In the Herald:
SCOTTISH Conservative leader Douglas Ross will call on the UK Government to commit to restarting furlough if a Scottish national lockdown becomes necessary. In a speech tomorrow, Mr Ross will also say that the handling of the coronavirus pandemic has put devolution to the test and “exposed its weakest points.” He will insist the UK Government “must treat Scotland the same way as England”.
In the Daily Record yesterday (31st):
The Government will extend furlough payments at 80% for the duration of the new national lockdown measures in England, Boris Johnson has said. The Prime Minister said, during a Downing Street press conference, that he was sorry about the hardship that businesses have already endured this year. Following his announcement it was confirmed the furlough scheme would be extended for all nations in the UK.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon-welcomes-furlough-extension-22938074
What is the Herald playing at? The Scottish Tories have lots of cash even if some of it smells. Are they buying headline stories now?
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
England’s Tory government borrows money on our behalf but only when it suits their political purposes.
If anything exposes the limitations of “devolution” then this is it.
Other small countries seem to manage fine borrowing money on their own without the “broad shoulders” of the Westminster treasury.
We shouldn’t have our public health policies,or anything else for that matter,determined by a government in another country who are ideologically at the other end of the political and cultural spectrum from us.
There is no longer any of the together nonsense the unionists like to peddle.
Ross is just another yes (or rather no) man for the Westminster establishment and will get his rewards in due course for holding Scotland fast to London rule,if he succeeds.
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Except for the fact Sunak is borrowing the money. Scotland with its own currency wouldn’t be borrowing either.
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Sorry that should read ‘ isn’t borrowing ‘.
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Scotland has to make loan repayments on monies not borrowed or spent in Scotland. The illegal Barnett Formula was instigated to take monies out of Scotland. The Westminster Gov stated they could not keep separate accounts. Kept it secret under the Official Secrets Act. Thatcher.
Devolution 2000 meant a more thorough identification could be done on the accounts. Showing up the deficits? Still incomplete guess work which can be show to be inaccurate.
Scotland pays more for Defence than needed. £1Billion+ Does not benefit economically. Illegal wars breaking International Laws. Tax evasion loses £3Billion. UK tax laws not enforced by Westminster. Multinationals pay no tax.
Scotland cannot borrow £5Billion to invest in the economy. Pay for itself in growth. Scotland had to pay for Hinkley Point, HS2, Trident. All a total waste of monies. £Billions. Pay for Westminster government benefitting London S/E. Jobs along the Mall Gov agencies. Transport through London. Tilbury Docks. 26miles. Canary Wharf. financial services. London centric. London HQ’s.
Scotland raises £66Billion+ in tax revenues. Gets back on average £30Billion+ . £15Billion + pensions/benefits. Depending on unemployment rates. Pays for Defence, £3Billion. £3Billion in loans repayments on money not borrowed. or spent in Scotland. £51Billion. Westminster spends the rest. £15Billion on Scotland’s behalf?
No taxation without representation.
Illegal wars, tax evasion and financial fraud has cost Scotland dear.
Ross is a total embarrassment.
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“SCOTTISH Conservative leader Douglas Ross will call on the UK Government to commit to restarting furlough if a Scottish national lockdown becomes necessary.”
Furlough was available over times when there was not a ‘national lockdown’, albeit tapered recently. The determining factor has been the extent of restrictions on trade and its consequent threat to employment and household income if no support by the UK government was forthcoming. Why is ‘furlough’ support not to be made available wherever severe restrictions to trade are being imposed? Why only after an England conceived and defined ‘national lockdown’? Anyone know?
Real need for this kind of support is not ONLY in a geography that has an imposed ‘national lockdown’ as now in place in England. Or is the SG going to be ‘forced’ into a ‘national lockdown’ in Scotland not for public health reasons but as the price to be paid for access to the Tory furlough scheme?
And if the SG holds to its public health-based tier system and Scottish firms then lose out on the ‘national lockdown’ furlough funds then opposition politicians and some business lobbies will call it a scandal caused by the SG.
Another opportunistic trap being attempted to further ‘one nation’ politics?
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This is a clumsy attempt to show that like the British Nationalist media narrative about how the Baroness Colonel was ‘standing up for Scotland’ that Mr Ross is doing the same even though as an MP, when he actually turns up, he votes in line with the cruel policies of his government.
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HERALD ARE NOW JOINING THE CORRUPT SOCIETY
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I gaze up high, along the way,
Where Ruthie tells me what to say.
I must confess, I’m somewhat slow,
When I see Ruthie, I think buffalo.
Much rather have coo’s, on my video!
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It is time – actually it is long past time – that the Scottish Government ‘took the gloves off’ and explained repeatedly in clear, stark terms to the Scottish people how our (and its) lack of agency negatively impacts all our lives here – our economy and well-being.
And it needs to point out that (a) on timing, and (b) on amount of cash available, the Westminster government can act in the interests of its electoral popularity and responsibilities in England by quite simply ‘borrowing’ from itself, or from its own bank, to make its chosen actions feasible. We are beholden to it – and then disparaged every year at GERS time!.
The Westminster dice are loaded and they are loaded against the people and the governments of Scotland but also Wales and NI .
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Looks like my twitter account is ‘suspended’ and I have no idea why, nor how to access the reason…I shared lots of your posts yesterday John as I notiiced that any retweets I had made re articles were not accepted.
Anyway, DRoss must be having to learn loads of lines every weekend, is he still running the line? Is that the term?
Little gobsh*te if ever there was.
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All OK my twitter is OK it was my last account that someone had suspended which my pc was trying to log into…
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BBC Scotland TV news at c.22.30hours – the Scottish Tory leader is reported as pressing The Treasury to provide furlough scheme support for Scotland but, in terms, only if a ‘national lockdown’ is introduced here.
So no furlough option for businesses limited or wholly prevented in their trading in Level 3 in Scotland? Does the SG have to abandon its Levels and regionally differentiated approach order to qualify – to meet the Scottish Tory leader’s conditions? Is it fall into line with England or miss out?
And the BBC is telling us that Mr Ross – shown in the news bulletin in his second job today at Hampden (a man of the people seems to be the BBC framing) – is now aligned we’re told with the SG in pressing Scotland’s case with The Treasury.
BBC Scotland was really ‘bigging up’ Mr Ross tonight!
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Gary Robertson continued his series of challenging interviews of Mr Ross this morning. And, he interrupted him several times! A far cry from the time when Hayley Miller interrupted Mr Jackson Carlaw and immediately self-disciplined herself and apologised at length.
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Giving DRoss the oxygen of publicity is simply the EBC’s Scottish branch following London’s orders and trying to make the wee flag waver appear relevant.
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