Barely worth the bother
Even the faithful Scottish media can scarcely rouse itself to hype up Gordon Brown’s latest lumbering “intervention” in the independence debate this morning. The Scotsman buries the story in a corner of page 5, below a big spread about the ongoing implosion of CBI Scotland, and it doesn’t make the Herald’s online front page at all.
(Indeed, even in the paper’s “Referendum News” section it’s only story #6, below the CBI, more attacks on Alistair Darling’s leadership of the No campaign and a vile piece of “FOREIGNERS!” dog-whistle politicking from Labour nonentity Gregg McClymont.)
It’s not too hard to work out why.
Well, it sure sounds like the UK’s in a pretty big pensions mess whether Scotland becomes independent or not, so voting No will offer no protection. (Luckily an independent Scotland will at least be able to save billions of pounds on nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, foreign wars, HS2 and so on to plug the hole.)
But can anyone recall who was responsible for creating that mess?
Oh yeah, now we remember.
Coming soon from “Better Together”: Josef Fritzl’s Parenting Handbook.
With the news of a football manager for a football team getting his P45, Mr Brown has rightly been relegated.
You’ve missed the best one Stu. Here’s the UK and Scottish editions of the Daily Express. Can anyone spot the very subtle difference?
link to twitter.com
Having significantly contributed to the pensions crisis, Brown is desperately trawling the country to blame everyone else.
If Gordon Brown ignores and re-writes economic history why on earth would anyone listen to his own imaginary future.
I know there are many good Fifers out there but will any of them own up to keeping these Muppets in a job? He should be up on criminal charges for what he did with the pensions and for what he’s doing now. Is he going to receive payment for today’s speech?
Gordon Brown (Bad Loser & Yesterday Man) GIRUY !
Look, a broon squirrel!
The big question is, what’s worse – a Time Bomb or a Black Hole?
@Doug Daniel
Amazing! Says it all really.
Brown should be arrested for his crimes, and his assets seized and given to good causes. That might plug some of the “black hole”…just a thought!
After what Gordon Brown did to the UK Pensions Industry, why would anyone take what he says as gospel – even if he is a son of the manse.
Splendid addition, Doug
@ Dougie Daniel
Well spotted Dougie!
If this was going to be made public rather than just a Westminster secret, I am indeed happy it has happened on Gordon Brown’s preaching day. Hell mend him!
@Doug Daniel:
A subtlety only the Express can achieve. Incroyable!
Next Broon will be shouting off about how to regulate banks. Or, the best way to sell gold on the cheap. He could highlight all sorts of ‘deficiencies’ relating to a future independent Scotland. Like, we won’t be able to finance illegal military expeditions to the Middle East.
Just saw that twin newspaper headline,must be different briefings for north and south after all
.
@swello..
“Time Bomb” is a chess strategy from years and years ago..cant quite recall which player developed it though due to old age. (May have been Spaski)*spelling*?
I stole the name as my old CB handle as a kid.
Seeing as Time Bomb was a 15/20 move future strategy, seems unlikely Broon is capable of such planning, so Black Hole for me.
Gordon Brown decimated the UK pension pot
You need to be a labour diehard to listen to his speech today
@Doug Daniel
Note too that the two box headline stories above had a blue background in the English editions but this has turned black in the Scottish version to emphasise subtly the doom laden story below it.
Elementary media studies but how many will notice it?
Such is what we are up against in the MSM.
They have no-one to blame but themselves. So much of the UK government’s power is by whipping up uncertainty and fear for the future, when they try to say the UK is *safer* on one hand yet at risk of collapse on the other, how can they possibly expect it not to backfire?
Fear of nuclear retaliation feeds foreign wars and grotesque military spending. Fear of terrorism feeds the erosion of our privacy and personal rights. Fear of the future feeds the gambling culture of insurance, pensions and lotteries. The UK government sustains itself by presenting the world as a dangerous, unpredictable place at the brink of all-out anarchy. Is it any surprise that their constant claims of security, happiness and contentment in the UK ring so hollow after years trying to convince the very same people that it’ll all go to hell at the drop of a hat?
@Doug Daniel
Good spot. Double standards as expected.
What about this one ref Brown’s speech on Pensions today.
rt.com/news/scotland-independence-poll-labour-956/
And the following comment. WOW!!! Sure we’ll get looked after.
