Oor Nicola Sturgeon thread.

[Guest Jedi]

Still no moment from Shirley Anne 'not a penny more' Somerville on the £300 million required to settle the teachers dispute, with the EIS not even asking for a rise which meets current inflation. Still 'all' Westminster's fault' though, as the SG is 'powerless' without the full levers of Independence to spend money in Scotland (which simply 'isn't there'). Still puzzled as to where they found the £515 million down the back of the sofa on Thursday night to offer some health care sectors though (given that there literally wasn't a penny more' available....or 'zip, nada, nothing, zero' as Humza put it).

Either teachers are valued not just for the job they do every day, but for the significant contribution they made to keep things going during the pandemic, or they aren't, and please Humza stop saying 'but, but our public sector workers are better paid than England'. Don't care...why not compare us to Estonia (or the Republic of Ireland say, where teachers at the top of scale make £47,000 a year).

Similarly with nurses, either they are valued, or they arent..which is it?

If the SNP's hands are 'entirely tied' economically unless Independence is achieved, what is the point of being in power at Holyrood? Better to be a protest movement for Independence..no?

Edited November 26, 2022 by Jedi

[ICTChris]

1 hour ago, spongeheid15 said:

 

I don’t think this is a real photograph.

[Granny Danger]

4 hours ago, ICTChris said:

I don’t think this is a real photograph.

More like a sexual fantasy of the person who posted it.

[Antlion]

5 hours ago, Jedi said:

 

 Don't care...why not compare us to Estonia (or the Republic of Ireland say, where teachers at the top of scale make £47,000 a year).

 

You evidently missed us being a wee region of the UK. We not in the United Kingdom of the Baltic (!), and the Republic of Ireland has left the UK. You can compare us to independent nation states if and when we become one. Until then, “nothing is Westminster’s fault - we’re independent”-style huffing won’t cut much ice.

[Brother Blades]

4 hours ago, ICTChris said:

I don’t think this is a real photograph.

Are you certain? 

[Granny Danger]

On 26/11/2022 at 12:16, Granny Danger said:

Wee Nippy and the SNP’s days are numbered.  They’re plummeting support in the polls is testament to this…

I posted this a couple of days ago and it has been upvoted by a couple of morons who obviously don’t understand sarcasm.

[BB_Bino]

On 26/11/2022 at 14:42, Jedi said:

Still no moment from Shirley Anne 'not a penny more' Somerville on the £300 million required to settle the teachers dispute, with the EIS not even asking for a rise which meets current inflation. Still 'all' Westminster's fault' though, as the SG is 'powerless' without the full levers of Independence to spend money in Scotland (which simply 'isn't there'). Still puzzled as to where they found the £515 million down the back of the sofa on Thursday night to offer some health care sectors though (given that there literally wasn't a penny more' available....or 'zip, nada, nothing, zero' as Humza put it).

Either teachers are valued not just for the job they do every day, but for the significant contribution they made to keep things going during the pandemic, or they aren't, and please Humza stop saying 'but, but our public sector workers are better paid than England'. Don't care...why not compare us to Estonia (or the Republic of Ireland say, where teachers at the top of scale make £47,000 a year).

Similarly with nurses, either they are valued, or they arent..which is it?

If the SNP's hands are 'entirely tied' economically unless Independence is achieved, what is the point of being in power at Holyrood? Better to be a protest movement for Independence..no?

As the husband of a teacher, I would also state the number of unpaid hours that they work over and above their contracted hours as being enough grounds for a rise in pay. I wouldn't do the job, no way, and it pains me to see my wife sitting with marking or planning on her evening and weekends or staying "and hour or two" late more nights that not. It's bloody criminal.

People can argue, "they don't have to do it, they choose to do it" as I have done previously but the harsh reality for a teacher is if they don't put in these extra unpaid hours then the work doesn't get done and the whole system either falls apart or they are held accountable as being incompetent. Mental!

[Lex]

On 26/11/2022 at 13:16, ICTChris said:

How long will Sturgeon remain as FM and SNP leader? Next Holyrood election is 2025, likely that the next Westminster election will be in 2024. 

There seems to be a kind of conventional wisdom that she’ll hand to someone soon. I don’t see it, I think she’ll probably remain in place beyond both of those - assuming that nothing completely mental happens, unforeseen scandal etc.

As long as she wants is the answer. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if she was still FM in 10 years. She must have the safest job in the democratic world. 

[BB_Bino]

1 minute ago, Lex said:

As long as she wants is the answer. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if she was still FM in 10 years. She must have the safest job in the democratic world. 

Quite possibly and I can't see her or the SNP being shifted any time soon, however I do wonder how long it will take before Alba start eating into their votes and/or power.

[williemillersmoustache]

4 minutes ago, BB_Bino said:

Quite possibly and I can't see her or the SNP being shifted any time soon, however I do wonder how long it will take before Alba start eating into their votes and/or power.

Not until Salmond buggers off. He's not just toxic he's radioactive voter repellent and quite right too.

