The Results of the UK's European Members Election 2019.

[gordi]

I had to look-up the Barnett Formula and even though it's only from Wikipedia, it's seems there's
doubt in the equation. Personally, I have no current opinion and I need to look at it...

Again, I need to full appreciate both sides before I'd offer my opinion, but I certainly can already see how London
is always seen to benefit first. I would like to agree with Gordi that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are well
-behind in the queue for infrastructure funding, but here in the North-East of England is also well down on the list
when it comes to looking for help from the Government.

I'm not bitching for my corner, I'm just saying that there is correlation of a certain preference for spending by
the London-based Government, but I don't (or don't want to!)... think that it's connected to the Scottish and
Welsh public not being English.
I'd prefer to say it's about distance from the capital...

Yup, that's why I try very hard to refer to Westminster, WM and London (rather than "England") when talking about this issue. ALL of WM's policies are VERY London-centric. They don't understand and frankly don't really care what happens anywhere outside of of the M25 unless they can asset-strip it!

One of the main issues with the Barnett Formula is that the proportion of monies allocated to the "regions" is based on a percentage of WHAT WM WANTS TO SPEND on services etc.
When WM privatises NHS services, or it funds Further Education by allowing Universities to charge fees, or supplements Healthcare funding by charging for prescriptions etc etc THOSE "savings" come out of, not only the English regional budgets but the Scottish, Welsh and N.Irish budgets too - Whether the other "regions" want to privatise/cut those areas of spending or not.
Scotland has a VERY different view or philosophy on Health, Education, Defense spending etc to WM's.
We believe that Further Education should be free to all of our students.
We believe that Healthcare should be free to all our citizens.
We don't want nuclear weapons on Scottish soil. etc

But WM basically forces changes to our budgets in all of these areas (and more) through the Barnett Formula and the Scottish Government has to find ways of protecting the funding of Further Education and NHS Scotland etc from it's own revenues, and they have done so very successfully:

Further Education is free to Scottish students.
Much fewer NHS services are privatised in Scotland.
Nurses wages are subsidised/protected (and are therefore higher) in Scotland.
Prescriptions are free in Scotland.
Free dental care, Free optical care, better provision of care for the elderly etc


But WE SCOTS are funding all of that from our OWN BUDGETS.
It's not FREE... it's paid for with Scots tax revenues and delivered by careful, efficient management of tight budgets.

In terms of trust/integrity... Are you sitting comfortably?
Did you know that Ministers of the Scottish Govt (led by Nicola Sturgeon) have NOT TAKEN any of the PAY RISES AWARDED to them since 2008/9?
They donate the amount of the rise back into public service budgets!
BUT, Incredibly... because "officially" their salary has risen, they DO PAY TAX on the increased Salary (so are actually worse off than 2008/9 VOLUNTARILY!) (Have you ever seen that reported on the BBC?)

Would you ever see that happening at WM I wonder?

THESE are all examples of why I think ScotGov is very different to WM and that I'd be much happier if ScotGov were in control of all of Scottish revenues and expenditure - It's a matter of integrity and trust I suppose.
(Luckily for Scotland, we ARE a Nation State and have the means to move towards Independence. A luxury my friends in the North of England do not currently have.)