Now we'll see what Salmond is made of
Lets be frank, up till now Alex Salmond has had the run of the public subsiy theme park that is Scottish politics. There's no serrious chanlanger in his own party or any of the other Scottish branches of supposed Unionist parties.
But now the Westminster machine has opened one weary eye and focused on him.
It may be that SNP strategists had the opening moves worked out and counter moves anticipated. but events are going to start moving far too quickly for that and wit is going to matter more. Already Salmond is taking hits on the economy and his involvement in the RBS down fall. This is just the start.
The Union breakup debate is going to be more of a spectacle than the AV referendum - and that provided enough entertainment.
As of yet there have been now radical Unionist counter proposals, but I hoep they'll come.
There shoudl be room for a full discussion on the Union and England as well as Scotland's place it it.
Here's hoping...
2 comments:
He took a hit for congratulating Fred the Shred in getting ABN Amro (I think it was) but none of the other hits on the economy are actually landing, at least not in the eyes of many in Scotland.
Swinney's handling of Scottish finances is largely what got the majority in 2011, even Labour gruadgingly admit that.
What is looking a bit shoddy is Joan McAlpine's chit chat and it has looked as if Salmond was forced to give a date for the referendum although, many now think that the date is not that important.
I assume you're down south somewhere, one of the things that has occured to me is this. FFA or Devo-max largely means all moneys (via all taxation) raised in Scotland will be spent in Scotland, there would be no 'subsidy' from down South at all, Barnett would go out the window as would the notion of an arbitrary block grant. (A small negotiated precentage would be subtracted for MOD and FCO services.
Given many South of the border believe they're directly subsidising Scotland and given that unionists have rejected FFA/Devo-max yet 30-40% of the Scot's people quite fancy it; should you good folks not be asking the mainstream parties what the hell they're playing at?
Just a thought.
Might this lead to our exit of the EUSSR via the back door, MiaS? After all, if Scotland leaves the UK the country that was the UK which the traitor, Heath, signed up to the "Common Market" in 1973 would no longer exist and we'd all have to re-apply for membership, wouldn't we? And I don't think even Cameronslime would have the nerve to do that under the circumstances.
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