[Tubby Isaacs]

I'm a Unionist, and Kevin Hague is my man.

This may, on reflection, not quite be enough.

[Andy McDandy]

Why was Brown at fault in 2014? He would be expecting Milliband to win the election and do that. How was he supposed to do it?

At the time, he couldn't have predicted Brexit. Cameron was hoping on either another hung parliament and coalition ("Oh dear, price of power, bloody Lib Dems"), or to win the referendum. Brown was stiffed along with the rest of us.

[Bones McCoy]

Why was Brown at fault in 2014? He would be expecting Milliband to win the election and do that. How was he supposed to do it?

I don't believe Gordon was so naive to forget the old saw about not writing cheques that you can't cover..

He was put up as a Trusted local face to promise something that most of Westminster had no intention of honouring.
The farce that followed left him with all the credibility of Arlene Foster - but without the billion.

It doesn't look good either way: Extravagant undeliverable promises, or outwitted by Cameron and his goons.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Why was Brown at fault in 2014? He would be expecting Milliband to win the election and do that. How was he supposed to do it?

I don't believe Gordon was so naive to forget the old saw about not writing cheques that you can't cover..

He was put up as a Trusted local face to promise something that most of Westminster had no intention of honouring.
The farce that followed left him with all the credibility of Arlene Foster - but without the billion.

It doesn't look good either way: Extravagant undeliverable promises, or outwitted by Cameron and his goons.

His "federalism" stuff is nonsense., I wish he'd swerve that. "Home rule"? Pretty major devolution in the two Scotland Acts, but there could definitely be more. The EU bit hasn't worn well, but given that Barosso told Scotland to fuck off, I think Gordo had a point.

[Arrowhead]

Anybody fancy yet another early general election?

Could the Tories - who never knowingly let a good crisis go unexploited - repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act in order to deliver us GE2023, a year earlier than scheduled?

Johnson legitimises it by pointing to the SNP and waffling some insincere, misty-eyed nonsense about how "our precious Union is in mortal danger - give me a mandate to tell Sturgeon to get stuffed and save good old Blighty in the process". By 2023, the country will probably still be basking in a post-COVID glow, coupled with some huge growth numbers as the economy continues to bounce back. Plus it would have the benefit of stymying Starmer, who as we have seen from the past few days needs every single one of the 36 months between now and May 2024 .

It'd further wrap the Tories in their beloved Union Jack, set up Labour as the fall guys ("Labour's disastrous devolution policies have led us to the brink of oblivion, we warned them!"), distract the public from Brexit bad news, and normalise the notion of voting Tory every election to keep the nasty nationalist wolf from the door ("I used to vote Labour, but I love my country so I've gotta do what's right").

End result: 200+ Tory majority, Union Jacks everywhere, and "three cheers for Boris!" down the boozer every Saturday night for saving the UK. Rinse and repeat for every election.

Or am I just being fatalistic in my old age?

[Youngian]

Or am I just being fatalistic in my old age?

Its overestimating the deep seated love of Britain among the English. Nearly 50 percent when I last looked were relaxed about an English state and Britishness over Englishness was strongest among non-Tory voters; Ethnic minorities and metropolitan liberals using it as a more inclusive identity. Most problems have no objection to Scotland leaving.

[Boiler]

End result: 200+ Tory majority, Union Jacks everywhere, and "three cheers for Boris!" down the boozer every Saturday night for saving the UK. Rinse and repeat for every election.

Or am I just being fatalistic in my old age?

Couple of Tories on another board I read are angling for Scottish Independence because it gets rid of a bunch of ungrateful moaners/Barnett Formula scroungers and pretty much guarantees a Tory Government in England in perpetuity.

[Arrowhead]

Couple of Tories on another board I read are angling for Scottish Independence because it gets rid of a bunch of ungrateful moaners/Barnett Formula scroungers and pretty much guarantees a Tory Government in England in perpetuity.

What are the chances they both incorporate Union Jacks within their social media avatars?

