A better way
On the subject of Trident, which we more or less were, here’s an interesting thing.
It’s a page from the Scottish TUC website. Or at least, it used to be.
An alert reader contacted us this week to ask if we know what had happened to a piece on the trade union organisation’s site entitled “Renewing Trident Will Cost Scotland Jobs” – a position which is, of course, at odds with the official Labour view that NOT renewing the UK’s nuclear weapons system will cost anywhere from 500 to 22,000 jobs at the Faslane base on the Clyde – because it seemed to have vanished.
We hadn’t even heard of it, and when we went digging around for it on archive.org there was no sign, but we eventually managed to turn up a lingering cached version, which we’ve now preserved permanently here.
It appears to date back to February 2007, since which time Scotland’s share of the running and replacement costs of Trident has rocketed from £238 million a year to over £400 million – presumably greatly increasing the number of jobs that the STUC thinks will be put at risk by spending the money on submarines and missiles rather than public services.
We’re not sure if the STUC’s position has changed and it now thinks replacing Trident is a good thing, or if the article’s just been taken down because the figures are now so out of date, or if it’s a glitch on the website. But we’re trying to find out.
Perhaps each country of the UK could have a decomissioned Trident to display as a tribute to mans stupidity pride and folly.
Perhaps the opening sentence was all that was needed to convince them that their policy no longer aligned with Labour who have themselves recently admitted that they would approve a replacement nuclear deterrent.
According to an article in The Independent titled ‘Trident may be retained after Labour rejects Lib Dem idea of three nuclear subs’, at
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/trident-may-be-retained-after-labour-rejects-lib-dem-idea-of-three-nuclear-subs-8710216.html
Labour are effectively rubber stamping its replacement with some sort of like for like system.
Or it could just be poor website authoring.
If Faslane had a future as a conventional naval base serving the UK navy at that time, it doesn’t take a huge leap in imagination to see that it could equally serve as a Scottish base in the future.
Isn’t that SNP policy should we become independent?
Well spotted and there’s obviously a bit of housekeeping going on as Unioinism ‘circle the waggons’ for the referendum next year.
O/T I know, sorry. Can you spot anything odd in this news article….
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-23738234
Go reverend go!
It might interest you to know that some Unions have been polling their members on Scotland on the subject of Scottish Independence and have voiced that they are looking at the possibility of serving members in an independent Scotland.
Vambomarbeleye,
Perhaps each country of the UK could have a decomissioned Trident to display as a tribute to mans stupidity pride and folly.
What a beautiful idea. Maybe as the crown of each of our Cenotaphs? Not just in memory of our war dead, but also as an honest honouring of them (for once) with a real societal refusal to ever again countenance the mass murder of countless millions.
What are the chances?
Then again, what are the chances with a NO vote?
Vote YES in September 2014 (please)!
Braco, “with a real societal refusal to ever again countenance the mass murder of countless millions.”
reminds me of the famous Hamish Henderson lines:
Nae mair will our bonnie callants Merch tae war when oor braggarts crousely craw Nor wee weans frae pitheid an clachan Mourn the ships sailin doun the Broomielaw” Broken faimlies in lands we’ve hairriet Will curse’Scotlan the Brave’ nae mair, nae mair…
James Westland,
I wish! But thanks for the fleeting association with such beautiful lines.
I was going to go on and second Doug Daniels suggestion on a previous thread that ‘A man’s a man for a’ that’ would make a great National Anthem. Just so generation after generation would grow up reciting and interacting intellectually and emotionally with the sentiments of egalite and humanity inherent in those great lyrics from so long ago (1790’s!).
My only doubt is in the gender language of such an old poem/song. But then, that’s the curse of reading ‘The Cosmo’ for cheap laughs when I was a boy!
Bubbles says:
O/T I know, sorry. Can you spot anything odd in this news article….
Not sure bubbles but there is definitely something in that headline picture that I can’t quite put my finger on. If only I could see what was going on behind that big St George Cross…….
@ Bubbles
Hadrians wall been rebuilt?
Bubbles says:
17 August, 2013 at 7:37 pm
O/T I know, sorry. Can you spot anything odd in this news article….
DAMN! I’m not sure here Bubbles, that is a damn fine photograph there, everything seems in place police, marchers, EDL, English flags I mean what else do you need to report on a racist march? Oh wait a minute was this not meant to be a SCOTTISH Defence League march? 😆
Has mcolm photo shopped that picture are the SDL just an EDL front or even a Better Together front Alistair we need answers
Bubbles
Guy with a “No Surrender” T-shirt…. sigh…. yawn…..
but better still, look at that flag near the front “Blackburn ” “UK Casuals”. Here it is again:
http://casualsunited.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/lee3.jpg
Same flag, isnt it? A bunch of thugs. Great.
Looks like the SDL need EDL rent-a-mob to swell their numbers.
Here’s Iain Macwhirter stating his opinion plainly enough. Why do others have such trouble doing likewise?
And here’s Lesley Riddoch in a similar wee package:
(BTW – these videos were ‘published’ via Youtube in early April. The Macwhirter one had 48 views when I posted it above, and the Riddoch one had 60.)
O/T but the SDL where quiet in Glasgow https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=608802F441952DA!461&authkey=!ACOgLqqtKsnp6D8&v=3
And here’s Sturgeon (with 59 views):
ianbrotherhood
Good videos these – deserve wider coverage. Some really good points being made.
