A post by Tedious Tantrums
All that was needed was for enough of us to vote Alex and we’d be off. And we did. Naff helicopter moments apart, things went fairly swimmingly. In power! A more than workable majority won. (If we all sit nice and still and quiet we’ll maybe be able to hear dear old Malcolm spinning in his grave or having a good laugh at how things worked out for his party).
There was of course the opening of parliament with Queenie present and then there was a lull. The opposition girded their loins, considered their options and started shooting themselves in the foot. Not to be outdone, those spiffing chaps from Westminster steeled themselves and set to rubbishing everything that wasn’t Union friendly. On every occasion both sets of chaps and chapessess decided to say something to the press, they got it really, really wrong. It was as if they were doing a party political broadcast FOR the SNP. Everything they said boiled down to the Scots being too daft, too poor and too frightened. Excellent for the SNP.
Then another lull. Well it was holiday time you know.
Then we’re back. And things started to go a bit less well. It was nothing to do with the opposition. It was all to do with the SNP. The adversarial system used in our Parliament is old, tired and negative whilst our parliament is very new, shiny and should feature modern debating with a new approach to governing Scotland. The SNP looked like the tired old, established and completely lost London parties when they should have looked fresh. The SNP should be using a different approach to politics, which is unlike any other political party.
Sadly it’s beginning to feel like we have a new set of the same sort of politicians we have always had. You know the type. They don’t answer the question they are asked, they answer the question they wanted to be asked.
The SNP have to get their act together. So here’s a list of things they need to do with some urgency, according to me anyway.
The SNP are not the Labour party so they really should stop doing the silly leftie things the Labour Party would do if they were in charge.
They should not introduce any policy, which is based on being the first to do it or being the toughest in the world or any other stuff like that. Posturing isn’t an option. What is an option is mainly doing things that will result in better lives for the people of Scotland.
Ditch the hippy renewable energy policy. Just stop. Now. There isn’t a day that goes by now when someone somewhere is pulling out of renewables or are demonstrating it is the most expensive energy production EVVAAA. Evidence is beginning to suggest that the new IPCC report will not be the soaring endorsement of global warming it has been in the past. So, invest the money in real long-term quality projects which will deliver real energy as cheaply as possible for the Scottish people.
I don’t smoke or drink so it bothers me not what fags and man's beer cost. Forget plain fag packets and minimum pricing for alcohol. People will get alcohol one way or another. They’ll get it over the border in England. They’ll make their own. They’ll bring it back from Europe. You will enrich Tesco, Asda and their big mates and anyone else who has a license to sell alcohol. A licence to sell alcohol will become a license to print money. It’s not the job of the state to set prices.
People don’t buy fags because they like the colourfully designed packets. They buy them because they like smoking them, that’s the fags not the packets, mostly anyway. You will drive them to buy from dodgy sources who will greatly benefit from plain packets. You will make it easier for bootleggers to sell their version of cigarettes whilst paying no tax.
If the SNP are serious about Independence then being in the EU just isn’t an option. The events of the past few weeks, not to mention the events of the next few months will make it a disastrous move. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Germany will recognise Scotland as a positive member of the EU? For how long? Just long enough to sign us up. Then who cares as long as we pay the bill every month.
There’s the new Forth Road Bridge too. There are other cheaper ways to achieve a higher traffic flow. Add other lanes. It’s been done in loads of other places. The cost of the new bridge is ridiculous in the present climate and probably would be in any financial climate. They’ll argue that it’s a capital project and it will create jobs. Maybe it will. How about duelling the A9? How about a dual carriage way all the way from Edinburgh to Newcastle? How about investing in at least one project for every town in Scotland? Statement not big enough? The intent would be bigger and viewed much more positively by the Scottish people.
Get on with pushing BP and anyone else interested to start producing shale oil and gas. Get the North Sea really moving.
But mainly do something. Live up to the hype. Be bold. Deliver.
I dare you Alex.
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35 comments:
I think at the minute, the SNP are trying to paint a picture of solid graft as opposed to bold endeavour. The idea being in the current context of potential independence, the skittish voters who may be undecided due to very conservative (in the unadventurous sense) leanings might be brought on board.
Also, you say 'be bold, deliver' but caution against doing things on the basis of 'being the first' or 'being the toughest'. I would say you can't be bold with out resorting to some measure of the latter notions.
I'm undecided on teh energy thing, renewable and what-not. I do think we need to be more sustainable, less waste, I think we need to be thinking about eeking out what we have under the ground, not going batshit-crazy in selling/using it all. Might be a short term gain there but in 30 or 40 years time, we might regret it. OK we might have some sort of star trek type energy thing going on but we don't know that and whats wrong with having some left over if we do have cold fusion developed, we don't need to consume it all, its not a rule.
