Having conned, tricked and deceived Scots into voting SNP on the back of claiming FFA would make Scotland, a land of milk and honey, the SNP is now hostile to full Scottish tax powers inquiry, they have broken their election promise and now they want a cover up, let’s have the independent inquiry, nothing to hide, nothing to fear, right Nicola?

Dear All

It should come as no surprise to people who watch politics or even dabble in politics at the full extent of the dishonesty of the Scottish National Party.

During the Westminster election, the Nationalists sold the people of Scotland a ‘pig in a poke’ called full fiscal autonomy.

Their argument is that Scotland is a rich country and the English in the form of Westminster is robbing Scots.

In the Scottish independence campaign, the SNP tried to deceive people by saying Scots pay more in tax than the rest of the UK. But as we see and will continue to see is that SNP only paint a small part of the picture.

Scots get £1,200 more per head than we pay into the system, the UK because of the pooling and sharing of resources makes sure that Scotland because of unique problems doesn’t lose out.

On this blog for years, I said that the second term of the SNP Government needed to be local and National Government reform.

Nothing was done in this regard; everything was left hanging as the SNP leaders chased the indy dream while Scotland was falling apart.

As I noted above, the people of Scotland were offered a ‘pig in a poke’ called full fiscal autonomy, now; it seems that not only do the SNP not want FFA but they are also hostile to full Scottish tax powers inquiry.

So why are Nationalists angry about an amendment to the Scotland Bill creating a commission that would investigate their plan for full fiscal autonomy? Because, imply put their lie would be exposed, not by people offering a different opinion but by people, in this case experts submitting evidence which the SNP cannot refute.

Yesterday the SNP reacted rather badly and with hostility and horror that an impartial commission would examine the economic consequences of their plans. The SNP are slap dash, the leaders have half-baked ideas while at the same time trying to put on airs and graces that they are so smart.

Scotland cutting its financial ties with the UK is economic suicide; it takes Scotland out of economic security and into the realm of economic insecurity. This means an additional extra burden on Scotland if it was to go the FFA route of paying more, and when Scotland pays more, services and jobs get cut.

Labour has tabled an amendment to the Scotland Billso that an inquiry into full fiscal autonomy that would report back to MPs by the end of March next year.

This would be the short campaign in the run up to Holyrood 2016.

The UK Government said it would examine the proposal.

‘Fake Scot’ Angus Robertson, the SNP’s Westminster leader has attacked the idea as “ridiculous” because he claimed it holds Scotland to a different financial standard than the UK.

But surely this is what the SNP want a different financial standard, so what’s his problem, the SNP stood on a promise of wanting FFA and then post-election broke the promise immediately. Either their numbers stack up in which case this helps their case or their numbers don’t stack up in which case the people have to consider, either they are liars or financially incompetent.

I think Scots will go with liars.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) have repeatedly stressed Scotland would be £7.6 billion deeper into the red than under the SNP’s proposal.

And, things would get worse after rising to £9.7 billion, about a third of the Scottish budget.

What happens if you have such a huge black hole?

In this scenario taxes would go through the roof, budgets would be cut, services would be reduced and people would lose their jobs in the public sector, mostly local government. Colleges would lose even more funding and student places as Nicola Sturgeon shored up the University sector to create the false narrative of ‘record number of students in higher education’.

And stupid unthinking people would swallow that line!

To show the utter dishonesty of the SNP and their own Scottish Government both have refused to provide any figures of what their proposal would mean , for taxpayers. Instead we get lies and lies and lies, remember the ‘second oil boom’ by Salmond?

Where is it?

It didn’t exist, in his world, at some time in the future, God knows when, Oil will rise up to a price he stated, and at that point, Salmond would say I told you so.

Unveiling the amendment is Scotland sole Labour MP, Ian Murray said:

“The reason the SNP have been so reluctant to talk about full fiscal autonomy is because they know it would be a disaster for Scotland. Only the SNP's constitution spokesperson Tommy Sheppard was honest enough to admit this. If the SNP have confidence in their policy they should have no problem backing an assessment of the impact of full fiscal autonomy on Scotland's finances by an independent expert commission. It's time for the SNP to have the courage of their convictions."

The SNP doesn’t have the courage of their convictions, they are a cult, they have no interest in the damage or misery, they cause in much the same way as their cybernats do online while running hate campaigns.

Murray’s amendment is rather interesting because it create an “Independent Commission on Full Fiscal Autonomy” of between four and 11 expert members. These people would be barred from serving if they were employed by the Scottish or UK governments or if they were a member of a political party.

What a pity for the SNP, a committee that can’t be bought or rigged in their favour, and one which they can’t waffle on and get away with it.

A UK Government spokesman said:

“We already know that full fiscal autonomy would be damaging to Scotland’s economy to the tune of £10 billion a year. We will be looking closely at any full fiscal autonomy amendments to the Scotland Bill in the hope they provide some much-needed clarity from its supporters.”

I support an “Independent Commission on Full Fiscal Autonomy” because it might just persuade unpopular Nicola Sturgeon to start local and national government reform, it might start the idea that the college sector rather than being cut needs to be expanded and Universities slimmed down.

And if Nicola Sturgeon could fix Police Scotland’s ‘vat problem’ it wouldn’t be classed as miracle, rather than an attempt to do the job she is paid for!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University