Scotland has the most powerful devolved parliament in the world, is the proud boast of the Unionist parties as they try to persuade Scotland that they fulfilled their promises to give the Scottish parliament meaningful extra powers. And it’s true that with a couple of minor caveats and quibbles, Scotland is indeed the proud owner of the most powerful devolved parliament in the world.
Of course one of the quibbles is in the word devolved. There are self-governing territories quite close to home which have considerably more powerful parliaments than Scotland does. The British crown dependencies of the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey are independent in most respects. In fact they have what many in Scotland defined as devo max, control over everything except foreign affairs and defence. The British crown territories of Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, St Helena, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos, and the Cayman Islands, enjoy similar control over their own affairs. They control their own taxation policies, some of them have control over their own immigration policies. For the most part they are independent in all important respects, with the main exceptions of foreign affairs and defence.
The self-governing kingdoms of the Danish and Dutch crowns likewise enjoy a similar degree of autonomy. The Dutch kingdoms of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, and Sint Maartin are self-governing islands in the Caribbean. They have close ties to the Netherlands which retains responsibility for defence and most foreign affairs, although the islands can and do represent themselves at an international level on occasion. The same is true for the Danish crown possessions of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. They are independent in almost all respects. Greenland was even able to leave the EEC.
But apart from the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, St Helena, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, Sint Maartin, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, Scotland has the most powerful devolved parliament in the world. So that’s OK then.
There are a few other countries which aren’t independent but which still enjoy considerably more autonomy than Scotland does. Puerto Rico is a country in free association with the United States. It has the right to self-determination, and has had several referendums on independence, none of which required the permission of Washington. Most recently it voted to become the 51st state of the Union. Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands are other self-governing territories of the United States. Like Puerto Rico they have considerable control over their own financial affairs. French Polynesia and New Caledonia are French possessions in the South Pacific, they likewise have autonomy. New Caledonia is due to hold a referendum on independence.
But apart from the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, St Helena, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, Sint Maartin, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, French Polynesia and New Caledonia, Scotland has the most powerful devolved parliament in the world. So that’s OK then.
Well … being devolved means that at any time Scotland’s autonomy can be revoked or altered by the Westminster parliament. There is no constitutional guarantee of the permanency of Holyrood, despite the fact that the Unionist parties promised to ensure that would be the case. After winning the first independence referendum, they went back on their word. So since there is no constitutional guarantee of the status of Scotland, that means that every single federal territory in the world has more power than the Scottish parliament. The constitutional status of a constituent member of a federal state cannot be altered except by a change to the constitution, a single government can’t do that unless extra steps are taken, most commonly involving a referendum.
Each of the US states, the Canadian provinces, the German Länder, the Swiss Cantons, the states of Mexico, and the states of Australia have considerably more power than Scotland’s parliament does. Quebec controls its own immigration policy. The US states as well as the Canadian provinces and the Mexican states control vehicle registration. All have powers over taxation, including sales taxes. They have control over the natural resources exploited within their own territory. The US state of Alaska has an oil fund which it periodically disburses to state residents as a financial windfall. The constituent states of the Federated States of Micronesia, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae even have the power to represent themselves independently on an international level. Tiny wee islands in the Pacific, but they’re more powerful than Scotland is.
So apart from the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, St Helena, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, Sint Maartin, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, French Polynesia and New Caledonia, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland, and the rest of the Canadian provinces, Alaska, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and the rest of the states of the USA, Yucatan, Sonora, Leon, and the other states of Mexico, Berne, Grisons, Aargau, Schwyz, and the other cantons of Switzerland, Bavaria, Baden-Wurtemberg, Schleswig-Holstein and the other Länder of Germany, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae, Scotland has the most powerful devolved parliament in the world. So that’s OK then.
But … there are some other countries, territories, and regions which have a measure of self-government and like Scotland are not constituent parts of federal states. Gagauzia is a self governing territory of Turkish speaking Orthodox Christians which is a constituent part of Moldova, which isn’t a federal state, but Gagauz autonomy is written into the Moldovan constitution and can’t be altered by a Moldovan government without the consent of the Gagauz parliament. Which is more than can be said for Scotland.