“I’m a Yorkshireman myself, the wife is Welsh but we now live in London.
Having never been to Scotland it is undeniably obvious to me that Scotland would be looked after far better by remaining under the control of Westminster.
After all they have an inferior education system, can barely speak the Queens tongue, have squandered there natural resources, have a population per sq mile greater than London, will one day lose their wind power and I expect that within a generation drought conditions will turn Scotland into South Sudan.
Clearly England will look after you.”
@ Doug Daniel
Well spotted…the Daily Express are masters at taking the truth from around the world and turning it into a lie here in Scotland!
O/T anyone else experienced being blocked from NNS without explanation?
Radio 3 still managed to tell listeners this morning that Brown was going to warn the Scots about a pensions black hole. No mention of any of the other matters touched on above.
The big question is, will he face any real questions after his lecture or give any media interviews, or will it be out of a side door and into a blacked-out limo back to the bunker?
“Seasick Dave”
ROFLMAO, thanks for that.
There’s the Good the Bad & the Ugly an then ther’s
Broon the Auld LOON,see ah didna mention two of the latter.
Well done Doug,different strokes fur different pokes,we,re
the wans gitting the shafting.
Aye, I noticed how low a profile El Gordo’s latest guff is getting. CBI scandal etc far more newsworthy.
Meanwhile, sightly O/T…This line from the Herald struck me as interesting.
link to heraldscotland.com
A senior Nationalist yesterday said the pro-independence campaign could draw level with the No camp in the opinion polls as early as next week
Now if that’s true…well, you wouldn’t say that unless you had information about a new poll(s) would you?
@ Morag
Radio 3? So you’re the one
I wonder if his much heralded “moral compass” from his days in power, will allow him to hold a Q & A session after his speech, just as Alex Salmond and his Scottish Cabinet do when they’re touring the country and meeting in various locations around Scotland?
On the other hand, maybe he’ll stomp out of an arranged interview like he did last time he was up here because he was asked an unscripted question, or just scurry off in his limo like Gideon did?
Broon’s intended speech given prominence
On BBC Scotland and network tv news this
Morning.Probably will be given more prominence
In “Scottish editions” of daily newspapers tomorrow.
Brown began his political career with the opinion the SNP was not necessarily a bad force for it it meant Scotland gaining real social rights, so be it. Reference: Hapless Gordon/grousebeater.wordpress.
Today’s front pages from the English and Scottish Daily Express will stand for all time as a prime example of the black propaganda one nation upon another.
Aye, even BBC Scotland came to the conclusion that their daily ‘There’s a warning today that independence will…’ schtick wouldn’t be served by Broon’s saturnine hypocrisy.
Doug, that is a belter. Who knew that sticking the word ‘Scottish’ above a newspaper could make such a difference?
@Swello
“The big question is, what’s worse – a Time Bomb or a Black Hole?”
Ahh, if you put the time bomb in the black hole then the time bomb will never explode, unless you have a TARDIS but then we couldn’t cos we won’t get Dr Who…
So, in summary, I think we are safe
O/T theycan’tbeserious @ 10.22
I noted on NNS yesterday that they closed your account for use of the Norwegian collaborator word!!
@Doug,
I tale It the 5p version is for southern readers?
Scottish_Skier – note that the quote further down the article from the “senior Nationalist source” actually says “within weeks”, rather than “next week”. A wee bit of, how shall we put it, “creative journalism” going on there.
Between Lord Hee Haw Robertson and Gordon Brown,
are they planning to wipe Scotland off the map with an
“apocalyptic time-bomb”
Scary stuff.
And this is Better Together’s positive message to Scotland.
@Doug Daniel 10:01
Great link – thank you
That sums it up far better than any words could do.
What an example of double standards.
I hope that gets fired round the social media today.
It seems to me the negative campaign from No could now be a smokescreen.
Everyone wonders what the next scare story will be, i am more concerned about what they will try grab for Ruk benefit.
They know they are ruined by a Yes vote, will westminster try to tie the negotiations up in litigation for years “clarifying” ownership of this that and the next thing?
Will they try through international courts to hold onto their sea grab to keep more oil and gas for themselves?
