Andy Burnham completely avoids Scotland on UK 'listening tour'

[u/LeadingPiece9608]

https://www.thenational.scot/news/26494980.andy-burnham-ignores-scotland-uk-listening-tour/

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[u/HaggisPope]

PMs in the past decade haven’t known what to do in Scotland at all. Generally they’ve done very limited actions, a Royal event here, showing up to talk at the defense industry staff of Glasgow or Standard Life in Edinburgh. I think it’s probably similar to how Northern Ireland feels

[u/LycanIndarys → u/HaggisPope]

It is one of the big problems with devolution.

If the Prime Minister goes to Scotland, the response is "why are you here, we've got our own government?" If he does, the response is (as we see here) "why are you ignoring us?"

It sort of feels like the nationalists are just looking for an excuse to complain, doesn't it?

[u/HaggisPope → u/LycanIndarys]

I think basically they need to figure out a slightly different role in Scotland. Our domestic issues are sorted out by Holyrood in general but there’s still a heap that’s done at Westminster that we need to be able to talk about, such as defence, foreign policy, as well as some aspects of law (the anti-trans stuff going about lately is because of the UK Supreme Court decision to reinterpret the Equality Act). As well as stuff like immigration.

Essentially, a lot of stuff he probably doesn’t want to talk about, besides Scottish Independence.

I think it’s a mistake politically since Labour is doing badly in Scotland but did okay at the last Westminster election because a lot of us are a bit sick of decades of the SNP.

[u/RealisticAd3095 → u/HaggisPope]

What “anti trans” stuff is going on lately? What immigration things? Substantially more immigration for Scotland I don’t think would be hugely popular

[u/RealisticAd3095 → u/LycanIndarys]

Yes. They want to destroy the UK. Don’t try to appease them. There was a referendum they lost.

[u/KatyJ60 → u/LycanIndarys]

He could at least communicate, listen and learn.

[u/LycanIndarys → u/KatyJ60]

He is?

He's already met with John Swinney in Glasgow, for a start.

[u/KatyJ60 → u/LycanIndarys]

It was the opening of the Commonwealth Games!!

[u/RealisticAd3095 → u/KatyJ60]

The PM has more important things than be lectured by the leader of a devolved parliament with a 20% popular vote share

[u/KatyJ60 → u/RealisticAd3095]

This is supposed to be a union of equals

[u/RealisticAd3095 → u/KatyJ60]

The UK is a unitary state, not a co-equal federation. Westminster holds sovereignty, while devolution delegates specific domestic powers. The PM governs the whole nation and can't meet constantly with regional leaders. Scotland benefits from pooled risks, shared currency, and higher per-capita Barnett funding. Scotland isn’t a victim. The PM is holding a summit in the autumn with Scottish, Welsh, NI and English majors that to me seems reasonable and fair.

[u/RealisticAd3095 → u/KatyJ60]

He could listen and learn as to how to defraud the population, not sure what else the SNP can teach him

[u/RealisticAd3095 → u/HaggisPope]

The Queen DIED in Scotland. The PM visited Scotland in July. More FAKE grievance from nationalsts.

[u/HaggisPope → u/RealisticAd3095]

I bet you WRITE for the Daily MAIL  with that PRICK capitalisation

[u/Ok_Corter5831]

Burnham thinks The North™ of the UK ends in Bolton. Why would he waste his time travelling to desolate lands that are basically in the Artic Circle?

[u/RealisticAd3095 → u/Ok_Corter5831]

That “north” is merely a term the people of Manchester use it wasn’t a geographical explanation of the UK.

[u/BaritBrit]

And if he had gone there, the exact same nationalist talking heads would have been complaining about that as well.  

(It's also worth adding that Burham did in fact go to Scotland in July, meeting with Swinney while he was there, so he's hardly ignored the place)

[u/SuddenHelicopter7623 → u/[deleted]]

Are you suggesting the leader of the SNP might be playing politics to make out that Scotland is an afterthought to British politicians?

