Alex Salmond set out the Scottish government's new legislative programme today by stating: "The outlook for public spending was the worst it has been since the aftermath of the Second World War. Everything we do in this session of Parliament and every legislative programme for many years to come will be set against that context."
"Now that we face a public sector hurricane, never was the case for independence and financial responsibility more obvious and true.
"For make no mistake: devolution, as we knew it, is over.
"When the money from London, or rather delivered via London, is being cut, then the game has changed, and changed totally."
"For make no mistake: devolution, as we knew it, is over.
"When the money from London, or rather delivered via London, is being cut, then the game has changed, and changed totally."
He, once again, called for the Scottish Government to be given the power to raise cash arguing that Scotland needs control of its own resources and the ability to grow revenue, rather than just cut expenditure.
"We need control over both sides of the Scottish balance sheet."
The Budget Bill for 2011-12 will be one of 10 bills brought forward before next May's Scottish elections.
New legislation includes Bills for unscrupulous rogue landlords, the end of double jeopardy, assistance for victims of forced marriage and those at risk of forced marriage. Mr Salmond restated his administration's determination not to sell or mutualise Scottish Water but to keep it in public hands but a Bill will be put forward which would build on Scottish Water's success and it would be given the power to become one of the largest generators of renewable electricity on this land.
The plans for a Bill to enable a referendum on independence will still be published but it will not be put to the vote in Holyrood before the next election. It's common knowledge that the unionist parties intend to scupper it so Mr Salmond will presumably be campaigning on the fact that the unionists refuse to allow the Scots a vote on the future of their country.
A clever and well-calculated programme. Further details can be read here.
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25 comments:
".... campaigning on the fact that the unionists refuse to allow the Scots a vote on the future of their country."
Presumably whilst Scots still want to retain the vote on the future of other countries?
Let's not forget that if the SNP had been more effective in the penultimate General Election, those Scots Brown & Darling may not have got to Westminster to ruin the entire British Economy.
the ending of double jeopardy is fine when the person being retried is guilty.what if they are not.
You've lost me a bit Joe. If you mean on UK issues then of course we vote but I mean the independence issue.
Hector you're asking someone who knows nothing about Scots law but can I suggest you visit:
http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.com/
He did a post about it not so long ago.
"Now that we face a public sector hurricane, never was the case for independence and financial responsibility more obvious and true."
Not quite sure why Salmond is campaigning for Independence in an election where a vote for the SNP won't bring an imediate vote, as opposed to when he should haved been campaigning for independence in April and May of this year.
Quickly scanning the posts title beside the photo of Alex I thought it said "Balls Galore"!
wv = nations
That would have been a good title McGonagall if there wasn't a Labour individual who balls-up-everything-he-touches.
Something you may find of interest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XB_HVCNhUU
Why do the Scottish people vote Labour?
Is it because Labour always spends money on making people reliant on the State?
Why are the Labour and Conservative parties afraid of asking the people if they want Independence?
It is right and proper that people are given more say in the running of their country, surely. If they want Independence that must be accepted.
Salmon has made, in my view, a rather silly political error. He should have taken a referendum bill forward. If he lost it then call an immediate general election on that one issue. 'We Trust the people, the other parties do not'
What I can never understand is the opposition of the other parties to a referendum, whether it is for Scottish independence or for withdrawing from the EU.
To my way of thinking, those opposing referenda are saying that, regardless of what the public might think, "we are against the idea that you are proposing, and in case we are wrong, we are not going to let you have a say".
In practice, I don't think the Scots would opt for independence, although if we had a vote in England, I feel that the choice would be to give them independence as soon as possible!
@Strapworld
Why do Scottish people always vote Labour?
Quite so, though I would have extended the question above to add
"when there is no evidence that they do anything for them"
e.g. The odious Mick Martin's constituency is I gather the same shitheap it was when he became their MP however many years back. He, on the other hand, is robed in ermine (like a good little Socialist), and has achieved his stated principle as a politician.
"I didn't go into politics not to get what I am owed"
Quite.
So whilst Scotland propped the Labour Party up in power, in return, Labour turned Scotland into a taxpayer funded junkie. Scotland, Home Of The Public Sector, is what the signs should read when crossing the border.
English Pensioner, I think you misunderstand the situation.
