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Before the late 1990s, the UK was governed by a single parliament at Westminster. Devolution resulted in separate administrations for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London. In Scotland, devolution has fanned the flames of a crude nationalism that seems to have the goal of splitting Britain into two parts. Indeed, the purpose of devolution seems to have been to set the UK on a path towards partition. Given that this would leave Britain strategically vulnerable and appears to offer no material benefit to anyone; is it not time for the new Tory government to use it's majority to cancel devolution? I have no doubt that this will be bitterly unpopular in Scotland. But it clearly needs to be done.
Last edited by Calliban (2019-12-14 19:59:36)
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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For Calliban re #1
In composing this reply, I wish to scrupulously avoid taking sides in what seems to me to be a deeply painful experience for the community of which you are a part. It seems to me that the pain has been going on since World War II, but the changes that war brought seem to have been gracefully managed for the most part. This latest episode seems to be having more of an impact, but perhaps that is only because I was not old enough to appreciate the changes that occurred earlier.
However, as is my inclination, I'd like to offer an alternative point of view. Perhaps as the peoples of the British Isles set the pace for expansion of western ideas over the globe over hundreds of years, they may still be in a leadership position. Perhaps the change from rule by Great Families to self-rule is continuing, while in the United States we appear to be trying out a throwback attempt at an earlier form of government.
Meanwhile, having taken a breather of several centuries, the Chinese appear to have resumed their relentless amassing of power in a single individual. The well-being of the world literally depends upon the mental state of one person in that large nation.
I would wish you and your countrymen safe passage through the current times.
(th)
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The reason Britain didn't have the bloody revolutions Europe has had over the centuries is because the elites have known when to fold 'em.
Devolution is established now. The Scots will not take kindly to it being taken away, particularly since the Tory majority is from England, whilst they voted for the nationalists. No, we need to go further along this path and have proper devolution settlements across the entire union.
To be honest, if the Scots want to wallow in their xenophobia and nationalism, let them. I wish they'd gone in the 90s. Instead, they imposed New Labour upon England and seriously messed us up. For that, we will be keeping Shetland and Orkney, if the people there want to stay in our union.
Use what is abundant and build to last
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Also, if London want to leave, even better. We'll be poorer, yes, but stronger with them gone. The Bank of England can then set policy according to what helps northern manufacturing rather than southern banking. We'll move the capital to somewhere more central - say, Nottingham.
The most successful countries tend to be small, around a few million people, and homogenous. If we divide the UK up, we can get a lot of places like that.
Use what is abundant and build to last
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Also, if London want to leave, even better. We'll be poorer, yes, but stronger with them gone. The Bank of England can then set policy according to what helps northern manufacturing rather than southern banking. We'll move the capital to somewhere more central - say, Nottingham.
The most successful countries tend to be small, around a few million people, and homogenous. If we divide the UK up, we can get a lot of places like that.
As someone with roots in both places, I am not at all happy with the prospect of Britain being sawn in half. But it looks like it may happen. I cannot see the rest of Britain or Scotland being stronger as a result of this. Both sides are more likely to be pushed around by larger powers. It is quite frankly a road to nowhere and the final death of one of the world's greatest civilizations.
I cannot help but feel appalled by the Scottish. In the past, some of the greatest scientific minds came from Scotland. Now it is a benefit class flea pit. Anyone who was anyone left the place and those that remain are crude and rough with thick skulls. I once had dreams of Britain being the vanguard of humanity and amongst the first to colonize the new frontier of space. Now I wonder if we are worthy.
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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Being pushed around by the larger countries is why the EU was formed but its only going to work if nationalism is not pushed. Its where the US started back in the colonies as we had nations from all over the europe contenent here but they learned early that united would be the only way forward for all to survive with a common language, money and cultural blend as well as a governing body of laws.
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Calliban,
I have roots in two separate countries, and I'm quite happy for the US and UK to remain separate. I have roots in Wales, too, and I would be quite happy for them to go their own way. 'The empire, long united, must divide.' The Renaissance came, not out of centralised France, but out of divided and fractious Italy.
I would rather lose Scotland and London and save England, than keep both and sink.
I once had dreams of Britain being the vanguard of humanity and amongst the first to colonize the new frontier of space. Now I wonder if we are worthy.