Then there are countries and territories which like Scotland are actually devolved. Nunavut was carved out of the North West Territories as an autonomous territory for Canada’s Inuit people. The new territory was named Nunavut, which in Inuktitut, the Inuit language, means “Has more devolution than Scotland”. As with the other territories of Canada, Yukon and the remaining part of the North West Territories, the Federal government is ensuring that Nunavut has control of its own mineral and oil and gas resources. Washington DC and the Federal District of Mexico City are not federal states in their respective countries, but each enjoys most of the powers enjoyed by states. The Northern Territory of Australia likewise enjoys many of the same powers that the fully fledged Australian states possess although it enjoys these powers as devolved powers from the Federal government which retains the right to legislate on its behalf.
Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country and the Canary Islands are autonomous communities in Spain. Each has control over its own broadcasting, something not allowed to Scotland. The Basque Country raises all taxes within its territory and is responsible for remitting part of the receipts to Madrid to cover its share of the costs of the Spanish state. Far more control than Scotland has.
Madeira and the Azores are autonomous parts of Portugal. They have control over immigration and residency policy, control over their marine economic zones, and control over oil and mineral rights as well as fishing.
So apart from the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, St Helena, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, Sint Maartin, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, French Polynesia and New Caledonia, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland, and the rest of the Canadian provinces, Alaska, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and the rest of the states of the USA, Yucatan, Sonora, Leon, and the other states of Mexico, Berne, Grisons, Aargau, Schwyz, and the other cantons of Switzerland, Bavaria, Baden-Wurtemberg, Schleswig-Holstein and the other Länder of Germany, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae, Gagauzia, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia, the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, Washington DC, the Districto Federal de Mexico, Yukon, Nunavut, the North West Territories, and the Northern Territory of Australia, Scotland has the most powerful devolved parliament in the world.
So that’s OK then.
Audio version of this article, courtesy of Sarah Mackie @lumi_1984 https://soundcloud.com/occamshaver/the-most-powerful-devolved-parliament-in-the-world-so-thats-ok-then-wgd-17th-oct-2016
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[…] Wee Ginger Dug The most powerful devolved parliament in the world. So that’s OK then. […]
This is excellent – thanks for all your hard work. I have shared it widely.
Hello to one and all, I have been following this site and others, in an effort to learn and understand / comprehend what is actually happening in Politics . I only dipped a toe in the water in 2014 voting Yes, hoping Scotland would chart a different course from Westminster . I am certain that the people of Scotland are coming to terms with the deceit shown to them by Westminster Politicians and will have the belief and courage to dissolve this most rancid Union.
I read the posts daily and feast on the common sentiment and ideology. This newest Post not only is enlightening but terrifying and in my opinion should be shared and shown to those who don’t believe in independence .I would like to thank all the posters for their knowledge, humour and belief in their Country .
Absolutely!
You missed two. Hong Kong is technically devolved as part of China and has alot more autonomy than Scotland does and Jeju is a self governing province in Korea (where I live), which has its own immigration, its own development agency and is joined by only the basics with the rest of Korea. This actually would be my blueprint for a Scotland in the UK, the Jeju model.
Prefer Indy though.
No it’s not OK and that’s why it will be changed.
That was a fun read … If only it wasn’t true.
Echo!
Magnificent, Paul.
Look at all that homework you’ve given Mundell to do.
It doesn’t get any ‘nicer’ than this gem. Thank you, sir.
You are of course kidding,
David(let them eat tattie scones) Mundell would use it to kennel his fire.
superb Paul as usual.
A tour de force, Paul, and must be shared widely.
That’s a hefty piece of work, Paul. You’ve certainly succeeded in highlighting the Unionists’ fabrication to such a degree that even they must feel obliged to agree with you.
I always wanted someone to draw up a list like that, and thanks to you Paul, it has now been done – wonderful work. I think this now needs to be spread far and wide to all of our ‘most devolved parliament in the world’ protagonists
Add Saint Martin ,Guadalupe and Martinique Paul
The isle of man has more power in its little pinky than Scotland has through its parliament. And it doesn’t have to endure any of the pish Scotland does within this most treasured union.
