Scotland's £76 billion 'devolution dividend'
SCOTLAND has gained a £76 billion "devolution dividend" since the creation of the Scottish Parliament, as public spending has outstripped tax generated in the country by up to 45 per cent, a controversial new report has found....
David Davies, a Tory MP for Monmouth, and an outspoken critic of devolution said he was "not surprised" by the report. "Both Wales and Scotland are receiving more in government subsidies than they pay in taxation," he said. "If Scotland or Wales decide to leave the union, there will be a price to be paid because England will no longer want to go on subsidising either."
How does Mr Davies know that England wants to subsidise Scotland and Wales now? Does anyone ask England; does anyone ascertain English interests?
With Scotland now the most affluent country in the UK, and with the revelation that Scotland is overfunded to the tune of £4.5bn a year, perhaps it's time to ask the people of England.
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When is a grotesque unfairness not a grotesque unfairness?
from Toque on Thu, 07/07/2011 - 12:29The Telegrpah's Allison Pearson writes on the Barnett Formula:
I don’t care whether our Government is keeping quiet about this grotesque unfairness to stop pro-independence feelings from growing in Scotland. I do care that English students are carryin...
England, the sleeping partner
from Toque on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 13:25From the Welsh Conservatives 2011 Manifesto.
Devolution has made Wales a political nation. The Welsh Conservative Party welcomes this development and believes it is completely compatible with a strong Union, which is the basis of the UK. Now that the pri
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What staggers me is that
What staggers me is that Murphy has published this knowing that no MP in England (especially Labour MPs) will say Jack about it. They seem incapable of getting the correlation between how much is given north of the border and how little they receive in their own English constituencies.
Alfie - I wonder if they
Alfie - I wonder if they really care anyhow? It seems to me that all MPs regardless of which side of the political divide they stand, are more about party than people.
I suppose if they keep their mouths shut, toe the party line they will eventually be rewarded. Actually standing up and fighting for the rights of their constituents probably never even enters their heads.
A pox on both their houses!
Barnett Formula = Union Levy
In response to a paper they published on the Barnett Formula a year ago i suggested to the TPA they publish figures on how much the basic rate of income tax would fall if public spending in Scotland, Wales and NI was set at the same level as Englands.
Along with this i said they should publish a table showing that if you are on X salary your tax bill is increased by X because of the BF. Thus it would be more appropriate to rename the BF the Union Tax or Union Levy and that every year the English would know exactly what the Union costs them, just like they know how much local services cost via their council tax.
Unbelievably they got back and said it was a good idea and they would look into it - sadly not seen anything further so must assume its been nobbled by the establishment.
If they did publish these figures it would be blatantly obvious that even the lowest paid in England are being ..........
The LibLabCON has made the
The LibLabCON has made the English pay
The English must now make the LibLabCON pay - at the ballot box.