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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you are voting SNP?

562 replies

SpiceAddict · 03/04/2015 11:10

How do you think they are going to 'end austerity'? How will this be financed? You can't just suddenly invest more in infrastructure etc to create more jobs if there is no.money.

If it is going to be financed by stopping trident, then we will lose US support - not really a good idea....

Labour are going to increase tax for higher payers, mansion tax etc in order to fund their investments.

I live in Yorkshire and we really don't get the support for SNP. They don't make sense to me, but as they seem to be so popular, please can someone actually why?

OP posts:
chocoluvva · 06/04/2015 10:35

Ooh that's a hard one re asking about the class saltire. Is it worth the risk of being one of 'those' parents? How professional is the teacher likely to be? Very tricky. You could get a Glasgow coat of arms and a Union Jack too I suppose.

DS' pet hate re Scottish 'culture' is waulking songs. Grin So many verses....

tabulahrasa · 06/04/2015 10:46

My DS missed CfE as he was the last year to sit standard grades.

I still have painful memories of trying to get a child with a speech and processing disorder to recite scot's poetry for assemblies... made even harder by the fact that that isn't my accent anyway (I grew up near the Hebrides)...it was, um, interesting, lol.

blowinahoolie · 06/04/2015 19:40

Lewis Grassic Gibbon rings many a bells choc. It really interested me and years after leaving school I read the trilogy, really enjoyed it. Is the film out yet?

OOAOML · 06/04/2015 21:16

One of the other classes at my school did Gibbons for o grade and they really enjoyed it.

OOAOML · 06/04/2015 21:18

choc I am probably at risk of being one of those parents already after I was unable to stop myself pointing out the extraneous apostrophe on a poster and then turned round to find a teacher just behind me Blush

masueuk · 09/04/2015 18:33

I will not be voting SNP. The national leaders debate didnt question Ms Sturgeon on any of her claims. The sole purpose of the SNP is to separate from the rest of the UK. They are not the panacea which some seem to think they are. The "most people will be voting for them" line is as wrong as their belief that a non nuclear UK would be safer. I dont want Trident, but in todays world not to have it would be beyond stupid. Did no one else see the threat which Russia issued to Denmark only a few weeks ago. The Danes were told, go under the NATO umbrella and your navy will be targetted by our nukes. To say that us getting rid of them would encourage Russia, Pakistan or anyone else to get rid of theirs is laughable.

Jackieharris · 12/04/2015 13:55

So every European country bar the UK & France are "beyond stupid"? Hmm

FannyFifer · 13/04/2015 15:06

I see there was a demo at Faslane today, looked like a good turn out.
[[Faslane protest: Campaigners blockade nuclear base
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-32282564]]

HelenF350 · 13/04/2015 15:34

I don't believe for a minute that the SNP will help Scotland. Their policies are to waste even more money than Labour. I do like Nicola Sturgeon as a speaker though, I think she comes across as very straightforward.

FannyFifer · 13/04/2015 17:17

What policies do they have that will waste money?
I see Murphys lies have caught up with him.
commonspace.scot/articles/1002/the-leader-of-the-scottish-labour-party-will-not-be-in-charge-of-the-uk-budget-chuka-umunna-slams-jim-murphy

HelenF350 · 13/04/2015 18:45

Keeping free prescriptions, increasing free childcare, increasing public spending, increasing the benefit cap. The country cannot afford these changes and some people can well afford prescriptions, childcare, school meals etc (myself included) Why should they not pay?! It's wasteful. Please don't start me on the named person nonsense either.

And I fully agree, Jim Murphy is a twit of the highest order! Smile

Varya · 13/04/2015 18:54

Have to hit the mute button when Nicola S is on TV.

jimmurphysbrassneck · 13/04/2015 19:13

I'm not a Nationalist by any means, but I'll vote SNP because I really want to help drag Westminster out of their same old, old boys stupor. I really want shot of trident. And i want to see an end to austerity, as described by the other three parties, because it hurts the poor too much.
SNP not so good re: conservation, but hardly the worst.

FannyFifer · 13/04/2015 19:15

Keeping free prescriptions is a cheaper way of doing it than was previously done.

FannyFifer · 13/04/2015 19:16

Free childcare encourages more parents into work. Particularly those in lower pay sectors.