Most powerful devolved assembly in the world? It’s a calculated insult. A mid finger salute from HM gov to the people of Scotland. Its a “fuck you Scotland” card from the tories to the nation that consider them to be shit on the heel of Scotland’s shoe.
The more this trolling continues the more the very idea of *Britishness* makes me feel ill.
here’s a wee analysis of “britishness on the brain” – enjoy all!!
Really great read. And it’s not ok. We need to memorise this list. Has Fluffy been asked for a comment???
But apart from those… 😀
All the semantics, all the wonk speak, all the media support and all the brass neck in the world cannot hide the FACT that the Scottish electorate were mislead by the no campaign, HMG and the media.
Public record is a great thing y’know? With access to thousands of column inches dedicated to devo max, indy lite, near federalism and of course ‘THE VOW’, its pretty easy to see how this crime was perpetrated. Oh, and did we forget video? Youtube Broon, Darling or indeed Cameron and while away an afternoon reminding yourselves of pledges, promises and assurances. Even Ruth Tank Commander can’t escape videos of assurances that only by voting no could we retain our place in the EU. Yet today some yoons deny any such statement was made, or that we misunderstood. Aye, apparently we were all aware that there would be an EU referendum all along donchaknow?
What was it Camo said? ‘In terms of devolution, NOTHING is off the table?’
This all worked out so terribly well throughout the Smith Commission and Scotland Bill debates. Remind me again. How many bill amendments proposed by the SNP were passed in the house of Commons? NIL you say? But there were over twenty of them, including FULL FISCAL AUTONOMY (otherwise known as Devo Max). Yet not one. Not a single solitary one made it onto that bill.
‘Mutual respect’, ‘equal partners’, ‘oldest, most successful union’, ‘a FAMILY of nations’.
Really?
If you voted no on the day, do you think any of those sound bites is apt today? Do you feel appreciated? An equal partner? Respected? Or do you feel used, abused, deceived?
You won’t be alone.
We can change this with your help. It’ll take that wee bit longer right enough. There is a lot of damage to repair and that ain’t sugar coating a damned thing. No point really, since the economic, societal and constitutional damage is right out there for all to see. The UK is not a pretty place to look upon these days and not all the bunting, royal birthdays, team GB medals, strictly come dancing shocks or British bake off finals can cover just how ugly it has become over such a very short period.
It is going to take your help and the help of a great many others to change that vote. Yesterday is done and we need your effort.
What KIND of country do you want to live in?
Michael Settle’s at it again in the Herald England today, Macart.
His latest SNP Bad piece headlines with Nicola Sturgeon being ‘delivered a rebuff”, and May ‘knocks back’ separate EU deal for Scotland, sorry, ‘ Number 10 ‘, and the usual list of Settle fictitious antagonists , ‘A senior SNP source’, and ‘A Top Labour Insider’.
He doesn’t need to get up out of his pit in the morning to write this piece of fictional nonsense.
‘Semantics’ and ‘wonk speak’.
‘We export 4 times as much to RUK than to the EU’, is the next lie to debunk.
It is repeated across the Better Together ranks, and never challenged.
It is a lie.
Never mind the ‘4 times’ fabrication, are we really saying that England, while scratching around the world for trade, and horse trading with the EU on access to the EU market, will insist that an Independent Scotland be excluded from such a deal?
Mundell and Davidson should resign, caught out on damaging lies about their country, and their fellow Scots.
Dugdale is in The Raggard today, in total denial, prattling on about tax and how the BAD SNP are just ‘Tory Lite’.
Neil Findlay is standing shoulder to shoulder with Jackson Carlow now to destroy our democratically elected Government with yet more lies and threats.
The Unionists are in disarray, and even the MSM is reduced to making up fictional ‘spokespersons, in order to deliver their own anti Scottish pro Unionist propaganda.
Name your sources, Mr Settle.
The Dead Tree Scrollers, gas lamplighters in the age of electricity.
We have the most powerful counter Establishment media in the whole world, online, in the form of WGD, WoS, Bella, Bateman, Grouse Beater, and so many more independently minded chroniclers of our times.
It can’t be long before the Herald stops the presses all together.
