Why does the Parliament need more powers?
People’s expectations of the new Parliament were very high, but now
they see that the Parliament will need real autonomy from London if it
is to make a difference to the lives of Scotland’s people.
The Parliament needs more powers of its own, and less control from Westminster. As an urgent priority, Scotland needs full financial independence – the ability to control all the taxes which people in Scotland presently pay to Westminster. We need the full powers of a normal parliament to get the best for Scotland.
The Scottish Parliament has acquired more powers since devolution, as it has become more clear – even to Labour politicians – that it makes sense for Scotland to take decisions about Scottish matters. The UK Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling MP, commenting on the transfer of greater powers over Scotland’s railways from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament commented: ‘it is clear that the [Scottish] Executive is best placed to decide what is right for Scotland’s railways’ (18-01-05)
The problem of Scotland’s declining population has highlighted how vital it is that Scotland has powers over immigration. While the UK parties engage in a bidding war to determine who can be the toughest on immigration; in Scotland, there is a broad consensus that we need more immigration – not less – to stem Scotland’s damaging population decline.
The Parliament needs more powers of its own, and less control from Westminster. As an urgent priority, Scotland needs full financial independence – the ability to control all the taxes which people in Scotland presently pay to Westminster. We need the full powers of a normal parliament to get the best for Scotland.
The Scottish Parliament has acquired more powers since devolution, as it has become more clear – even to Labour politicians – that it makes sense for Scotland to take decisions about Scottish matters. The UK Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling MP, commenting on the transfer of greater powers over Scotland’s railways from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament commented: ‘it is clear that the [Scottish] Executive is best placed to decide what is right for Scotland’s railways’ (18-01-05)
The problem of Scotland’s declining population has highlighted how vital it is that Scotland has powers over immigration. While the UK parties engage in a bidding war to determine who can be the toughest on immigration; in Scotland, there is a broad consensus that we need more immigration – not less – to stem Scotland’s damaging population decline.