Iggi999 · 13/04/2015 19:16

Yes and I'm sure I've heard the same about means tested child benefit (that it was cheaper to give it to everyone than calculate who should get it)

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 13/04/2015 19:18

free prescriptions

Cheaper overall than administering a means tested scheme where there are so many exemptions. Also contributes to public health (no-one can't afford their prescriptions)

free childcare
Allows parents back to work, this increases tax take and personal spending and decreases benefits. It also creates jobs within the childcare sector which increases tax take and peesonal spending and decreases JSA payments.

increasing public spending
Big infrastructure projects, jobs. Increase tax take and personal spending.

increasing the benefit cap
Universsal benefits easier/cheaper to.administer. Means large families dont have to live in poverty.

jimmurphysbrassneck · 13/04/2015 20:08

Varya, if you have to hit the mute button, who tells you what she thinks?
Mr Murphy is not a person i admire, but I know that because i sit through his drivel. Wouldn't be happy for a cybernat or Tory just telling me that he was a bad guy.

jimmurphysbrassneck · 13/04/2015 20:17

ItsAllGoing. There must be a flaw in your reasoning. It's too sensible.

jimmurphysbrassneck · 13/04/2015 20:31

masueuk I'll forfeit my child's right to blow the bejeezus out of another country by supporting her in agreeing to give up Trident, which is what she wants to do. She's not suicidal, or stupid. She's evolving.

Jackieharris · 13/04/2015 20:39

This WM election should be based on reserved issues- trident, tax & benefits, the economy etc.

So why do critics of the snp always quote their devolved policies? If you don't like their devolved policies vote for another party in 2016.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 13/04/2015 20:47

This WM election should be based on reserved issues- trident, tax & benefits, the economy etc.

I completely agree. Gods knows why Jim Murphy keeps going on about Scottish nurses!...

jimmurphysbrassneck · 13/04/2015 20:48

Er, Jackieharris, are you friends with ItsAll? Why are you talking sense?

jimmurphysbrassneck · 13/04/2015 20:50

Oops, crossed postGrin

unlucky83 · 13/04/2015 22:49

I will say it again 600 hrs free childcare illustrates to me exactly what the SNP are like
I said this up thread ...even the hours don't add up - 600 hrs over term time is 15.78hrs per week - the 600hrs is a purely political headline grabbing number that makes no practical sense ...I guess they couldn't say 15 hrs a week because everyone knew THE REST OF THE UK ALREADY HAD THAT -so the SNP has introduced 0.78 hrs a week more.
For a start it is not 'childcare' - it is preschool education...
It does not help people back to work...it is 3hrs 9 min a day, during term time. How many jobs do you think allow someone to work just those hrs? (Even if they can magically transport themselves to their job).
The only people who save are those with a child full time private nursery - they will save about £750 a year more than the previous 12.5hrs -great - their childcare bill for a 3yo will still be around £6k ...

But if you work and have a child at playgroup/school nursery (apart from the hours just not being compatible with the 6hr school day) and you don't have someone who can/will collect or drop off for free - you will still end up paying a cm for the whole morning/afternoon session - they can't go over their ratios or be expected to keep a space for a session and only be paid for 30-40mins (and in my area, at least, you can't use your funding with a cm)
So it is a fantastic headline - but actually not helping people back to work...only saving a bit of money for a few parents...
As to job creation - most of the people who work in these sectors are paid close to minimum wage. Unless they work in full time nurseries they often work part time, during hours that suited (or rather did before the extended funding) parents with school age children. They would struggle to afford to pay childcare for their own children and (with the current £10600 personal allowance - which I personally think is fantastic - best thing that has happened for low earners in my memory) they don't earn enough to pay income tax...so no increased tax from their earnings ...if anything (unless they have access to some free childcare) their expendable income will have gone down.
Maybe we should pay them more? So they do become tax payers? A fantastic idea ...except then the funding won't cover the costs... so the cost of wraparound care and/or the funding would have to increase...
Believe me the 600 hrs is one of the most stupid, badly thought out policies ever created....has created problems for providers, for staff, not helped most parents, doubt it has helped children (lots are not even getting the full amount as parents drop/pick up late/early at the same time as their school age children because they (understandably) don't want to hang around the school gates for 30 -40 mins)
... sounds good but in reality a farce. Which I think is typical of the SNP...