Labour MSPs just voted against extending furlough in Scotland

[Scotslassie1]

So Labour MSPs have just voted against following many other countries and extending furlough. This, to me, exemplifies the problem in Scotland where the Labour Party almost automatically vote with the Tories and go against the SNP regardless of what the impact is. Really feel for those affected.

I can’t find a story relating to this but I have to confess I’m a bit confused as the furlough scheme is a U.K. thing so how would MSPs be able to extend it? Unless the motion was something along the lines of ‘we believe that another parliament should continue x scheme’, in which case, what’s the point of that?

Was this another meaningless Vote in Holyrood?
Haven’t they for anything else do like sort out those ferries, broken hospital, laughable state of Scottish education?

The motion was overwhelmingly carried in any case, so the votes of a small bunch of MSP's from an increasingly irrelevant party were immaterial in any case.

It does highlight though, the continued hypocrisy of a Labour Party that is arguing for extension of Furlough at Westminster, but against it in Scotland. At this point they'd be as well just chucking the pretence and joining the Scottish Conservatives.

Exactly my point. 61,000 jobs it 'd save in Scotland, plus help the wider economy. Keir Starmer saying it's terrible it's not being extended yet Scottish Labour vote against because it's an SNP motion.
And yes ( to pp) it is correct that we have to bloody beg the UK Gov to extend it.

Scottish Labour is caught in a massive, self-immolation. It started with their own conceit and contempt in the 90's and early 2000's, and has accelerated throughout their dalliance with the Tories in Better Together, throughout the westminster decapitations and house-arrests of branch managers, throughout their criminal intransigence on Brexit, and is now led them to a point where they are facing total electoral oblivion on a par with that experienced by the Lib Dems.

They truly are the party of yesteryear, and and affront to their predecessors. There's no hope for them while they remain hitched to the Westminster party, and staunchly opposed to constitutional reform that so many of their formerly natural voters seek. Without the trades union money they simply wouldn't be able to scrape together the means to fight elections on any scale, thanks to their puny membership, so to all intents and purposes, they are an utterly dead and irrelevant party.

No wonder the last of their list troughers are in full-on panic at the electoral forecasts. The rumpus over Leonard's leadership is nothing more than a smokescreen.

Scottish Labour is autonomous, they make their decisions separately from the main Labour Party.

I'm a Labour member but in Scotland would vote SNP.

Scottish Labour is autonomous, they make their decisions separately from the main Labour Party

Thanks for the comedic relief!

Can the SNP assembly afford it? What other SNP benefits will need to go to finance it? Sturgeon sees the wave of actions having consequences finally turning up at her door.

as well you know Scottish Government cannot afford it, they don't have the borrowing powers, Labour MSPs voted against an amendment calling for the UK government to extend the furlough scheme despite repeated calls for an extension from both Kier Starmer and Richard Leonard. Labour need to make up their mind what they actually want.

I’m a bit confused as the furlough scheme is a U.K. thing so how would MSPs be able to extend it?

They wouldn't be able to as they haven't got the money. Another totally pointless, time-wasting vote to promote her independence agenda.

Or maybe they're trying to save 60k jobs in Scotland?! 60k families affected. And that's before the no deal brexit s*itstorm hits.
And if Scotland was independent- there's no reason why we couldn't afford to do extend it for another year. Many other countries are and we are in line with them GDP wise.
We shouldn't be a poor country- we are poor because we've balanced the books of England for many years ( Alastair Darling admission). Instead, we're tied to the UK Gov who are the laughing stock of Europe. Anyone seen the cartoons? The articles in shock at how the UK is run. At least there's been a few re 'leaving a light on' for Scotland.

Anyway, the point of my original post was the hypocrisy of Labour and how the opposition doesn't work for the people of Scotland.

If Sturgeon had opened hospitality at the same time as England the £60k job losses wouldn’t be so extreme Also the dog whistling about closing the border wasn’t the most welcoming of messages.

That was a bit of a rant! I can't stand the SNP as they've done nothing but spout hot air and be woke and green at the expense of the scottish countryside (tourism is our biggest industry btw) - my rant.

I would much rather the Scottish Parliament spent its time sorting out the things that are actually under its remit (like education and getting the NHS back up and running for starters), rather than wasting time with ‘symbolic motions’ that don’t mean anything.

To me this seems like a deflection to blame big bad Westminster for the inevitable job losses, which probably will be worse up here because of the slower opening and pontificating about closing the border to the English. At the end of the day, Nicola Sturgeon made a choice to keep everything closed for longer to chase the ‘zero COVID’ unicorn, only to end up in the same place infection-wise with more damage to the economy. She needs a scapegoat.

Wtf - this was one vote. The SNP haven't spent all day everyday on it. Personally I think hospitality should be closed to curb the spread. Ugh back to the border, yawn. Yesterday Scots were advised to cancel all but essential travel to NE England by a Public Health Officer in England. That's ok right? Just not the other way round.

Anyway back to my original point which is that Richard Leonard demanded the FM press Westminster for an extension of the furlough scheme and then.. voted against it alongside the Tories. Just unbelievable!

It was to make an ammendnent to the bill. Stakeholders r entitled to have their voice heard.

Did he?

Yes! In the Scottish Parliament sessions he was saying the FM must push the UK Gov for an extension and she said she already had and then he ( and the rest of Scot Lab) voted against it anyway.