Alex Salmond

[Andy]

To be fair that may be true but only because the skills of the rest of Scotland's politicians range from wholly incompetent to utterly inept.

And Cameron, Clegg & Milliband.

Clean pair of heels every time.

 

[One Planer]

No reasonable person can ignore Salmond's political skills. He is Teflon man: nothing sticks. Everything that goes wrong is Westminster's fault.

Take the banning of multi-buy discounts on booze. Before this, a bottle of cheap plonk was £4 or three for a tenner. After this a single bottle was £3.33 or three for a tenner. The SNP are seen to be "fighting the war on booze" on one hand yet actually reducing the price in some circumstances. Everybody wins, vote SNP and we will continue to pull rabbits out the hat.

Free prescriptions: most people say "another great SNP policy", even those who already got their prescriptions free anyway. I say that this is a total waste of money: those fortunate enough to be healthy and working who can afford £7 for the occasional pack of pills should pay £7. The money to make such prescriptions free has to come from somewhere.

I am a proud Scotsman but I cannot stand the SNP's pathetic attenpts to portray the English as arrogant toffs only interested in Scotland for the oil money and the deep water nuclear base. The whole tartan/shortbread/Bannockburn agenda coupled with extensive use of the phrase "The People Of Scotland" is pathetic and patronising. Sure, England (especially London) has some seriously rich, ignorant snobs but so does Scotland. The SNP's attitude to the English borders on racism. I love it when we go heads up with English teams at sport, especially Rugby and take great pleasure in all defeats suffered by their cricket team. But I respect their culture, humour and achievements and out of all the English people I have met there are about the same proportion of people I dislike compared to my own people. The same goes for our Irish and Welsh brothers.

Political skills are one thing, pursuing a potentially devastating policy is another. Make no mistake if independence happens it will be a disaster for everyone in the Uk. Here's a few choice subjects for debate (I will happily stand corrected if any SNP supporter can provide decent arguments and/or evidence to prove otherwise):

1. The DVLA: not top of anyone's list of issues to be debated but important nonetheless. Currently based in Wales, would an independent Scotland set up its own agency to provide this service (costs money) or would it sub-contract the work to a UK agency which knows how to do it (costs money).

2. HMCR: no one likes paying tax but it is a fact of life. Who will collect this ?

3. The National Debt (approx £1,000,000,000,000): how much of this is our responsibility

4. Head of state: do we keep the queen or just give the job to Sean Connery?

5. Currency: keep the pound or jump into the cesspool of the Euro and swim around in the bilgewater with the Greeks and Spanish ?

6. The BBC: has it faults but provides some brilliant TV and radio as well as one of the best websites in town.

......

Personally I only see Independence as costing this country money. I am genuinely interested in having a debate about all this and more. As long as no-one mentions toffs, tartan or shortbread.

Another +1

When ever the independence threads pop up it generally starts off as a good debate, the lowers into a slanging match/

The problem dividing up a union is who gets what and who makes the decision?

Do the rest of the union get a vote?

If so what if Scotland vote YES and the rest of the union vote NO..... What then?

If the idea is to "break up" the union, shouldn't all of the union get a vote?

 

[stevie_r]

Another +1

When ever the independence threads pop up it generally starts off as a good debate, the lowers into a slanging match/

The problem dividing up a union is who gets what and who makes the decision?

Do the rest of the union get a vote?

If so what if Scotland vote YES and the rest of the union vote NO..... What then?

If the idea is to "break up" the union, shouldn't all of the union get a vote?

Or, if rather amusingly, Scotland said no and the rest of the union said yes


Which is why the referendum will be in Scotland only

 

[Mr_T]

I think there could well be a situation where Alex Salmond gets enough Scots up for the idea of Independence, they get it, and then within a couple of years they realise that they are in no sort of position to cope without us and want to come back, I can't see how its going to be beneficial to anyone in any way, but i think the rest of the UK would cope without them, whereas I think Scotland could very quickly find themselves in a situation not dissimilar to Greece and Spain. Alex Salmond is to me someone who is far too patriotic for his own good and as someone already mentioned, i think he's just trying to leave his mark, I'm struggling to comprehend how someone like him could be voted in as First Minister.

 

[bigslice]

i think snp got in because the mood of scotland changed, now i think folk are seeing him for what he really is. yes freezing council tax means each of us pay less. but thats not good for the whole of scotland. free prescriptions for everyone is a joke. if you can pay then pay, they will vote no and he will be out at the next eclection, imo

 

[Tommo21]

I’ve paid my taxes all my working life, 44 years, so I have paid and I'm still paying. Until very recently I’ve never needed to bother about medication or pay for it. However, I’m now dependant on it and although I’m not a SNP supporter, I’m grateful they brought it in. I don’t see it as a joke, in fact anyone who sees it as a joke should go and ask those who depend on it or perhaps wait until they depend on it themselves......depend on it to live.

 

[CliveW]

I'm struggling to comprehend how someone like him could be voted in as First Minister.

The SNP were elected because the Scottish electorate, who normally vote Labour, used their vote as a protest against the current Labour Government of the day.

 

[bigslice]

I’ve paid my taxes all my working life, 44 years, so I have paid and I'm still paying. Until very recently I’ve never needed to bother about medication or pay for it. However, I’m now dependant on it and although I’m not a SNP supporter, I’m grateful they brought it in. I don’t see it as a joke, in fact anyone who sees it as a joke should go and ask those who depend on it or perhaps wait until they depend on it themselves......depend on it to live.

you have missunderstood my joke comment, at the moment it is free for everyone. which means that some folk (quite a lot) can well afford to pay it. im fully aware that folk depend on their medicine to live.

 

[patricks148]

The other matter to consider is if independence does go ahead, whats going to happen in 40 years when the North sea Gas and Oil run out

Thats a big chunk of their income gone and thats not going to be recouped by The Trump Golf Course or 100 wind farms

Fragger

Thats a smoke screen branded about by westmister govs. They have been saying its going to run out in 40 years for the last 30 odd.

I Know quite a few guys involved in Oil & Gas and they are all saying its not going to run out, infact they are finding more all the time, along with the renewables that we have access to, wave power and wind tech.

I hate the little fat F***er, a shameful egomaniac, but saying that Scottish independents look s like the only we are every going to get rid of the tories .

 

[Val]

The SNP were elected because the Scottish electorate, who normally vote Labour, used their vote as a protest against the current Labour Government of the day.

And it worked a treat, now look at what we have, Ego boy at the head in Holyrood and the Torries in Westminister.

Like Turkeys voting for Christmas.

 

[rosecott]

I’ve paid my taxes all my working life, 44 years, so I have paid and I'm still paying. Until very recently I’ve never needed to bother about medication or pay for it. However, I’m now dependant on it and although I’m not a SNP supporter, I’m grateful they brought it in. I don’t see it as a joke, in fact anyone who sees it as a joke should go and ask those who depend on it or perhaps wait until they depend on it themselves......depend on it to live.

You said in an earlier thread that you are now 60, so you would have got free prescriptions anyway, even if Salmond had not brought them in.

 

[Alan]

Man is a self interested cock, I've met him twice now and dislike him more every time.

 

[SocketRocket]

If all else fails he could get a job as a Gollum lookey likey.