I’m no fan of Salmond. But his testimony yesterday, even hamstrung by the redactions, was compelling. I’ll wait until sturgeon’s evidence but right now I can’t see how she can continue, along with others implicated in his evidence.

If what he’s said is even half true, he’s right: the investigation into his (in my mind, certainly) shitty behaviour was not botched, it was criminally fucked up.

I know a lot of people have a hard on for sturgeon leading Scotland to independence, but I think she’s fucked it. If she does go, Depending on who takes over, it could put Indy ref2 back a bit (or a new person could inject pace?) but I still think it’ll happen and I’m not sure this will massively damage overall support for SNP

Scots thoughts plox?

What does breaking the ministerial code even mean?

I would hope Scotland’s independence isn’t reliant on Sturgeon being a figurehead. That seems dumb as beans to me.

I haven’t been following this but did spot a Scottish Tory minister being questioned on the news yesterday and he was making a huge deal about how it has destabilised democracy. I mean the sheer brass on the guy. When the reporter pointed out how Priti had broken the ministerial code and was not removed from office he did the use bluster bluster move on. I fucking hate Tory MP’s.

I've not been following this (or any news really) with any great interest recently as I'm already depressed enough, but from what I have seen, it looks like Westminster/the associated media seem to think this will end independence once and for all. But as pop says, I think sturgeon is savvy/popular enough to ride it out and come out the other End on top. Even some of my staunchest indy supporters aren't salmond fans, or even sturgeon fans either - both of them were/are just a means to an end.

I mean, being sacked from your post for lying doesn't seem to have hurt the current PM. 

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/boris-johnson-locked-out-of-house-itn-england-london-ext-news-footage/682007170

The newspapers today have gone as far as lying that Salmond said Scotland wasn't ready for independence. This is where we are with how desparate the MSM and unionists are.
Look, if Sturgeon made an arse of things, if she broke the code, then there should be the same repercussions that happened to Hancock, Patel et Al.
Westminster has treated Scotland like Shit. And we haven't forgotten. So, aye, keep on pretending this we circus is going to change our opinion about breaking away. Lmao.

With England's rep at a long-time low and Sturgeon the face of independence, it's gonna take serious dodginess to shift her. Everything else is so obviously what it is: the Tories trying to Starmerise the SNP through fear of losing power.

Could easily backfire and I hope it does. Sturgeon's pretty far to my right and I don't like or trust her, but at least she has elements of humanity versus her alternatives. Unless they manage to get rid and Black takes over... I'd buy that for a dollar.

Rev wrote:

Lord_Griff wrote:

I think you are conflating two very different things.

Nah. The thing that pisses me off is both the tories and MSM thinking the Scottish people are so stupid to buy their bullshit.

What does this have to do with Chinese food?

Rev's talking about kinky sex.

You're just making free money Shaw

Tempy wrote:

News in the Telegraph about Rishi’s plans to tax freelancers harder in order to foot the bill of furlough. What. the. fuck.

Freelancers? How? Don’t you pay PAYE like normo permies, you just declare income yourself with self assessment?

I thought the rise was gonna be CT for business to pay on profits?

Well there's no point charging the people he gave support to, or he might as well have not given them support

Also, something something trickle down

I think I’m missing something. Is your tax treatment, as a freelancer, not exactly the same as normal permies, ie it’s PAYE but self assessed rather than calculated at source by payroll? So if you earn less than £12.5K you pay no income tax; if you earn more than that up to £40somethingK it’s 20% etc?

From what I have read it is Corpo Tax going up and with no threshold changes to protect one man bands and small business it will effect freelancers and the like as many/most are salary-dividend.

The reasons for this are really about flexibility in payment reflecting variation in cash flow, not the tax difference a lot believe it is (which to be fair used to be different). Inused to have an image but can't find it. It broke down an income of £35k pre tax for PAYE, self employed and salary-dividend. S-D actually paid the most tax, followed by PAYE then self employed. The difference was negligible though.

One man bands like myself will either ride it out, up fees or they won't but the statistical impact will be missed.
What it will do though is be the final push for many small businesses with employees which will add noticeably to the unemployed statistics. In the meantime the massive companies that have raked it in during the pandemic will still dodge it.

I'm not against tax increases but this will be a blunt instrument that won't achieve what it first appears to.

Agreed. The economic fallout for this is still far from over. Trying to get the money back now will, as you say, drive more small businesses to the wall.