Assuming they attempt these sort of tactics to harm Scotland financially, do we have a counter strategy, or is it the position we do not need one as i am hopefully talking rubbish from a position of deep seated mistrust of westminster in general ?
Read the rest? then goes on to show the headlines that dog the westminster establishment.
I’ve been plugging away about the UK pension black hole for ages and I’m glad we’re now highlighting it.
Then there’s this!!!
link to marketwatch.com
Westminster knows it and it wouldn’t surprise me if the polls show YES taking a lead right up to the referendum, that westminster will panic and yield to FFA, their version anyway.
Westminster will be sunk, a simple fact they’ve not told EWNI about.
@theycantbeserious 10:22
Banned last year. Couldn’t get any response to my emails on being unable to logon. I eventually created a new user name to post and was told I was blocked.
I have never received a response to any email. No warning no explanation, no duration.
It is their site but it doesn’t excuse bad manners.
My crime was using the word ("Tractor" - Ed) once!
@scottish_skier
So soon? I was estimating around June. Gotta be some artistic license going on there.
How are Westminster going to fill that massive black hole in their state pension system?
Google “nationalised pensions”.
@Clootie.
I have fired it off to as many people as I can, including USA and Australia.
What kind of brain do you have to have that would make you go out and spend money on that rag?
Apparently Gordon Brown made use of details contained in a leaked document (see yesterday’s Gruniard). Does this mean he is guilty of handling stolen goods, as well as knackering the economy and funding an illegal war?
@ theycan’tbeserious
Aye HERE.
Dear MSM,
If Scottish and English voters really do, as you keep telling us, have exactly the same attitudes and values (on most issues), then why the hell do you persist on feeding us completely different headlines in the North and South editions of your newspapers?
One nation indeed.
@scottish_skier
Regarding the poll percentages. I am not surprised that YES is on the rise, but what is starting to get really puzzling is that over 40% of Scots still want to stay in this Union.
I can’t be long before it is No who will be sitting on the mid-30% mark.
I have emailed the Express, asking for an explanation as to why they have such differing headlines in the two countries.
Full contact details of Daily Express:-
link to express.co.uk
Newsnet Scotland is to Ruby Murray as Sex Pistols is to Wings. (Testing the Rev Johnny Rotton).
The more variety of appealing blogs the better.As said above in a different context; different strokes for different folks!
Scotland can choose ! Vote YES.
Off topic: Very good response by this defence worker to Hammond in Glasgow (it’s the 30 seconds between 1.20 and 1.50)
link to bbc.co.uk
Re CBI. I see that Nosheena Mobarik, Chairwoman of CBI Scotland, is one of the Tory candidates for ‘the Scotland region’ in the forthcoming European elections
link to ukpollingreport.co.uk
The Express front page makes for a very good facebook entry. It really does capture the crap that is routinely reported in Scotland.
Not O/T I hope because it’s about the BBC radio/TV withholding info they don’t want to be heard.
Jimmy Savile story on GMS said that people could sue for up to £60,000 if they had a case. I wondered who they would be suing, but found out later on Teletext that it was the NHS, Savile’s estate——–AND THE BBC!
That’ll be the Teletext guy for the sack, for breaking the BBC rules.
O/T
10,000 Flags for Yes fundraiser on Indiegogo has only 4 days left to run. The have almost made their target and just need a wee nudge over the edge.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/10-000-flags-for-yes–11#home
SquareHaggis:
Lies cost more to manufacture.
Poor El Gordo, his timing is always crap. His career is like watching a comedy film where events all conspire to work against the master being recognised as genius and saviour. He must feel he’s in one of those horrible dreams where everything is going against you reaching your destination. Poor El Gordo, nothing left but piles of money. Aw…
@The ItalianJob – that has to be a wind -up – ‘one day(Scotland will)lose their wind power and I expect that within a generation drought conditions will turn Scotland into South Sudan.’
Someone’s definitely taking the piss.
link to youtube.com
Gross
The big question is, what’s worse – a Time Bomb or a Black Hole?
I thought it was a sink hole!
What am I to do now, move home, pour concrete everywhere, buy a barrel of Dulux Pure Brilliant White, or wear a blast suit?
I read that Gordon’s doing his pensions thing as an official part of the better together campaign. Has he abandoned the ‘united with labour’ initiative then?
