Caught between
Posted on
September 27, 2014 by
Chris Cairns
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
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What a wonderful squalid experience, sitting at table with a former chairman of a corrupt company (the Weir Group) that was found guilty of kick backs to Saddam Hussein, and that successfully helped to deflect Scotland’s destiny.
Dear Smithy, he of the memorable name, Lord Smith of Kelvin, or is it Lord Kelvin of Smarmy? – was all-too happy to ‘draw a line’ under the bribery scandal.
Was he snoozing on his watch, guardian of Weir Group morals and ethics? If so, I am sure it was justified, after all, it’s jolly hard telling apart all those chaps who wear beards, and tea towels on their head.
Yes, Westminster chose wisely, the best man for the job of steering Scotland towards full democracy – so long as fees come wrapped in a brown paper bag via a Swiss bank account to a front company for dispersal.
There he is, Smithy, surrounded by various low-life enemies of democracy, all there to discuss what freedoms and liberty might be slyly held back from too stupid Scotland lest its inhabitants get ‘chippy’ again.
A peer chosen to chair a massive kiddy fiddling inquiry steps down because her dad adjudicated a former failed investigation, but we are happy to welcome Lord Smith to decide our nation’s future for he is an honourable man.
George Galloway should act as emcee to welcome him, read out all his achievements, and tell him in no uncertain terms how impressed we are with his his ‘indefatigability.’
B t P
I just found the link on Facebook, I have no idea if the cash goes only to the Sunday Herald or disappears into the general Herald pot. I would hope for the former …..good idea about the euro.
Post disappeared.
Unless we somehow wake up / engage some of the Nos who thought marking an x for Queen and Country was the end of their involvement , we are always going to be on the backfoot.
I’m not talking the ‘ hard Nos ‘ or even people who genuinely feel Westminster works for them , I’m talking about people I know who have no idea / interest where funding comes from , who represents them . Let’s be honest , it’s never really been encouraged and when you’ve got bills, debts, ill health sometimes you want to feel as if things are on a firm footing, then we all come along talking about change.
Somehow , we need to make things relevant to day to day life stuff, then once people follow the trail , it eventually takes you to constitutional change. It’s how we do this that worries me?
Some figures;
Aberdeenshire Counting Officer announces votes cast in Referendum
http://tinyurl.com/kp7wv9u
And parts of Aberdeen;
http://tinyurl.com/nzocfjb
Dundee City
http://tinyurl.com/lvl4koy
@SquareHaggis
Those Aberdeen figures are for a different referendum – about voting systems.
@Capella,
My bad 🙁
Apparently all of the figures relating to the referendum can be viewed here;
http://scottishreferendum.info/
Can’t get on just now though.
Or here;
http://scotlandreferendum.info/
@Natasha says: 28 September, 2014 at 2:54 pm:
“I’ve just picked my head up off the floor!”
Och! Ah! didna want tae beheid onyane! We need all the heads we can get. I’ve watched this situation develope since devolution was proposed and looked, even then, for the thought process behind it. I spent my whole working life in eletro-mechanical engineering and electronics. It teaches you to look for faults in sometimes very complex systems. Many times I’ve seen people looking for obscure faults but failing to check if the main switch was turned on. The human thought process is strange and we often arrive at the right conclusion without realising how we got there.
Here’s a strange one for you. I have hearing problems that mean I struggle to decipher conversations over a phone line. So I decided to instal a phone that incorporates an answer-phone and FAX machine. I have a voice message on that phone saying I cannot hear the phone and please FAX the same number, text me on my, (and I give my mobile Phone number), or email me, (and I give my email address). So what do the majority of callers do? ,,, That’s right, they leave me a voice message that I hear but cannot decipher.
So I looked at the problem the UK government had and were attempting to solve by forming a devolved Parliament in Scotland. The first fact was their object was NOT to benefit Scotland but to prevent Scottish Independence. The next step was to ask myself why they did not want Scotland to leave. Then, as the situation developed the question became why would they not devolve the powers equally to the four countries and that was answered by the fact that they did not devolve powers to England and the plot became crystal clear. The old, old, United Kingdom of the British Empire days methods of working the Empire – divide and conquer.
It was simplicity itself to see there was only two viable plans.
1 – A fully Federal Government with each country making its own arrangements within its own country – the larger England probably nationalizing itself to be even handed.
2 – Four fully independent nations who would probably continue to be each other’s best friends.
