Fresh doubt cast on SNP plans to keep the pound as Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tries to cover up double U turns on the EU and pound, Salmond and Sturgeon have lost the plot totally

Dear All

Along long time ago, I can still remember when that music used to make me smile!

And also I still remember saying and blogging that the SNP Government needed to plan for a Scottish Pound.

Given the recent driving off a cliff of the independence campaign by Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, it appears that George Laird is right again.

When Alex Salmond and co decided that they won’t ‘scare the horses’ by saying people won’t notice a difference in an independent Scotland, he got the strategy wrong.

Time for a quote by Salmond:

“My problem is that I have too many talented people and not enough Cabinet positions”.

For ‘talent’ read ‘cronies’ and now we are seeing how unprepared, lacking in vision and forward thinking the SNP Government actually is, double U turn on Europe served with side orders of untrustworthiness and a garnished deception.

So, up pops Mark Allen, he says that an independent Scotland would need to create its own currency rather than enter a monetary union with the UK.

If Scotland is ever to become independent then it cannot surrender fiscal sovereignty to London.

Mark Allan, has gave advice to the Monetary Policy Committee, he is questioning the SNP's plans to keep the pound in a briefing paper for investors issued by the global asset management giant.

Fair enough, how can investors have confidence when the Scottish Government cannot guarantee anything?

At present Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is trying to put the genie back in the bottle, a genie called incompetence, she is failing, in her attempt she roped in other SNP Ministers to support her stance which is bogus and unsubstantiated crap.

Ms. Sturgeon said an independent Scotland would have to negotiate with the EU on the euro, border controls and keeping a share of Britain's cash rebate. As to the rebate, Scotland isn’t entitled to a share because the contract is with Westminster, and any discussions on that must include them, and they aren’t going to give that up.

 The AXA report by Allen said:

"An independent Scotland almost certainly means a new currency."

George Laird right again!

Allen also highlights issues over national debt running into billions, and the fact that there is North Sea oil production falling.

The SNP put a lot of store in oil buoying them up and talk of an oil fund which seems bizarre, not in the concept but on the execution since the financial arrangements haven’t been set to see whether an oil fund like Norway is possible.

If we are talking about an oil fund, we are talking about a higher taxation Scotland under the SNP.

Yesterday saw another SNP claim bite the dust as the Bank of England dismissed the SNP claim of dialogue with Holyrood over a possible sterling zone.

Alex Salmond is making his Ministers look like buffoons with his untenable positions on several issues.

 Mr Allan claimed:

"First Minister Alex Salmond said an independent Scotland would continue using sterling, effectively giving birth to a 'sterling zone'. I doubt this will be possible."

He makes the argument that down the road the Bank of England if and it is only an if, they went along it would be under strict conditions.

He added:

"Given the Scottish Parliament already has substantial autonomy on domestic issues, if the first act of an independent Scotland was to surrender almost all fiscal sovereignty to London in order to continue using sterling, one could reasonably ask: what was the point of independence”?

So, again, we are getting questions about Salmond’s integrity as he faced questions on his plan to join a currency union his spokesman has declined to give details of the contacts or what questions had been asked.

Apparently ordinary Scots are viewed as too stupid to know by the SNP Government.

 A spokesman for the pro-UK Better Together campaign said the AXA document "concludes that the case for independence is nonsensical and the case for staying together with the rest of the UK is strong".

 Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie said:

"This report highlights the idiosyncrasy of the SNP's fiscal policy for an independent Scotland, whereby a fiscal stability pact would mean spending decisions could be controlled by a foreign bank."

Another day and more disastrous news which will lead many in the independence campaign to conclude that Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon have played the people and them for fools.

Nicola Sturgeon in a video said something along the lines, 'don’t wake up the day after independence vote and ask if there was something more you could have done.’ 

I would say to her, like you done at health leaving 1,000 cancer patients up shit creek!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University