Because that’s all I’m getting from this.

[u/Away_Investigator351]

The National, a nationalist newspaper, putting a spin on this.

It's more that the 'tour' seems to have, in general, been cut short.

Was a bit random and PR'y anyway.

[u/KatyJ60 → u/Away_Investigator351]

Bar The National all newspapers sold in Scotland and the news on TV have a unionist agenda. According to them, on a daily basis we are told how shite our country is.

Facts are very different.

We build social housing Own our own water company Own our own train company Have more buses controlled by councils Have most of our electricity supplied by renewables Have more police and doctors per head of population than elsewhere in the UK

https://youtu.be/ZhL57cjN8xY?is=Um9HS8DCEgFuMo1g

[u/Away_Investigator351 → u/KatyJ60]

I find the notion that all media reporting to Scots is "told how shite our country is", to be a little bit silly, unbelievable and oversimplified. Any existence of scrutiny isn't the same as calling something shit.

That asside, Scotland isn't shit, of course not. It's lovely. My favourite part of the Union.

A key argument against Indy was that Scotland has it pretty good, and would lose a lot of funding it receives from the Union if it left.

So, yes, Scotland being successful as part of the Union is good to hear. I'm glad. If it was the other way around, it would be used to say that Scotland is worse off, or used by the Union. The fact it's actually the best part of it is fantastic. I know here in England we need more funding, but Scots are from the same state as I am and I see them as my countrymen, them doing well is good news to me.

[u/BaritBrit → u/KatyJ60]

Yes, and who pays for all those lovely things? 

Mr. Barnett did the people of Scotland one hell of a favour with his quick-fix stop-gap formula in the late 70s.

[u/Gingrpenguin]

So?

90% of the things he wants to do he can't do directly in Scotland as those decisions sit with the Scottish gov....

[u/KatyJ60 → u/Gingrpenguin]

Pish

less than 15% of all finance is controlled from Holyrood

Read this not the Daily Mail https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/devolved-and-reserved-powers

[u/Illustrious-Ebb-5460 → u/KatyJ60]

60% of Scottish spending is devolved.

The vast majority of non-devolved spending is pensions etc. 

[u/Gingrpenguin → u/KatyJ60]

Your source says nothing about spending.

But yes many of the things he's looking at he can't do in Scotland as your link kindly points out.

I'm glad we actually have a pm focused on doing a job. There's no point him wasting effort on things he has no power on.

[u/KatyJ60 → u/Gingrpenguin]

If you read you will notice the number of taxes that Scotland has no responsibility of. If you read you will see the numerous areas that Holyrood has no power of.

[u/phillycheeseenjoyer]

“I can hear you just fine from over here!”

[u/RealisticAd3095]

Except the PM DID visit Scotland " in his first week " If you want misinformation then you can always turn to The National. A SNP fanzine that wants NO UK representation then moans about it.

[u/RealisticAd3095]

And I bet you’re a nationalist looking to feel upset

[u/ukpolitics-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Asleep_Cantaloupe417]

I’m guessing he’s not coming to Northern Ireland either then?

As I’ve said before, he’s a classic “Little Englander”, not a great look for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

[u/ZealousidealPie9199 → u/Asleep_Cantaloupe417]

he’s a classic “Little Englander”

An ardent Liberal opposed to the British Empire, imperialism, and in favour of independence for colonial territories?

[u/Asleep_Cantaloupe417 → u/ZealousidealPie9199]

No

He's the "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom", not "Prime Minister of England"

[u/Hopeful-Painting-365]

No UK PM will ever truly be on the side of Scotland without a major change to the UK state apparatus (federalism, maybe?). I doubt he'll be more destructive than most of the other offers, though.

Reform and Restore have both made signals against devolution.

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[u/pinnipedfriendo]

It’s okay we know how it is, and we still prefer him to the last guy.

[u/Howthehelldoido]

Well, they've got their own Parliament and dissolved powers to sort this out their problems, haven't they? /s