EU Withdrawal Bill

[Pat 0]

So looks like the Scottish Government (apart from the Tories) are united in their rejection of the E.U. Withdrawal Bill, which rejects the terms of the Scotland Act; and the expectation that the UK Government can be trusted to take over devolved powers and make any decision they care to without the consent of Holyrood.

There has been a concession that this would be time limited - up to seven years.  A lot could happen in that time.  Like Murdo Fraser says - he never agreed with the banning of fracking. 

[samscafeamericain 0]

Its astonishing that we had labour in Wales meekly accept Westminster tory power grab and yet one week later Corbyn declare against the very same thing. 

[Pat 0]

15 hours ago, samscafeamericain said:

Its astonishing that we had labour in Wales meekly accept Westminster tory power grab and yet one week later Corbyn declare against the very same thing. 

The papers are playing it down to an unbelievable extent. Although I read a report online in The Bangkok News.  Got brief mention in Reporting Scotland tonight.  Only place there's much discussion is on Twitter.  Our media is a disgrace.

[Pat 0]

Here's the link to the debate. 

https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/debate-european-union-withdrawal-bill-may-15-2018

Worth watching out for the great speech by Mike Russell. 
https://t.co/QpnJWd02tO

[Pat 0]

It's all kicking off. Only 15 minutes allowed to debate devolved issues re EU Withdrawal Bill and David Lidington blabbered on and curtailed any chance of debate. Then apart from Dnnis Skinner, Labour abstained.

Today Ian Blackford created chaos at PMQT asking for private debate. He refused to sit down and Bercow, The Speaker, had him removed from the house. Every SNP MP walked out with him. Result - actually interviewed on BBC.

Iain Macwhirter has a point: 'The UK Government will clearly not allow the Scottish Parliament to reverse any or all of the changes made in the “transition period”, since these are deemed crucial for the functioning of the new, post-Brexit UK internal market. They are for keeps. Moreover, the precedent will be established that Westminster can now over-ride any and all of Scotland’s devolved responsibilities whenever it considers it necessary – which is pretty much all the time. Home rule is over. If Mrs May was trying to make the case for an independent Scotland, she could hardly have done better.'  
Looks like #MayforIndy

[samscafeamericain 0]

From Wings ......

 

Let there be no mistake about what just happened. Last night, Scottish devolution – an institution 111 years in the promising, just 19 years a reality – died. Iain Macwhirter summed it up concisely and accurately.

And it didn’t even go down fighting.

The UK government swept the Scottish Parliament aside contemptuously and casually. Not a single Scottish MP was allowed to speak during the 15 minutes which signed devolution’s death warrant, as Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, the member for Aylesbury, waffled away the entire alloted time for the “debate”.

And Scotland’s three Unionist parties lay down meekly and took it.

Labour abstained on the vote, which had no chance of defeating the government, but declined to even oppose it as a gesture, instead choosing to sulk because their own amendment had been declined. (The Speaker of the House pointed out that they could have amended the amendment which WAS voted on, but Labour preferred to pout.)

The Scottish Lib Dems, meanwhile, abstained in the name of, er, Wales.

And the man whose actual official literal job it is to defend the devolution settlement (and who had promised that he personally would amend the bill to stop this happening, then didn’t because he had better things to do like root around in his beard for snacks) said “Oh shut up Scotland, we were never going to listen anyway however much time we gave you”.

The Unionist parties, we must remember, weren’t opposing independence here. They were failing to defend the thing they’re supposed to be in favour of, the alternative to independence, the arrangement meant to show how much Scotland is cherished and valued by its partner in the UK.

But as Scotland’s politicians failed it, the media which holds them fearlessly to account rushed into the breach to speak up for their people.

The Daily Record, for example, felt that the most important things it needed to inform its readers about today were that a man who was paraplegic already might lose part of his (useless) leg after an accident, a woman’s breasts were too big and someone nobody had ever heard of had signed for “Rangers”.

The Scottish Daily Mail raged that some alleged “jihadis” were free to “roam” the UK – on the trifling grounds that none of them had been charged with any crime, let alone convicted – and that Prince Harry’s new bride had once given a magazine a glimpse of her underwear.

The Daily Telegraph’s only mention of Scotland was an attack on the SNP over drug deaths, but it did also pick up the Mail’s theme by reporting on an important “knicker rebellion” in Devon.

The “Scottish” Daily Express had nothing at all about Scotland on its front page, but found a corner for paparazzi shots of the estranged wife of Ant from Ant & Dec, for no particular reason that we’ve been able to ascertain.

Scotland’s biggest-selling paper did manage to cover the devolution story, though. We’ve highlighted its report here in case you didn’t manage to spot it at first.

The UK’s most august and serious paper of record, naturally, took the matter far more seriously, devoting more than twice the wordcount to the news. Again we’ve helpfully picked out the full 30 words for you.

The few small regional papers which made the power grab the main story all framed it in a UK context rather than a Scottish one, and as a partisan political matter of the SNP complaining, even though ALL the opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament except the Tories had voted to reject the bill by 93 votes to 30.

