A letter from Standard Life
To an alert Wings reader who contacted them last month. Emphasis ours.
“Dear [redacted]
Thank you for your email of 27 February 2014.
We are disappointed that our statement has caused you concern.
To clarify our position, Standard Life currently has no plans to relocate or transfer parts of our operations out of Scotland. What we have announced are precautionary measures to ensure we can provide continuity and protect the interests of our customers, wherever they live in the UK (and around the world), in the event of Scotland becoming independent.
We have no desire to move any aspect of our operations unless absolutely necessary. We have been based in Scotland for 189 years. We are proud of our Scottish heritage and believe that Scotland is a good place from which to run our business and compete around the world. We very much hope this can continue.
Standard Life is strictly non-political and will not seek to influence people on how they should vote. However, we have a duty and a responsibility to understand the implications of independence for our four million UK customers, our shareholders, our people and other stakeholders in our business. We will take whatever action is necessary to protect their interests.
Yours sincerely
Gerry Grimstone
Chairman”
It’s not quite how the media’s painting it, it is?
Reporting Scotland lead story tonight? – “Standard Life currently has no plans to relocate or transfer parts of our operations out of Scotland”
A blow to the Yes campaign obviously…
That’s exactly the same reply as I received.
My reply was as follows:
Good morning ***
Many thanks for your response.
After all the fearmongering in the press, it is good to hear the actuality.
Personally, as a self employed businessman, I relish the prospect of Independence and the thought that we can escape the financial mismanagement of Westminster is a wonderful indeed.
I have to deal with risk and uncertainty all the time as I travel around the world (at the moment I am in China) and I haven’t visited a country in the world that would not fully embrace the opportunity that Scotland has been given on September 18 to chart a new future.
Hopefully Standard Life will make the most of this opportunity too and use the chance for some positive marketing!
Very best regards
Me
It is a great pity that Standard Life have not been able/willing to give the lie to media reports about their statement. Since there is at least the possibility that the MSM reports will damage their business in Scotland there is the genuine prospect of adverse consequences on profit and shareholder value. I wonder if it is possible for SL to sue on that basis?
Nice to see.
Worth noting that the Line
However, we have a duty and a responsibility to understand the implications of independence for our four million UK customers
could also be considered under the proviso
However, we have a duty and a responsibility to understand the implications of NO independence for our four million UK customers
I never doubted them. You just had to read their initial statement to realise their intentions are to protect their business and calm fears from their customers. Not instil fear unlike the Bitter Together campaign.
I wonder how much monies standard life could make if they started a scheme to buy Scottish bonds after Independance, for i would certanly throw a couple hundred their way.
Standard Life are a huge part of this ongoing massive attack on Scottish democracy by UKOK establishment and everyone knows it. Why do they even bother with this pretence anyway? oh wait they think we’re idiots.
Great stuff indeed.
But absolutely no way this will get out via MSM or the State Broadcater – as it should. So general public yet again miss out on demolition of BBC missinformation.
Sad but that is the environment created by much of Scottish Westminster influenced so called journalism.
Ha this been sent in to STV / BBC so we know for sure thet are deliberately suppressing, (sorry making a journalistic judgement).
Yes, a nicely tailored response, which I would take more seriously if they actually issued a statement to the press to the same effect, citing customer uncertainty as the cause. The media would then be forced to broadcast/print the clarification, wouldn’t they?
Wouldn’t they? 😉
If the MSM would issue a positive statement on SL it would be on white paper with white text.
Heedtracker
Exactly. Standard Life knew exactly the spin that would be put on their statement.
Just as a matter of interest the bastards have finally got me. After a week of continuous problems with my computer and email accounts, five password changes and a Microsoft engineer in to clean up my machine they got me this morning with all my contacts removed. As I daily circulate good stuff from Wings and many other sources to a couple of thousand folk I would imagine this attack has something to do with that
New online News site – was quite excited till I saw web address backers,
Seems OK so far though for most part
http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/
I think Standard Life have a duty to their customers and to Scotland to take out a full page advert in one of the big Scottish newspapers and explain exactly what their position is regarding Scottish Independence.
That could be the bases for another letter being sent in to their head office.
This is the standard letter sent out to customers who cancelled their policys,myself included,and certainly contradicts the medias response.
However as my husband pointed out,he works for standard life,the email sent to staff said much the same.
So why did Gerry Grimstone,or someone senior from Standard Life,not come on TV and read out this email?
It would have laid to rest any fears that the company would leave Scotland.
No this is what they wanted,look into the backgrounds of the heads of Standard Life and you will see why they want to fear voters into voting NO.
O /T Just heard “Radio Scotland” refer to King Richard.
