daltontrees

I've been saying this for years. The situation has got worse recently with Councils arguing CAVAT values for the loss of trees, as if the TPO acquires the tree for the public. And someone mentioned compulsory purchase. If it were a compulsory purchase the tree owner would be entitled to compensation. As a consultant I'd love to be involved in a case contesting CAVAT in such a situation, because it's about time it was quashed, as it most certainly would be.

I'd be interested in seeing that.

I'd say tyhat defect is at least 5 years old. And I'd also say the tree is not going to recover from it. Two questions. Did the report on the survey last year mention the defect? What reinspection period did the report recommend?

Yeah, don't use the one your wife keeps for cleaning her jewellery ?

I can't find any official source that says that this proposed ban is going to go ahead. H. along with Phil Hammond?

Agreed on the first point. See what a shit and misleading system it is? I have no view on the second points.

I'll tell you the point. You are incorrectly using the word 'majority'. It doesn't mean 'the most of'. It's not an argument, it's a matter of the correct use of words. In the example you put, the correct answer is indeed no-one, not because I would argue it but because it's factually correct. Your rhetoric would be clearer to follow if you don't mix up majority of votes with majority of seats. And FPTP is an analogy that only works for the constituency votes. In parliament government comes from most past the post i.e most of the first past the posts. Positively primitive, in my opinion, as it gives two linked opportunities to alienate large parts of society. Anyway, some people care. When the new scottish parliament had the opportunity to design a system form scratch it introduced a system that is more inclusive. Because enough people cared.

Bizarre! How about a system that doesn't let any one party fuck things up? Better, no? Instead of government policy lurching from one side to the other. It shouldn't be series of partisan experiments.

Whatever I think of Big J's politics, I'd say the views are not at all chaotic and, far from being impossible to follow, are clear and well argued. I think you are consistently and repeatedly missing the point. The tories got more votes than anyone else, but that's not a majority of votes. Majority means more than 50%. The current system does nothing for the 55% (the majority) of voters who did not vote for the tories. It is impossible for FPTP not to result in constant resentment unless the majority is almost unanimous.

Maybe in the Land of the Giants!

I have this in my garden and know it well, it's not teh same as the OP's.

Sorry, I've got it out of my system now and, since I can do precisely f&%$ all to influence things, I can wait.

Yes there's an income band about £6,000 wide where the english and scottish rates are different. And the higher rate is paid only on the part of income in that band. I stand corrected.

Well, just looked, and tax does go to scottish government.

I am anti 'first past the post', not pro independence. It can never achieve societal harmony. And that includes in an independence referendum. And Brexit. I didn't know tax went straight to the scottish parliament, I thought it went to the UK government based on UK tax legislation and the UK parliament decided what goes to Scotland. Could be wrong, though. I just pay it. I'm not in any higher bracket.

I know. That's why I clarified it....

A glance at the map of votes is going to explain that where you are there is a strong tory leaning and where I am is strong SNP. That cna explain why we are gauging different opinions. I don't see point in debating the pros and cons of independence and EU with you, as you seem to be strongly partisan. Even though I didn't say I was pro-independence you have assumed I am. Your comment about my relative, is trite. He was a professor at the leading economic institution in Scotland, and spent a lifetime being paid by industry to advise them on strategic direction and specifics. That counts as 'doing'. Also you are perhaps suggesting that those who don't teach, 'can', which is patently untrue. The original question in this post, which no-one really addressed, was whether only scots should vote on independence. I tried to answer it in a very specific way, relating to the economic rationale for England keeping Scotland. We are constantly told that England supports Scotland financially . If the English poplation could vote confidentially and were told that England supports Scotland to the tune of £4,000 per capita or whatever the figure is, I think they'd say drop Scotland. Despite what you say, I didn't express certainty, but I'd certainly bet on it. We can agree to disagree, as we may never get to find out, and it is futile to argue about politics on the internet with strangers, it never changes anyone's opinion and only neds with someone misinterpreting or pouncing on minutiae.

I'm not advocating it, I am saying that I gauge support for it.

Try "There's support in Scotland for Scotland to be independent of the UK AND a member of the EU."

You could just as well be talking about conservatives in Westminster, who only got 40 something %... I am no lover of the SNP givernment, but I'd rather we made an arse of things ourselves up here than have an arse made of it for us down there. We'd grow up quick enough. I think it's a mistake to assume that post-independence SNP would be in charge. Voting for independence is not the same as voting for SNP. On the other hand voting for SNP IS voting for independence. And, if the SNP can take anything from the landslide it's probably that there's Scottish support for an independent Scotland in the EU. SNP would be nuts to assume support for independence outside EU. Persnally I reckon Scotland outside UK would have struggled. Inside UK and outsde EU it definitley will. Outside UK and in EU would be a strong niche opportunity and we'd do OK. What really f****ed me off more than anything else in the run-up to the election was leaflets and Facebook adverts from the torys saying vote for them to block a referendum. A 5 year old could work out that that's because they feared losing a referendum. If they are confident of persuading Scotland to stay in the UK they should allow a referendum. And allow it very soon. No matter what they do now about Brexit, every stumble, downturn and economic casualty of Brexit (or pereived to be) will be resented by a large part of Scotland. It will become a festering sore that will not heal itself. I have spoken to hundreds of fellow Scots from all waks of life inteh last few days, and I am genuinely surprised at the near-universal resentment of people up here. I have a close relative who is an economics lecturer who was dead against independence a few years ago, but now would vote the other way. We debate it on impassionate economic grounds and for him to change his mind based on the behaviour of the tories in Wesminster since the Brexit referendum speaks volumes to me. It's not about FREEDOM, it's about refusing to sign the English economic suicide pact. And to answer the original question, I'd love to see an indicative pan-UK vote on Scottish independence. I bet England would ditch Scotland (and Northern Ireland) on economic grounds.

Here's another one from the RSA Edinburgh gallery. The detail is incredible. OK it's not a painting, but bits of it have been painted. It's called Family Tree by Robert Powell.

The other one's called 'The Cornfield'.

Who's the artist(s)?

Excellent, considering the pish that wins the Turner Prize these days.

And on the Baobab theme, here's 'Baobab Bridge' by Ade Adesina. Apologies for the reflections in the glass.