Abide with us
Posted on
November 11, 2012 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
We read something odd in the Herald yesterday.
In the same spirit of magnanimity, Wings Over Scotland would like to humbly and solemnly announce that from today onwards we will abide by the law of gravity and the requirement for human beings to breathe oxygen in order to respire. Thank you.
They’re wrong anyway. The Electoral Commission can’t and won’t rule – it advises. So much for the knowledge and understanding of the leaders of the three opposition parties in Scotland – they need to get educated in how democracy works. Or how it’s best to put brain into gear before disengaging clutch on vocal reality.
And for those who think that the EC’s “advice” is mandatory, just refer them to the Westminster government’s own selective use of the EC recommendations in the past. The EC offers opinion, which governments can (and in Westminster’s case) do reject.
And as Kevin Pringle pointed out on twitter:
“UK Govt on English Council Tax referendums: “we disagreed with its [Electoral Commission’s] suggestion for the wording”
Mickey Moore misled the Holyrood Committee, the Westminister Committee, and Westminister House of Commons when he claimed in all 3 that neither his government or the previous Labour govt had EVER ignored the advice of the EC. Didn’t he?
It’s so entertaining to see wanna be leaders struggling to come to terms, with the terms of the Edinburgh Agreement. Between the 3 who had no influence on it’s making and coming together to ‘proclaim’ what they don’t understand.
Advice comes in many shapes and forms and most advice is double-edged,for these 3 characters from ‘the land that time may well wish to forget’, trying to highten the Electoral Commissions role to such dizzy heights of moral and law, describes 3 leaders who can’t function within the realms of reality.
Oh well,another stage being set to discredit democracy,Scottish Gov,SNP and Alex Salmond. One day they may just wake up in 99% of the shite from their own making. But who would want to advise them in ways to avoid such a justifiable end!
But what if the EC doesn’t reflect the will of the Scottish people?
Unionists are going to have their flabbers gasted when – I would predict anyway – the EC return with confirmation the question is wholly acceptable to them…
Some interesting stuff here:
link to electoralcommission.org.uk
1. Voters
There should be no barriers to voters taking part. This means:
…
? voters are informed about the possible outcomes, and can easily understand the campaign arguments
…
? the result and its implications should be clear and understood
===============
Ah, so the implications of a YES are that defence, foreign policies etc are either specified or explained – so it’s OK and in fact neccessary for the Scottish Government to commission 13 reports to fulfil this function (as it is for the UK gov to do its 16 reports).
Oh, and I guess the NO campaign will want to tell all voters what the “implications” are of voting NO. Let me see now:
1). Constant reduction of Barnett
2). Eventual end to Universal Benefit
3). Privatisation of the NHS
4). Privatisation of Scottish Water
5). Privatisation of Lamont, Davidson and Rennie
etc.
From their joint statement above “it is vital that the referendum properly reflects the will of the Scottish people…”.
So a Devo-Max option, known to be a popular option of the Scottish people, is not available? An option the unionists were anxious not to include in the referendum yet they are now keen to nitpick around the single question of the referendum.
I’m for independence yet I could recognise that Devo-Max could be a comfort blanket for some and would l believe,lead eventually to independence by a slower route. I suppose the unionists thought so too and so failed to put forward a Devo-Max option that would “the will of the Scottish people”.
Rubbish, humbug,duplicity, and any swear words you wish to add to describe these tiresome, unscrupulous unionist nonentities.
Electoral Commission ?
Nope, Nada, No Way ! Too many influences emanating from Westminster
make that commissions decisions not exactly 100% unbiased
– the C of E maybe or, better still, the UN should be chosen run and oversee
the independence referendum.
Maybe I am being too suspicious or cynical but WESTMINSTER HAVE ALWAYS LIED about Scottish finances, Scottish culture and our Scottish way of life. Scotland is an energy rich country with a surplus of gas, oil, hydro, wind and wave power, yet we have pensioners dying in the winter here from hydrothermia because of the high fuel taxes from Westminster and that includes both Labour and Tory governments. Scotland puts in more taxes and revenues into the Westminster coffers that we get back in return.
VOTE YES AND LET SCOTLAND’S MONEY AND SCOTLAND’S NEEDS
BE USED TO BENEFIT THE SCOTTISH PEOPLE.
What the Bitter Together lot are trying to say is we’ll use the EC as a stick to beat AS and the Scottish Government with. Any slight apprehension, doubt or concern from the EC regarding the referendum question will be magnified greatly by the Bitter Together and MSM to make AS and the Scottish Government look like shifty crooks treating the Scottish public as fools and the Bitter Together triumvirate will consistently bring up the issue over and over again to be seen as protectors of the Scottish electorate even if the issue is pure fantasy of their own making.
“It is vital that the referendum properly reflects the will of the Scottish people.”
Now would that mean the incompetent numpties who follow the dingbats around like nodding donkeys OR would that mean the people of Scotland who will vote in 2014?
Personally I think they mean the former, none of the three dingbats give two hoots about the people who will be voting in 2014.
The terrible threesome want the “question” to be acceptable to the Scottish people do they?
Well here’s a question for the Terrible threesome. Should our armed forces be involved, in any way, in ground involvement in Syria?
link to huffingtonpost.co.uk