Braco
Re A mans a man for a that. Absolute cracker of a song. The sentiments are universal and timeless. I particularly like Fie Hand Reels version. Gaughan in prime form:
…then you ask Rennie for a straight opinion, and you get this:
http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/health2678.html
…and why does poor Wullie get his wee self so fankled?
Check this at 3.27-
The mighty Press Association (which has uploaded 11,468 videos to Youtube) went to the trouble of ‘publishing’ this toty wee ‘interview’ with Willie Rennie on Nov 1st 2012.
It has garnered a mighty 19 views, despite containing the memorable line (referring to Nick Clegg) – ‘I had him up in Scotland, over the summer, twice, and I’m determined to get him up even more.’
Ian, that is hilarious. Have these people no sense of double entendre?
Today at Peebles there was no BT stand but we did have the Tories right next door. Several people were wearing UKOK badges and it was all I could do to stifle my giggles. I said to one of our people, is it just me, seeing that and reading it as an obscenity? No, she said, it’s not just you. Nobody knows how they’ve failed to realise it.
By the way, the LibDem tent blew away. (The SNP tent was in some danger, but in the beginning the LibDems were being of some use by forming a windbreak, and latterly we had enough people to hang on to it. The Yes Scotland tent is pretty robust and has proved its worth even though it was expensive. Didn’t even threaten to come adrift.)
@Morag-
‘By the way, the LibDem tent blew away.’
Signs and poor-tents, eh?
Brilliant.
Oh, you’re in form tonight!
Re the last few posts (and many others of course) …………. we REALLY need a “like” button! Rev?
@IBH .. I read your post re Clegg statement WAY too quickly. Dangerous 🙂
@ James Westland.
I’ve always supported Help for Heroes on the grounds that the guys were getting help when the MoD didn’t give a toss so to see these vermin flying their banner behind their ‘cloth of hate’ sickens me to the core. A good cause has been used as a Trojan Horse by some of the worst scum this island has produced.
Let’s vote Yes and be away from them for good!
The SDL/EDL/Red hand marchers I just had to laugh at them chanting ‘you’re not british anymore’ well I can’t wait to cease being a british citizen, thanks for asking you idiots. It’s kind of strange they think I would miss not being british. Better think that one through again chaps. As regards benefits,your pals, the tories are doing the best to sort that one out for you. Mind you, they looked like the last folk I would employ ,the skanky slobs, so careful what you wish for lads.
Nice to see so may visitors from the north of england. I hope they took time to see some of the fine acts performing at the festival. Or did they all piss off back to the festering holes they came from. Our loss I’m sure. Maybe one day they’ll assemble in my local pub rather than a train station(although I did see a few of your ‘old boys’ being very quiet and discrete in a city centre pub before hand) and we can give them a real warm Gilmerton welcome.
It would not surprise me in the least if the Labour Party were to lean on CND to move their position from unilateral to multilateral disarmament.
This would fit in with the New Labour dogma of support for WMD Trident renewal so that it would be a “bargaining chip” in “multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations”
Which of course do not exist
Not trident, but it seems that the troubles at Fukushima Daiichi are far from over:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/us-japan-fukushima-insight-idUKBRE97D00M20130814
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-07/fukushima-leaks-priority-not-nuclear-restarts-activists-say.html
O/T
I see the paradoxical lefty lawyer / Labour hack Ian Smart has been on the cooking sherry again tonight.
Using the death of Diana to make a joke on Twitter?
https://twitter.com/ianssmart/status/368862715130826753
The Scottish cringe is alive and well with the BBC proud to bring to our attention, the 10,000 cans littering Trafalgar square, left by the tartan army.
Odd then, that no mention is made on the English pages. You would think that if it were worthy to mention something that happened in another country, that the country in which the event happened might also wish to make news of it; especially since its the same news agency making a meal of it in Scotland.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23711287
Bubbles, it took a while mate , but then it came to me in one of those flashes of genius that I often get!
It’s the fat bloke in the white t-shirt with ‘No Surrender’ emblazoned across his chest, isn’t it?
Surrender is spelt wrong ?
Can’t think of anything else and neither can the BBC 🙁
O/t, STV has announced the next head-to-head independence debate, this time on welfare and pensions. The Tories and LDs have bottled it, Anas ‘the bedroom tax is totally bad & evil & reprehensible but we can’t guarantee we’ll end it if we win a GE’ Sarwar is appearing for Labour and we have Nicola. I hate to count chickens, but surely this is a win-win-win?
http://tinyurl.com/m4o3gle
The STV debated might give a chance for Sturgeon to ask Sarwar which is the undemocratic place, Holyrood elected on a PR system or Westminster with 800 unelected troughing Lords. Not the subject of discussion but she should slip it in..lol
Morag
In medieval times the Lib Dem tent blowing away would have been taken as a portent of doom and disaster to come.
Verily 🙂
@ Firestarter 11.09 pm last night
Please don’t include me in your *we REALLY need a “like” button*. I think it’s a terrible idea. It can cause resentment. I enjoy some commenters more than others (including Ianbrotherhood), but that doesn’t mean the others aren’t just as important.
I’ll second you Firestarter…. would hate to see all those dislikes next to everything I post.
On the subject of EDL/SDL did this cartoon about the BNP sometime ago and got one responce it’s worth a read. why would I not publish it?
http://norrie.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/the-bnp-are-bankrupt-and-falling-apart-at-the-seams/
Like button like the mail. No like.
Is replacing Trident with a like for like system directly in contravention to the nuclear proliferation treaties that the UK is signed up to? If so, why are the UK even allowed to consider replacing it.