The Election is ON

[Hugh]

I would be quite happy under labour if we got the same deal which you get.  With Brown its look after Scotland S--- on England. But I suppose its fair he should looks after his own.

[Papaumau]

I think that even the people in his Kircaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency might disagree with that one.

I honestly don't think that professional politicians give a specific damn about their national roots once they are in power in Westminster.

We have a reasonable government in Scotland because they are an SNP government and not because they are a Labour government.

[Hugh]

You have to look at it from our point of view Scotland as self rule and getting a good deal. England being ruled by Scotland and getting a raw deal and this could be the down fall of labour.

[cheddar-caveman]

Of course Brown looks after Scotland Hugh, he's a bloody Scot!!

My memory also goes back further than twelve years. As usual the Conservatives inherrited a massive national debt from Labour and spent most of their term reducing it to zero only for Labour to build it back up to a world record now!

Again the Conservatives (if they win) will have to spend years clearing up the Labour mess once again.

[Papaumau]

You have to look at it from our point of view Scotland as self rule and getting a good deal. England being ruled by Scotland and getting a raw deal and this could be the down fall of labour.

I cannot see how "the Scots" are ruling England as there is only a few of them down there. It IS true that Scotsmen down through the ages have gravitated to places of power and that is just the way of the Scots right across the world. This does not mean that when they are doing a job - ANY job - that they do it so that Scotland can gain from their actions. There is much more to Scottish politicians than that.

CC........

Just because Brown is a Scot does not mean that he makes his decisions because of this fact. He is the British Prime Minister and he is FAR removed from what is going on in Scotland and the Scottish parliament is NOT a Labour government, it is a Scottish Nationalist government.

ANY government that comes in after another government have had twelve years of governing will have to redress many of the things that were done wrong during those twelve years. THIS also happened after the last Tory government had a chance to run the country over three terms.

As I said before...."Do you folks not remember the massive landslides that Blair had during his first two terms of office ?"

It has ALL happened before and it will ALL happen again unless the electorate do something different this time !

[Hugh]

Papa I hope you have read what CC as said and its a general feeling down here. We are all sick of G Brown party. The funding for UK comes from London yet Scotland students pay no fees and all the other perks you have already mentioned. How do they manage it

[John]

They manage it by using Tax Money that is wasted on Quangos in England.

Students Fees were voted for in the only Parliament that England has. This
did not stop the others of the Union voting in favour of fees for England.

There is no bigger mug society then in England.

The lack of this imbalance is ignored by Brown & Co - because he does not give a jot.

His pockets are lined and his books planned plus escaping to Scotland.

After all it is the 'right thing to do'.

[Hugh]

And the poor and rich divide getting larger, not by Thatcher but by G Brown and his buddies. Supporters of Brown make me sick. Workers party what a joke.

[Papaumau]

Papa I hope you have read what CC as said and its a general feeling down here. We are all sick of G Brown party. The funding for UK comes from London yet Scotland students pay no fees and all the other perks you have already mentioned. How do they manage it

Hugh....

People down south sometimes forget that we have our own revenue-raising powers in Scotland and included in the Barnett Formula block grant we get from central government, ( where we get our own income tax, national insurance, company taxes, and VAT back to where it was raised ), we generate more from local authority taxes.

Because we have many devolved powers we are allowed to spend much of this money any way we choose and this is how there exists many differences between England and Scotland ( As Wales only has an Assembly and they have fewer devolved powers than we have they usually follow the decisions made in Westminster ).

We often have the happy situation that shows that moves we make up here are quickly copied by central government, but as policy down south is also often very different down there we see many anomalies that make life in Scotland much different from life in England. Usually for the better in Scotland !

[Hugh]

Which doesn't get away from the fact we have some one from Scotland making a right mess of things down south, and over the boarder they are doing very well thank you.

[Papaumau]

If I did not know you better Hugh I would think that that was a racist statement !

As I have said before...till I am blue in the face....it is quite normal for Scots to gravitate towards positions of power and these positions are not just confined to political ones. We Scots are known world-wide for our ability to run big companies as well as national governments and this ability - anywhere in the world - does not include a desire to necessarily have any effect on our homeland.

It is just a coincidence that Gordon Brown happens to be a Scot !

There are many Scots that do not actually hold Scottish constituencies that are members of all of the other political parties. THAT, my friend, is just the way it is !

At the moment there is only ONE member of the British parliament that is a Tory that was elected to a seat in Scotland from a total of 59 !

What does THAT suggest to you I wonder ?

[Hugh]

Of course Brown looks after Scotland Hugh, he's a bloody Scot!!

This could sound like a racist statement but its what a lot of people down south of the boarder feel. Its also up set a lot of people that politicians from Scotland have help new labour pass things which have not been of interest or concern to Scotland. It will be interesting to see how G Brown and new labour do in Scotland
Racist I am not, many of my scuba diving friends come from Scotland.   

[Papaumau]

Hugh, I am not going to labour the point, ( that pun again  ) but I do think that people often get ideas into their heads just because that is the way that some sub-groups might think.

I am sure that it is not meant as a racist statement as racism is only accurately measured when looked at through the eyes of the victim and not the perpetrator.

I have often thought that we simply cannot stereotype ANY total group into any similar behaviour as even if things can be done or thought about in group-mode most things are done as a result of individual decisions.

Yes, Brown IS a Scot and he does have a Scottish constituency but that is where the connection ends as far as being a Prime Minister is concerned.

I know that Brown was not actually elected to the post but even if he had been it would not have mattered that he is a Scot; many excellent - or not so excellent - politicians come from different national and cultural backgrounds and those backgrounds do not necessarily effect how they do their job.

Out of interest.....The Scottish government are NOT taken from the Labour constituencies; the Scottish government are in fact a Scottish Nationalist government. The Labour party is an opposition party up here.

[Ivanhoe]

////Workers party what a joke/////

Agreed.

New Labour/old Tory.

[Hugh]

Against all the odds I don't think it will be an hung parliament and the new tories will be in power. G Brown could have done us a good turn by forcing Cameron into promising not to stop bus passes and many other things. NHS going to take an hammering but for the good, My wife was a nurse all her working life. Managers were increasing in numbers while nurses were on the decrease that I think will be put right. I have already made my vote for lib dems by post. I guess I feel the same as everyone else on here want a change.