I think the SNP still need to do some digging in, while I'm comfortable with the prospect of independence, many others are not, we need time to undo the years of Unionist brainwashing that has went on, happy for them to be bold with that, but keep things on the straight and narrow, concentrate on stability everywhere else. 51% might get us the result we want(westminster gerrymandering notwithstanding,) but I'd prefer it to be much more emphatic, why settle for a pass when we should get a distinction.
Don't forget that oil is used for many things other than energy (plastics, lubricants, road surfacing, chemicals, etc, etc). The world will still need the oil for that, even if Eck's warp drive kicks in by stardate 2020.
I'm in two minds about the SNP strategy at the minute. Part of me thinks that there's a lot of persuading to do to get the country behind independence (at least if the polls are right...?!) and that they should start asap. But then you just know that anything concrete they say about independence will be latched onto and spun for all its worth by the unionists.
At least in the current vacuum the unionists are making themselves look silly. A couple of examples this week: Osborne claiming that uncertainty about the prospect of independence is putting off investors. As opposed to the utter certainty that the union gives the business community right now? Any decent business is used to managing uncertainty. If they're not they cease to be businesses.
And Michael Moose in the Scotsman today, rehashing the old one about defence spending being lost in an independent Scotland. Let me get this straight: the govt gets taxes from us, allocates some of it to defence spending, spends a small part of that in Scotland (less than we should get per capita) and then demands that we are grateful for this?! All you've done is give us back a smaller amount than we paid you!
"Let me get this straight"
You haven't got it straight at all.
Will an independent Scotland commission as much defence work as the UK present does? Probably not.
Will this mean there will be yards closing and jobs lost? Probably yes.
This should be told to people so they know what will happen. The fact the SNP would prefer not to talk about what will happen post-independence doesn't mean no-one else should.
The SNP can't be bold. To be bold, you need imaginative thinkers, genuine radicals. They're a one-issue party who don't have a clue what to do in power and are reduced to nonsense like wanting to jail Scots for 5 years for singing at a football match. They deserve to lose and lose heavily.
William. You don't have it straight yourself. No boatyard only ever gets orders from its own internal defence industry, if what remains of the UK government after independence doesn't want to fall foul of European law, it won't have any choice but to include Scottish yards in any tender.
Will jobs be lost? No one can say either way, the independence question will affect it but by no means to the negative. This is another scare tactic from the Unionist camp.
As for the rest of what you say, you complain that the SNP are a single issue party refering we presume to the question of independence then make light of an attempt to tackle a serious problem in sectarianism (disproving your own main assertion in the process.)
As usual, while the SNP get on with doing a decent job with the powers they've got, the rest of the mob are thrashing about chucking all sorts of unfounded comments about, or do you think they're honestly telling us how it would be if we get independence?
No, they're not and I think most unionists know it too.
William,
Will an independent Scotland commission as much defence work as the UK present does? Probably not.
Will this mean there will be yards closing and jobs lost? Probably yes.
The truth is nobody knows, but I for one would hope that the Scottish taxpayer will be funding more useful things than aircraft carriers that will be mothballed or nuclear weapons that we can't use without America's say-so. As to the future of the yards, as Michael Pettigrew, managing director at Babcock’s Rosyth marine division, puts it:
“The future of Rosyth for most of this decade will be aircraft carrier-driven. Beyond that, because it’s such a fantastic facility with an undoubtedly capable workforce and highly productive workforce, it will have opportunities in its existing markets but also alternative markets such as operations and maintenance of offshore renewables, modular builds for high-integrity markets such as nuclear, new-build and decommissioning, as well as a number of other markets.”
Looking to the referendum, I daresay the SNP are keeping their powder dry, though hopefully not for too much longer. I would also like to see their plans for what Scotland will look like in the immediate post-independence years. But moving beyond that initial vision, it will be up to us Scots to decide what the country will be like in the longer term.
By the way, when will the unionists tell us what Scotland will look like after we say No in the referendum? Or in 10 years time? Or in 20 years time? This should be told to people so they know what will happen. The fact the unionists would prefer not to talk about what will happen post-referendum doesn't mean no-one else should.
Regarding boldness and not having a clue what to do in power, all I can say is...69 MSPs, the people have given their verdict.
"Will jobs be lost? No one can say either way, the independence question will affect it but by no means to the negative."
Sorry, are you seriously arguing that the Scottish defence manufacturing network can expect an INCREASE in trade in a post-independent Scotland?
