Should The Barnett Formula Be Changed?
A report into how the UK government income is shared out amongst the home nations has opened up what could well turn into a very ugly debate. Over the last few years we have see more and more English citizens comment upon the amount of income the likes of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland receive per person compared to England. A new report shows that in the 2007/08 tax year England received £4,523 per person, Wales £5,050, Scotland £5,676 and Northern Ireland £5,684.
The report concludes that the way government funding is shared out is putting major pressure of the Union of the home nations, with many speculating that the likes of Scotland may well go independent from the UK very soon. As the SNP keep up their barrage of gripes and snipes at the UK government regarding funding, many in England are coming around to the idea of pushing Scotland from the Union and letting them see if they can 'go it alone'.
If Scotland were to leave the comfort of the Union it could set off a chain reaction which could see the Union abolished. Quite how the nations would fair on their own is difficult to forecast but there would be many obstacles and hurdles to negotiate.
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