PS
Just been surveyed in Glenrothes by the Courier.
You don’t have to do the survey but can take part by placing a coloured ball in one of two plastic tubes to show contrast, yellow YES, white NO.
Just started when I left but yellow had very slight lead by about 12 balls to 9. I don’t expect that to last long
link to thecourier.co.uk
LOVE the excellent product placement of the ad in the Scotsman – funeral required soon for a dead CBI.
BBC Scotland’s Brian Taylor gave an update on the Gordon Brown scare story on the BBC News channel 5 mins ago.
Completely one-sided report of what Brown will warn Scots pensioners about.
And in all his excitement, Brian forgot to report on any rebuttal from Yes Scotland or the SNP.
The pathetic and bias BBC.
Flash (Harry) Gordon is not only yesterday’s man he’s a 1980s politician, who’s time came and went before he wasn’t elected as prime minister. Just goes to show how big and all consuming the Labour Communications machine had to get to hide and spin Brown’s incompetence as a chancellor. Pension raids, back door privatisations, Gold sold for pittance to USA Fed (now probably in Germany), PFI, further de-regulation of the banks, inequality, low wage economy, bloated public sector, further de-industrialisation, vote for war, end of boom and bust (snigger), devaluing the £pound through QE, all worship the finance sector our only true creator of all things.
Yeah thanks Gordon, shall we pool and share your primeminesterial pension then?
O/T I hear the University of John Curtice (aka Strathclyde) has resigned from the CBI.
Gordon Brown.
David Moyes.
Could they be related, by any chance?
Murray McCallum
Keeping themselves honest.
GMS Radio Scotland this morning. David Torrance and Murray Ritchie(?)opine on the state of the campaigns so far. Torrance playing the usual game, perhaps this, maybe that but his ‘better together’ colours shine through.
Also he admitted the YES Scotland were formidable and ruthlessly efficient after a sentence before calling them dysfunctional!!
The campaigns starts after the EU elections says Mr Ritchie
2hrs:09mins in for 6 mins
link to bbc.co.uk
O/T sos Rev, Bbc detector van stopped outside my living room window,staggered out to give them a verbal, they buggered off, must be the way I walk, I guess they dont
like Drunken Ducks, you,s awe know fae the Counting House bash ah drink Irn Bru Highlander Crisps optunal. ha ha ha
And there goes the Law Society…
link to lawscot.org.uk
Front page Guardian on my Aberdeen station news stand this morning really thumps in UKOK daily fear bomb home with “pension time bomb found in Scotland” blast but they’ve merely joined the Mail, Express etc headline frighteners.
BetterTogether Press and Journal barely give poor old Brown a column but Anne Begg is wheeled out to state Aberdeen will vote No as same P&J survey in Feb said near 70% Aberdeen vote no and then there’s this ghastly slander from betterTogetherBBC dj Tom Morton. Holy shit these guys have it in for Scottish democracy but would anyone let their kids near a BBC studio, even in Shetland.
link to archive.today
The brass neck of the man. First thing he done on becoming chancellor was to raid pension funds. Everyone who is in receipt of a pension or is in a pension fund is worse off because of this one man.
Do you remember the 75p state pension rise? In 2000. The chancellor? Got it on one.
No doubt he will not be asked about these issues when he is interviewed. What interview you ask?
Just got an election leaflet from british seperatists ukip,no mention in the blurb of the party likely to win in Scotland.Recycled.
@ call me dave, thanks for that, Ronnie and I seem to be the only ones commenting though.
@Betty Boop.
What’s the story with the flags? I’m interested in 1 or 2. Do you donate and get 1 for every £5 you donate?
@alexicon.
Please click the link Betty Boop gave.
All shall be revealed.
Then you can donate.
My one wish is that Gordon does some doorstepping in Dunfermline. I missed battering him during the 2011 Election when I had his horrible face in my sights. Sadly Hubby looked at the Goon Squad looking after him and dragged my away. I hope he does go round Kirkcaldy I am sure there are a few people there who absolutely dislike the man as much as I do.
@Luigi I thought the same thing about the differences between Scotland and rUK. So I’ve tweeted David Aaronovitch the picture to get his reaction. Sure he’ll have an answer for us very soon …
To be fair he did respond to me last time, just after the ‘conversation’ with Lesley Riddoch.