[Granny Danger]

6 minutes ago, BB_Bino said:

Quite possibly and I can't see her or the SNP being shifted any time soon, however I do wonder how long it will take before Alba start eating into their votes and/or power.

[Lex]

Even if Alba ceased being a joke or another independence party took significant votes from the SNP, they're not going to realistically endanger her position as FM. She would just lead the independence coalition.  The only thing that will end Nicola Sturgeon's reign as FM is her deciding she's had enough.  

[BB_Bino]

Totally agree and I did say at the start of my post that I don't see the SNP going anywhere soon, I'm also no fan of Alex Salmond and he really is someone that makes my skin crawl, however there are a number of disillusioned SNP voters and members that have moved over, and I do wonder, if they had a more appealing leader, if they could split that Yes vote. Might never happen, and in it's current state I can't see it happening, but think it could in time.

[Jamie_B]

6 hours ago, BB_Bino said:

As the husband of a teacher, I would also state the number of unpaid hours that they work over and above their contracted hours as being enough grounds for a rise in pay. I wouldn't do the job, no way, and it pains me to see my wife sitting with marking or planning on her evening and weekends or staying "and hour or two" late more nights that not. It's bloody criminal.

People can argue, "they don't have to do it, they choose to do it" as I have done previously but the harsh reality for a teacher is if they don't put in these extra unpaid hours then the work doesn't get done and the whole system either falls apart or they are held accountable as being incompetent. Mental!

My wife is also a teacher. I made the point that if they want to really get attention they should work to rule rather than strike.

They won’t do that though, because it would completely f**k the education of the children they teach far more than any single day’s strike. 

[Guest Jedi]

11 hours ago, BB_Bino said:

As the husband of a teacher, I would also state the number of unpaid hours that they work over and above their contracted hours as being enough grounds for a rise in pay. I wouldn't do the job, no way, and it pains me to see my wife sitting with marking or planning on her evening and weekends or staying "and hour or two" late more nights that not. It's bloody criminal.

People can argue, "they don't have to do it, they choose to do it" as I have done previously but the harsh reality for a teacher is if they don't put in these extra unpaid hours then the work doesn't get done and the whole system either falls apart or they are held accountable as being incompetent. Mental!

Spot on. The main point being that the teachers current campaign isn't just about pay, but also about conditions. It's easy to say 'look at the holidays they get', but as you say, it's all the extra hours on top during the school year, not only the marking and preparation, but also the extra study session, clubs at lunchtimes/after school etc.

Education has of course been entirely devolved since 1998. Yes, money (doesn't 'magically' appear (apart from last Thursday night that is)), and yes, budgets have to balance out across different sectors (not just education (or health)), but ultimately decisions about Scottish Education are made by Holyrood, not London.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

12 hours ago, Granny Danger said:

I posted this a couple of days ago and it has been upvoted by a couple of morons who obviously don’t understand sarcasm.

@spongeheid15 and @FFCinthearea 

What a pair of utter simpletons 

[SandyCromarty]

A poll the other day indicated that 52% of Scots would vote for Independence.

Two things at play here;

1 - Scots are pissed off at an english based court denying them a democratic right to have a referendum.

2- And the Brexit situation still rankles with Scots who see their future within Europe.

It indicates that the fight for Independence is growing and there is anger that one partner in a so called union is denying the other partner a divorce.

Imagine if that was the law in a marriage.

If we, according to the westminster government and the majority of english people, say we cost their union so much financially why don't they let us go? why hold on?

Give me the reason why the english are so fuckin desperate to deny us Independence?

[btb]

Take away Scotland's land mass and prob'ly more importantly territorial waters then most of what England (& Wales) would have left if us & NI left would be adjacent to the EU  so their delusion of still being a world power would be gone.

Oh and they'd have to move their nukes down south which'd probably be unpopular too.

...and I suppose there's still the issue of oil to be considered.

Also, it's important to understand the Barnett Formula is not a gift it's an acknowledgement of the fact that government spending is skewed towards the SE of England.

Edited December 3, 2022 by btb

[WhaleOilBeefHucked]

12 hours ago, SandyCromarty said:

A poll the other day indicated that 52% of Scots would vote for Independence.

Two things at play here;

1 - Scots are pissed off at an english based court denying them a democratic right to have a referendum.

2- And the Brexit situation still rankles with Scots who see their future within Europe.

It indicates that the fight for Independence is growing and there is anger that one partner in a so called union is denying the other partner a divorce.

Imagine if that was the law in a marriage.

If we, according to the westminster government and the majority of english people, say we cost their union so much financially why don't they let us go? why hold on?

Give me the reason why the english are so fuckin desperate to deny us Independence?

The reason why they are so desperate to hold onto Scotland can be answered by "Which natural resource was Scotland told was running out before the last Independence referendum?" and which natural resource in "British waters underpins the Bank Of England credit rating?"

[Granny Danger]

These people have the audacity to call themselves journalists.