For example, this from an assertion by Michael Moore (remember him?) in September 2012 that Scotland exports twice as much to the rest of the UK as they do to the EU and abroad.
“However the Scottish Government themselves are more wary of these figures than is obvious at first glance. In 2005 they detailed all of the caveats to using the survey data as a measure for Scottish trade, and concluded that while it is the “best currently available” source for such figures, there are significant theoretical and technical difficulties associated with them.
The main such difficulty is that, as a region of the UK, Scotland enforces no legal requirement for companies to report their financial information at a UK-regional level – i.e. companies are not obliged to measure their financial data for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland separately. This is why a survey such as the GCS is used, which means that many of the figures being relied on are estimates made by the relevant companies rather than hard financial data.
These are difficulties that the GCS report recognises, noting that:
“Forty one companies mentioned how difficult it was to split Scottish sales from UK sales, typically citing accounting practices which meant companies produce consolidated UK annual accounts.”
A much less obvious issue is that not all businesses recognise the concept of an ‘export’, depending on the sector in which they operate. According to the guidance notes on the GCS questionnaire, an export is a sale to a company which is not normally resident in Scotland.
In other words, the assertions that we rely on trade with England are meaningless guesstimates.
Next time Mundell Rennie Dugdale or Davidson comes out with this guff publicly, the retort should be:- ‘Prove it. Source please?’
Sources and insiders.😀
Settle is such an old school arse of a hack. Raise an eyebrow or two, but that’s about the extent of the writing. Love the use of the old ‘top’ insider/source bollox.😀
As for May rebuffing the FM? I think, or rather hope, that PM May takes the FMs proposals more seriously than the aforesaid hack. She’ll be fully aware that there is no bluff here. She’s been asked to put her money where her mouth is both in terms of supporting her preciousssss union and the promise to include Scottish Government representation in the Brexit process.
If (more probably when) those promises are broken, there will be another indyref and I’m sure May is already thinking ahead to that process. She may delay it with some spin and policy waffle, but she knows she can neither prevent it or avoid it.
Geraint Davies Labour MP Swansea West is at least being honest.
He observes that when Scotland leaves the UK and remains in the EU, when Brexit is triggered international companies operating in Wales and England will migrate North, the least expensive and less disruptive option to remain on these isles but within the EU Trading area.
Or should I have quoted a ‘Labour insider’, Mr Settle?
I wonder how Edinburgh Finance District will react to the news that the Brexiteers are trying to get a special Brexit Free deal for the City’s Money Men?
If we meekly accept Brexit, what chance have the Money Men of Auld Reekie to survive this attempt at a No Brex Zone over the London Counting Houses?
If as is expected, the 27 reject this, and Scotland remains Independent and a EU member, the opposite might be the case. Money flowing North out of London to Edinburgh.
Yet more No/Remain voters voting YES the next time?
Scotland, a senior SNP source announces, is open for business.
Pretty much.
And for those who believe the FM to be bluffing over indyref2 if UK gov. does not honour its pledges to the Scottish electorate? Mibbies worth reminding them that the EU criteria was a central manifesto commitment of the SNP. The FM could not back down on that pledge and still retain credibility as First Minister of Scotland. There isn’t a leader out there who would renege on such a pledge and expect to keep the day job.
So if they fondly think Nicola Sturgeon is bluffing they’d better do a bit of reading, a bit of listening and think long and hard again.
The FM has honoured her commitment to the 2014 and 2016 results by putting together a proposal which could concievably keep Scotland in both unions (though its a helluva reach and never been tested).
The choice for Downing street is simple. Honour the pledges you made to Scotland’s electorate in 2014 or the game’s a bogey.
“We export 4 times as much to RUK than to the EU’, is the next lie to debunk”
Jack, does it really matter how much Scotland exports to the rest of the UK? I mean, the trade is not only one way, but two ways and if it is going to stop after Scotland becomes independent, it is not just Scotland who is going to be affected. The rest of the UK will be affected too.
I can see from the unionist ranks that there is an awful lot of emphasis in how much Scotland exports to the rest of the UK, but absolutely none on how much the rest of the UK exports to Scotland.
