The Social Attitudes Survey will grab the headlines today with independence being up to 52%, the SNP and some in the wider yes movement will big up the results, but the important story is really this one about tax and the potential for a £1.5 billion short fall in tax revenue to the Scottish Budget. This is down to the weakness of the Scottish economy and to bridge the gap would require a 4p in the pound tax rise.
This is the union gift that just keeps giving that the unionists and the Smith Commission set us up for, and that John Swinney fell for hook, line, and sinker. From Wings Over Scotland, to Iain Lawson, to the ill-informed like myself, we warned this was a trap, that it would take a little time, but it was a trap all the same and one that we should never have walked into in the first place. The Vow in all of its glory, the betrayal rubbed in our faces on a daily basis.
(Smith Commission) There will be no real change and it will do nothing to tackle inequality or end austerity. The commission was devised to limit the Scottish parliament’s power to make reforms and ensure austerity and cuts are driven to a more local level. (Socialist Worker)
The Scotsman reports that the reasons for this are First, growth in the economy has been slower than the UK. Second, growth in higher tax band revenues – which is responsible for a disproportionate share of the tax total – has been slower. Third, the population is ageing faster, impacting on the size of the workforce. They are not wrong, but this does not show just the failure of the current Scottish Government and the many incompetents we have as Ministers, but it shows in all of its glory the benefits of being colonised under the guise of the so-called Treaty of Union and devolution is power retained as we are learning more and more each day.
The survey shows the shifting attitudes in Scotland through the years, with support for independence rising from 27 per cent in 1999 to 33 per cent in 2014 – in the weeks ahead of the referendum on Scottish independence – and eventually rising to 52 per cent last year. (Social Attitudes Survey)
I am not one for polls, but I actually took part in this one, and have taken part in the Social Attitudes Survey I think for the last few years and the fact that while this poll was last year it has shown independence being the preferred option in spite of the total lack of any competence or strategy from the SNP under Nicola Sturgeon.
“The Union has certainly become decidedly less popular north of the border.”
The question is how the Scottish Government will capitalise on these reports, will they stress the lack of tools to grow the economy they currently have, will they talk about the need for change being the desired will of Scottish voters, will they tell Westminster how it is going to be as far as the democratic mandate is concerned or will they continue to bow down to their King and do nothing. I Know what my money is on, this is an opportunity to highlight the continued failure of the United Kingdom, the slow death of the United Kingdom, I am not holding my breath.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
With a glass eye and a cork eye you could see the trap of tinkering at the edges of the taxation system and yet in their desperation the SNP fell straight into it.
The first thing that needs to be done, if we ever become independent, is that the tax system changes. If your earn your living or your company operates in Scotland then all taxes are payable to Scotland. No more off-shoring.
Any company or individual that says they won’t operate here under those terms can go, there will always be somone else to take their place. They will not be missed.
Ruglen1
Totally agree, Swinney should have walked away, he walked right into it and there should have been another vote on the Smith Commission as well to see if it was acceptable to the voters. We were played for the fools we always are as Cameron and our colonisers jumped all over EVEL and Scotland was well and truly back in its box. All most people want is a fair taxation system, I don’t know anyone who wants to squeeze the rich or companies, they just want an end to avoidance and a system that reflects the ability to pay for the services we all use on a daily basis. Sturgeon and the SNP are bigger failures than Scottish Labour, we expected better from the SNP and we did get some of that until AS resigned, since then it has been a slow race to the bottom.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Interesting to also note attitudes have changed regarding Sturgeon’s favourite hobby horse. GRA reform to Self ID.
Support has fallen by 21 points in just two years.
It won’t however stop Sturgeon from pushing this through in Scotland by the end of the year.
This is to be her legacy, not Independence and most likely the passport to the ‘Big Progressive’ overseas job. UN, WHO or increasingly likely in the utterly captured USA.
At the very least, if opposing the Self ID legislation progressing through Holyrood stymies Sturgeon’s future career plans, I for one am up for it.
Big shout out to those interested and with an hour to spare, a reminder of the Women’s Rights Rally. Thursday 6th October @11.30 – Holyrood. Men supporting their womenfolk are most welcome.
Link to Times article.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/1a28cbb2-39c6-11ed-a8ae-d2d57cd0511a?shareToken=c23c3373488c60901fc05c514d986ef0
Nally
Not if the Tories change the equalities act which is what Braverman intends to do to protect women’s spaces UK wide. If that happens it won’t really matter what Sturgeon does it will end up in court and she will lose as it is UK legislation, I so hope the Tories do it just to wipe the smile from her puss. She does need to be found out by the sheeple though as her lack of competence is really dragging us all down, she has since Salmond resigned and I am not sure how much more SNP Scotland can take to be honest.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
“GRA reform to Self ID.
Support has fallen by 21 points in just two years.
It won’t however stop Sturgeon from pushing this through in Scotland by the end of the year.”
And Liz Truss also says NO! It would affect those living in E, W and NI as all they’d need to do is move to Scotland temporarily and move back again where the rules would not allow them a GRC. It’s reserved legislation so they would be entirely within their current rights to stymie the ScotGov.
