Bloodstock Community

CrappyMike wrote:Salmond and sturgeon are just as bad, if not worse. They are just slimy shitheads, wonder what they'll say when they don't get the result they want. Yes I said when, not if.

Just as bad if not worse? Please, tell me more.

Aye, they're so terrible giving us free education

Nope. It's the English giving you free education and prescriptions.

You actually believe that? I worry about you.

There are smaller and less wealthy countries than Scotland who have free healthcare and universal education.

Womble wrote:You actually believe that? I worry about you.

There are smaller and less wealthy countries than Scotland who have free healthcare and universal education.

"But they pay really high taxes!"

Yeah, I wouldn't mind really high taxes when the standard of living is so high. Look at the populations of Denmark, Norway and Finland. About the same population yet the standard of living is so high.

England is vastly over populated and can't afford to give people the same standard of living whilst giving large businesses so many tax breaks.

Scandinavia isn't expensive, England* is just really cheap.

*except London.

Okay Scotland, Wales and NI, I guess we should start following Downing Street's austerity programme to make the English feel better about public funds being mispent there. It's clearly our fault things suck for them, not the Tories...

Free prescriptions? Great. But you don't spend any money on any other medical care such as cancer treatment. That's why we have people physically moving from Wales to England to get treatment. I know Wales isn't Scotland, but the point still stands. You're alright if you've got a headache, free paracetamol for all.

Gandalf the Red wrote:Free prescriptions? Great. But you don't spend any money on any other medical care such as cancer treatment. That's why we have people physically moving from Wales to England to get treatment. I know Wales isn't Scotland, but the point still stands. You're alright if you've got a headache, free paracetamol for all.

Isn't that because the facilities are poor in Wales... because the spending isn't as good there?

siliconfury wrote:

Gandalf the Red wrote:Free prescriptions? Great. But you don't spend any money on any other medical care such as cancer treatment. That's why we have people physically moving from Wales to England to get treatment. I know Wales isn't Scotland, but the point still stands. You're alright if you've got a headache, free paracetamol for all.

Isn't that because the facilities are poor in Wales... because the spending isn't as good there?

And Scotland is any better with one of the lowest life expectancies in Europe? You can't blame it all on diet.

If Scotland go independent they will need to cut NHS spending by £400m, whilst Salmond plans to slash corporation tax, passing the pain onto taxpayers. Woohoo! Nice to see Scotland already planning to move towards that socialist dream!

Gandalf the Red wrote:one of the lowest life expectancies in Europe

Where are you getting that from?

Gandalf the Red wrote:

siliconfury wrote:

Gandalf the Red wrote:Free prescriptions? Great. But you don't spend any money on any other medical care such as cancer treatment. That's why we have people physically moving from Wales to England to get treatment. I know Wales isn't Scotland, but the point still stands. You're alright if you've got a headache, free paracetamol for all.

Isn't that because the facilities are poor in Wales... because the spending isn't as good there?

And Scotland is any better with one of the lowest life expectancies in Europe? You can't blame it all on diet.

Actually, you can quite a bit. Scotland has a higher rate of smokers too.

NHS Scotland consistently outperforms the NHS in any other part of the UK because we spend 10% more on it per person up here and employ more staff per person. If you read up on things rather than making uninformed claims, you might actually know what you're talking about.

And not privatising chunks of helps quite a bit.

Nichrome wrote:If Scotland go independent they will need to cut NHS spending by £400m, whilst Salmond plans to slash corporation tax, passing the pain onto taxpayers. Woohoo! Nice to see Scotland already planning to move towards that socialist dream!

Scotland is more remote than England in terms of being an international travel hub, hence why corporation tax needs to be lowered to stimulate private sector growth. Similar situation in Northern Ireland. The overheads of running a company there are higher especially due to travel and transport which is why we ought to be allowed to set our corporation tax lower, in line with the 10% rate in the south of Ireland. No its not very socialist but I don't think anyone with much sense is in favour of the 1970s style of Labour socialism any more. It would be like cutting off your nose to spite your face. The important thing isn't whether Scotland plan on lowering corporation tax rates with a view to raise more overall, its how it plans to spend the money on the public in a fairer way than currently done in England that matters.

Also on the subject of traveling to England for particular kinds of treatment. Think about it this way, Scotland and NI may spend a lot more per head on healthcare but in terms of absolute money those amounts are a fraction of what is spent in England, where nearly 84% of the UK population is. Yeah certain facilities are only only available in certain parts of England but people from less populous parts of England will have to travel for those too. I can't really picture Cumbria having many bone marrow transplant clinics

Fjar wrote:

Gandalf the Red wrote:one of the lowest life expectancies in Europe

Where are you getting that from?

Sorry didn't notice this.

Scottish government figures taken from BBC website. Three years old, but I doubt it's changed that much.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12898723

It's rocketing up though, here's a more positive spin on things from this year: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-26681098