Just got a lovely Pink Yes badge delivered courtesy of the SNP. Now that is going on the coat with Ronnie’s badge.
only £50 to go…
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/10-000-flags-for-yes–11#home
Go on, get yourself a flag.. you know you want too…
OT/
and on behalf of Ian Brotherhood, ‘Pace picking up, but another 838 signatures needed – let’s get them tonight so that RGU will be forced to join whoever else is bailing out from CBI tomorrow.
It’s an open door.’
link to tinyurl.com
After what Broon did to the pensions, you’d think he’d keep his trap shut. But no. He’s over in the Guardian telling us we’re facing a pensions timebomb – and he was the one who caused it.
Brown- you almost feel sorry for the No campaign at times. This fine Charlie Brooker piece from 2009 reminds us of what a total disaster the man is.
link to theguardian.com
CBI,BT,Gordon Brown couldn’t of read Gerald Ratners book
Brilliant Stuart, i love the way your forcing the bias MSM to work for you!
Came across this. Some details from ICM for the Sunday Telegraph on motivations for people voting UKIP.
link to icmresearch.com
Q5. As you may know, opinion polls, council elections and other recent elections have shown an increase in support for the UK Independence Party. Which ONE of the following statements do you think best explains UKIP’s increase in popularity?
42% People feel dissatisfied with the mainstream parties (Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats)
26% They are strong on immigration
24% They want to take Britain out of the European Union
5% Nigel Farage is a charismatic and convincing leader
2% They have a credible plan for Britain’s economy
Look at the first, and notably the last one in particular.
Aye, vote No for a Tory majority in 2015.
They’ll get the protest vote next month, but UKIPers will return to the Tories for 2015.
According to BBC Scotland, today Gordon Brown will say that “We have contributed in UK National Insurance all our lives to spread the risks of poverty in retirement.”
He builds on the myth that NI is some sort of insurance pot that we pay into and, by implication, we will lose in a YES vote. Please see this piece in the Telegraph for more info on what NI actually is.
link to telegraph.co.uk
Meanwhile in Catalonia, the vote won’t be recognised.
link to thelocal.es
From Hansard, 15/05/2013:
“Treasury
Advance Corporation Tax
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer
(1) what estimate his Department has made of the contribution of the abolition of advanced corporation tax to the reduction in the value of pension funds; [154632]
(2) how much has been raised by the withdrawal of advance corporation tax credit on pensions. [154633]
Sajid Javid: No recent assessment has been made of the impact on pension funds of the withdrawal by the previous Government in the late 1990s of the payable dividend tax credit. It is not possible to estimate this reliably, owing to the length of time that has passed and the wide range of factors that may have affected pension funds’ asset base and investment strategy in the intervening years.
Papers released by the previous Administration on this issue can be found at:
link to webarchive.org.uk
15 May 2013 : Column 270W”
link to publications.parliament.uk
*
The pdfs from HM Treasury archive link are pretty dry stuff, but well worth a read as they were confidential policy memos of the day (May-June 1997). The “Assessment of impact on pensions schemes and insurers” pdf shows that the risks to pensions were known. Para 20 onwards deals with potential “behavioural changes”.
Thank you Gordon Brown and New Labour for following Norman Lamont’s thinking on this issue (see “Explanatory statement” pdf).
Of course, the existing state pension is the worst in Europe and only Mexico in the OECD has a worse pension to earnings ratio ccording to this:
link to money.aol.co.uk
Coming soon from “Better Together”: Josef Fritzl’s Parenting Handbook.
That must be one of the best last lines in any of your articles for some time Stu…EXCELLENT!
Grouse Beater writes, “Today’s front pages from the English and Scottish Daily Express will stand for all time as a prime example of the black propaganda one nation upon another.” Not so: the editor and owners of the Daily Express do not represent the ‘nation’ of England. They are just a small part of the capitalist class, the tiny group of people who own everything in Britain, including the media. This capitalist class is the enemy of all the people of Britain. They play divide and rule, so that they can keep ruling us all.
Anyone bothered to look past the headlines of the express front pages to see that one is about the private sector pension black hole and the other is about the Scottish public pension bill.
