Calman Shmalmam

S3M-04447 Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (Scottish National Party): Calman Commission A Wasted Opportunity—

That the Parliament is disappointed with the rather timid recommendations set forth in the publication, Serving Scotland Better: Scotland and the United Kingdom in the 21st Century; believes that proposals merely to redraw Scotland’s complex relationship with Westminster would only perpetuate a complex constitutional mess; regrets that the outcome of this report seems largely predetermined by an unrepresentative unionist clique as evidenced by the convenient sidestepping of full fiscal autonomy and veto powers, the paucity of public meetings and the commission’s own stated objective of securing the union; recognises the National Conversation to be much more democratic in its deliberations, considering as it does all constitutional options; sees the Isle of Man and other crown dependencies flourishing through self-governance and wonders why Scotland is not recommended the same privilege; notes that these crown dependencies have long successfully governed in many areas that the commission appears to believe Scotland incapable of managing, such as varying the tax regime, setting energy policy, regulating health professionals, running the postal system and meeting our unique immigration needs; recognises that the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and the other Channel Islands, with a population of less than 200,000 among them, are entirely self-supporting, receive no subsidies from the United Kingdom and even make an annual contribution to Westminster for defence services; welcomes any increased powers but is disappointed that Scotland will still be denied its own oil revenues and considers limited borrowing to be a far cry from a long-term solution; agrees with those economists who state that the Calman recommendations are at best an opportunity missed and at worst a recipe for economic instability; acknowledges the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs, as stated in the Scotland Act 1998, and therefore seeks the public’s view on this non-consensus document through referendum; suggests that there is no reason why the Scottish people should not decide how they should be governed; believes that these issues could simply be resolved by full Scottish independence, as any other system would restrict Scotland’s potential as an enterprising nation, and looks to take Scotland forward following a positive result in the free and fair referendum that the Scottish Government proposes to hold in 2010.


For length, word choice, partisan approach and distinct improbability of ever gaining a majority this seems a suitable motion to perhaps jump start Crap Holyrood Chat with.

You can always rely on Kenny G....