Perhaps you can jog along to the yards and give them this wonderful news.
"make light of an attempt to tackle a serious problem in sectarianism"
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Three RC schools in the Sunday Times Top 50 Secondary Schools in Scotland and the SNP still want to maintain segregated education and jail people for 5 years for saying the wrong thing at the football.
Give me a shout when they get serious about it, eh?
William,
Will an independent Scotland commission as much defence work as the UK present does? Probably not.
Will this mean there will be yards closing and jobs lost? Probably yes.
Poor little Norway with less population than Scotland has four times the number of shipyard workers
"By the way, when will the unionists tell us what Scotland will look like after we say No in the referendum?"
It's not Unionists that are proposing separation so we already know what our country, its infrastructure, its international legal arrangements, its currency, its financial framework, etc. all look like. We do not know what the proposed country under the SNP will look like.
"Poor little Norway with less population than Scotland has four times the number of shipyard workers"
Source?
William,
"Three RC schools in the Sunday Times Top 50 Secondary Schools in Scotland and the SNP still want to maintain segregated education and jail people for 5 years for saying the wrong thing at the football."
yes much better not to try and reduce sectarianism and to keep the status quo in Glasgow who cares if football slogans encourage violence,
perhaps we can get a team to shout about killing Jews its all good fun to the likes of Michael Kelly ,
And keeps voters devided.
Labour are a disgrace in playing to the sectarian vote.
In any case, it must be said, an independent Scotland would have no comparison with Norway unless it i) remained out of the EU and ii) nationalised the oil industry. I don't think either policy is part of the SNP plans.
'yes much better not to try and reduce sectarianism and to keep the status quo in Glasgow who cares if football slogans encourage violence'
There is no point arresting people at football matches if you insist on segregating children on religious grounds from primary school. If you were genuinely serious about tackling sectarianism that would be your first port of call. Otherwise, it's like banning country and western music in the deep South whilst maintaining racial segregation in schools.
William ,
Today, the Norwegian shipyards employ about 20,000 people ... According to official government statistics, the UK shipbuilding industry in employed 23,500 people, 23 per cent (5400) of which are employed in Scotland.``
I know the source for the Norwegian figures is not shown but i`ll try to find it
William
I agree about segragated schools,but to take no other action against sectarianism is the council of dispair .
Imagine if football fans were singing about being violent with other sections of society.
Fair enough, Footdee, but, as I said, is an independent Scotland going to be modelled on Norway? It doesn't look like it.
I'm not dogmatically opposed to Scottish independence. If someone said we were going to become a Switzerland of the north, or like Norway, then I might be interested. But the SNP aren't proposing anything like this. They seem to cause mayhem for no good reason other than more power in Edinburgh. Why should anyone be interested?
I've said before that it makes no difference to most Scots if they're governed by a Scotsman in London or a Scotsman in Edinburgh. The key is the policies that are in place. And the SNP aren't really radical. Not really. They don't do bold. It's independence and then...we'll continue as we are. For that reason, I'm out.
William,
They don't do bold. It's independence and then..,
vote for who you will,
with Scotland`s resources any Govt with the right or even some wrong policies could make Scotland flourish
You don't give away all your campaign points the first day of the campaign. And if you think that the SNP doesn't have Norway in mind as a model, you haven't been paying much attention. The EU? Frankly, I doubt it but this is something that can be decided later.
I'm sorry but it is stupid to say you want to know everything that the Scottish people would want to decide about how to shape THEIR country before they're even independent. The US didn't even decide on a constitution until 13 years after it declared it's independence.
Or did you want the SNP to declare a dictatorship and say that no one gets a say except them? Let's not be dim here.
As for the smoking and drinking. Smoking bans are a part of the world today. Learn to live with it. The drinking culture has to be dealt with so you're just going to have to learn to live with that too. The fact that as far as the drink price increase--on the extremely cheap stuff--isn't going to affect most of the people who post here makes the cries of horror look a bit hypocritical.
Sectarianism is a blight on Scotland. How it should be dealt with is a problem but if you don't want it, you'd better figure out a way to get rid of it--one that doesn't look like an attack on Catholics which is EXACTLY what getting rid of faith schools looks like. (I think faith schools are a terrible idea but you don't just suddenly dump them)
I am for independence,as long as it is NOT in, under, or otherwise attached to the iron fist of the EUSSR,as we are at the present time.
We will only be able to "do our own thing" as an independent country which is NOT attached to any other country or union. Being tied to the shambles of the European Union is not freedom or Independence ,look at what has happened to Greece and may well happen to Portugal,Italy, Spain and some say maybe even France.You want to be a part of that? To have a Prime or First Minister imposed on you by an external overlord.If the EU does not fall apart, look at who will likely come out on top and think on a little bit as to who you may be required to salute.
