Anonymous
The irritating, frustrating yet wearily predictable thing about Labour and some of the pro UK media just now is that , part of that pro UK media, have somehow willingly bought into this line (spin) that Labour are pushing that they, as the new UK government, have been forced to make specific painful “Cuts that they did not want to make”.
That same section of the pro UK media however are not challenging them, Labour, on why they are making these particular “cuts” mainly only upon some of the most vulnerable groups in society while others who are more than able to ‘take the hit’ financially are being ignored by Labour.
Meanwhile here in Scotland that same media, indeed pretty much all of the UK media , are currently challenging and questioning why the Scottish government are daring to state they too must now make some “cuts” ( pretty much because of decisions currently being made by the Labour UK government)
Remember it was Labour’s Wes Streeting , pre the 2024 GE , who admitted on the Laura Kuenssberg Sunday Politics programme that decisions made by the UK government impacts devolved governments when he was asked by Kuenssberg about the Welsh Labour devolved government’s poor performance via their stats on their NHS.
(However Wes Streeting only used this as an excuse to try and get the Labour Welsh devolved government off the hook, as in he blamed the Tory UK government’s decisions as being the primary reason why the Welsh Labour devolved government saw a negative impact on some of their public services performances.)
Yet Kuenssberg highlighted to him that Labour were less generous and less understanding towards the SNP as the Scottish government via this- as instead of Labour blaming the Tory UK government’s decisions for much that was happening in Scotland they, Labour, instead chose to lay total blame upon the SNP for what Labour said was (or rather Lied about) Scotland being failed by the SNP .
How very partisan of them, Labour.
Now we have Labour in Scotland and also Labour as the current UK government currently challenging and arguing that in relation to “Cuts” and decisions being made by them , Labour, as the current UK government , then these decisions supposedly have no impact on the Scottish devolved government’s budget or finances.
In fact they, Labour, are arguing that the opposite is the case.
(So they, Labour, are now all actively contradicting what Wes Streeting stated in his interview with Laura Kuenssberg, pre the recent GE , in relation to a UK government impacting devolved governments via their decisions as the UK government).
Now that is both the Labour party and also as per very much too the UK media “Playing Politics” and they are all doing it as those who are always against the SNP as a political party but mostly they are all against Scotland eventually becoming independent of their UK state.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Don’t know if I posted this before but it should be reported every where.
The economy could have crashed had the government not found savings by cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners, a minister has said.
Lucy Powell told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that the loss of the benefit, which will now be means tested, was necessary because of a “£22bn blackhole” left behind by the Conservatives.
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I’ve not seen that interview with Streeting so thank you for enlightening us. It proves the duplicitous nature of Labour, every bit as bad as the Tories. In fact no, their worse considering they try to paint themselves as the party of the people.At least the Tories are upfront about being nasty but LINO just lie to your face then stab you in the back.
Scotland has to get out this ‘So-called’ union because once the general public in England catch on to the fact that they are the same as the Tories at the next GE they will vote in Reform, and we will once again be stuck with whatever government England votes for.
If you add all of the seats for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland together the English seats outnumber the other 3 nations by 4.5 to one.
It’s NOT a union where the other nations are stuck, constantly, with whatever the largest nation votes for. Within the EU you are treated as an equal whether you are Germany or Luxembourg otherwise the EU would fall apart.
Devolution doesn’t work where the largest nation takes all the money and then hands out what ‘IT’ thinks is what you require you run your nation. I would much rather we kept ALL our own wealth and spend it according to our own needs at the same time selling our energy, fossil and renewable, to the highest bidder instead of it being ‘Taken for free’.
Jim.
reform
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“I’ve not seen that interview with Streeting”
Yes well he let the proverbial ‘Cat out of the bag’ in him conceding that a UK government’s (bad) decisions impacts devolved governments. (Though initially his point was only referring to the Welsh Labour devolved government being impacted).
