Comments on: Press Release: A council tax freeze in Scotland, a council tax hike in England

By: George Ireland

George Ireland — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:42:20 +0000

Clyde, not quite right I’m afraid, you’ll find that the Total GVA for England in the United Kingdom far higher that proportional spendind, in fact if you ever said that to anyone outside of London (except of the North East) I’d be suprised if they did not hit you.

Go to the South and say you are ‘subsidising’ them and expect a fat lip, because honestly if you see the place – you deserve it.

By: clyde

clyde — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:55:31 +0000

howday wonko,you get my point about scotlands pocket money its whatever westminster gives us dont matter how many zeros there is,we can spend it as we please.

re barnet of all the regions in uk london is the only region that gets less(per head of popl)
than scotland hey but i dont mind subsidising every one outside london

my point? BRITAIN ISNT WORKING time for all countries to run there own affairs

By: Stuart Dickson

Stuart Dickson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:07:31 +0000

Mr Bercow also indicated that he would be ready to preside over a Commons debate on the establishment of an English Parliament, though he stressed it was not his role to call for such a debate.

“It is a very proper subject to be fully debated,” he said.

“I accept it is a matter about which a lot of people feel strongly. The idea that it will go away and can be submerged or somehow is not a proper subject to have a detailed debate about – no, it is such a subject and it will be discussed and it should be and some of that discussion will inevitably be on the floor of the House of Commons.”

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/speaker-calls-on-mps-to-give-up-12-week-recess-1.921935

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:59:18 +0000

Can someone please point me to the source which states that the English taxpayer will be contributing £210m toward Scottish local authority funding. This will have to be financed from the Scottish block grant i.e it will cost the English taxpayer nothing. Anyway, the idea of the Labour government in London doing some kind of deal with the SNP is ludicrous, they hate each other.

By: McFeagle

McFeagle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:17:30 +0000

Thanks for the defence gents – it would take a sight more than that to get me offended.

I am Scottish, and happily live in England and am very vocal amongst colleagues/ friends and anyone that will listen in support of an EP. I just wish folk would take an active interest in what happens in their own country England, Scotland Wales and NI. Go to meetings, write to their local MP ( I think mine is sick of me ), attend community events and to make a bigger difference join a political party and go and try to influence their policies.

England needs an EP it is under represented in the uK and very misunderstood. There is too much conflation about Britain & England – it’s about time that folk realised that they are not one and the same.

London is the capital of England – no doubt in my mind at all – go and stand in front of the Tower or Buck Palace, it looks and feels English . Emotionally London is the capital of England.

The Olympics .. I have no idea if Barnett applies .. but I do care a lot about the amount of money that could be spent providing better local affordable facilities for kids and sport . It seems to me that London is once again getting a lot and the rest are getting very little. No one that I know is excited about it, even my daughter ( teenager ) reckons that kids would get more value from a decent 50 metre swimming pool. We are only 60 mins by train ( when they work ) from London but don’t seem to have any local venues for the games .. sorry Im ranting again.

By: Daggs

Daggs — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:41:17 +0000

I wasn’t having a go at McFeagle, Wonko. I know he’s on our side. Indeed i’ve defended him in the past.
Saying his loyalties are with Scotland was certainly not meant to be offensive, even if true.

By: wonkotsane

wonkotsane — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:32:20 +0000

Dalriada, I’m pretty sure we had something from the Treasury saying there would be Barnett consequentials.

Daggs, McFeagle is a supporter of our campaign and living in England he also gets shafted by the Scottish Raj. Cut him some slack!

George, if there is a deficit in England’s budget that’s all the more reason for us to stop subsidising the rest of the UK.

Matt, England officially has no capital as the British refuse to recognise our country as anything other than a collection of 9 colonies.

Clyde, pocket money doesn’t usually have 9 zeroes on the end of it.

By: clyde

clyde — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:52:12 +0000

we get our pocket money from westminster and we are entitled to spend it as we think fit

By: Al Wilson

Al Wilson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:21:29 +0000

Matt – a good question.

According to Whitaker’s Almanack (my latest edition is for 2004) London is the capital of the United Kingdom. Unlike our national neighbours, England doesn’t have a capital to call her own.

In the section World Area and Population are tabulated columns for:
COUNTRY/TERRITORY – AREA – POPULATION – CAPITAL – POPULATION OF CAPITAL
against England, in the columns for CAPITAL and POPULATION OF CAPITAL are shown dashes (definitely not ditto marks!)

In Whitaker’s 1980s editions, the above entries alongside England were simply left blank.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:14:44 +0000

I’m feeling confused – is LONDON the capital of England only or of the UK as a whole? Anyone know?