I sent a post but it went aglee.
This is a summary; If the SNP can restore some trust and integrity to the politics of Scotland they will have set a benchmark and earned the respect of the people.
If they can score that goal and in addition save the people from the debt peonage Westminster and the EU are forcing on the lives and futures of their populations, they may earn the laurels for being the instigators of the second enlightenment. How bold is that?
In the meantime I'll go for quiet, competent commitment before brash vacuous rhetoric.
TT's still having problems accessing comments so he's sent them by email for me to post.
I'll do them individually if you don't mind.
From TT
Evening Pa,
Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will a new Scotland.
However, since this is a new endeavor it makes sense to start developing things right from the start. It's important that the SNP are trusted by the people of Scotland and show they are different to the usual British politicians.
Sustainable is fine if it works and delivers. At the moment it is a million miles away from doing this. I'd also question public money being used to support large multi-nationals. That's what their shareholders and balance sheets are for.
We have a lot to lose if the SNP fail.
From TT:
I think I'm also in two minds Forfar-loon. A bit of a spark from the SNP would be useful.
A bit negative William perhaps, but in a way you reinforce my point for the SNP needing to stand up and be counted. Time will indeed tell but time temds to run away woth you and if politics is about anything at all it's about grabbing the moment. Can the SNP grab the moment?
From TT:
Pa, the sectarian thing is a blot on our country. I doubt anyone has an answer to it and it's a difficult enough problem to need to be handled carefully. Nothing anyine has said to date fits with that.
From TT:
There is a string case Forfar-loon for clarification of what Scotland will look like post Independence. Defense spending, jobs and so many other things will have to worked out. The Scottish people made a choice and the SNP must deliver.
From TT:
Well William I'm very surprised that the yards won the work on the basis of transporting bits of aircraft carriers all the way around Scotland and joining them together. The costs must be enormous. That said there's no reason why this type of ship building skill couldn't be further developed and expanded. We have to keep in mind that other countries can do this. The service economy will never truly work for Scotland. Making things that people want to buy is more our thing.
From TT:
Sounds about right Footdee unfortunately. However, Westminster holds sway on this one for now. It's an asset which a new Scotland could exploit.
From TT:
Since the SNP have a large majority William, and against the odds then everyone has to give them the chance to put their case. However, this is also an opportunity to start with a clean sheet and evaluate everything and change it as required to be better for the Scottish people.
From TT:
The type of politics which use issues such as sectarianism have no place in a modern democracy Footdee. That;s why we need to move away from the jaded and discredited
Westminster system.
Norway is a useful comparison as at the very least it demonstrates the Westminster politicians way of making use of the revenues from North Sea Oil. Spend it to shore up their political experimentation William.
Thanks for the statistics Footdee. Segregated schooling is a further blot on our society.
From TT:
I think the SNP are the party to deliver Independence William and it will be for another new party to deliver the type of country the Scottish people deserve. Of course the SNP could actually grow enough to do this also but they need to show what they are capable of and soon. We don't need parochial we need clever, strategic and innovative.
From TT:
I'm not so sure about anyone making Scotland flourish. The London lot certainly couldn't Footdee.
From TT:
Goodness JR. A dictatorship? The Scottish people have every right to expect a discussion to take place and there's no time like the present. YUou can guarantee that the Unionists will be shouting their case very loudly indeed. As I said policies should not be driven by populist reasoning. Smoking and drinking are not the great evils they are made out to be. They mostly display the loss of tolerance in our society. Our current situation allows for a discussion to take place about what would be best wothout the Westminster, EU, fake charities and goody two shoes drowning the rest out.
From TT:
I totally agree Apogee. The EU is not an option unless we can make it work for us. the world is a big place and there are many opportunities. A new exciting and driven country could do really well out there.
The SNP managed to establish a reputation for competency in their first government when they were in a minority. i.e. they "managed" but as they did not have a majority they did not attempt any legislation. A blessing to have a govt that didn't pass laws all the time to improve our lives.
Now in a majority they have attempted to legislate some of their hobbyhorses.
The verdict on hill top & deep sea prayer fans, promotion of cross border alcohol trading, single police forces to prevent corruption being investigated, etc etc is far from impressive, if it's like this after 40 years of planning, they'd be even more god awful in a crisis.
Every country is seeing a decline in % empoyed in manufacturing, its that mechanisation thing, the labour intensive-dangerous jobs will not be back. Curious how the people nostalgic for their return are those who wouldn't have to do those jobs innit.
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