This then, is what we have to look forward to if we vote NO.
The departments, which agreed on new spending cuts, include the Home Office, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Culture Media and Sport, which mostly cover areas devolved to Scotland.
The other three departments are the Scotland Office, Wales Office and the Law Officers Department.
The actual amount of cuts to each department and how they could impact Scotland is still not clear as the Treasury has delayed giving details until the Spending Review is unveiled.
George Osborne is looking to find £11.5 billion in savings before making his Spending Review announcement on June 26.
However, with less than 2 weeks to go before the Spending Review is announced, 10 of the 24 departments remain to be settled among which is the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Last month, British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said further defence cuts could undermine the country’s military capability. He sounded sceptical that he will be able to meet Osborne’s requests on budget cuts.
Earlier this week, Whitehall spending watchdogs also warned Osborne over short-term emergency cuts, saying the measures cannot produce permanent savings for UK taxpayers.
The departments, which agreed on new spending cuts, include the Home Office, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Culture Media and Sport, which mostly cover areas devolved to Scotland.
The other three departments are the Scotland Office, Wales Office and the Law Officers Department.
The actual amount of cuts to each department and how they could impact Scotland is still not clear as the Treasury has delayed giving details until the Spending Review is unveiled.
George Osborne is looking to find £11.5 billion in savings before making his Spending Review announcement on June 26.
However, with less than 2 weeks to go before the Spending Review is announced, 10 of the 24 departments remain to be settled among which is the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Last month, British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said further defence cuts could undermine the country’s military capability. He sounded sceptical that he will be able to meet Osborne’s requests on budget cuts.
Earlier this week, Whitehall spending watchdogs also warned Osborne over short-term emergency cuts, saying the measures cannot produce permanent savings for UK taxpayers.
Is that the positive campaign for the Union?
ReplyDeleteIt's the best you're likely to hear, Marcia.
ReplyDeleteApart from the fact that poor wee Scotland could never afford to arm the rebels in Syria....
Hmmmm
Tris
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see the details when they come out. The issue, as always, will be getting appropriate media coverage of the detail. Of course there will be spin if any part of the Scottish block grant is increased, Labour and the other Tory parties will spin this to attack Salmond. Can't see how they will do it this time but they will, I suppose the cynical in me would not be surprised if the cuts are less or neutral in Scotland given the vote next year. The Unionists might take the long view, let the Jocks think they are getting a good deal now and from 2015 onwards the punishment for the no vote will be swift, painful and deserved.
Off point but something that has been in my mind is if it's a no vote and then Scotland returns a majority SNP lot to Westminster in 2015 how does that impact on the position of more powers. Do they refuse to take their seats, that would set the cat amongst the pigeons.
Bruce
if it's a no vote
DeleteAn independent Scotland would have to either introduce deep austerity, or raise taxes (or both most likely).
ReplyDeleteThe idea that separation would help us avoid the necessity of living within our means is comical.
Dean, you are in the mindset that Scotland would not be able to rejig its budget and make more than a few savings over what we already pay, to Wastemonster.
DeleteSomeone, Fazzle Down or Cybernat blogs has described the existing system of our Westminster association means that Westminster considers we own sweet FA despite being partenrs in this United Kingdom for 300+ years with England. They own it all and we have just being renting access to whatever administration and defence assets which exist.
We can do it cheaper and at a greater contribution to the Commonweal of Scotland.
There is also the point of the poorly negotiated rights for the extraction of our oil. A wee chance to change the playing field.
Austerity my erse.
In case anyone here is still hovering and undecided about Yes/No (hello Dean), how about reading this piece from a Tory MP about how Westminster has no real role to play in democracy and is just one big trough fest for the willing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politics.co.uk/news/2013/06/16/you-don-t-even-know-what-you-re-voting-for
Vote YES and get the chance to reform democracy in Scotland for Scotland.
Vote No and hee-fucking-haw except gang raped by our "friends" down south.
Why is it I am not surprised by anything she said? It has long been known that Scottish MPs from Labour are just jobsworths for the most part.
DeleteLobbyfodder is a phrase I have come across before.
She is actually a Tory MP for an English constituency
DeleteTreu, snotty. Yet another of their brilliant ideas gone west...
ReplyDelete... Nothing they do ever works.
snp malcontents one and all
ReplyDeleteI find the idea an Independent Scotland under the same
capitalist system, would be a progressive beacon of
a fair equitable nation.
To be laughably risible people would still be poor
food banks still be needed the crushing boot of
the monied classes would still be on the ordinary persons
throat.
Alex has expressly guaranteed signing in his own
blood Scotland under him will follow out whatever and whenever
the B of E order him to do no matter what the Scottish people say.
sovereignty rests with well almost anyone else the B of E
NATO the EU etc etc blah blah blah but not with the Scottish
people.
deano
'The idea that separation would help us avoid the necessity of living within our means is comical.'
er within whatever means westmonster decides to give to their
lackey Alex Salmond
I'd prefer to think (hope?) fiscal autonomy within the UK is possible.