No way could the country of England be allowed to become the master state. After all they had all waged war with each other throughout their entire history with England succeeding to annex all but Scotland. So here we are with just that situation in place but with N. Ireland in particular more Unionist minded than the English themselves and Wales being an English Principality since 1284 and mainly happy now to be so. Only Scotland had, under duress, joined in union by a treaty. The conclusion was stark We now have a de facto Parliament of England actually in charged and devolving English powers to the countries of Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland and a union no longer a bipartite union of Kingdoms.
Re fracking. Would be interesting to see what mps have shares in these companies.
Then in June the Labour party confirmed that it would support the Government in removing householders rights to object to drilling under their homes via the trespass law
At this juncture over 45,000 legal oppositions to block energy companies from drilling became useless, as they no longer needed to notify you and no longer even needed your permission.
http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/09/27/fracking-scotland/
Nana Smith
Thanks for posting the piece on fracking from Bella. As one of the commenters suggested, perhaps this is the issue that will bring a lot of the complacent, I’m alright Jack middle class no voters on side – politicise them at least. Fracking companies don’t care who voted no and who voted yes.
I think the Scottish Government need to insist they control this in the settlement (whatever else is given) and really take WM on, not just because fracking in the densely populated central belt is madness, but also because they have nothing to loose and everything to gain from siding with homeowners, rich and poor.
BTW Dart Energy have an office in Stirling – wonder how they would like a few hundred folk turning up with spades to start exploration under their office? Just a thought!
@Robert Peffers
You’re right, of course. 🙂
It reminds me a bit of Methven & the Bruce’s disappearance to me.
After the murder of Wallace, Scotland was believed defeated (“Devolution will kill Nationalism stone dead”). Then from out of nowhere, the idea of Scottish independence hit like a thunderbolt when Bruce murdered Comyn (Salmond slaughters Darling/SNP trumps Labour). Edward appointed someone linked to Comyn, Aymer de Valence, as the plenipotentiary of Scotland (Gordon Brown acting as “governor” of Scotland). Edward ordered de Valence to raise the Dragon Banner, signalling no quarter or mercy to Bruce and his followers (no currency union?). Edward held a banquet in May, and took a solemn oath – the Oath of the Swans – to avenge Comyn’s death and the treachery of the Scots (the Vow).
Valence worked with Comyn’s supporters (Labour Party in Scotland) and made his base of operations at Perth. The Bruce’s army came to Perth. The later battle was characterised by the Bruce following the gentlemanly convention of feudal warfare, while Valence was ruthless and uncompromising (Yes campaign vs No campaign’s tactics). The Bruce offered to meet Valence on the battlefield, but Valence declined (Brown declined a debate with the FM). Bruce retired for Methven, but trusted in Valence to adhere to the rules of chivalry (the Edinburgh Agreement) and didn’t erect defensive pickets around his army. Just before, Valence’s army took the Bruce by surprise and almost destroyed his smaller army (the referendum), violating the rules of Medieval chivalry in their determination to crush the Bruce.
After Methven, the Bruce went into hiding – this was the period of the famous spider episode – and was excommunicated (Alex Salmond steps down as FM), but support for the cause continues to grow in his absence (SNP/SGP/SSP membership flourishes) while lands owned by the Bruce were granted to Edward’s followers (Sir Ian Wood gets fracking license for areas which coincidentally had large Yes following).
What happens next? Well, on his return in February, the Scots leader will engage in a different type of warfare (no longer FM, he’s no longer fettered by the office), taking back his former lands (the SNP strongholds which insanely voted No), destroying the power of the Comyns once and for all (Labour in Scotland). The Bruce – and the campaign for independence – was marked by nearly unstoppable momentum from 1308-1314 (the growing independence movement, the “45”). Castle after castle fell, and the Bruce even raided into England and the Isle of Man (perhaps Alex could come south to inspire the English left, or even come down to Westminster itself as an MP to REALLY kick the Tories’ erses?)
Then we have our Bannockburn – another referendum, or another action which would lead to cementing independence. Given the atrocities perpetuated by Westminster, even UDI is starting to look less dangerous than remaining in the UK (like the Bruce being excommunicated, leaving him essentially fair game for any Christian nation in Europe). Like Bannockburn, we’ll have to face overwhelming odds – but like Bannockburn, we’ll be seasoned campaigners, honed, weathered, veterans, used to fighting a guerrila war (grassroots), and subverting the top-down strategy (feudalism), putting the people first (Declaration of Arbroath).
Superb, Taranaich (re post at 10.38). I needed a morale booster after reading the Bella article on fracking Scotland. Here’s more on tracking
http://ragingbullshit.com/2014/09/27/evidence-mounts-of-hidden-fracking-hazards/
“tracking”?! fracking