JudeL, while I was aware of the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, I was not aware that they are attempting to modify some of the original Thatcher policies, however my comparison was government to government and my point still valid. And by the way, I never said no one supports true socialist policies, only that the governments that followed Thatcher did not (as was the point in the article I attached).

We in the US have states which vary considerably in their approach to social issues, but at the end of the day they have to tax and spend to pay for those differences. That those types of issues can now be dealt with on a regional basis, and paid for on the same level, is one of the finer points in a democracy, and may approach socialism with a small "s", as long as the bill does not come due to some future generation, and then only to that region.

The point is not the benefit, it is the bill...

But thanks for pointing it out.