Though he then had to admit it was all devolved governments that were impacted.
When this interview was aired Wes Streeting was the Labour Shadow Health Secretary .
I suspect that he, Streeting, in blaming the (Tory) UK government’s decisions for all of the obstacles that faced the Welsh Labour devolved government’s performance, he then as a Pro UK politician, would never ever have expected the likes of Laura Kuenssberg to have noted the point that she made in relation to why then did Labour (UK) only blame the Scottish devolved government for what they, Labour UK, said was (supposedly but not) their SNP’s (supposed but not) bad performance in their Scottish NHS. (while simultanously excusing Labour in Wales for what they, Labour UK, said was all the fault of the -Tory- UK government’s bad decisions).
(Not forgetting of course that their, the SNP as the Scottish devolved Govt, were achieving far better stats in Scotland in relation to their performance in the NHS compared to those of Labour’s who were the Welsh devolved Govt in Wales )
So , with her saying what she said to him, it then very much exposed Labour’s hypocrisy and double standards when it came to the SNP and Scotland. (I suspect she did this more to aid the Tories than the SNP though).
Alas if this episode was seen and noted by some Scots in Scotland it then had no impact on how some of them then subsequently decided to vote in the UK GE.
In that they voted for Labour.
Of course this particular incident would not have been given widespread promotion or condemnation with the pro UK media in Scotland who were on active manoeuvres to try and get as many Labour MP’s elected in Scotland as possible in the UK GE (mostly , they hoped, in those seats currently held by the SNP ).
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears”
Which, it appears, some Scots choose to do (or rather obey).
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Rather than ” Others who are more than able to ‘take the hit’ financially are being ignored by Labour ” try Labour intend ensuring continuance of the class and privilege system they swore to ostracise 50+ years ago to ensure their donors are pleased.
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Great point.
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if Scotland did not have to pay for Trident, illegal wars, tax evasion, loan repayment on monies not spent in Scotland, nuclear, HS2, Hickley Point etc, Brexit. There would be no cuts in Scotland.
Scotland in fuel and energy, and nearer the source, pays more. Pays more because of Westminster policies. No parity. A burden on the Scottish economy.
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Wales voted for Brexit. Lost £Billions in EU grants and loans. Westminster reneged on a Tidal schemes. People can live in Wales and work in London. A long commute but higher wages. Or work from home.
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Labour will of course be cheered by the GE result and the gains they made as such I am convinced they will use the same ploy the ‘NO’ campaign used in 2014 over their pre-election promises for the new GB Energy Coy HQ in Scotland. No doubt they will already be looking ahead at the possibility of Scot Labour regaining control in Holyrood and as such I would not put it past them to use the very same ploy the ‘NO’ campaign used in 2014 when they threatened pulling future funding for Type 26 Frigates on the Clyde.
It worked then to fool those gullible Scots but at the very least my guess is a decision will be delayed until the voting intentions for the Holyrood elections becomes clearer with the real appetiser/threat hanging over us to sway the undecided Watch this space….
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Below is a good article on Lab.
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/09/02/there-is-no-economic-crisis-in-the-uk-so-why-is-rachel-reeves-making-people-suffer/
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BBC Article on their website dated 9 August 2023:
“Welsh public services must make cuts, Mark Drakeford says”
This was when Mark Drakeford was the Welsh Labour FM.
“First Minister Mark Drakeford has asked his ministers to find cuts in public services as inflation and public sector pay put the squeeze on Welsh government budgets.
No department – including the NHS and education – has been ruled out.
Members of the Welsh cabinet will meet throughout the summer to work out what can go from this year’s budget.
“Mr Drakeford says the Welsh government faces its “toughest financial situation” since it began in 1999”
(Labour have always been a part of the Welsh government either via a majority, a minority or in a collaboration with both Plaid and also twice with the Lib Dems since 1999).
So since 1999 ?
