Have you noticed the opoor seem to be getting a better deal in Scotland and Wales?

Scotland free prescriptions are just Alex Salmonds way of winding up the English - just a bit of pay back after Scotland got the pleasure of testing out the Poll Tax a year before England

Just to clear up the free prescriptions:

England, NI, Wales and Scotland all have a certain amount of money allocated to them to spend on Health.

Not sure what happens in NI, but in England it is the Westminster Gov who decides what they want to spend their budget on.

In Wales and Scotland the decision is made by the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. Both have decided to use a proportion of their Health budget to fully subsidise the cost of prescriptions. This will be at the cost of something else. Maybe the amount spent on hospital food or patient transport for example. They could have decided to charge more for prescriptions and therefore have more money avaliable to spend on equipment or uniforms.

The overall amount of the Health budget given to Wales and Scotland will not change because they have free prescriptions.

sorry i meant that if the uk was being split up everyone woudl probably get a vote on it but the english!

i sometimes wonder if it is all a big conspiracy to split the uk up, get mps not from england to vote on english laws etc. Not that the english would actually get any say in anything, definitely being punished for the sins of our forefathers.

Different countries have different priorities, in Scotland, the government decides to spend its budget on say, free prescriptions, England spends that money on say, administration costs for SATs which we don't have. England is not funding Scottish choices.

The Scottish NHS is separately run AFAIK, so our not paying prescription charges makes not a bean of difference to patients in England.

If you think it is unfair, get in touch with your MP and campaign for free prescriptions in England.

I think there's a lot of history lacking here.
This has never been one nation, it has always been 4 nations muddling along politically while it's been worth someone's while that they do.
It's unravelling very slowly and a bit messily right now.

It's all very well thinking that Scotland and Wales are getting a better deal, but let's go back to the early 80s and think about what an utterly shit time they had then. Of course they have given this a lot of thought and political time and the result is that they think they are better off devolved.
If you don't like it gabby, you are of course free to move. I doubt either country is some sort of Utopia, though!

Oh, yes, because they so care about Scotland and NI.

Tis true. all an attempt to keep scotland, wales and northern ireland sweet to the cost of the north of england. the government really don't give a monkeys about anyone in the north of england at all really

With you all the way Gabby. Why don't you stand as a candidate...Cheers "glas"

That would be good - If we all just put someone else before ourselves in even a small act every day things would be so much better. Have a great day hon and go and change something!

Yes sorry Gabby, that is what I meant - that it shouldnt be affected by where you live.
I really wish we could get to be a fairer and more equal society but the reality is that we live in a very self-protecting, distrusting and self seeking world and until we all start to think in a different way and put others before ourselves we cannot achieve fairness.

And don't forget that here in Wales we have free breakfast club for every single primary school pupil. And,come next month, we'll no longer have to pay for the Morning After Pill either.

But, English school pupils get more spent on them per head then Scottish or Welsh pupils, over £200 more, in fact.

Itsallgoingtobefine - I understand that in theory the NHS doesnt directly lose out because some of the UK dont have to pay for perscriptions but look at the bigger picture and you realise that in the long run its not going to be good news for any public services including the NHS as it means revenue is lower in a time of increasing budgetary restraints. If there isnt enough money in the bank, there wont be enough to pay out for services such as the NHS. People may be against increased taxation streams and cuts to services but lets face it, if the money isnt there unless you bring in magicians its not going to magically appear. Therefore arent means tested perscription charges fairer across the UK as a whole than based on where you live? I agree with LisMcA that its great that the scottish parliament are trying to protect their poorer members yet why is it that national pride and fight so readily comes out when questions of fairness are raised when linked to devolution - every poor person deserves the same care, its nothing to do with where you live.

minky: the NHS doesn't lose out - it,s just that the government pays all the charges for the individual.

yes i've noticed and it's unfair - can we do anything about it - no

Fucking hell Gabby, please stop signing off "Gabby"

I pay UK tax. My husband does as well.

Yet we are pay more on our own resources and people have the audcacity to say it's unfair!?

Unfair, that my own children are often seen as nothing but dogs but those Etonians in power, a joke as much as their own countrymen who are not as wealthy as they were born?

They seek to divide us, from our own brothers, by means of what's been a changeable border, so that they can make us hate one another?

Who buys that type of rubbish?

You think it's better on the poor than our brethren poor across the border?

Bollocks!

That is a load of claptrap, divide and conquer wag the dog tosh designed to keep our noses to the grindstone and not question how they treat every single one of us who is not born rich.

Bollocks thereiver!

As far as I am aware (I'll find the back up and link later), if independence is voted for by the Scottish electorate, we generate more than enough to sustain us as an independent state.

In fact I would go as far to say that without Scotland's revenue from Oil & Gas and the upcoming renewable energy industries Westminster would struggle.

I am proud that Scotland looks after it's most vulnerable citizeans with the free care for the elderly and free prescriptions.

Thankfully, we may be saved from the worst of the cuts Westminster are proposing, we do however know that we are by far safe from any cuts. Hopefully, our devolved government will continue to protect the services they can from Westminster.