Wednesday, May 2, 2018

The Cost of Caution

What will Scotland's situation be eighteen years from now?  I mean that quite literally - how will things be on Friday, 2nd May 2036, which unless the relevant legislation changes will be the day after the ninth Scottish Parliament election?  My iScot column for this month ponders that very question.  It's an 'alternative future' look at how events may have played out if the SNP leadership heeds the siren voices and allows its current mandate for a pre-2021 referendum to expire.  In that scenario, will Scotland be independent by 2036?  Or will it at least be on the brink of independence?  Surely all that pragmatism and prudence and patience and caution and carefulness and canniness must have paid off handsomely?  Here's a sneak preview: no.

But you can find out for yourself, because the article is available to read on Twitter HERE.  Needless to say, you should still buy the whole magazine - a digital copy can be bought inexpensively HERE.

Oh, and an advance warning: today we're looking ahead exactly eighteen years, but tomorrow we'll be looking back exactly ten years.  More on that in due course...

21 comments:

  1. Whats wee jimmy krankies solution to the MAJORITY of impoverished social drinkers in Scotland,youve guessed it impose a totalitarian tax on having a night out at your local,if theres any left after the smoking ban and the not being able to take a thimble of alcohol in case your imprisoned the morning after a night out.All while wee burny waits on her chauffer put the champers on ice.Lifes tough at Carlton Place all be it free rent and a measly 500000 a year to scrape a day to day existence,all provided by the taxpayer,whilst expousing socialism but not practising it.She is a great example to all wannabe pretend nats.One word for her and her ilk reprobates.

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    1. MUH DODALLIDARIAN TAX. MUH...MUH....MUH....

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    2. The Scottish government is actually taking steps to at least TRY to solve social problems. Wah! Wah! Wah!

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    3. And what are the steps?

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    4. I wonder who he imagines is getting £500,000 a year from the taxpayer. Even the Prime Minister doesn't get that, though she certainly gets more than the FM.

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    5. krankie is on 250000 a year as is her husband

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    6. It is rather stupid lying about something easily googled.

      The pay of the First Minister of Scotland is supposed to be £144,687, which is composed of a basic MSP salary of £59,089 plus an additional salary of £85,598 for the role as First Minister. However, she has published her tax returns revealing that she has chosen not to accept the increase still drawing it at the rate before it was increased.

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    7. And what her husband makes is nobody's business because he is employed by the SNP, not by the Scottish government.

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    8. Be careful Scottish friends. I'm from Italy and "The Casta" rethoric spoiled and destroyed political structure in my country in '90. It produced nothing, except that substitute a political class with a worse and blunderer subpolitical. class.
      When people start to point out about politicians wages, and "privilegies" you can be sure risk of political caos is near.

      Lou Monte

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  2. I don’t think the cost of a night out at the local will change but will stay a pleasant and healthy, smoke free way to spend an evening. I , personally, do not know of anyone who has been imprisoned after drinking alcohol the previous evening in the many years I have lived in Scotland but I do see evidence of those who may have been from the amount of empty plastic cider bottles discarded throughout our local parks. You will be relieved,, no doubt. To know that the price of Buckfast remains the same after the minimum unit increase.

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    1. Oh, troll. Your standards, such as they are, really have slipped. This is semi-coherent even when compared with your usual wibblings.

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  3. Walk along any Glasgow city centre street at lunchtime and you will witness the zombies lost in the blue mist of Ice Dragon Cider and other cheap booze.

    As yourself this. How did they get there and how can they afford to stay there?

    Something must be done and it starts with stopping young Scots self harming because they are exploited by those peddling the poison. It pays for the rich to keep the poor choked up on cheap booze. They make more money and poor people stay poor and die young. Those who think that we should just allow the young and the poor to keep wrecking their lives on cheap booze. Are no better than those who sell it.

    Society must help itself as the rich and wealthy won't protect these people from cheap booze. Why do you think so many wealthy people were against the minimum pricing?

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    1. if you think an alcoholic will stop because his drink is too expensive then you have lost the plot.What he will do is turn to crime via theft or the black market,he would stop at nothing to get it as he is a addict,is that difficult to comprehend?Meanwhile wee krankie who is one of the elite she pretends to despise,takes any little money from the poor any way she can,and i am referring to the normal working guy who wants a vodka at the weekend.Socialists love identity politics,any single issue to punish the many.

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    2. That you, troll? You're even less coherent than usual, and that takes some doing.

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  4. Hi James,

    As an SNP member, I'm very much afraid that your 2036 scenario might turn out to be true. (That's your actual iScot scenario, not the Minimum Alcohol Pricing that you didn't actually write about!)

    With a Tory Westminster establishment clearly intending to dismantle/damage the devolution settlement as much as possible and events heading towards some sort of constitutional crisis, what are we doing? Is the SNP leadership publicly reminding people of the benefits of independence? Are we linking to the resurgent "Yes" movement? Are the constitutional lawyers challenging Westminster about the terms and conditions of the Acts of Union and the interpretation of 300 years of legislation underpinned by the Treaty of Union? Are we pushing Westminster with any real credible threat?

    None of these things require us to be actually fighting a referendum and would, ideally, be done before a campaign started.

    Well, I've just looked at the draft agenda for the SNP Spring Conference in Aberdeen and it appears that the answer to all these questions is "No".

    If ever there was a time to strike while the iron was hot, this is it, but we are going to hold a conference where the first 5 pages of the draft agenda are devoted to re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic or, as we prefer to call it, Drafting Instructions for Constitutional Review!!!!

    And then there are the other proposed Policy Resolutions. The National Investment Bank and the National Infrastructure Company are important initiatives, but have already been announced. And as for the rest - - -

    The "Siege on Gaza", the "Vision for Learning Disability Reform" and "Women in the Justice System" are all worthy issues but quite how they're going to advance the core independence objective of the SNP at a very tricky time is beyond me. And as for "Wage Ratio Legislation", "Double Paternity Leave", "Changing Places Toilets" and "Hutting Developments" - - - words fail me. If we can't do better than this, we don't deserve to win.

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    1. Did not know Gaza was in Scotland!

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    2. As it happens, it is. A bit of basic research would reveal that it's a cottage set in its own grounds within Sullom village in Shetland.

      Admittedly, the conference motion refers to a rather larger and better known Gaza, but what's the problem with that? My objection is that, at this particular moment and in a purely Scottish context, it's a diversion away from core independence issues, but what's wrong with being internationalist and expressing a view on perceived injustices elsewhere in the world? That is, after all, the excuse used by Westminster and it's Unionist apologists to bomb most of the Middle East - - -

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    3. There is a small place called Gaza in Eastern Ross not far from Tain.

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  5. Brilliant article, James. (Yes, I am a subscriber as should anyone be who is interested in Scotland) Unfortunately, your scenario is highly possible if the SNP leadership doesn't stop running from supporting independence.

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    1. I live in Scotland and I am Scottish unlike yourself Tomlin. Is it Yankland you reside in?

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    2. Very true. Agree in all points.

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