Yet the BBC in Scotland are currently saying to the SNP “But you have been in power for 17 years !!” to try and deflect any attempts by the SNP to defend their position as the Scottish government with the cuts they are now being forced to make because of Labour UK.
“He, Drakeford, blamed the (Tory) UK government for not providing extra cash off the back of promises to raise pay, and denied his government was panicking”
“The Labour-run administration said it was £900m short in its £20bn budget than when it was set in 2021”.
“But an expert at the respected IFS think-tank said the hit to the budget from inflation was probably not as high as Welsh ministers said”.
However now compare & contrast the BBC Scotland news on their website today:
“Budget cuts will have ‘profound effect’ on Scottish services – Robison”
(This is actually in reference to “Cuts” being made by the Labour UK Govt. but reads as if in relation only to the Scottish government making “Cuts” that will have a “profound effect on Scottish services” – very crafty by the BBC and par for the course with them too).
Also in this BBC article is the usual obligatory comments via the opposition such as:
“However, Scottish Labour’s finance spokesman Michael Marra accused the SNP of “secrecy and spin” regarding the country’s finances”.
He said: “It’s time for the SNP to come clean about the financial chaos it has created and tell us the truth about what lies ahead. The SNP has said ‘essential’ jobs would be protected from cuts, but it has failed to say in any way what an ‘essential’ job actually is”.
“This incompetence and failure to plan is causing uncertainty for public sector workers and chaos for service leaders, who now need urgent clarity”.
(Meanwhile Labour UK’s “Incompetence and failure to plan” pre the GE now sees them, as the new UK government, “causing uncertainty” with all of their cuts and no actual, as promised by them, real “Changes” now being made now that they, Labour UK, are in power as the new UK government.
So once more double standards from Mr Marra trying to deflect away from Labour UK at WM in once more, he as a Labour politician, blaming others while absolving his own party from any blame).
“Scottish Conservatives finance spokeswoman Liz Smith stated that the SNP has created a “high tax, low growth environment” that should be reversed, and that any further tax rises would be “devastating”.
(Liz Smith the same Tory in Scotland who conveniently forgets the reason why her UK party are no longer the UK government as in voters decided that is would be really “devastating” to keep the Tories in power as their UK government. -“Devastating” for the voters that is).
(Alex Cole-Hamilton also said something but I cannot be bothered repeating it, via writing it on here, as I am sure most people will probably guess what he said and also probably not care).
So apparently when Labour announced and then made cuts in Wales in 2023, as the devolved government , that is to be seen as a justified action by both Welsh Labour and also by Labour UK plus apparently it was all the Tory UK government to blame.
However now that the SNP have been forced to also make cuts then apparently that is deemed by both Labour in Scotland and Labour UK as unjustified. Indeed we are supposed to believe all blame is with the SNP only and in no way is the Labour UK government to blame .
(It seems that the Tory and the Lib Dem in Scotland also agree that this is the case too). The BT gang uniting once more for the UK.
Are those Scots who voted Labour in the recent GE , and also any others who live in Scotland who also voted Labour, actually buying into this propaganda from Labour ?
(The same type of Labour propaganda that the BBC’s Douglas Fraser prefers to ignore as it does not fit in with his own skewed and partisan version of what constitutes as propaganda within the UK, where his support lies firmly only with that of his employer’s , the BBC’s , pro UK position ).
It always comes down to the constitution via Scotland and the UK with all pro UK parties and their pro UK media does it not.
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The ” Members of the Welsh cabinet will meet throughout the summer to work out what can go from this year’s budget ” is key to understanding the bullshit of IFS and FAI quotes from the Herald et al as instigated by Michael Marra…
It’s the ” this year’s budget ” which is being deviously avoided as frame of reference, telling you all you need to know of James Cook’s much vaunted impartiality – He had the cheek to promote the Michael Marra bullshit on the UK website, still lingering hours later absent the Robson photo with 90% of England not having a clue as to who or what this is about, essentially another North Career story from James Cook…
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