Ironically indy is the only way they could try to pass self id. The problem is a damn sight fewer would be voting SNP in an indy Scotland so they might not be in a position to!
Panda Paws. Amongst other aspect of the GRA reform, mentioned the geography aspect to Willie Rennie (on my doorstep)as he brought his new Lib Dem GE candidate round the area. Mentioned that all Trans MP Jamie Wallis had to do was move to Scotland for three months to qualify for a legal ‘sex change’.
The mention of the Cass Review also went over their heads,
Before swiftly departing, Willie ‘complimented’ me on being so ‘well informed.
Kept saying Scotgov have no intention of changing the Equality Act, I reminded him it was reserved to WM. But asked why instead they are trying to change the definition of ‘Woman’.
Despite winning the case against them last year FWS are going back to court since the Scotgov are still at it by ignoring the ruling.
“to the ill-informed like myself, we warned this was a trap”
Not that I think you are ill-informed, but since David Mundell openly admitted it was a trap, you didn’t need to be a genius or especially well informed to realise it.
“it has shown independence being the preferred option in spite of the total lack of any competence or strategy from the SNP under Nicola Sturgeon.”
Well indeed. Any real movement (as opposed to statistical sampling variation) has heehaw to do with the SNP. I’d go as far as to say the yes vote would be higher if the SNP were even remotely competent or interested!
PP
I agree, if there was actually an on-going campaign, which the SNP should in some form be running all the time, we would be further forward. I think to be honest since WoS pretty much left the scene new media bloggers have done ok, the yes community have ticked along given covid, but we do need to step it up soon. How we do that I don’t know but it should avoid the SNP as much as possible, I think. They are becoming toxic to my mind now as a party and are on a slippery slope. No referendum next year will result in some change, I hope that change is to Alba/ISP and not people giving up, but either way the SNP are at last chance saloon.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Bruce the Scabby Nonce Party and its perverted deviant crew of morons will do exactly what they did with the EU situation , the Infernal markets bill , the crewing of VICHY house , and ALL the other blatant sand kicking in your face acts , they will do NOTHING , NADA , ZILCH apart from whinge and moan , no action , if whinging and moaning were a Olympic sport the perverts party would be a shoo in for a gold medal
twathater
Sadly, I think you are right, but they will do nothing while grabbing as many crumbs as they fall from the table. How many open goals are they going to miss, the so-called union is falling apart at the seams, and they still can’t seem to get their arse in gear and take advantage. More interested in bowing to their King. The English are finding their Englishness again, which while I don’t agree with their drift right, I am glad the English are finding themselves as it means an even more fragmented union and that is something else the SNP are not taking advantage of. They should be pushing English independence, or at least the idea of it.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
As I also posted on WOS yesterday in response to Sarah’s good news about FWS legal win
twathater says:
21 September, 2022 at 5:39 pm
@ Sarah 4.37pm And that is what makes me incandescent with anger , sturgeon’s pet pervert and deviant charter is opposed by the majority of people who know about it and the effects it will have on women and girls safety , YET she continues to push this shite uphill, and not only do WE have to pay a crowdfunded action to take her to court, BUT when she is shown to be the incompetent arsehole that she is we AGAIN the Scottish taxpayer have to PAY AGAIN for her folly
She will continue with pushing this perverts charter and AGAIN WE the Scottish taxpayer will be faced with an enormous legal bill , to ADD to the other enormous legal bills her and her grossly incompetent CLOWNS have cost us , THE 3 SALMOND DEBACLES , THE totally inept RANGERS trial , THE PROVEN malicious vendetta carried out against RANGERS directors , THE Craig Murray vendetta , THE Mark Hirst vendetta , THE Martin Keating’s vendetta , THE Manny Singh revenge and so on , MILLIONS of pounds spent NEEDLESSLY that would have fully supplied the SHAMELESS food bank growth industry in Scotland
twathater
I covered the legal bills/large project failures under Sturgeon a while back, when you add in the compensation it comes to nearly a billion pounds. You can’t make it up can you, McLeish had to resign for £33,000 rent payment to Labour and yet Sturgeon goes on. GRA possibly will be a damp squid anyway soon enough. Tory Home Secretary Braverman has said she will change the Equality Act to protect women’s safe spaces and it will be UK wide so it won’t really matter what Sturgeon does the smirk will be wiped from her chops if it happens. I personally hope it does as to ignore women in this issue has been pure folly. I don’t know anyone who has a problem with individual toilets in new builds or individual changing rooms that are safe for all, but the SNP are pushing against opinion and that will damage them in the long run but maybe indy, but then they are not for indy anymore are they.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Swinney was useless during the Smith Commission. Back then I just thought he was useless now I think he is a devolutionalist with no interest in obtaining independence. Anyone really wanting independence would have insisted on control of the media being devolved or walked away.
Cubby
I argued at the time that he should have walked away as soon as the details became known and we had been sold out, the SNP let us all down, but little did we know that was just the start of 8 years of abject failure. The SNP are a power hungry, noses in the trough, devolution party now who have wasted millions while doing little for Scotland and nothing for indy.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce