Extraordinary comments from @Ianblackford_MP .
https://twitter.com/robinkellett/status/1489176749086855169
I presume he must understand how state pensions work. There's no portfolio of assets that Scots contributions helped build, from whose dividends Scots pensions are paid. If there were, independence from England would mean that Scots would take that pot and manage it themselves.
State pensions are paid out of ongoing taxation. The moral and power reality of it is that Scots are not going to be able to persuade English/Welsh/NI taxpayers to pay for state pensions for retired Scots.
They can try, of course. They will have some leverage. What happens to Trident? Where to draw the line through the fossil fuel sea-fields that we are not supposed to be extracting? Perhaps by overcharging for renewable power.
Blackford is trying to reassure Scots, who worry that the loss of the RoUK subsidy to Scotland would put pressure on them to trim pensions [they would have to make pretty savage cuts somewhere, so the fear is justified].
So he's saying: don't worry, you paid your money through your life, to the UK, so it's coming back to you by rights. It sounds convincing, but behind it lurks the imaginary pot that is there, with Scotland's name on 1/10 of it. There is no pot, sadly.
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