“The idea began life as a way to respond to GERS figures, which suggest that leaving the UK means losing upwards of £10 billion a year in funding. It’s so obviously a ruse - ‘let’s balance the books by removing the single most expensive line item’ - but somehow it has become SNP policy.”
And the birth of the “rUK will pay for State Pensions policy” now being promoted by Sturgeon, Blackford etc. is recorded in the Common Weal paper entitled “Beyond GERS — Scotland's fiscal position post-independence — Craig Dalzell” and available at https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Beyond-GERS-1.pdf Dr Craig Dalzell’s paper states:-
“Pension Liabilities
The current legal position of the UK government regarding pensions is that all current UK citizens who have fulfilled the requirements including the paying of national insurance are entitled to a UK state pension regardless of whether or not they choose to retire within the UK13. Whilst this position is entirely negotiable between the Scottish and rUK Governments, if it were to be adopted in full – which would be in line with the UK claiming possession of all UK assets and liabilities – then this would be expected to reduce the Scottish deficit by up to £8.5 billion14 in the first year of independence.”
The source for “The current legal position of the UK government regarding pensions…” is stated in Footnote 13 to be:-
“13 House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, “The Referendum on Separation for Scotland: Implications for Pensions and Benefits”, pg 16, July, (2014)”.
But the footnote reference is nonsense. Page 16 actually quotes UK Pensions Minister Steve Webb saying: “…the Scottish people would expect their Government to take on full responsibility for paying pensions to people in Scotland including where liabilities had arisen before independence. Similarly people in the rest of the UK would not be expecting to guarantee or underwrite the pensions of those living in what would then have become a separate country. The security and sustainability of pensions being paid to people in Scotland would, therefore, depend on the ability of Scottish taxpayers to fund them.” - https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmscotaf/498/498.pdf
The current Leadership of the SNP is now acting in presidential fashion. The great leader usually dictates and Blackfords' Pension nonsense must have been sanctioned from the Bunker in Edinburgh, or at least circulated with the myriad of SPADs on the current public payroll.
The lack of Detail & Preparedness for the Ghost Referendum in 2023 is now apparent. The zealots will buy the "Bad English" rhetoric, but the reality is far simpler.
The Great leader has to keep the Carrots coming to ensure the gullible keep voting SNP. The current Cohort of 45(self proclaimed Freedom fighters) are Banking over £20M+ every 60 months between themselves, and lets face it, If you are guaranteed the equivalent of a lottery win you will spout anything short-term to keep the money rolling in.
I suspect the fogging polices will continue, but the charade cannot continue forever, even for the gullible. Health, Education and the Achilles heel of Transport cannot all be blamed on anyone else, like the loose linkage of an ill thought out Pensions policy.
We are not talking about a mature charismatic clear strategic policy, more like a loquacious & hubristic plate of policy mince will follow.
The message is actually that *Scots'* pensions are no longer guaranteed after independence. And that the UK is still seen as the reliable security blanket. And that Scottish OAPs are nothing but useful emotional blackmail material as far as the SNP are concerned. Well done, Blackford et al.
On top of that this muddle has put the SNP in a much weaker position if it ever does come down to actual negotiation. As in, if the SNP are this desperate - already - to wriggle out of paying their own pensioners their confidence in the real economics of independence must be zero. It's a huge tell that the SNP has no hand to play and they know it.
Sadly the repeated lies from the SNP just get bigger and bigger and there is a core part of their base that is motivated by anti English racism that will believe any untruth. As SNP founder Arthur Donaldson's friend Mr A Hitler once said about telling a lie so colossal that nobody would believe that they could "have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously".
As usual the Scottish administration dont have a clue how to run a country. Nicola Sturgeon is slowing backing herself into a corner where there will be no escape other than resigning. That day is coming and she knows it.
“The idea began life as a way to respond to GERS figures, which suggest that leaving the UK means losing upwards of £10 billion a year in funding. It’s so obviously a ruse - ‘let’s balance the books by removing the single most expensive line item’ - but somehow it has become SNP policy.”
And the birth of the “rUK will pay for State Pensions policy” now being promoted by Sturgeon, Blackford etc. is recorded in the Common Weal paper entitled “Beyond GERS — Scotland's fiscal position post-independence — Craig Dalzell” and available at https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Beyond-GERS-1.pdf Dr Craig Dalzell’s paper states:-
“Pension Liabilities
The current legal position of the UK government regarding pensions is that all current UK citizens who have fulfilled the requirements including the paying of national insurance are entitled to a UK state pension regardless of whether or not they choose to retire within the UK13. Whilst this position is entirely negotiable between the Scottish and rUK Governments, if it were to be adopted in full – which would be in line with the UK claiming possession of all UK assets and liabilities – then this would be expected to reduce the Scottish deficit by up to £8.5 billion14 in the first year of independence.”
The source for “The current legal position of the UK government regarding pensions…” is stated in Footnote 13 to be:-
“13 House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, “The Referendum on Separation for Scotland: Implications for Pensions and Benefits”, pg 16, July, (2014)”.
But the footnote reference is nonsense. Page 16 actually quotes UK Pensions Minister Steve Webb saying: “…the Scottish people would expect their Government to take on full responsibility for paying pensions to people in Scotland including where liabilities had arisen before independence. Similarly people in the rest of the UK would not be expecting to guarantee or underwrite the pensions of those living in what would then have become a separate country. The security and sustainability of pensions being paid to people in Scotland would, therefore, depend on the ability of Scottish taxpayers to fund them.” - https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmscotaf/498/498.pdf
The current Leadership of the SNP is now acting in presidential fashion. The great leader usually dictates and Blackfords' Pension nonsense must have been sanctioned from the Bunker in Edinburgh, or at least circulated with the myriad of SPADs on the current public payroll.
The lack of Detail & Preparedness for the Ghost Referendum in 2023 is now apparent. The zealots will buy the "Bad English" rhetoric, but the reality is far simpler.
The Great leader has to keep the Carrots coming to ensure the gullible keep voting SNP. The current Cohort of 45(self proclaimed Freedom fighters) are Banking over £20M+ every 60 months between themselves, and lets face it, If you are guaranteed the equivalent of a lottery win you will spout anything short-term to keep the money rolling in.
I suspect the fogging polices will continue, but the charade cannot continue forever, even for the gullible. Health, Education and the Achilles heel of Transport cannot all be blamed on anyone else, like the loose linkage of an ill thought out Pensions policy.
We are not talking about a mature charismatic clear strategic policy, more like a loquacious & hubristic plate of policy mince will follow.
The facts will prevail.
The message is actually that *Scots'* pensions are no longer guaranteed after independence. And that the UK is still seen as the reliable security blanket. And that Scottish OAPs are nothing but useful emotional blackmail material as far as the SNP are concerned. Well done, Blackford et al.
On top of that this muddle has put the SNP in a much weaker position if it ever does come down to actual negotiation. As in, if the SNP are this desperate - already - to wriggle out of paying their own pensioners their confidence in the real economics of independence must be zero. It's a huge tell that the SNP has no hand to play and they know it.
Sadly the repeated lies from the SNP just get bigger and bigger and there is a core part of their base that is motivated by anti English racism that will believe any untruth. As SNP founder Arthur Donaldson's friend Mr A Hitler once said about telling a lie so colossal that nobody would believe that they could "have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously".
As usual the Scottish administration dont have a clue how to run a country. Nicola Sturgeon is slowing backing herself into a corner where there will be no escape other than resigning. That day is coming and she knows it.