I found an old BBC article (“Daily question: How much does Scotland buy and sell to the rest of the UK?”, September 2014), that implies that, according to the Scottish government figures for 2013, while Scotland sold the equivalent of £50.5 billion in goods and services to the rUK, the rUK sold the equivalent of £62.7bn in goods and services to Scotland. That is a hell of a lot that Scotland is buying from the rUK and that could be bought from elsewhere if becoming independent and remaining in the EU.
Also, I have been looking with great interest at the report in the HR Revenue and Customs page (https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/Pages/default.aspx) for the external trade on the second quarter of 2016 and this was quite enlightening.
On the left hand site of the page there is a summary of the global figures of import/exports for the different ‘regions’ of the Uk for the second quarter of 2016. I was pleased to see that Scotland’s external (out of the UK) exports for that quarter had been £17.1bn while its imports were only £12.8bn, that is, more cash in the Union than out. However, I was shocked to see that the figures in England were rather different: exports £208.7bn versus imports of £332.8bn. I had to read this a couple of times to ensure I wasn’t misreading it. That is a staggering difference of over 100bn in the balance of external trade. It very much looks like the rUK (England in particular) may well be ‘balancing’ its trade thanks in part to the trade with Scotland. So I do not think it is Scotland who is going to be worse off when becoming independent.
Now, seeing those figures the immediate question to make to Mr Mundell and co is: is really Scotland the basket case the unionists are determined to make us believe it is? Please explain.
Yet, Maria, Mundell Davidson Rennie and Dugdale chunter on that by leaving the UK and opting for Self Determination and Remain EU, it would cost 80,000 ,or whatever, Scots jobs; the inference being that we’d still have to buy rUK imports, whereas England would cease to buy ours as a punishment for leaving.
It does not make sense, as your research also confirms, to declare that Scotland is a trading basket case, and that remaining part of the EU Market will somehow cost 10’s thousands of jobs.
It sounds apocalyptic when Better Together spout the lie on TV, but it is of course uncorroborated nonsense, which is never debunked by the Unionist TV Presenters.
As you show, Scotland is in a balance of trade surplus, while England continues to borrow because of a massive BoT deficit.
“So since there is no constitutional guarantee of the status of Scotland, that means that every single federal territory in the world has more power than the Scottish parliament.”
Thought I’d cut to the chase, Paul. It’ll be all over MSM ramorra.
Wow! That must have taken a lot of research, for which, thanks.
Have you tried telling The Incredible Husk, aka Peerie Mun’ell?
You are “attacking” the British state and flstly contradicting the official line.
I hope you do not have an account with NatWest, the Westminster controlled RBS group.
They may now inform you that your account is no longer to be held with them.
You may be seen to have “crossed” a line and therefore be seen as a subversive and seditious persona non grata.
Beware of the knock on the door.
Deeply, deeply insulting this view of Scotland that Tories shout to the world, aided by their propaganda wing.the BBC.
But, this time they won’t win.
A brilliant idea to do this, and brilliantly done!
Aye, but do they have Road Signs, eh?
Please remember that SLAB was party to the delusion about the most powerful devolviest parliament in the world. SLAB after all achieved their greatest feat in delivering the Scottish Parliament or so they keep so proudly saying.
An eloquent illustration of the state of the nation of Scotland.
Power devolved is power retained……. why be ‘dependent’… when you can be Independent.
Fantastic research. Being duped is an everyday experience in Scotland.
It’s the case where if a lie is repeated often enough it’s taken as truth, great article and I hope it’s sent to all the press so they can start to question that line whenever it’s mentioned – hopefully in the run to #indyref2 – it would also be a great addition to the wee black book
That must have taken so much research Paul. Thank you for all your hard work. This is a great piece to share with people to emphasize how ridiculous the uk government claim of the devolviest country in the whole world is.
Brilliant, Paul. We are now much deeper in your debt.
As for the power of the Scottish Parliament, I’ve always held the view that devolved power is merely permission – and that is no power at all.
David Mundell epitomises the concept of permission dressed as power. Perhaps the reason why he uses the ‘most powerful devolved parliament in the world’ phrase so often.
Soon we will have the power to tax ourselves twice.
