THE SNP Government has, once more, demonstrated the values that many English folk hold too but which a higher percentage of Scots do, as evident in the actions of the people we vote for.
So, to return again to banging on about Scotland being different enough, see these recent ones (There are more if you search the TuS blog – click on the magnifying glass icon granny!) below:
Scotland IS a different place as its universities offer guaranteed places to care leavers
It’s been some time since my last report suggesting that Scotland is a better place than the UK and that its leaders share a set of values driving us further away from it. Some have mistakenly labelled them ‘Scottish values’…
Another difference? Scottish charity bosses paid 9% less
Another wee drip on the stone of perceptions of the ways in which Scotland might be just a bit more collectivist (better) than rUK. From Third Force News on 27th May: ‘Recruiters say Scottish charity bosses earn around 9% less…
Different Scotland in the UN report on ‘Workhouse Britain’
Here are the main references to Scotland. I’m sure you will draw your own conclusions about where to lay the blame and what to do in the future: Wait, late news from Reporting Scotland: ‘President Mugabe says an independent Scotland…
Scottish values making oil and gas firms a tad different too?
I’ve just posted a piece in our occasional series on the differences between Scotland and rUK in terms of core values such as collectivism, economic justice or perhaps even environmental sensitivity. Now I read this in Energy Voice today, from…
Return to the Meme: Even our employers are a bit different?
From Insider today: ‘Scottish Gas owner Centrica is joining calls on the Government to introduce mandatory paid leave for workers who also have caring responsibilities. Chief executive Iain Conn has written to the chief executives of the UK’s 100 largest…
Another difference as UK small and medium-sized business people prefer Boris while Scots prefer…
‘Despite making numerous incendiary remarks and being at the heart of a ‘civil war’ among his own party, 23% of SMEs would still like to see Boris Johnson as the next Prime Minister, closely followed by Theresa May…
Another difference between Scotland and rUK?
Note: Found this in my drafts folder, forgotten I know it’s not a necessary condition for the Scots to be really different from their neighbours to then deserve independence but, if it’s there, it can help in articulating a rationale…
Talking-up Scotland 
Good and sensible decision in Scotland.
Why if you are anyone living in the U.K. and paying taxes similar to a native born person should the U.K. government stop your health care which you are paying for.
Crazy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good point
LikeLiked by 1 person
Apologies for being slightly OT (but not much really). Richard Murphy carries a short and eminently readable item today (by 2 of his colleagues on the Tax Justice Network). They have prepared a remarkably forensic (but readable!) case study regarding the financing contract (PFI) for the Strathclyde Police Training Centre (now Police Scotland) in Jackton, East Kilbride opened in 2002. They report that:
“Latest official data record the project as having a capital value of £17 million (though news reports said the project cost was £27.5 million.) However, the same official data show a stream of payments to the company delivering the project of £111 million over the 26-year financing life of the project. This fourfold to sixfold disparity between project capital cost and total repayments is only partly explained by standard discounted financing costs: it would have cost the government roughly £35-50 million had it financed the capital value of this project by issuing a bond paying five per cent interest, and used the proceeds to pay private contractors directly.”
They include a fantastically detailed diagram of the bewildering ‘ownership’ superstructure of this single PFI construction contract. It is worth a quick glance. The complexity of the ‘linkages’ give it a certain ‘artistic’ quality. Quite remarkable how the true ‘ownership’ is concealed through the immense series of front companies. As Richard Murphy comments:
“Overall, the general purpose of such complexity is for the owners higher up in the corporate tower to obtain maximum possible rewards from a particular arrangement, while shifting maximum risks onto others’ shoulders.” (‘others’ shoulders’ = public purse).
These dedicated experts from the Tax Justice Network are demonstrating the outrageous shortcomings of the britnat funding models (applied so assiduously in Scotland by the Lab/Lib coalitions). Simply put – these funding models lead to decades of massive transfers from taxpayer to the elite class ‘owners’ for nil discernible public benefit. We just gotta get ourselves out of this britnat craziness a.s.a.p.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Apologies – I managed to rush and omit the link to Richard Murphy’s Tax Network blog which carries the (very readable) forensic case study regarding the PFI contract from 2002 for the Strathclyde Police Training Centre mentioned in previous post. Link here:
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2019/08/16/the-burden-of-financialisation-a-case-study-of-a-scottish-police-training-centre/
LikeLike
Apologies John – even further off Topic but felt this P+J report (and embedded video) of the continuing preparations (this time military) for the impending No Deal brexit might be of some interest. Link and snippets below:
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/moray/elgin/1819015/huge-military-convoy-loaded-onto-train-in-moray-as-part-of-army-exercise/
A huge convoy of military vehicles was loaded on a train yesterday as soldiers headed south to take part in a massive training exercise.
About 30 Land Rovers and Foxhounds, each in camouflage livery, were driven onto wagons in Elgin before a long trip by rail.
The large deployment from 3 Scots, The Black Watch 3rd Battalion, started arriving in groups in the Moray town at about 6am from their base at Fort George near Inverness.
An Army spokesman said: “3 Scots are going on exercise as part of Exercise Wessex Storm at Salisbury Plain.
LikeLike