The world is nearly all parcelled out, and what there is left of it is being divided up, conquered and colonised. To think of these stars that you see overhead at night, these vast worlds which we can never reach. I would annex the planets if I could; I often think of that. It makes me sad to see them so clear and yet so far.
Use what is abundant and build to last
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Why would it be at all surprising if people with divergent interests decide to go their own separate ways?
How would that make any particular nation less secure?
You don't think these people will ever fight for your interests, do you?
If you have large groups of people pursuing directly opposing strategies for everything from moral values to public spending, then how does that not directly foment the conditions leading to unnecessary and pointless confrontations?
I've thought a lot about what being an American means and it's increasingly clear to me that the people living on the East and West coasts of the United States don't really have any desire to uphold our Constitutional values, nor do they particularly respect the rule of law unless it's directly benefiting them at some particular moment in time. At all other times, their behavior simply makes a mockery of our Constitution and our laws. All of their proposals seem purposefully designed to strip the power of self-determination from the individual and replace that with statist / elitist centralized control, which they seem totally fine with until someone they don't like is in power.
Anyway, it just seems to me that we're all better off without subversives actively undermining our social fabric at every opportunity presented.
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It's also unlikely that full independence would occur. I can see a situation (though the SNP, being such europhiles, would hate it for ruling out EU membership) in which Scotland and the rest of the UK are in a customs union. Certainly freedom of movement would be essential, to allow citizenship to disentangle over the decades.
There's no reason why the UK can't dissolve itself into a far looser union, sharing free movement, a customs union, currency, defence, and foreign affairs. I think that it would work with five member nations - Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, London, and England (the continuator state if this loose union was dissolved, given that it would have a majority of the population and territory - this has already been established in internal law from when the Soviet Union dissolved).
Use what is abundant and build to last
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SNP ex Leader Nicola Sturgeon 63 seats, British Conservatives 31 seats, Labour 24 seats, the rest a mix of Green and Lib Dems and now arresting the Ex-Leader.
Seems like the islamic invader in Scotland had Cops arrest the SNP Leader and bring her in for questioning
of course the islamic wants Scots to focus on England and interfering
Humza Yousaf told to 'urgently come clean' as fury erupts over SNP 'secrecy and cover-up'
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics … P-finances
Humza Yousaf attacks ‘interfering’ Westminster
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/8b6f … eaecec6481
Humza Yousaf has warned devolution is “becoming unworkable” and attacked the actions of an “interfering” Conservative government at Westminster.
Scotland’s first minister said recent events had highlighted the “grim reality” that “even the limited measure of self-government that devolution provides is no longer guaranteed”.
He hit out at the Tories for what he branded a series of “unprecedented assaults” on the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
Yousaf’s broadside came after his own independence minister, Jamie Hepburn, talked up so-called devo-max as better than the status quo.
Hepburn, speaking to the Daily Record, suggested the SNP might be open to a multi-option referendum on Scotland’s future, with greater autonomy on the ballot paper alongside full sovereignty. The minister had admitted that there was “easy or straightforward” path to independence.
The SNP is to hold an independence convention in Dundee later this month to set out a “clear pathway” on Scotland’s constitutional future.
Yousaf was speaking in the wake of the latest row between the Scottish and UK governments, which resulted in ministers at Holyrood postponing plans for a deposit return scheme for drinks cans and bottles from March next year to October 2025, so it comes in alongside a scheme south of the border.
The first minister has also vowed to mount a legal challenge after Westminster used its powers to block reforms to the gender recognition process for trans people which were passed by Holyrood.
Hitting out at the Conservative administration at Westminster, Yousaf said: “The last few weeks have brought into sharp focus the grim reality that under Westminster control, even the limited measure of self-government that devolution provides is no longer guaranteed. It is the case that this Tory government has ensured that devolution in Scotland is becoming unworkable.”
Yousaf said politicians at Holyrood were “facing a steady erosion of the powers of our parliament”, with this including the “routine undermining” of the Sewel Convention, which is meant to ensure that Westminster does not legislate in areas devolved to Holyrood without consent.
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local or regional administration
Humza Yousaf’s in-laws trapped in Gaza after Hamas attack on Israel
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/isra … -79v3xc86x
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