I haven’t read Kezia’s article, so no, I’m not going to pour scorn on it, or on the notion of federalism, with or without venom.
Kezia is talking about the need for a new Act of Union, this Federalist thing that Labour has been touting around the place all week.
Frankly, I would welcome it because every time we get more power we are a step closer to independence. The Noble Baron Robertson got it so wrong when he said that devolution would kill independence stone dead. Mind you, having chosen to be a nobleman from Port Ellen where a sizable proportion of the population speak Gaelic, and then telling folk that Scotland couldn’t be independent because it doesn’t have a separate language of culture, he’s actually pretty practised at being wrong.
But Gordon Brown promised us that two years ago, and there is evidence to suggest that his promise (made on behalf of the two potential post-2015 election prime ministers, because neither of them was popular enough to come and speak personally to Scots) swung the vote in favour of staying in the union.
Of course what we actually got were a few small powers, some useful, some not, but nothing even vaguely approaching federal government. (And before Labour supporters argue, if it had been delivered, why are they touting it again two years later?) Indeed, as the Scotland Act 2016 passed through the Westminster parliament, “Federal” Labour voted against everything that the SNP, with a 90+% Scottish representation in the chamber, proposed.
We were, it seemed, not bright enough to cope with the raft of powers that SNP members proposed.
So, Duncan, I’d ask why you, Kezia or (as I read somewhere) the Noble Baron Darling, think we would believe you’ve all changed your minds? Is it because you’ve had a Damascian conversion to the idea that we aren’t, after all, too wee, poor and stupid to decide on our own abortion law, y’know like Guernsey is, for example?
Or is it that at 14% in the polls and having lost the privilege of being the second party in Holyrood to the TORIES, you’ve taken a tumble to yourself that maybe you should listen to the voters in Scotland instead of the Home Counties?
Or could it be that you reckon, well…it worked last time, why wouldn’t it work again? I mean, you don’t actually have to deliver, do you…and how could you anyway, being the third party in Holyrood, and about as likely to form the next Westminster government as that Liberal blokey that wants to join up with the Tories…erm whatisname again?
In any case, it’s academic. From what I’ve been reading about Brexit, the British government’s constitutional departments will have their hands full for the next 10-15 years trying to salvage something from the chaos of the overwhelming(?) wishes of the English and Welsh people.
Not sure when there will be time for any of their people to consider notions like a new Act of Union.
So, hot air then?
The idea that a half wit like Kezia Dugdale could have any input into any constitutional matters fills me with terror and I haven’t read her article either. Once I get round to it I may pour the scorn but I’ll have to stop shaking first.
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I’m not really interested in what Dugdale had to say about it, to be honest, Dave.
I’ll be happy with a federal arrangement in that it is yet another step towards nationhood.
But it’s not likely to happen, and especially not because Kezia Dugdale wants it.
Does anyone imagine for a second Mrs Mayhem gives a thought to Kezia Dugdale?
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I don’t think many people are giving much thought to Kezia Dugdale.
Given the scale of the EU problem, the government are not going to volunteer to start messing around with anything else. What would happen if Scotland voted for independence in the middle of the current mess? Serious question: how would the UK Gov cope? Poor luvs!
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Well, independence is something that, if voted for, they would have to cope with. God knows they wouldn’t want to, and they wouldn’t have any people to deal with it, but … comme il faut.
But asking them to voluntarily start working on a programme of change for Scotland? Don’t see it myself!
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If Duncan Hothersall supports something you can be more or less guaranteed it is mince. The ‘more or less’ caveat is on the basis of the stopped clock analogy.
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You mean he’s not mince for a second or so twice a day, once when he’s likely to be asleep?
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That old saying only applies to, as you said, stopped clocks. It doesn’t apply to clocks calibrated for Martian time.
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Aye, well, that’s true. I’d not given a lot of thought to that problem … well, until now 🙂
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I’ll jaup a bucket load o scorn, on Kez and her ilk, for they are millstone round Scotland’s neck.
The best thing I ever heard about Robertson, was at a European election count in the the 90’s. ” He has a mouth like a frogs arse.”
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Poor frog!!!
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When my nephew was 7 or 8, Bomber Robertson appeared on TV and my nephew started laughing. Why? “That man’s month’s like a dog’s bottom.”
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Well, given most of the stuff that comes out of it…
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“mouth” not “month” below…
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Didn’t even notice…
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Reblogged this on pictishbeastie.
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Westminster politics,as practiced by all the London based parties,is about fooling as many people as possible for as long as possible.
Unfortunately for this particular wheeze,they have been trying to fool Scots with it for too long.
It is well past its sell by date and they really need to come up with something new to try and con us into giving Westminster the continuing right to rule over us.
Normally is a word which will live in infamy for a very long time in Scottish politics.
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Yes, “normally”. Who puts “normally” into legislation?
Normally it’s wrong to steal? Normally it’s wrong to drink and drive?
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I have one itsy bitsy teeny weeny little question here Tris.
If, as we are regularly reminded by all the Unionist spokeswhatsits that we currently have the most powerful devolved parliament in the world, why do we need to have a new Act of Union. Surely having the most powerful devolved parliament in the world at present negates the need for any new Act. LOL
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That, my dear Arbroath, is the 65,000€ question.
Why WE could grant THEM some powers, we are soooooo powerful.
Let’s let them decide about road signage. and air guns, shall we?