Now Richard was never King of Scotland so why don’t the BBC give him his correct title or do they not know who the Scottish Kings were prior to 1603.
Now what would the chances be of any title publishing the contents of that letter? 😉
By the Grace of God:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01trcfg
Gon yersel hen!
I fully expect I might well receive a similar reply from Andy Murray.
The statement by Standard Life was very anodyne. Remember, though, that Robert Peston had allegedly received a briefing to go with the announcement last week, and the implication was that he had been told the “real meaning” of the announcement.
Anne
Unfortunately Robert Peston likes to make it sound as if he is in the know and everyone else is an outsider. One way of preserving his status as the BBC Finance guru i suppose.
Sorry O/T
Just watched FMQ’s
Is Johann Lamont that thick that she thinks Westminster “bails out” Scotland from it’s huge profitable earnings.
Every country (except Norway) is borrowing most of the time. The fact that Westminster borrows over £100billion pounds and sends some to Scotland after deducting allocated costs (an unreasonable share of the costs).
This myth that Scotland is being assisted / helped / maintained is utter nonsense.
Is she so thick that she cannot see this as a typical street con whereby you hand over cash and the other person pays with a credit card and then complains at the end of the month that you won’t pay half the interest.
We have paid millions of pounds in interest on borrowed money that was not spent in Scotland. The true cost of our borrowed money is a significantly higher interest rate than the UK enjoys. This internal manipulation of funds bleeds Scotland to the benefit of the rUK.
She is either thick or trying to mislead the public (OK the option both of the above should have been there).
I really don’t think she can grasp that the £1.4 Trillion of debt including quantative easing is real. She seems to treat it as the bank of mum and dad – only the Scots are actually borrowing money it appears.
Sorry for the rant but having a “party leader” who has such a poor grasp of finance should worry everyone.
Look Skye Walker @ 1.18 pm I can’t access the recording what was the gist of it please
Grace took on a lot of UKOK garbage with “Scottish newspapers, they’re not, they don’t represent us” and Grace was too polite to tell both Kaye or that pledge signing ConDem liar, that the BBC in Scotland costs Scotland over £300 million, most of which goes on BetterTogether vote naw brainwashing. It will never be forgotten.
@Look Skye Walker
What a lady, absolutely brilliant. 😀
Good analysis of simplistic BBC coverage of Scottish budget by Derek Boothman
Forgot the link
http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-opinion/8875-stop-press
Sorry O/T. Just heard on the news that SG is to give payrise to NHS Scotland, in contrast to south of the border. Union here happy with SG implementing the pay review recommendations, whilst strikes being called for in the south.
Clootie
I think it fair to say that economics is not Johann’s strong suit.
When LibDem politico Jim Hume states that Better Together are funded by individual donations, while the YES Campaign according to him are Scottish Government funded, he is a liar! Sue me Mr.Hume – and I’ll produce in court my bank a/c records to show that I personally donated to the YES Campaign, doubtless like hundreds of others. And I don’t think any of the YES Campaign contributors have also gifted money to a war criminal the likes of Arkan!
@ Look Skye Walker 1.18pm
Loved Grace (the caller) slapping down the LibDem politico (Jim Hume MSP), “Well, I don’t know who you are…”
This mild-mannered, polite but determined elderly lady ripped the BT apart, not a nasty cybernat in sight.
Who are the listeners going to believe deep down in their hearts? A lovely gran or a slick politician? Or indeed the BBC in Scotland presenter srabbling for something, anything, when the programme seemed to go off-message (off BT message, that is)?
HEY HEY!
I got exactly the same letter (twice).
I’m still transferring my pension and saving elsewhere though, because I havent heard a retraction from the BBC.
look skye walker 1.18. She,s no ( by the Grace of God ) She,s
Amazing GRACE, 76 yrs auld an canny be fooled,your family must
be fair proud as a Mum/Gran Grace,You are a breath of fresh air
& a wecome voice in pushing home the message, WEIl done GRACE.
@ HandandShrimp
It would be also fair to say that politics isn’t one of Johann’s strong suits either.
Missed FMQ’s the last two weeks and frankly feel better for it. Toe curling cringe to listen to a bunch of third rate no hopers on the opposition benches telling me that I’m not entitled to independence as we’re too skint.
Ms Lamont would have trouble understanding how to play OXO especially since that financial wizard Andy Kerr took away the only labour calculator after being booted out at the last election.
Thanks for posting the Grace phone call, I enjoyed her contribution and it was straight from the heart.
🙂
“Wouldn’t they? ”
Scottish NHS.
Most employees will receive a 1% rise but if earning less than £20000 will get an extra £300. BBC down South report.