Privately, the Unionist parties would like a referendum as they believe Scots would overwhelmingly reject independence and the issue could be banished from our political scene for a few decades, hopefully. Who knows, we might even start dealing with the issues that actually matter rather than the Nats tedious navel-gazing. Privately, the Nats, at senior level anyway, do not want a referendum at this stage as they believe, correctly, that they would lose.
FWIW, I don't believe the English would vote for Scottish independence either - at least not in majority numbers. The idea is, of course, constitutionally illiterate.
The onus is not on political parties elected to preserve the status quo to agitate for referenda that changes the constitutional setup!
Interesting. I'll need some time to digest the water company element.
As for dropping the referendum. There was no real option. If the SNP had gone ahead with the bill and it was defeated then bringing another forward in the future would be ridiculed. It is treating Scotland with sensitivity not to use the referendum issue like a political football.
Naturally, I am delighted that after all the time I've spent on my blog and elsewhere before that to learn that the SNP is going to combine the economy and the idea of independence as the principle thrust of their Holyrood campaign!
I really hope it is well thought out and goes straight for the jugular.
I know Rosie that Callum Cashley doesn't want the debate to be like a 'car boot sale' and I agree that it is sometimes shabby but the reality is that people want jobs and a good standard of living - we have to argue that independence will give them that. That is about the immediacy of the need for independence. The general principles can always be discussed but there's never the sense of a pressing need for independence among the people if the debate is couched that way.
Let's face it though, the opposition is always going to try and get away with murder on the economics debate. So, we have to make it their weakness and our strength. Ignoring it is an open goal..
Many thanks UKIP WM, you know I always appreciate your videos. Haven't watched it as yet but I will do today.
Us Scots are reluctant to change strapworld. We refuse to see further than the old fashioned labour party who 'was for the workers'. Those days are long long gone yet some still live in them.
Yes, he could have done that. Not a good move right now though.
It's hypocrisy on behalf of the unionists English Pensioner. If the SNP said the sky was blue, then the unionist parties would disagree. They're not interested in the future of Scotland, they're only interested in their respective parties -which are all London based.
So accurate Elby and labour have turned much of Scotland into state dependency. People have forgotten what responsibility is because the state runs their lives.
Oh William, I think you're wrong about the English. If they were involved in a vote and didn't read about how much Scotland actually gives to the Treasury, quite a big majority would say let the Scots go for it. They're not really interested in us as the myth is that we're parasites.
It is a mistake for Alex Salmond to make the independence issue 'central' to the re-election campaign.
My all means, for nationalists they ought to campaign for it as an important aspect of their platform. But, I recall that their 2007 breakthrough was down to their broadening out, branching out into more issues.
I don't support independence, or the SNP. But, I don't want Labour to win. The SNP have demonstrated that they can be reasonable, are willing to negotiate and work with others in consensual style. I rather doubt Labour, if they win, would do the same.
Iain Gray, First Minister? My Gods, no. Not at any price! So, isn't the SNP campaign risking marginalisation by focusing on what is a narrow constitutional question?
I worry.
I also echo Allan's sentiments above ;)
Aye Alex, I've yet to study that part.
You see Alex, all your hard work has been rewarded. Someone's printed off your posts and shoved them under the right nose. :)
Of course they will, but we'll just have to do the unionist trick of repeating the cuts are due to labour's mishandling of our finances. Blaming it on the world is a lie. They had control.
Must see if I can think up a snappy soundbite or perhaps someone else could manage.
The issue that will be central is that the unionists support referenda even for causes they don't believe in yet they refuse to let the Scots have their say.
That's a good point Dean and it really must be up there in the SNP campaign. Clegg gets his referendum which the tories think in nonsense, Wales gets one to extend powers and we're refused. Not a good move by the unionists.
"I think you're wrong about the English."
Alas, we'll never know.
I spend a bit of time in England and I'm not aware of any great desire to Balkanize the country, I have to say.
I don't think the Balkans have anything to do with it William. My English contacts would be happy to see Scotland become independent if that's what they wanted. They feel far more strongly about their own country - which is only right.
Funny, I was under the distinct impression that under the way the EU has divvied up the country, Balkanization is exactly what has been achieved. The peasants just haven't realised it yet!
You would say that wouldn't you Apogee. ;)
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