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Dont even mention a new act of union in jest. One of the participating members of that union returned 56 MPS out of 59 who do not want to be in the present union. Imposition of any act of union would be as provocative as annexing Crimea or Tibet.
I grow angrier by the day. Our independence is overdue.
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@davidbsb
Relax my friend. Patience, patience they will put their clumpy feet in the Brexit bear trap that is waiting to spring shut.
May hem is so much fun.
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I see she’s having problems with her Fopreign Secretary. Whoever thought that Boris would be an embarrassment?
Mind you, of course, he is absolutely right. The Saudis are evil. But they have a lot of money, they have a lot of oil, they have a lot of power and their odious rulers are friends with the Saxe Coburgs.
Boris should know by now that politics at the top is not about telling the truth!
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Well, her and and the clueless Davis and Fox and the very clever but daft Boris.
It’s comedy central…
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I think we can fairly safely say that it won’t happen. If only because Dugdale, Brown and Darling want it. All we need now is for McTeacake to say that it’s a cert!
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Tris
I read most of what she said and the really laughable parts were that Gordon Brown had given the same announcement in November, and Kezia had given the same one in July, both reported at the time and being regurgitated as major news now, I blogged about it earlier in the week, and I suspect this has come about on the back of the court case on Brexit and the need to keep Holyrood well out of it, which is what I really believe will happen with the result. Brexit will go to a sham Parliament vote where the SNP will be shouted down and Holyrood will be told to go do one. That might not be a bad thing as it will show the contempt that Westminster Tories of all colours have for Scotland and that the Scotland Act is about as worthy as toilet paper, as I also said a while back when I argued it should be rejected, I still feel that way.
Federalism won’t happen, I used to be for the idea as something I could accept if Scottish voters wanted it but I don’t. I appreciate that you would accept it as a step closer to independence but the reality is there is little or no interest in England for it and the three Tory parties will never go for anything that takes any real power away from Westminster. We keep getting told we have the most powerful devolved Government in the world, if it is so powerful why do they keep wanting to devolve a little more meaningless power. The court case has shown them up, they have been forced to concede that Scotland in reality has no power, power lies with Westminster, end of.
Kezia Dugdale is finished to be honest, the Council elections will pretty much wipe out their control in most of the Councils they still have and they will probably come third and maybe even forth in the amount of councils they control. They are probably going to have to go into coalitions with the other Tories to try and stay relevant but I get the impression that the Tories are really trying to wipe them out, it would be silly if they do because the argument becomes even more yes and no and the Tories will in the end lose out I hope, esp when they win the next election and people have to face the fact that a no vote really is a vote for Tory Britain forever and that Labour are being replaced by UKIP. The choice will be independence or Tories, I can’t see even the staunchest Labour supporter in Scotland being willing to have another 20 years of Tory rule and if they do then I will be finished with blogging or taking an interest in Scottish Politics as we will truly be a conquered nation not worthy of the name.
It is starting to feel like we are entering the next five years or so and it is the end game, we either vote YES and that’s that or we vote NO and we are British forever and Scotland might as well not exist at all. Just how I am feeling right now regarding the state we are in and the mess that is made worse every day by the thick as shit politicians we have to live with in this country.
Bruce (sorry for the rant).
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Good rant, Bruce. Nope, it won’t happen. Even if there were not this enormous job going on trying to disentangle Britain from Europe, and cope with Gibraltar, London, Northern Ireland and Scotland, Nissan and about 1000 regulatory bodies that they will have to set up… there still would be no chance of getting a Federal Britain, because Labour isn’t in a position to offer it now.
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Has Duncan ever disagreed with something Labour has said? What a boring wee man.
The Irish were fobbed off for decades with promises of Home Rule. The difference with Scotlands situation now is the Ireland’s main party at the time (the IPP), supported Home Rule. What is the same is that the British have no intention of giving us Home Ruke either.
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Duncan hasn’t the bottle to answer on here.
Well, do you Duncan?
He has the very sad “Labour Hame” for his place of choice.
It might even be his.
Where idiots like Tom Harris, comic book hero aficionado, and not in a good way, are allowed, no encouraged to write shit.
Duncan, you have lost it, a long time ago.
Tom Harris will never be re-elected in Scotland, he has been, as we say ‘found out’.
And it was so fucking easy.
Duncan, get tae fuck!
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I doubt he’s even heard of us Douglas, but he’s welcome to come and answer.
The days of Tom Harris and Jim Murphy are over for now. Who knows what is round the corner…
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Uh-oh, it looks like her aunt has bought poor Kezia Dugdale a new pen and jotter and asked her to write an exciting story about what she’ll do to make all the people and the animals and the dolphins in the world happy. And very exciting it is too. But on Monday her English teacher will ask her to write an exciting story about what she’d do if she was the queen of Ruritania. And very exciting it will be too. Just totally different from today’s exciting story by Kezia Dugdale, aged 14 and three quarters.
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LOL
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I was also astounded to discover that “Labour Hame” was some kind of political thing. I always thought it was a home fashion & style magazine where Labour’s most splendid and magnificent celebrities [think House of Lords class warriors] could decorate their flipped homes and be guaranteed to be bang on trend. I thought “Hame” was there as a cry out to the plebs who used to vote for them.
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I seem to remember it was in answer to Conservative Home or something like that.
I thought it was patronising. In the extreme.
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