DeleteToo late My Love, too late.
DeleteI'd prefer to think (hope?) fiscal autonomy within the UK is possible.
DeleteProof that alcohol damages immature brains.
Niko.
DeleteStop assuming that Alex Salmond will be the first minister. It really is unlikely.
After two terms and having got what he went into politics to get almost undoubtedly Eck will want to retire to spend time with his wife.
After 2 SNP goverenments and with labour freed from the obligation to please the people of south east England with their policies, I imagine they may revert to what what Scottish people want and need from a labour party.
Scotland will not have all the expenses of defence that the Uk has. We won't have to help maintain the 4th largest spend on military in then world; we will however have 40 years of oil and plenty of water...
Labour as the next government under maybe Dougie Alexander or maybe Wendy, Spud or someone as yet untested, or might for example decide to scrap the common currency and set up a Scottish Sporran, or Crown or something.
Why, oh why do you think Norway can do it but Scotlan couldn't? Do you think we are all thicker than Norwegians?
Did you watch all the labour people in McWhirter's programme tell us how time and time agains we get the government that the English vote for...?
Stop thinking Salmond. He'll be gone within a few years.
Dean. They have made it absolutely clear that that is not going to happen.
DeleteDevo max was absolutely refused by David Cameron, and your friend Michael Forsyth said it was an impossibility because of the terms of the 1070 act.
The English would have to vote for it. it would cost them a fortune. They would be broke; we would be better off (not rich because we would still have to pay for WMDs and all the wars we currently take part in), but better off. And there is no way that would get the vote in the English parliament which would have to be reconvened to debate it.
Another benefit of voting no!
ReplyDeleteThe lowest pension by comparison to earnings. Mind I don't know where they got the idea that average earnings in the Uk were £31,000.
DeleteBut our pensioners are treated badly and under labour or the Tories they are about to be slapped about some more for not being royal, or MPs or Lords.
Stinking thing to do.
I will be happier when I see that MPs pensions have been seriously reduced... but I'm not holding my breath.
Its a comical argument and one which doesn't stack up if you scratch the surface: "An independent Scotland would have to either introduce deep austerity, or raise taxes (or both most likely)."
ReplyDeleteThis would be true if an independent Scotland followed the same spending plans as it would if governed from Westminster - since we all know this to be a nonsense - the argument is there-for entirely moot.
Obviously those still doggedly supporting the union use it because they've got nothing else. The truth is (as I see it) we'll be somewhere in between a good deal better off with independence and nothing like as shite situation if we vote no.
If you vote no, you won't get nothing, you'll get less than nothing when they start to remove things. We'll all remain second class citizens, part of union they keep telling us we are an integral part of, which stops short of any sort of ownership of what we've been paying for for fucking centuries - the cheeky bastards.
The more I think about that the more it annoys me.
If you vote no, you won't get nothing, you'll get less than nothing when they start to remove things.
DeleteLOL. Dead right.
DeleteWe will be a country of 6 million people, with a massive income from oil and nothing much in the way of wars to fight in order to keep our place at the top table (because we won't have one to keep).
You only have to look at the other nordic nations to see how getting on with your own business and not poking your nose overly into anyone else's means that you can build up quite a bit of money and live a good lifestyle.
Seriously, are there many people in Scotland who wouldn't swap their lifestyle for that of a Dane or Norwegian?
I really don't think so.
And, as you say, we don't own squat. nothing is ours. They will come and dismantle the DWP buildings brick by brick and take them back to England.
UK STUFF DOESN'T BELONG TO ENGLAND GUYS. GET THAT INTO YOUR HEAD.
I thought that was pretty neat coming from Andrew Neil, CH. Even he can see that.
DeleteAndrew Neil.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand him, and I can't believe I'm going to say this - he had me feeling sorry for EDL leader Tommy Robinson who was being interviewed on The Sunday Politics - well I say interviewed but all Neil was doing was spitting out words with negative connotations and not allowing Robinson to answer anything uninterrupted.
It wasn't an interview per se, it was an exercise in smear. I certainly don't agree with Tommy Robinson's politics or views, but like Griffin on QT - they don't need to make it so biased - these people are more than able to makes tits of themselves without any help from oiks like Andrew Neil.
I'm not sure I could stand to watch the EDL blokey, so I'll take your word for it, Pa.
DeleteThe point is that no matter what the politics, as long as they are a legally constituted party...or a part thereof... surely the BBC should give them a hearing without pouring out their personal viewpoint.
We've seen it with the like of Kirsty Wark and that the old woman with the long hair on Reporting Scotland (or as I saw it described the other day Distorting Scotland), their voiced drip with hatred when they talk about the SNP.
The BBC needs to be utterly unbiased and its journalists just aren't up to the job, from Dumbleby to Wark; Neil to Paxman, they are not professional enough to do the job.