And BBC Radio Scotland’s flagship morning phone-in invited listeners to chat about – perhaps ironically – “the effects of bullying on your adult life”.

And that was that. When push came to shove, Scotland’s Unionist politicians and media crumpled like tissue paper and stood and watched the open destruction of the thing that every one of them has vowed endlessly to defend and strengthen.

Not a single, solitary one of them even voted against it symbolically, despite Labour and the Lib Dems’ own colleagues at Holyrood having opposed it just last month. Because at the end of the day, UK parties are UK parties and Scotland is at the very best an occasional sideshow to them, to be listened to only when it poses a threat.

Devolution has indisputably failed. At the end of the day – as we’ve always known but half the population has allowed themselves to be deceived about until now – power devolved has been proved to be power retained by London, to be wielded whenever it wants and regardless of what Scotland says, in the face of every “convention” and pledge to the contrary.

Scotland has only two options left now, and one of them is to die.

[samscafeamericain 0]

bravo SNP walking out of the commons, the level of childish abuse in this horror of a place is appalling.

Over 5,000 people join the SNP in 24 hours including people from outside Scotland in solidarity.  That should make SNP the party with the second highest membership in the UK 

 

[samscafeamericain 0]

bravo SNP walking out of the commons, the level of childish abuse in this horror of a place is appalling.

Over 5,000 people join the SNP in 24 hours including people from outside Scotland in solidarity.  That should make SNP the party with the second high 

 

now 7,500 new members

 

[Pat 0]

Certainly had some impact, samsc.  The Unionists seem to have joined up to create a campaign for Independence.  I watched the Gordon Ross Indycar talking about how it could be that they are trying to provoke Scottish Government into an early referendum before some important legislation. I haven't quite got my head around it but does include the Supreme Court's Judgement on the legality of the Continuity Bill.  This is the video:

 

[samscafeamericain 0]

surely any court would also be aware of that?

 

10,000 new SNP members now

[Pat 0]

Looks like shocking treatment of SNP backfiring.  Ludicrous claims of stunt - Bercow would have had to be in on the plot. 

[samscafeamericain 0]

The absolute contempt shown on Monday was staggering.

8 tories in the chamber for the emergency debate on devolution but when it came to the vote they dragged 80 of them out of the bars to vote. Labour again did absolutely nothing.

 

[Pat 0]

Shocking. If you don't bother listening to the debate then you shouldn't be allowed to vote. Steve Brine Under Secretary for Primary Care and Public Health had the audacity to thank th S.N.P. for the long debate, whereby they could watch the football and then return to vote against Devo.  No shame and what a terrible way for any government to conduct their business.

 

 

 

[samscafeamericain 0]

Meanwhile the delayed transfer of crown estate in its entirety to Scottish Government is explained as the one bit retained by Westminster sells for almost £200 million and is stolen by Westminster.

[Pat 0]

On 6/22/2018 at 7:06 AM, samscafeamericain said:

Meanwhile the delayed transfer of crown estate in its entirety to Scottish Government is explained as the one bit retained by Westminster sells for almost £200 million and is stolen by Westminster.

Theft. Perhaps they should return this to pay for Art School renewal? Only fair. 

[samscafeamericain 0]

That or the other £170 million they got from the EU to support Scottish rural farming but only paid £30 million to Scottish farmers, pocketing the rest

[Pat 0]

Seems they can do as they like. But for how long?  

On 6/19/2018 at 9:05 PM, Pat said:

Shocking. If you don't bother listening to the debate then you shouldn't be allowed to vote. Steve Brine Under Secretary for Primary Care and Public Health had the audacity to thank th S.N.P. for the long debate, whereby they could watch the football and then return to vote against Devo.  No shame and what a terrible way for any government to conduct their business.

 

 

 

I thought this was hilarious: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/03/snp-criticised-for-forcing-votes-during-england-world-cup-knockout-match

[samscafeamericain 0]

imagine making MPs work instead of allowing them to sit in the subsidized boozer on full wages

[Pat 0]

See David Davis has resigned.  This is indeed a shambles.

[Pat 0]

Just back from Ireland crossed back and forwards over the border between Donegal and the North going to Derry with my cousin who had a few chores to do. Don't even think about any border – way of life and people very unhappy about the prospect of change.

[samscafeamericain 0]

A united Ireland looks on the cards and the hilarious thing is, its the DUP's support for the tories that is making this happen

[Pat 0]

They sure won't be happy. Growth in Ireland is around 5 or 6%. Scotland in first quarter of this year double growth of UK but still only 0.2%.  

[samscafeamericain 0]

Remember much of that UK growth is oil and gas.  Energy will be hiding the downturn in construction and manufacturing. We are nearing Ker-Plunk time.

 

Still its good to note that another champion of Brexit, Jim Ratcliffe, has taken up residence in Monaco   

[samscafeamericain 0]

Theresa May in Africa begging for trade deals from those countries we previously enslaved and asset stripped.  

 

 

[Pat 0]

The courtship of African nations won't go down well with the many Ukippers who switched to Tory because of their racist agenda.