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Is it time time to call the “Scottish Lion’s bluff”?

Here he is, the great Alex Salmond who claims “the Scottish lion has roared”. Though he looks more like a bloated overweight toad than a roaring lion:

scot bluff

But who in England wants to hear the triumphalist, benefits-dependent Scots whingeing and moaning every minute of every day for the next five years as they claim they’re being oppressed by the horrible Tawries? Not me. Perhaps it’s time to call the Scottish toad’s bluff?

About 36 years ago Labour Treasury Secretary Joel Barnett came up with a supposedly temporary allocation of money to the four countries making up the UK. It became known as the “Barnett Formula”. Every year for the last 36 years, the Scrots have received much more public spending per head of population than  the English and the Welsh. In 2014, this Barnett Formula led to the Scots getting £10,152 per head compared to just £8,529 in England. So the Scrots are receiving £1,623 per head in public spending (19% ) more than the English:

barnett formula

Lord Barnett never intended his formula to last for 36 years. In fact he described it as a “terrible mistake” during the Scottish referendum.

He said it had become a “national embarrassment” and that he felt ashamed his name was still associated with it. Lord Barnett, who died aged 91 in November 2014 admitted “It is unfair and should be stopped, it is a mistake. This way is terrible and can never be sustainable, it is a national embarrassment and personally embarrassing to me as well“.

Now that the People’s Democratic Republic of Scotland has become a socialist, one-party state, perhaps it’s time to discard the Barnett Formula? Perhaps it’s time to give the whingeing. complaining Scots full fiscal independence? That means they would have full tax and spending powers and they can only spend the money they raise in taxes and can borrow on international financial markets.

If we did this, the ghastly Salmond and Sturgeon would discover that they needed to find another £5bn to £8bn more than they currently raise in tax to carry on offering the Scrots all the goodies like free university, free prescriptions and other things the Scrots get, but are not available in England because we can’t afford them.

In fact, if the Scots actually got the fiscal independence they keep demanding, they would be bankrupt within a year. But they keep demanding fiscal independence in the certain knowledge that the dreadful Tawries would never give it. Maybe it’s time to call their bluff? Let’s give them full tax and spending powers and then watch with glee as they become another Greece and founder and sink. Perhaps their beloved EU will bail them out?

So, don’t be taken in by the strident Sturgeon’s and ridiculous Salmond’s empty bluster and outrageous lies. They have their greedy mouths firmly clamped onto the abundant, ever-giving teats of the English taxpayer and nothing will ever loosen their grip on our money.

Apparently there’s a joke:

Q: What’s a well-balanced Scot?

A. One with chips on both his/her shoulders

5 comments to Is it time time to call the “Scottish Lion’s bluff”?

  • brian rodney

    Remember that the ‘ free Universities ‘ are offered to , not only Scotland but to the whole of the European Union – all, that is, except the rest of the United Kingdom whose students must pay to attend Scottish Universities.

  • NoMore

    After all the bile that came spilling south during and after the referendum it would be very satisfying to cut the McBludgers loose and watch England and Wales soar like a bird. (NI get even more but at least they are not chippy about it).

    The SNP got the election result they really wanted with their favourite pantomime villain getting a majority. Cast-Iron is probably already scrabbling to placate them with more money and devolved powers – nincompoop that he is.

  • Another Keen Reader

    Now that the People’s Democratic Republic of Scotland has become a socialist, one-party state, perhaps it’s time to discard the Barnett Formula? Perhaps it’s time to give the whingeing. complaining Scots full fiscal independence? That means they would have full tax and spending powers and they can only spend the money they raise in taxes and can borrow on international financial markets.

    If we did this, the ghastly Salmond and Sturgeon would discover that they needed to find another £5bn to £8bn more than they currently raise in tax to carry on offering the Scrots all the goodies like free university, free prescriptions and other things the Scrots get, but are not available in England because we can’t afford them.

    In fact, if the Scots actually got the fiscal independence they keep demanding, they would be bankrupt within a year. But they keep demanding fiscal independence in the certain knowledge that the dreadful Tawries would never give it. Maybe it’s time to call their bluff? Let’s give them full tax and spending powers and then watch with glee as they become another Greece and founder and sink. Perhaps their beloved EU will bail them out?

    So, don’t be taken in by the strident Sturgeon’s and ridiculous Salmond’s empty bluster and outrageous lies. They have their greedy mouths firmly clamped onto the abundant, ever-giving teats of the English taxpayer and nothing will ever loosen their grip on our money.

  • david brown

    The Union was a good marriage. Scotland contributed much by way of military , science, engineering, medical, writing, and to what was The British Empire. That is the past now long ago and far away. Now is the time for Divorce.
    The migrant hordes are not heading for the highlands or to enrich Glasgow. They are descending on the green hills of England. Which now has more migrants than the population of Scotland. If England stands alone its people might wake up before they are demographically destroyed.

  • Bruce

    Hi David,

    I can’t say I blame you for having that opinion about we Scots – I’m only surprised it has taken the English so long to get fed up. The Barnett Formula is a bit of an issue up here because there are various hoops that can be jumped through, different sleights of hand to be employed and then dubious statistics to be wheeled out all of which show that Scotland contributes more to the Union than it receives. Personally, I agree with you that we’re net beneficiaries. But, as we agree, the solution is fiscal autonomy. Let’s see who’s right and who’s wrong.

    There are a couple of other things that really bug me about the Nats. One you touched upon above and that is the desire, apparently, to be independent of Westminster but subserviant to Brussels. Now that’s a strange one! I can assure you that if the EU was a right wing affair rather a gravy train for cultural Marxists the SNP would want nothing to do with it.

    The other is climate change and here the SNP really show themselves up for being hypocrites on a truly global scale. They hate fossil fuel and want to carpet Scotland with onshore and offshore wind turbines, saddling Scots with very expensive energy, all in a bid to keep carbon emissions down. And yet, how do they plan to finance the country? By selling as much fossil fuel as possible to the highest bidder, ensuring that all the CO2 locked in it will be released into the atmosphere. Personally, I think the climate scare thing is all bollocks anyway.

    As for immigrants, Scotland has been enriched to the peak of perfection by Irn Bru and the deep fried Mars Bar so I think it unlikely we need any additional cultural enhancement.

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