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Scottish Scientist
about 8 years ago

Much of our efforts to tackle climate change, develop renewable energy and boost the Scottish economy have indeed stalled. But this is not Westminster's fault entirely, neither is it entirely the fault of slashed overall spending by the Scottish government.Partly it is Westminster's fault because Westminster exercises central bank powers and can create new money as needed for public investment. The Scottish Government doesn't / can't / won't create new money.So to spend more on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and zero waste initiatives etc, the Scottish government would have to spend less on other things.To spend a lot more on the green agenda, the Scottish government would have to slash spending elsewhere. That's what a budget is all about - setting our spending priorities.So the fault for almost all stalling of our climate-change efforts in Scotland lies with certain items of Scottish government spending WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN SLASHED BUT SHOULD BE SLASHED.Justice £2,600 millionThe Justice portfolio has responsibility for the civil and criminal justice systems which include Scotland’s prisons, courts, police, fire and rescue services, the legal aid system and criminal justice social work services."SLASH THESE ITEMS FROM THE BUDGET MR SWINNEY!Here are some of my suggested cuts from some "Justice" items in the budget.Scottish Police Authority (SPA) - £1,063 million - Slash this by £663 million, down to £400 millionPolice Central Government - £98 million - Slash this by £58 million, down to £40 millionPolice and Fire Pensions - £350 million - Slash Police Pensions by £150 million - (no change to Fire Pensions) down to £200 millionScottish Prison Service - £396 million - Slash this by £196 million down to £200 millionCrown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service - £112 million - Slash this by £82 million down to £30 millionCourts, Judiciary and Scottish Tribunal Service - £40 million - Slash this by £20 million down to £20 millionScottish Court Service - £87 million - Slash this by £47 million down to £40 millionTotal saving - £1216 million£1.2 BILLION SAVED FROM "JUSTICE" TO SPEND ON OUR GREEN AGENDA!

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Scottish Scientist
about 8 years ago

It could be done if there was a political will and the benefits to the economy could be massive for rarely explained reasons.The police, courts and crown office and procurator fiscal items in the budget are threatening more massive waste and economic and social damage done because of their tendency to incompetently criminalise and obstruct good, decent, innocent, productive Scots from doing their good work or other duties to society.These state officials are making political prisoners out of the best of Scots and wrecking the Scottish economy in the process.Budgeting for a bad police state is far more damaging to the Scottish budget than most understand.It is not merely that an extra £1 spent on the police means £1 less which cannot be spent on schools, hospitals etc.It actually means a £1 spent on the police arresting an innocent citizen means something like £100 in lost taxes that that citizen cannot now pay because he or she is under arrest, has had their essential equipment seized by police or otherwise is being prevented from doing their work or other duties to society.So £1 spent on the police means something like £100 less to spend on schools, hospitals etc.There's no easy way to know how much is lost in taxes for each person arrested and prevented from paying taxes but the main point to understand is that the economic and fiscal harm to the Scottish economy and budget is far more harmful than simply the money spent on the police state.It could be that £1,000 million (£1 billion) spent on the police means something like £100,000 million (£100 billion) is lost to the Scottish economy and budget. In other words, Scotland as a country could be much more wealthy than we are now if it were not for police state wrecking.The economic damage is being done because the police, prosecution and courts are grotesquely incompetent, inflicting serious harm on productive, conscientious citizens, thereby wrecking all they have to offer to society and the economy.Mr Swinney is doing a wrong thing and is misbehaving like a bad, treacherous Scot for continuing to budget for this destructive gangster, treacherous police state which is ruining the Scottish economy and impoverishing the country.Mr Swinney is budgeting for economic failure and decline. He should hang his head in shame and withdraw his draft budget.That's not to say that money should not be spent on keeping those prisoners who are imprisoned decently. But it would be cheaper to release all the political prisoners and let them get back to work.That is not to criticise legal aid payments for those innocents who are wrongly accused because everyone deserves a fair trial. But it is to say that many wrongful arrests and prosecutions should never have been allowed to happen in the first place.That is not to say that fire and rescue services (£310 million) are not worth every penny, showing the police up in a very bad light in comparison. The fire and rescue services ARE worth every penny! If the fire service were in any way as incompetent as the police they would be starting as many fires and they were putting fires out!There is much in Mr Swinney's budget to support but MSPs are faced with a take it or leave it choice. MSPs will not be allowed to pick and choose which items of Mr Swinney's budget to support and which to oppose.MSPs must either vote for or against all of Mr Swinney's budget.The only responsible action for Members of the Scottish Parliament to do, is to vote down Mr Swinney's budget and vote down every budget which proposes to pay excessive amounts of money to this appalling, unreformed, anti-Scottish, unjust police state.Scottish Scientist Independent Scientific Adviser for Scotland

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Scottish Scientist
about 8 years ago

Scottish Scientist Independent Scientific Adviser for Scotland https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/

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