Peter Murrell arrested

My baby granddaughter was sent the baby box when she was born. Her parents were delighted with it as it continued such useful things. The box itself has been used for keepsakes. I was pleased at the thought that every newborn would receive these lovely items regardless. Money well spent.

I have no problem paying the ridiculously SMALL amount of extra tax. Just 1 penny in the pound ,I'm more than happy to contribute to a fairer society,as are all my friends and would be willing/happy to pay more than that . Of course if you're of a tory/labour state of mind you dont want those at the bottom of the ladder to prosper ,because then they learn to speak up and stand up to be counted instead of accepting the treatment meted out by the so called "union" for centuries .
Scotland is a prosperous country ,with a GDP the equivalent similar to the total GDP of 5 eastern european countries ( including Croatia )and no one tells them they are too poor to run their own affairs.
Independence is normal ,being run by your next door neighbour for their benefit isn't .

🤣

Go on volver - scare us.

A propos of nothing...

Some of us here don't mind - in fact "like" - paying higher tax because it makes society a better place and helps the people who need help.

Some folk are just selfish and think we should spend our revenue on the things they want.

reported

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You want to see my tax bill?

Nah, it would scare you.

Is that the response you expected?

If I didn't have to live here I'd laugh at the pro independence stuff (polite word for it) being spouted here. Of course free things are lovely as long as you're the recipient. Hard lines if you have to pay for them...
I can just imagine the response to that.

Scotland cannot independently raise funds by borrowing, unlike any other country in the world, it doesn't have control over its own finances.

So at present, it has to depend on the pocket money given to it by Westminster and we do not overspend. The deficit cited by the Fraser of Allander institute tells us that we are in debt to the UK.

Well we best be off then, and raise the money we need on our own.

(Not my analysis BTW, that of Kate Forbes who apparently understands economics.)

We do indeed have a deficit - figures for 21/22 show total income of 73.8 billion including Noryh Sea Oil & Gas revenue, expenditure of 97.5 billion leaving a deficit of 23.7 billion. The Scottish government receives funding from Westminster Government through the Block Grant. The Block Grant is paid for from taxes and revenues collected across the whole of the UK. The Block Grant is what helps to balance the deficit in public spending.

Figures taken from Fraser of Allander Institute volver

Of course auditors can resign any time, that is obvious, but given the knowledge of the SNPs financial situation etc, it does beg the question.

I love living in Scotland and can think of no other place I would rather be.
In addition to Volver's list, I would like to add:
the Scottish child payments to help alleviate child poverty,
The progressive Scottish income tax
Minimum unit pricing that has helped to prevent many deaths from alcohol abuse
Free bus passes for young people

And yes Auditors can resign for many reasons and they are quoted in the National as saying ' they have taken the decision after a "review of its client portfolio". '

No University fees.
Prescriptions free at point of need for everybody (which works out cheaper than putting in a system to decide who will pay).
Recognition that refugees are people and are good for the country.
Acceptance that immigration is needed in this country.
Ambition to rejoin the EU.
Understanding that Net Zero is an imperative, not abandoning it to please the people who don’t care.
Anti-nuclear stance.

Now people may not like those things, and want money to be spent on something else and that’s OK, but no amount of mumping* about ferries can change the fact that this is what our country wants to be like. No amount of blaming a particular party for things they are not responsible for can change that.
*Good Scots word.

It’s a pity that people keep bringing up the drugs deaths. The government has a few solutions to offer but were blocked by W… well I won’t say it or some smart alec will say we blame them for everything. Not everything, just the stuff they do.

As for the deficit thing, and unbalanced books – it is not possible for the Scottish Government to run at a deficit, that is not allowed under Devolution. Perhaps it would be good if the people spouting unverified facts actually took time to understand what they are saying.

She did have death threats, most recently threatening herself and her close family with "Assassination". Police were said to be taking these threats seriously. Now of course, the whereabouts and photographs of her home are in the public domain and without the security provided at Bute House. I cannot imagine that she feels safe there.

So police arriving and erecting a blue tent then taking Murrell to question for over 12 hours. Over 20 officers have been seen at the house.

Politically someone will clearly know where the bodies are buried and bizarrely the police are now apparently digging up the couple’s garden. What on earth are they looking for? But they must have had a strong suspicion or lead that something is in the garden and now a designated crime scene.

It can be strongly suspected that Sturgeon knew that the ongoing police investigation had reached a critical mass and this pushed her into resignation.

Who told the police what? And did they delay the raid until after the election for new leader?, in which case I would have thought Forbes had a good case to demand a re-run now that the knowledge is out there.

The News Agents

Germanshepherdsmum

The fact that charges haven’t yet been brought doesn’t mean they won’t be.

Exactly. Hence the warning from Police Scotland as I posted in an earlier response to this thread.

Aveline

Yes there is poverty in other parts of the country but SNP spending choices in Scotland have reduced funding that could have been spent much more usefully and productively. So yes misspent money on political options certainly have led to unnecessary levels of poverty and deprivation here.

Are you saying that isn’t the case everywhere else Aveline? If there isn’t enough money going into a system unfortunately tinkering around the edges cannot make up for that shortfall. If you look at the relative performance of the UK health and care systems, once you have accounted for the underlying health inequalities, there is very little indeed between them despite the different political persuasions of the governments.

The fact that charges haven’t yet been brought doesn’t mean they won’t be.

Yes there is poverty in other parts of the country but SNP spending choices in Scotland have reduced funding that could have been spent much more usefully and productively. So yes misspent money on political options certainly have led to unnecessary levels of poverty and deprivation here.

I agree with you *Marydoll and Peter Murrel been released without any charges against him it’s a real witch-hunt

Auditors can resign for whatever reason they wish. Remember we have to be careful following Murrell’s arrest.

Auditors may resign because they refuse to break the law if directed to by their clients.

Oh my word! Thanks Whitewavemark2.

Casdon

The post industrial legacy has left endemic problems in many parts of the UK, and Scotland’s poverty and health issues are related to that, just as they are in Wales, the North East of England, etc. There are no easy answers and it is quite wrong to lump those issues in with political decisions about bridges, ferries or whatever. In reality, the health systems and care systems in the whole of the UK are failing because of the investment policy decisions made by the UK government.

Yes

Totally agree it's down to funding Casdon but it's government choice as to how it's spent. We have an annual public spending deficit of over £2000 per person- to borrow from Mr Dickens, "annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery"

Thank you for the welcome volver - I have to admit the current Tory incumbent is a little conspicuous by his absence! Mind you we had a previous SNP incumbent who was very, very visible and look what's happened to Eck the Fish?

Marydoll - at least one of my children has been teaching for the same length of time that you have been retired. Yes, you may have bought some bits and pieces all those years ago but times have changed. Staff are now subsidising essentials, like textbooks, and are swamped by a sea of paperwork and changing curricula.