Let's chat about how brilliant Nicola Sturgeon is

I think Nicola Sturgeon has done a very difficult job extremely well. She has been very clear and articulate as a leader.

I won’t be joining in with silly comments; don’t like her accent or Scottish accents, wouldn’t be happy visiting Scotland, should it gain independence, the Scots don’t like the English.

May I suggest you head straight for the Highlands as an example of how many English people have made the decision to come and live in Scotland and happily live here as one example amongst many in other parts of the country.

I commend your patience Elegran.

No! Let’s not. Life’s too short!

There would have to be a hard border.
Businesses and local authorities are complaining that the Covid support money is hoarded by the Scottish government and not disbursed as it was intended. This is direct information from suffering businesses.

Why would you find it harder to visit an independent Scotland? The roads will still be there, and the trains and the airports. The country wouldn't be picked up and dropped somewhere in the Pacific.

But Namsnan Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish government DO have to foot the bill for anything they decide to spend on. They don't have access to some bottomless source of money. They get a fair share of public money to fund the public things that all areas do, and they raise money themselves by taxes - some of which stays in Scotland, but more goes down to Westminster and into the general purse. There is no more. If they overspend on one thing, they have to pennypinch on something else.

Septimia You say "Where did the money come from? Westminster." Some, not all, and no more than a fair share.
Meanwhile, money also goes in other direction, about two thirds of the taxes paid by Scots goes to Westminster.

The grant to Scotland for devolved things is proportional to population and to how much Westminster is planning to spend on public services, just like the money spent in any other area of the UK. " 80% of funding to England and Wales, 11% to Scotland and 9% to Ireland" The rest of the income of the Scottish budget comes from Scottish income tax, land and buildings, transaction tax, Scottish Landfill Tax, Non-domestic rates, Borrowing, Scottish Reserve.
It goes on Schools, Hospitals, Police, Housing, Fishing, Farming, Infrastructure and the Economy.

How the budget is spent is up to the Scottish Government. They have the right to decide to give some to those suffering financially because of this pandemic.

Thank you for taking time to reply Septimia. I 100% agree that we should all respect each others views.

I like most people but this woman constant whining makes me turn off the tv every time she speaks

Alegrias - maybe Nicola isn't anti-English, but she comes across like that to me. No, I don't like her, for several reasons, but that doesn't mean that she hasn't expressed herself better than Boris, or that I like him any better.

I would regret Scotland becoming independent, not because I think it should be a vassal of England, but because I like Scotland and would hate to find it harder to visit, especially living so close to the border. Our histories and ancestry are so intertwined it would be difficult to to lose the closeness. It was a similar desire for independence, maybe, that prompted the Brexit vote.

I've been more outspoken on this thread than I usually am. I don't expect anyone to necessarily agree with my views. What I would say, though, is that we all have far more in common (despite opinions expressed on here) and perhaps we should go back to being supportive of each other, not divisive.

You're right, of course, SueDonim. There are different views. Sorry, got carried away...

Who is ‘we’ in the posts about the people of Scotland on this thread? There are different views on independence and no one should be speaking for the entirety of Scotland.

No. Let's not.

Yes, I wondered that too Lucca

Namsnanny

My only thought is its easy to do as you think fit when you dont have to foot the bill.

what do you mean ?

I agree, I’ve never heard NS bash Boris.
How dreadfully depressing that in 2021 there are still people who have decided they don’t like someone or respect their leadership purely because of the way they speak.

My only thought is its easy to do as you think fit when you dont have to foot the bill.

I greatly admire Nicola Sturgeon. She is a strong, intelligent and articulate woman. I don’t necessarily agree wholeheartedly with her views but that’s life.

Septimia

In answer to those who wonder why I think Nicola is hypocritical regarding her English grandparents - it's because she comes across as anti-English but there's no mention of her heritage.

And she's an opportunist. She takes advantage of situations to make herself look good. So many people were praising her for the payouts to people/businesses struggling due to the pandemic. Where did the money come from? Westminster. Give me Ruth Davidson any day.

I have a serious question Septimia. What is it that makes you think NS is anti-English? Talking about how a country could become independent does not mean that anybody hates the English, only that we don't want to be an extension of it and that we consider ourselves different enough that we want to go back to being a country on our own.
People say that she blames the English, blames Boris etc - I think if you listen to what she says she never does that. It would be self-defeating.
By the way Ruth would have done herself a lot more good in Scotland if she hadn't decided that a nice seat in the House of Lords would be a good career move.

Grandma70s

Scottish accents vary hugely. Some are lovely, some harsh and ugly. Unfortunately NS’s is in the latter category. I find her speech so unpleasant that I can’t separate what she says from the sounds she makes.

She reminds me of a little yappy dog. I can’t take her seriously.

Sadly I feel you may not be alone in your utterly prejudiced and probably snobbish view. Take the time to listen to what she says. Imagine if I said I couldn’t listen to Boris words because of his upper class accent ?

Oldbat1

Well I have a lot of time for her. She says things in a confident and honest manner. By the way the Boris Johnson was born in America is that equally worrying to those who said Nicola Sturgeon’s grandparents were from Sunderland I wonder?

Indeed Oldbat, and only gave up his US citizenship a couple of years' ago after being stung for capital gains tax.

She reminds me of Margaret Thatcher - the iron lady!! While I do respect her, I do not want Scotland to be independent!!

Many different accents in Scotland, Wales, England.

Septimia You do understand that the SCOTS pay taxes too,in fact WM pockets over half of our revenue .Maybe check before you post.You are very welcome to the Baroness....who prefers her wee £300 a day job for sucking up to WM instead of standing up for her country...she did say she would resign IF NI got a different/better deal than Scotland....so did Mundell .Seems principles aren't a strong point with her !

Probably, Oldbat !!

Well I have a lot of time for her. She says things in a confident and honest manner. By the way the Boris Johnson was born in America is that equally worrying to those who said Nicola Sturgeon’s grandparents were from Sunderland I wonder?