Despite the usual black propaganda I still think it’s fantastik that all of this is pouring out all over the place before Brown even gets the chance to spew his lies out to an ever out of touch media.
What a balloon, it could only happen to mr. calamity himself.
Anyone bothered to actually look into the UK public pension bill, could refer to this independent charity-commissioned expert paper.
link to if.org.uk
“36 (75%) of the respondents said they thought that the UK’s public sector pension liabilities would not be paid in full.”
Great post Stu!
I will be printinting these headlines out,as I cant bring myself to buy these papers,for when i go chapping doors in Musselburgh Weds.
No doubt Brown will be featuring in the MSM by then and I will have these to hand to remind folk of his dirty deeds,and the fact Scotland will be better able to afford pensions than the UK!
Mr and Mrs Brown have a nice charity called the office of Gordon and Sarah Brown. The problem is 75% of the monies raised go to two people guess who?
I think I might switch from Yes to No. What with Brown and their new posters.
Debbiethebruce, make sure you explain to people that the articles are about two separate issues, wouldn’t want to be misleading now would we?
The hypocrisy of all these Labour big hitters whenever they come on our tellies to lecture and warn us is breath taking. I hope that in a newly independent Scotland we will not be subjected to nearly as much BS as we have had to put up with by being joined politically to Westminster. Not much chance of that though if we just keep long established media and the same ties to the same people in power instead of bringing forward new and less prone to be bias organizations. Just noticed there will be a party political broadcast by the SNP at 5 to 6pm on bbc 2. I`m guessing it will be to do with the EU elections. Hope they hammer home how important these elections are and how we need a truly Scottish party to represent us at that level this time and every time.
I have to pick up on the old post link about “Foreigners” that was in the article. This is something which I did a bit of research on a while back, and wrote a blog post on it a while ago. Being British has sod all to do with being English, Being British applies to us all, and will after a Yes vote as equally as it is today. Don’t believe me, Have a look at the evidence.
link to viewsfromtheside.wordpress.com
@msean
Yes, I got a leaflet through my door today too, from UKIP. Look at the picture at the top of the second page. Could have sworn it was Diane from the Woolpack in Emmerdale – turns out it’s Viviane Reding from the European Commission.
Brilliant work, Rev Stu, and enhanced by Doug’s spot, well done both of you.
Looks like like a big leaflet campaign from ukip got one today Ayrshire, last week i got YES leaflets.
A lady friend working in London coming up to retirement was robbed of her pension as the age was increased by three years and then a further two meanwhile she has discovered stage four cancer and is now under palliative care, so unfair.
Broon and Blair,never mind the politics they are war criminals with much blood on there grubby hands.
The Daily Express front pages in England and Scotland today. Spot the subtle difference
link to twitter.com
5689472/photo/1
Zoltan tried link and was told page doesn’t exist
O/T onzebill – Thank you for that. My Norwegian is a bit rusty. Now I know…I maybe should have referred to George Robertson as “Judas” instead.
Roll_On_2014 – Seems I’m in good company, I guess some truths are better than others!
NO More Boom and Bust !!!!!
I think Gordon got that wrong as well ….
As reported today in Scottish Energy News……
“Scottish Energy News has asked the Scottish Government for details of how many, and which, other Scottish higher educational bodies – such as colleges and universities, who may be actively involved in Scotland’s renewable energy sector through research, innovation, collaboration and spin-out private/ public partnerships and who are supported by taxpayers money – are members of the CBI.
As we report, above, Scottish Enterprise paid £10,000 a year to the CBI. Given the multiplicity of public sector quangos which are directly and/or indirectly supported by the Scottish Government with taxpayer’s funds – this total could easily mount to £100,000 a year or more.”
It occurs to me to wonder what universities and such like bodies are doing in the CBI in the first place. Was nobody else surprised by how far this has gone?
I was aware that the nature of those bodies had been forcibly changed along with so much else. But even given the corruption of universities I had not realised that they now think of themselves as businesses pure and simple. Why do we fund these places if that is the case? They should go the whole american hog and become private, if that is how they see themselves
Our mission…
…is to promote the conditions in which businesses of all sizes and sectors in the UK can compete and prosper for the benefit of all. To achieve this, we campaign in the UK, the EU and internationally for a competitive policy landscape.