Excellent summary of our vast powers. Quite humbling really. Perhaps a collective thank you note to Westminster would be appropriate?
A stunning piece of work Paul, well done you!… Now that you’ve thrown this information out there, IS there a country that is ‘Less’ devolved than Scotland?
Brilliant. Don’t know how you can keep your standard so high, day after day.
Today our SNP MP’s were told by the home secretary that the Scottish government could use its devolved powers to compensate WASPI women if they were so concerned about them! The nerve and ignorance of the Westminster “elite” is intolerable.
Just a short note to confirm that Quebec does indeed control its own immigration policy.
In other news, I have written to both Damian Green and Philip Hammond, requesting that they rescind next year’s ESA WRAG cuts. I have also urged Iain Duncan Smith to speak out against these pernicious cuts, which if allowed to stand will threaten the lives of more than half a million sick and disabled people. You may recall that he claimed to have resigned from cabinet because of George Osborne’s disability cuts.
The Department for Work and Pensions says that it is scraping retesting for people with severe, lifelong conditions at the same time that there has been a sharp drop in Support Group awards and a sharp increase in people placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG). Charities report that 45% of people who put in a claim for Employment Support Allowance (ESA), and had Parkinson’s, Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis, or Rheumatoid Arthritis, were placed in the WRAG.
Since January 2012, I have been reporting voluntarily to the UN’s human rights office, in Geneva, on the welfare crisis for Britain’s sick and disabled. Fellow Canadian Leilani Farha (@leilanifarha) is the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing; see http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/LeilaniFarha.aspx. You can tweet her on UK housing issues or e-mail her at the UN’s human rights office: srhousing@ohchr.org; she does follow my Twitter account.
(Montreal, Quebec)
Interesting Samuel, and timely. Yesterday it was being reported that, 4 in 10 homes in the UK are not fit to live in. This in 2016, is an utter disgrace and another attack on the people, by central government ie the tories (labour are just as bad). It is truly sickening, and with their brexit, is guaranteed to get a whole lot worse.
If it wasn’t for the SNP fighting our corner, mitigating much of the destructive, cruel attacks on our most vulnerable, against huge odds, Scotland would definitely, literally be a third world country. Much work needs to be done to repair the 300+ years of keeping Scotland in poverty, it will take time.
Without independence, if we are dragged put of the EU, we can look forward to the UKok gov. unravelling all of the good work done in Scotland over the past few years. Chilling times indeed.
Agreed maybe the SNP Government are too successful for their own good by protecting the ones who hate and continually moan about everything they do . This daily chip chip is really bloody annoying from the very ones who tied our hands by voting NO then bloody moan about the consequences on a daily basis .
Reblogged this on The one who doesn't believe in dogs.
Reblogged this on pictishbeastie.
Thanks for your work Paul. I shall try to memorise that information and recite from memory.
So explain this to me. If these levels of autonomy work for Denmark and Holland, fairly ´British´ places like Australia and Canada, and even (unbelievably) ´centralist´ Spain … if all of these have no worries over home-ruled dependencies, then why is there so much resistance from WM. Why couldn´t they simply have granted what they´d promised or at least broadly hinted, Vow and all, since that would very probably have taken Indy off the boil for decades?
They do not want to give the SNP more powers; it is a tacit admission that their yoon cohorts north of the Tweed are of no use use.
Trouble is, the yoons north of the Tweed themselves do not think they can either!!
So, nothing happens. That is why Ruth Davidson was aiming to be elected to lead the opposition!!
They admit they are useless!
The yoons are in a twilight. Perhaps, if the yoons even accepted that the Scottish vote to remain is the democratic will of the Scots and supported that at Holyrood, they might make “progress”. After all, their party leaders were for remain!! They are in denial over the Scottish mandate to remain.
Their yoonery comes before democracy.
That was an impressive piece of work Paul. It must have taken you a lot of time gathering all that information.
The most powerful weapon to defeat an opponent is words. It is excellent communicators like you Paul what is going to break Scotland free from the suffocating grip of this undemocratic union.
Thank you for spoiling us with this.
Don’t forget Anguilla. A wee gem of a country in the Caribbean with 14,000 odd really nice people with quite a bit more devolved power as a British Territory than Scotland. But that’s Ok then!