JohnKing, noo thats no fair ( tumbleweed ) ah thought
it wiv the song Drifting Along With the Tumbling Tumbleweed,
ah even put on ma cowboy hat tae listen,GRRRR.
As to Standard Life.
Their reply – or, indeed their initial statement that was so incredibly spun by the “Scottish” MSM – is par for course for any big company. They want to keep their customers and investors and stakeholders happy, wherever they are, so they issue these placatory statements.
These companies work across national and currency borders every day. SL has subsidiaries in a dozen countries over several currencies. Why would indy Scotland be a problem? Unless it was a personal problem for the head honchos?
It’s the duty of company directors to identify risks and opportunities for the company. It’s only prudent that SL or any other Scottish financial/insurance institutions plan for every contingency. (Funny how the OPPORTUNITIES are never highlighted in the MSM…)
One contingency is Scottish independence. As a lot of SL’s business is in England, it makes sense to set up English subsidiaries (UK laws might decree this) but they’re not going to suddenly move 5,000 highly skilled jobs to England. The cost and skills shortage would be prohibitive.
Maybe, in the long run, SL (or any other big business threatening to leave) jobs would trickle down to England. But this assumes that Scots and Scottish businesses in an independent Scotland would not need banking and insurance services, which is just silly.
Funny that a small independent country like Finland (pop. 5.4 million, no oil) has banks and insurance companies desperately fighting for market shares in that smallish independent country. We just don’t have London-style funny money banking and obscene bankers’ bonuses. Do we feel sorry about that? Naw.
No companies are going to leave in a huff no matter what their fully paid up members of the British Establishment BT CEOs might say. It just makes no business sense to leave a ready, established market in a wealthy country and leave it wide open to competitors (the ones with less BT huffy and more business-smart CEOs).
If you’ve worked hard for years, decades, for that market share, you’re not going to drop it at Gideon’s bidding.
That’s also why the big money will come in support of a currency union and lean on Gideon to publicly support it, especially after a YES vote in September. A currency union is good for the rUK trade balance and helps to stabilise the economy and the currency IN THE UK.
A currency union might also be good for Scotland in the short term, to ensure a smooth transition. At the moment, it’s good for the YES campaign, trying to allay the fears of people who’ve been told they won’t have any money (pounds) if they vote YES.
Viewing this from a distance, I see that Scotland’s and rUK’s political views and aspirations are increasingly different. Indy Scotland will also have right-wing parties arguing for less tax for the rich but at least they’d be indiginous.
And the Labour movement could well be the biggest winner of all. Free from Westminster-focussed UK New Labour, they could return to their old values and even skelp the SNP in Holyrood elections. Maybe even form coalition governments with the other moderate lefty parties… like the SNP…
Well, you can dream… 😀
“ah even put on ma cowboy hat tae listen,GRRRR.”
Ok who told Ronnie I had a cowboy hat?
have you been speaking to Albalha Ronnie? 🙂
Your wish is my command ronnie get yer chaps on 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=drifting%20along%20with%20the%20tumbling%20tumbleweed&sm=1
JohnKing ,Thanks John, ah wee song fae Slim Whitman wuld hey done
ah gave a neghbours Daughter a rockinhorse jist yesterday,an
thats jist as weil, ah could have hud a misshap,ooch.
“ah gave a neghbours Daughter a rockinhorse jist yesterday,an
thats jist as weil, ah could have hud a misshap,ooch.”
Theres nuthin worse than a skelf in the bahooky ouch! 😉
What would be interesting would be interviewing Standard Life’s Chairperson and asking their view on the risk to their business of a Labour government in the UK dropping higher rate tax relief to 20%.
What actions will they be taking to mitigate this risk that will become a fact if Labour get voted in at Westminster in 2015.
Clootie, Last time I checked Norway were borrowing money.
The daft buggers were borrowing at about 2.75% and investing it in their Oil fund which was giving them an average return of about 7%. How dumb is that 🙂
Just listened to the clip with Grace, amazing lady!
I know it’s naïve, but I still get disturbed when I hear elected politicians telling blatant lies on the radio or TV. I don’t think Hume said one single thing that was the truth, quite astonishing really. And I note that the ever so impartial BBC Louise managed to shoehorn the amount in as often as possible, well done hen.
check this out
effin hilarious
http://www.toryhoose.com/ 🙂
@john king – JoLa looks suitably astonished and Flipper Brittania..LOL
Stuart Black, not only did she mention the £1.25M all the time, the fact is that amount is an estimate that they themselves came up with. SG contacted them to state it was £800K, but they still kept on with their own estimate.