Alex Salmond and 'the Scottish Government'..

[max_tranmere]

I know I've said this before on here but I really can't get over how he decided to call the Executive north of the border 'The Scottish Government' - all for political reasons - and somehow the press, overseas politicans, and everyone here have picked up on the term and uses it. He is presently on Newsnight talking about Lockerbie and they have already said on the programme 'the Scottish and British Governments said this, did that...'. The American politican they are also interviewing has used the term 'the Scottish Government' aswell. I really dont know how Salmond pulled this off.

[Arginald Valleywater]

He actually thinks he is the new King of Scotland. Serious Walter Mitty syndrome. Without subsidies from English taxpayers Holyrood would be nothing more than a talking shop.

[Robches]

I think the subsidies from Westminster are at the heart of the Scottish problem. Their devolved government operates as a sort of cargo cult. It spends money, but it does not raise any, that appears as if by magic from London. Scotland, like many parts of England, is a semi-socialist state. Government spending as a percentage of the economy is over 50% if I recall. This makes Scotland dependent on England, an odd sitaution for a Scottish nationalist I would have thought.

[RoddersUK]

I have several Scotish friends and they despise the twatt and don't know anyone who doesn't.
The man is a complete and utter fucking useless wanker.

[max_tranmere]

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The renaming was decided unilaterally by the minority government; as a consequence, the SNP was criticised by the three Unionist opposition parties for acting without allowing for parliamentary scrutiny, debate or approval of their plan. However, the term "Scottish Government" has become common usage by all such parties

[Dick Moby]

I've met the man. I had a gripe and he got it sorted. He also sorted out a couple of things for my father in a battle with the jobsworths at the local council.
He did the job for me and mine. He's far from perfect but at least he made the effort, listened and then acted.

[alicia_fan_uk]

Who'd have thought that a politician would do something....political!? Shock horror.

I'm more concerned with what an executive/government does rather than what it's called, but perhaps I'm just weird. FYI, government is defined as "the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration". Very much sounds like what Salmond et al are in the business of, so perfectly reasonable for him to call it that (manner in which it was decided aside).

I'm not a huge Salmond fan, but then I'm not a huge Cameron or Peter Robinson fan either. However, let's not let our like or dislike of certain politicians allow us to talk total pish:.....

The total Scottish Govt budget is c. ?34bn, against a GDP of c ?90bn (which excludes oil and gas revenues). Hardly the "over 50%" claimed above. This one of several factual "non-facts" in Robches post.

Also, re "subsidies from England", I refer to a previous post on the matter: "The Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish spend what the UK Government allocates to them (using a mechanism which consecutive Tory and Labour governments have chosen to retain). There are various arguments as to who subsidises whom, and to what extent, but what we have is a system which the government (made up mainly of Englishmen and women) has decided upon. That's how our democracy works. Why the hell would Scotland, Wales and/or Northern Ireland spend less than what has been allocated to them!? Do you return a percentage of your annual personal tax allowance to HMRC because you can identify some other person in the UK who seems to get a rougher deal out of the system than you?

On a similar premise, I presume Londoners also have a valid gripe about subsidising all the non-cockney hand-out loving bastards from all over England?

alicia_fan_uk

[RoddersUK]

Isn't that the twatts job?

[Dick Moby]

It certainly is his job and it's what he's paid to do but I doubt if the same could be said for every MP. Too many are all mouth and no action.

[max_tranmere]

If a politican does something 'political' it means a thing of self, a self-interest thing, rather than something for the good of the people.