Sky.
That's all very well Dave, but how about some respect for England, after all we're the ones who put you where you are. How about dealing with the democratic deficit that means England is the only recognised country in the EU that doesn't have its own Parliament. How about dealing with the West Lothian question which allows MP's from other nations in the UK to vote on matters pertaining only to England in which they don't have to answer to their own constituents? How about tackling the Barnett formula and converting it if you must to a true needs based fund, rather than a syphon on English spending to hand over to the devolved parliaments in the UK? After all it leaves you facing this sort of thing...On his first trip since becoming Prime Minister, David Cameron has said he wants to win Scotland's respect.
The coalition chief was accompanied on his visit to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh by the Secretary of State for Scotland, Lib Dem Danny Alexander.
They met Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond.
On arrival, Mr Cameron said: "I want to show my respect for the devolved institutions.
"I want to make the devolved institutions work and work well.
"I want a real agenda of respect between our parliaments."
He said he wanted Scottish ministers to appear in front of Westminster select committees and said if the Scottish Parliament wished it, he would travel to Holyrood ever year to answer MSPs' questions.
Mr Cameron went on: "I want to try and win Scotland's respect as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Mr Salmond is expected to press Mr Cameron for Scotland to receive about £700m of additional cash.I don't see too much respect coming back your way Dave, just an outstretched hand asking for more English cash. I doubt you'd get that much respect if you handed it over either, just a demand for more. The term were looking at here is not respect, you may want respect Dave, but what they want is appeasement, a form of Dane Geld, a you pay us to stay quiet fund, or hush money if you want it put bluntly.
He wants the Scottish Government to be able to bring forward further spending.
He is also calling for Scotland to receive money as a consequence of Olympic spending and for cash for renewable energy projects in the fossil fuel levy fund to be released.
In a sense Dave, what you're seen as by Alex Salmond is another Neville Chaimberlain, an appeaser, he has his own agenda which is Scottish independence, which stands at total odds to your unionism, so he sees nothing wrong in soaking the UK government for readies, after all it's not like he plans to stay now is it? Not exactly mutual respect really, but he sees your weakness and plays on it, no doubt you'll oblige and wonder why your popularity nose dives in England. Salmond also claims you have no mandate for Scotland (conveniently forgetting that your Lib Dem partners have a greater mandate in Scotland than he does in the UK Parliament) The way to deal with this is not by bribes though, but by tough but fair policies, if there's pain to go around, then we all share until one or the other decides to leave. Salmonds Scotland cannot be allowed to escape the cut backs, nor claim extra resources needed elsewhere.
Time to grow a spine Dave, if respect is due, it's due to those who voted you in to sort things out, not to hand over their taxes to those who would leave if they could. We don't mind fairness, we do object to Dane Geld!
5 annotations:
Time to grow a spine Dave, if respect is due ...
Yes but he doesn't have one - he's a politician through and through.
In my view Cameron should have summoned Salmond to come and see him, he is after all Prime Minister of the whole of the UK and I can't see that this sort of thing will earn him much respect. When will he be off to Wales and Northern Ireland? If not, why not; they have their own "First Ministers".
I really think, if England wants it's own parliament, you must stop using the Scots as a battering ram. Dave came here because he needs our oil money to keep the south going. Plain and simple. Westminster has misused North Sea oil for 30 years now and no matter how much they try to place us all in fear by saying 'it's running out' that's just untrue. There's another 30 years in it at least. Plenty time for the UK or an independent Scotland to invest wisely.
Bu no government wants to look to the mid-long term. They need short-term goals.
That's the only reason Cameron came to Scotland.
As for the suggestion by EP that Salmond be commanded to No 10, that gave me my first smile of the day. We still have some pride here EP and Salmond well knows many people would be furious if he played second fiddle to London.
Haven't we seen enough of that between London and Washington over the years?
You mistake my ire SR, I don't blame Salmond for doing as he does. I do get annoyed at the lack of respect cameron shows the English in not sorting out the differences in finances between the 2 countries. Barnett is unfair and not means driven, there is no way that Scotland or Wales should get extra cash say because London is holding the Olympics or that Crossrail is being built across London. Scotland should be in line for extra cash so long as it remains in the Union because it has needs greater than the South of England, but also the needs of Wales and the North of England should be taken into account too. The pot is only so big and the oil currently is the UK's not Scotland's, so there needs to be fairness seen to be done, transparent to all, not the percentage of a total spent on English infrastructure transferred to Scotland or Wales.
Cameron should show respect, but it cuts both ways and Salmond in his demands shows no respect to us or our problems.
What does a Cameron led Government mean for England?
In the immediate turmoil after the Election, the Tory leaning press began to release articles in favour of an English Parliament seemingly on the basis that this would lead to Conservative Rule.
Now that these papers are celebrating the new Cameron Government, the question is what does this Government mean for England? Also are the Conservatives pro-English?
In partial answer, I would give a quotation from an article of about two years ago by the journalist, Mark Stuart.
“As an ardent Unionist, I was greatly encouraged by David Cameron’s remarks earlier this year, when he took part in a grilling from Yorkshire Post readers. When quizzed by Paul Cockcroft, a member of the Royal Society of St George about introducing a new public holiday to celebrate St George’s Day, Cameron rejected the idea, adding: “I want to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, not just England. I think we’re stronger having England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland united”.
So one of the first things English nationalists need to realise about David Cameron is that he will leave them disappointed. The Conservatives have no plans to establish an English Parliament. Nor do they propose solving the so-called West Lothian Question”.
We English Democrats need to bear this attitude in mind whenever people say to us that the Conservatives might be willing to do something for England. Actually the Conservative Leadership, and David Cameron in particular, are our nation’s worst enemy because they are less open about their enmity than Labour was and therefore their enmity is more insidious.
I would also remind anyone, who might think that Cameron means well by England, of his comment to Andrew Marr, about why he was happy to have more money spent in Scotland. He said that this was because “I am a passionate Unionist, I think that Scotland brings a huge amount to the United Kingdom. The Scottish people bring a huge amount to the United Kingdom…, and I’m a Cameron, there is quite a lot of Scottish blood flowing through these veins.”
Just to make the point crystal clear to us he has also said that “I’ll take on the sour Little Englanders. I’ll fight them all the way”.
Cameron is not alone in these attitudes in the Conservative and Unionist Party.
As William Hague said “English Nationalism is the most dangerous of all forms of nationalism”.
So will a Cameron led Government be pro-England/English? The answer is the shortest answer in the English Language!
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