the difference between UK income/expenditure seems a bigger gap than figures you quote for Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

You've picked the last tax year which was obviously skewed by hundreds of billions extra spending on furlough etc. Just as the pandemic struck, the UK deficit had reduced to £68bn, or 2.9% of GDP. The notional Scottish deficit is more than double that rate

[Boris]

11 minutes ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

You've picked the last tax year which was obviously skewed by hundreds of billions extra spending on furlough etc. Just as the pandemic struck, the UK deficit had reduced to £68bn, or 2.9% of GDP. The notional Scottish deficit is more than double that rate

£594 billion tax take in 2019.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/284298/total-united-kingdom-hmrc-tax-receipts/

Spending in 2019 £881.4 billion 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/298465/government-spending-uk/

 

But, and there is a but, tax it would seem isn't the complete amount of govt revenue.

Therefore to focus simply on tax revenue in Scottish terms is disingenuous, as an independent Scotland would have similar extra tax revenue streams.

 

 

 

[Enzo Chiefo]

2 hours ago, Boris said:

UK govt spending 2020 about £928 billion 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/298524/government-spending-in-the-uk/

 

UK tax take 2020 £556 billion 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/284298/total-united-kingdom-hmrc-tax-receipts/

 

I'm just picking numbers out there, but the difference between UK income/expenditure seems a bigger gap than figures you quote for Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

There appears to be something awry with the tax take figures shown on that site. ONS stats in Nov 2020 show total tax receipts for 2019/20 being £828 bn. Public sector deficit was £63bn for 19/20. The various taxes are the only source of govt income other than a small percentage relating to foreign currency reserves, student loans etc.

[Cade]

Since 1980 the UK has only had 5 years in which it did not have a deficit.

1988, 1989, 1999, 2000, 2001.

The overall debt is shockingly high too. Since 2010 it's gone through the roof. and most of the borrowed cash has ended up in the pockets of Tory donors.

That should finish the Tory party, Westminster as an institution and the UK as a whole for good.

 

https://countryeconomy.com/national-debt/uk

 

 

[ri Alban]

7 hours ago, Boris said:

Not all tax raised in Scotland stays in Scotland, according to this page.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Scotland

 

Looks like about 1/3.

 

Things may have changed, but I'm not sure that 100% of all tax raised in Scotland goes to Holyrood.

Holyrood gets back just under half. The rest WM spends on or behalf. On things like, Trident, HS2/3, Iraq and Afghanistan, Boris' press rooms and child benefits. 

No, Scotland doesn't pay for anything, tho according to who you quoted. 

[ri Alban]

6 hours ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

You've picked the last tax year which was obviously skewed by hundreds of billions extra spending on furlough etc. Just as the pandemic struck, the UK deficit had reduced to £68bn, or 2.9% of GDP. The notional Scottish deficit is more than double that rate

Are you still talking pish about deficits in Scotland. The SG have a grant of about £35b to £40b. 50% ish of Scottish income. WM spends the rest. So tell us Enzo, who overspends,  and causes this so called deficit and on what. And if it's on shite like Trident, War, WM wages, Lords, Royalty, HS2 and 3, Northern Ireland and the list goes on. I'm sure, when we get to see our real balance sheet, post Indy, this deficit won't be what you and others say. I would say think, but that rarely happens with Onionist. 

 

 

Scottish figures have never included oil and gas and financial services. And few other things, so we're down a few Bob to start. T

hen there's the real sickening of Scotland spending most of its money on rUK goods. A deficit of £15b, I'm pretty sure we'll pay less or buy from else where post independence. 

 

No more piss taking from rUK. 

 

 

Tick Tock!!! 

Edited May 12, 2021 by ri Alban

[Enzo Chiefo]

2 hours ago, ri Alban said:

Are you still talking pish about deficits in Scotland. The SG have a grant of about £35b to £40b. 50% ish of Scottish income. WM spends the rest. So tell us Enzo, who overspends,  and causes this so called deficit and on what. And if it's on shite like Trident, War, WM wages, Lords, Royalty, HS2 and 3, Northern Ireland and the list goes on. I'm sure, when we get to see our real balance sheet, post Indy, this deficit won't be what you and others say. I would say think, but that rarely happens with Onionist. 

 

 

Scottish figures have never included oil and gas and financial services. And few other things, so we're down a few Bob to start. T

hen there's the real sickening of Scotland spending most of its money on rUK goods. A deficit of £15b, I'm pretty sure we'll pay less or buy from else where post independence. 

 

No more piss taking from rUK. 

 

 

Tick Tock!!! 

You believe what you want. The real figures are out there and just to clarify again, we are NOT paying anything towards Hs2. 

[Boris]

2 minutes ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

You believe what you want. The real figures are out there and just to clarify again, we are NOT paying anything towards Hs2. 

So there's a wee bit at the Exchequer where UK taxes are collated, then when HS2 money is given out, a wee note says don't touch the contribution from Scotland.

You're correct, the Scottish government doesn't contribute, but that doesn't mean that some tax raised in Scotland that goes to the Exchequer isn't used.