Prime Minister Johnson 'called Scottish devolution disaster'
 

[Boris Johnson has come under fire for
reportedly telling a virtual meeting of Conservative MPs
that devolution had been a "disaster" in Scotland.
Mr Johnson also reportedly described it as
predecessor Tony Blair's "biggest mistake".

The SNP and Labour have both criticised Mr Johnson.

But government sources suggested the
prime minister had been making
"more of a reference" to the SNP's running
of Scotland than devolution in general.
Mr Johnson was in a Zoom meeting with
Tory MPs representing dozens of seats in
northern England on Monday when he
is said to have made the remarks.

The Sun newspaper reported the PM had told
the MPs "devolution has been a disaster north of the border".]


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54965585

it depends on your viewpoint really. It has encouraged talk of independence rather than minimising it, so that is a disaster for the union

Well, he's trying to backtrack on what he said as usual.

It was inevitable that devolution was going to happen.
I think had it not, particularly moreso on what has happened since 2010.
Independence would be even more heavily supported now without devolution.

As a PM, Johnson just always comes out with utter nonsense when he's talking to his own supportive audiences.

Just more evidence of his not being fit to be a Prime Minister.

The line now is he's meaning the way the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon has handled power from devolution and getting into power.

To take a swipe at Nicola Sturgeon will do her no harm, nor the SNP.
He'll likely help the independence vote go higher.

Nicola Sturgeon is a world away from Johnson in that she's the one more fit to be a UK wide PM in my view.
Not him and his shockingly bad ill thought out silly headline grabbing utterances.

It's not exactly been a disaster but the way it was setup caused a division. Scotland and Wales got parliaments but nothing equivalent was put in place for England, so there is an imbalance there.

Also the Scottish parliament was given enough power that the Scottish government could look competent, but not enough power that the Scottish government could ever mess things up or do anything very controversial. No Scottish government has ever become unpopular because of that.

All that has just helped the SNP.

I'm thinking it's from a purely financial perspective, he can't now legally underfund Scotland due to the agreement. Think there's a word for it, is it the Barnet formula or something?

Yes the more robust and better organised NHS that hasn't been stripped into privatised oblivion like English services, and the transition to more empathic and fairer social support structures has been absolutely awful.

I do agree with that to be fair, I think devolution of English regions isn't just reasonable, it's fast becoming essential for anywhere north of Cambridge.

The Prime ministers comment
was taken out of context.

He means you no harm, TS.

:shrug: From a Tory perspective it is a disaster because one of their primary goals is the ongoing covert privatisation of the NHS, and they haven't been able to do it in Scotland :joker:.

I wish Scottish Folk on the Radio and TV
would stop saying they did not vote for Brexit.

It Does not work like that
the Whole of the UK voted for it.


Suck It Up

No the UK is made up of 4 nations, 2 of them voted against and 2 of them voted for Brexit so the UK did not vote as a whole for Brexit

Sure but under our Voting rules
one side wins.


A few in Scotland voted Brexit.

unchain the unicorn. preferable on a motorway with heavy traffic.

That's easy to say with the vote very narrowly won.

However it cannot and shouldn't be denied that of the 4 Nations which are supposedly called equal Nations in the UK.
That N Ireland voted strongly to remain.
Scotland by a massive 62% to38%

However only the much greater populated England really carried the leave vote.
Virtually wiping out however the other 3 Nations of the UK voted.

Had all 4 Nations had around the same population, the vote would have been to remain on the voting figures.

That's why the division exists and will continue to.
It's also why I can see in perhaps 10 (+) years, the mood of the Country with all the newer voters, demanding a rethink on the 2016 decision.

This referendum highlighted even more the dismissal and dominance of only England over the other 3 Nations of the UK.

Yes, the result was to leave but it was not a UK result.
Wales surprisingly voted narrowly to leave, plus England voted to leave.
With England,only with it's much greater population, dictating the result.

That is why division will likely never be healed on this.
It will be likely always be an open sore that in time may need a further operation again.

Anyone who listened to Nicola today speaking with passion, care and concern about covid in scotland can see that she is the politician that Boris can never be and i bet it pisses him right off.

Nicola is a amateur compared to the legend that is Boris

"the vote very narrowly won."


A Million.
is not narrow, Joey

51.9% to 48.1% out of all those millions is a narrow win arista.
In my book it certainly is, and while I accept the vote was to leave.

The detail behind that voting shows it is a narrow one.

The good convincing win was decades earlier when the Nation voted around 66% to 34% to be in the then EEC.
With ALL 4 Nations of the UK voting the same way too.

Legend in a disaster sense in my view.
Sorry.

For me Nicola Sturgeon is the best leader and politician in the UK at present.
What a leader she'd have made as PM of the UK.

If anyone looks amateurish all through this pandemic it certainly isn't Nicola.
It's the unfortunately present incumbent of 10 Downing Street.

:clap2:

this is the same Nicola that suffered accute memory loss when told about the former SNP leaders antics

Salmon was cleared of all charges

she still suffered acute memory loss and lied about being informed about it

she has a lot on her mind what with covid

She could never PM of a country she wants to break up.

Wolf in sheep's clothing, in my opinion.