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Originally Posted by Catfish
What happens to Ireland and Scotland, when this will be forced through?
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As always when it comes to public opinion in Scotland, it's neither simple nor clear cut:
http://blog.whatscotlandthinks.org/2...brexit-debate/
The salient points appear to be:
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On the one hand, we find that there continues to be relatively little support for the idea that Scotland might have a closer trading relationship with the EU or a more liberal immigration policy for EU migrants than the rest of the UK. As many as 63% say that the rules for EU migrants coming to Scotland should be the same as for those wishing to come to any other part of the UK, while 67% feel that the rules on EU trade should be the same in Scotland as elsewhere in the UK. Only 30% think it should be easier for EU companies to do business in Scotland than elsewhere, while just 24% feel it should be easier for a EU migrant to settle north of the border. These figures are much the same as they were when we first addressed the issue at the beginning of 2017. It seems that the Scottish Government has made little headway in persuading voters of the merits of having a closer relationship with the EU than that enjoyed by the rest of the UK.
On the other hand, around three in five voters believe that all the decisions about fishing (62%) and farming (59%) that are currently made by the EU should be made in future by the Scottish government. Only around three in ten think that decision-making should be shared between the UK and the Scottish governments, as apparently envisaged by the UK government’s proposal for a ‘common framework’. Even amongst those who voted No in the September 2014 independence referendum, at least two in five think that all of the decisions currently made by Europe should be made by the Scottish Government. It would seem that the UK government would be wise to amend the EU (Withdrawal) Bill so that current EU responsibilities for fishing and farming are devolved, perhaps with some provision for the development of a ‘common framework’ that is hammered out with the participation and consent of the devolved administrations rather than by the UK government alone.
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It's the usual Scottish dichotomy, don't want to be treated differently in some areas, but wish to be so in others. It's an argument that's existed since 1707. Check for the "Scotland vs North Britain" identity contest.
As for the actual independence debate, the two sides are still at the same level as in 2014. What appears to the main concern for the Unionist side is that support for independence hasn't receded substantially from what was recorded in the IndyRef. The Nats are quite happy the situation as they still have generally higher levels of support than their opponent parties do individually.
Now, going onto domestic matters, since I haven't been able to log in for sometime (an issue which appears to have resolved itself!
) I'll post what has been the biggest issue (aside from Brexit!) north of the border - the Scottish Government's budget for the coming year and the SNP's decision to actually
use Holyrood's powers over taxation:
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/12/8959
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-42876065
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-42358522
In short, Scotland will have a different set of tax bands from the rest of the UK and those earning more than £35,000 per annum will pay more than if they lived elsewhere in the UK.
How can the Scottish Parliament do this? Simple - it gained full control of income tax rates and bands, with the exception of the tax free allowance (which is reserved to Westminster), last year. In very simple terms that means that when it comes to income tax
specifically, Scots are no longer direct UK taxpayers and the money raised in that tax in Scotland will no longer go directly into the UK taxation pot.
For the majority of other taxation, like National Insurance, Corporation Tax etc, etc Scots are still UK taxpayers. So we're in a partly-out, partly-in sort of situation.
Mike.