Well done Paul. A timely reminder that power devolved, is power retained.
You’re completely missing the point.I could list you a thousand parishes in England which have,albeit slightly,less power than Scotland has.So that is,indeed,OK then.
Great bit of research, Paul. I make it only about 180 territories more self governing than Scotland, so we’ve a wee bit of catching up to do. No point in asking for more powers so that we CAN become the most devolved in the world, WM would never agree to let that much go.
The Wallonia regional parliament in Belgium has voted to block the Canadian-EU trade deal (CETA) and due to its constitution Belgium government has to veto the deal.
england has had Scotland by the goolies for centuries. If only we had a way of getting this out to the no voters, the cynics who think that Scotland is too wee, too poor, too stupid.
Thanks Paul, a great read, will share.
agreed it’s like talking to a bloody brick or a wall for all the reaction you get from some people , oh well if we dont who will .
Well gee whiz a real bit of work you have done on this one Paul and worth archiving for future reference , this is the type of investigative work our media hide from when they promote our wee Parly as being simply the best wee parly in Scotland while not actually telling lies they dont really tell the whole truth as you have shown with this piece .
A real pity half the country probably really believe the Vow was delivered and the YES movement are just bloody moaners it’s like living in a country inhabited by Zombies who seem to be content to go where they are shoved how do we waken these people up ? f/kd if i know and believe me i have tried but when you see the eyes glaze over you know you have lost it .
The next time some lying, bearded Tory bufoon says ‘the most powerful devolved blah de blah’
http://wingsoverscotland.com/exploring-the-options/comment-page-1/#comment-2193191
OK?
Wee N.B.
This is rather interesting too.
Just one minor gripe – Puerto Rico the 51st State?
Where have you been since the end of WW2?
I don’t get your point.Could you clarify?
Excellent reusable piece, Paul. Thanks.
Nunavut, which in Inuktitut, the Inuit language, means “Has more devolution than Scotland”. Lol
What a superb article and very witty too. Keep up the good work…
Great article. Combined with the Wings piece today on economic powers – or rather the lack of them – available to a Scottish Government, it builds a compelling case for use in indyref2.
But whilst the relative comparisons of federal and devolved systems internationally are illuminating, only independence also frees Scotland from Westminster’s foreign and defence policies. DevoMax, full fiscal autonomy or federalism won’t do this and so these will never be sufficient solutions in my view.
The Herald’s on line Super Sub has been at it again. Apparently Brendan Rodgers is enjoying living in a goldfish blow Up Here.
It may be that such sloppiness happens when you downsize but drop below rightsize levels of competency.
Thank you Paul for ALL your excellent hard work, and thanks also to the Rev and many others, posters on here and other indy sites,we are BLESSED with so many educated and informative people, who highlight and destroy the continuous deliberate lies and misinformation put out daily by Scotlands enemies.
I ask Nicola and the SNP SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT take the information supplied by ALL these extremely hard working people, and use it to expose these liars and the lies they are trying to defeat us with. Independence For Scotland Is The Only Goal
2014: “The 55% of the electorate that voted NO must be respected!”
2016: “The one million scots that voted LEAVE must be respected!”
Erm, what about the 62% that voted REMAIN, and the 1.6 million that voted YES?
Oh, I forgot:
“In 2016 we did not vote for Scotland’s status in the EU, we voted for the UK to be in or out of Europe.” Scotland needs no respect, because Scotland no longer exists. Now, shut up and eat your cereal.
Silly me. 🙂
What an obnoxious idiot
Long and technical, but worth listening to.
http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/cache_st/1476456599/wid/_1760321/uiconf_id/25320421/entry_id/1_vbpyqcah
Seems the dears are suffering from a lack of confidence. Wasn’t that last time round when they started off with a near 30 point lead. 😉
http://archive.is/U52VV
AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PEOPLE IE WORKERS WHO LIVE THERE ..ANY BENEFITS TO THEM..CAYMAN ISLANDS SUGGESTED TO FARMERS TO TAKE OUT HIRE PURCHASE AGREEMENT TO SHARED OWNERSHIP OF HALF A COW >