Friday, March 25, 2005
A LESSON WELL LEARNT - Scotsman letter 23rd Mar
The SNP’s willingness to learn from the spectacular growth, averaging 7 per cent, of the Irish economy over the past 15 years, and to embrace the policies that brought it about - lower corporation tax and reducing government controls - is to be commended. By doing so they have put themselves in the position of being easily the most economically progressive party in Scotland and, while they may not appreciate the honour, in the United Kingdom.
Ireland has moved from having an average income two-thirds of ours to four-thirds; no small achievement.
Any nation which believes it has nothing to learn from the most successful in the world will learn nothing.
Mind you, I still think independence is an irrelevance and that the SNP’s "populist" policy of wishing to close the nuclear plants that now generate 55 per cent of our power without having any valid plans to replace them is insane. It is, however, an insanity shared by every other party in Holyrood.
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I have believe that the pressure of letters like this is helping to shift the Scottish political agenda.In pure numbers the Scotsman cannot reach a high % of the population bit somehow I don't think the Record would publish anything as complicated or anti-Labour as this. On Friday there was a letter in reply to this largely requoting it altho', being SNP, not unreasonably taking issue with my opposition to independence. Specifically pointing out that Ireland couldn't have tried this experiment without independence.
Ireland has moved from having an average income two-thirds of ours to four-thirds; no small achievement.
Any nation which believes it has nothing to learn from the most successful in the world will learn nothing.
Mind you, I still think independence is an irrelevance and that the SNP’s "populist" policy of wishing to close the nuclear plants that now generate 55 per cent of our power without having any valid plans to replace them is insane. It is, however, an insanity shared by every other party in Holyrood.
........................................................
I have believe that the pressure of letters like this is helping to shift the Scottish political agenda.In pure numbers the Scotsman cannot reach a high % of the population bit somehow I don't think the Record would publish anything as complicated or anti-Labour as this. On Friday there was a letter in reply to this largely requoting it altho', being SNP, not unreasonably taking issue with my opposition to independence. Specifically pointing out that Ireland couldn't have tried this experiment without independence.
Comments:
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Though I sometimes succumb myself, writing letters to The Scotsman is the equivalent of swatting a hippo with a fly swat; they're hell bent on dumbing down, pandering to the lowest common denominator, particularly if that has a unionist flavour. Their unionist agenda, and the cheap tricks they use to propogate it are appalling.
My agenda is slowly turning to being exactly the opposite of The Scotsman's; ie. talk up our parliament, make sure we get quality politicians in place, agitate for more devolved powers, and make ourselves independent without the need for any constitutional angst. The SNP are rapidly becoming irrelevant, and that's their own fault.
My agenda is slowly turning to being exactly the opposite of The Scotsman's; ie. talk up our parliament, make sure we get quality politicians in place, agitate for more devolved powers, and make ourselves independent without the need for any constitutional angst. The SNP are rapidly becoming irrelevant, and that's their own fault.
That is an interesting simile & one I would use from the opposite viewpoint. If you treat the body politic as being about as bright as a hippo, or a domestic cow since they are considerably safer, herding them with a small stick is pretty much how it is done. The point is to continue with gentle pressure in the same direction over an extended period of time.
I may be fooling myself but I do think that the the fact that corporation tax cuts in the Irish style are on the political agenda does owe a little to my letters on the subject. Obviously far more to the fact that Ireland visibly works. By comparison my failure to get the same subject debated by the LibDems, though they have since made some useful noises, suggests that writing letters to the papers is much more useful than working for a party - a conclusion I find depressing.
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I may be fooling myself but I do think that the the fact that corporation tax cuts in the Irish style are on the political agenda does owe a little to my letters on the subject. Obviously far more to the fact that Ireland visibly works. By comparison my failure to get the same subject debated by the LibDems, though they have since made some useful noises, suggests that writing letters to the papers is much more useful than working for a party - a conclusion I find depressing.
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