Published on 12, July, 2020
Yesterday I was waiting for a train and someone walked in front of a train apparently. Delayed all the trains etc. man what a world truly. This country Scotland is a mess because of English imposed budget and funding cuts. So many days I see alcoholics and drug addicts on the streets it’s upsetting the damage that England is doing to my country. The sooner we leave England and create our own republic the better. I will see the day I am sure I will. I can’t wait. People walking in front of trains is not normal man. This cruel English government is really destroying us man. They just don’t let up at all. Then England is also full of right wing extremists like David Icke telling people that SNP wants to break apart Britain. Yes the SNP do want to do that and the sooner it happens the better! Break apart the union! I want my country to become a republic like Ireland. Enough is enough! We have had enough of English control and cuts to poor and needy people. England does nothing positive for Scotland. It’s like an abusive partner constantly hitting us with cuts. Man people are dying on the streets here in Scotland. England has cut funding to lots of support to autistic people across Britain and including Scotland. NAS you should really be campaigning for our rights as autistic people and should really be supporting Scotland becoming an independent republic too. Do away with Spectrum 10K too which is a eugenics programme created by a bunch of English professors who have never lived a day in the life of an autistic persons shoes. Why do they want my DNA? Probably so they can put it in a database and keep it there forever. I mean if a major autism study is coming out of England then yeh it just can’t be good can it? England doesn’t have a good track record of standing up for the poor, needy and ill. They won’t be getting my DNA and that’s for sure. The only person who will get my dna will be my partner to be and that’s it.
You might find this interesting and/or informative:
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/scotland/2024/08/the-snp-has-spent-its-way-into-crisis
It's also worth keeping in mind that it's the Scottish government that makes decisions about spending in Scotland. For example:
"Autism Understanding Scotland (AUScot) has announced it will be closing its doors after the Scottish government cut its funding for autistic children’s services."
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/autism-charity-announces-closure-following-government-funding-cut.html
That’s because Scotland gets its funding from England which has been cut so the Scottish government is forced to cut services.
That just isn’t true.
The Scottish govt’s funding comes from three sources:
• Scottish income tax
• The block grant from Westminster
• Borrowing by the Scottish govt
The block grant from Westminster had increased, not decreased.
The SNP govt’s problems stem from them overspending. As noted by the Scottish Fiscal Commission:
• £900m more on benefits than budgeted for, rising to £1.5bn a year in the next few years
• A council tax freeze announced by Humza Yousaf at an SNP conference without even consulting his own ministers or asking the civil service how much it would cost
• Unbudgeted public sector pay rises
etc
Another point i intended to make in my first response on this thread about blaming "the English" is that Labour got a higher share of the vote in Scotland than it did in England. So there's a stronger case for saying that Scottish decisions are being imposed on England.
I work for a large American technology company that employs people all over the UK. I work every day with people from all over the UK. We are the same people. When you hear a politician or one of their followers trying to drive a wedge between English, Scots and Welsh people, know that they are liars and only doing it for their own benefit.
The title of this thread and many of the OPs statements are just pure ignorance and racism, of a kind that have been deliberately incited in Scotland by the SNP for the last 12 or 13 years. It really triggers me. Sorry if that annoyance has come across too strongly in my replies.
I think Wales, Scotland and Ireland are lucky in that they can blame the English for all thier woes, who do the English blame? We were just as oppressed by an uncaring aristocracy as any from other nations, we've had our history taken from us and had it replaces with a colonial diatribe that we're supposed to be proud of. For many English people our history starts with the supposed high points of the industrial revolution and empire, both of those things us ordinary folk were mear cannon and factory fodder for, we were cleared form the land and into burgeoning and filthy towns, paid a pittance, many English fled abroad for the same reasons as the rest of the "British". As far back as I can trace my family on both sides we were ordinary peasants, people who worked as farm labourers and other often menial jobs, it seems as though my people have been here a very long time, possibly since the Romans maybe even before, so all we've seen is change in overlords and no profit for us over the centuries.
So next time you want to blame "The English" for your woes and historical atrocities, remember that there are plenty of English who would agree with you and would like someone to blame. So lets remember those who are really to blame are the Anglo-Norman overlords who pillaged all our countries, depopulated huge areas, like in The Harrowing of the North, or people who were cleared for sheep farming, forced into unwanted military service for wars we probably didn't understand. Were left impoverished as people made magabucks for the cities at the expence of ordinary people. Suppressed us, like at the Peterloo Massacre, The Peasants Revolt and numerous other occassions.
I think devolution, federalisation or independance would give the ruling and political classes a massive and much needed kick up the backside and maybe even free the English people from a false history to a folk history and maybe they will find out who they really are and will be able to shake off the shackles of empire and conquest.
Saying that OTHER peoples’ taxes should be increased “because they can afford them” when you have no clue what they can afford sounds exactly like self interest to me.
In Scotland our taxes have already been increased several times.
We pay 42% higher rate tax at £43k instead of 40% at £50k as in the rest of the UK, we pay the additional rate tax (45%) at £75k instead of £125k as in the rest of the UK. Anyone earning over £27k in Scotland will be paying more income tax than they would in any other part of the UK.
And this has barely raised any additional revenue because it reduces the amount we get from the block grant. The SNP knew this but did it anyway because they knew punishing the better off would play well with their supporters.
As for what someone on £80k can afford - how can you possibly know?
And how much is enough? What percentage of other peoples’ incomes would be enough for you to be satisfied?
Welfare policy has affected me in the past. It affects me comparatively less now that I'm a pensioner . That doesn't mean I've stopped caring about those disabled and/or vulnerable of working age. Labour's stance on welfare is far too centre right for my liking, just as New Labour's was.The only viable alternative, a Tory party that is intellectually and morally bankrupt, is far worse.
Whether you like it or not- it is not unreasonable to give Labour time to fix the damage caused by Tory incompetence. That doesn't make me in any way right wing, as you are suggesting.