I had a similar experience with a neighbour who, right before the referendum in 2016, dished out loads of pro-Leave leaflets with a badly-photocopied Union Jack on it. A couple of years earlier following Indyref, he was on Facebook bemoaning a lost opportunity to rid the country of a load of grumpy lefties.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I wonder if Johnson would ditch the Barnett Formula? Would saw off the legs of lots of Unionists, but he might do. If they're going anyway,

[mattomac]

Anybody fancy yet another early general election?

Could the Tories - who never knowingly let a good crisis go unexploited - repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act in order to deliver us GE2023, a year earlier than scheduled?

Johnson legitimises it by pointing to the SNP and waffling some insincere, misty-eyed nonsense about how "our precious Union is in mortal danger - give me a mandate to tell Sturgeon to get stuffed and save good old Blighty in the process". By 2023, the country will probably still be basking in a post-COVID glow, coupled with some huge growth numbers as the economy continues to bounce back. Plus it would have the benefit of stymying Starmer, who as we have seen from the past few days needs every single one of the 36 months between now and May 2024 .

It'd further wrap the Tories in their beloved Union Jack, set up Labour as the fall guys ("Labour's disastrous devolution policies have led us to the brink of oblivion, we warned them!"), distract the public from Brexit bad news, and normalise the notion of voting Tory every election to keep the nasty nationalist wolf from the door ("I used to vote Labour, but I love my country so I've gotta do what's right").

End result: 200+ Tory majority, Union Jacks everywhere, and "three cheers for Boris!" down the boozer every Saturday night for saving the UK. Rinse and repeat for every election.

Or am I just being fatalistic in my old age?

I’m not getting the economy bouncing back to be honest nor do I expect the warm glow of vaccinations to still be prevelant.

We’ve been here before with May, and anyhow thought the fixed term thing had been dumped anyhow.

[Bones McCoy]

I wonder if Johnson would ditch the Barnett Formula? Would saw off the legs of lots of Unionists, but he might do. If they're going anyway,

If they do abolish Barnett, they'll certainly have calculated any political cost in advance.
I don't think they have a lot to lose.
Only 6 (or was it 5) directly elected seats at Holyrood.
They'll still creep close to 25% with the D'Hondt list seats.

The biggest threat to the Tory list seats would be a Labour resurgence.
Maybe Sawwar Jr, can work some magic outside his Glasgow South manor.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yep.

A border with Scotland hurts rUK too, but Johnson would have in the short term a few billion more for spaffing in marginals (not the whole Barnett "bonus", Scotland would still get more than England because of its sparse population). Would Johnson do that?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Good Labour effort in Airdrie and Shotts (Westminster). But you aren't beating the SNP on tactical voting if they get nearly 47%.

[Arrowhead]

Good Labour effort in Airdrie and Shotts (Westminster). But you aren't beating the SNP on tactical voting if they get nearly 47%.

Agreed, not a bad showing given the wider circumstances right now. Something to give a bit of encouragement to Sarwar.

Airdrie & Shotts was one of several constituencies that Scottish Labour only very narrowly failed to immediately win back at GE2017. There were a few places where, if they had even matched their GE2015 vote tally, they would have won back at the first attempt.

[Andy McDandy]

This thread title seems to be a great example of Betteridge's law.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Is It?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Genius logic here. Andy Burnham accused of nasty nationalism by a bloke who thinks the SNP and Scotland are the same thing. Do SNP politicians criticizing Westminster mean England then?

With the added twist that apparently Burnham is doing this as a stunt to win a leadership contest he won't be running in.

(Yeah, I know Bozo's still in charge forever and he's still awful).

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's GERs day. You'll never guess who's piped up?

Given that GERs are produced by the Scottish Government, and the SNP have been talking about them today, I think it's unlikely that they've all missed something Richard has spotted.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Oh man. Take the GERs away from independent statisticians and let the SNP Finance Minister produce them, with the advice of me, I'm a chartered accountant.

The SNP Finance Minister doesn't want to produce the GERs. And accepts them as accurate.

[Youngian]

SNP do deal with 'anti Britain' party. Count me in