Last Friday’s article on the limitations of GERS caused quite a stir among the stout defenders of the Union, as social-media users may have noticed over the weekend.
Amidst the wildly-flailing fury-storm of shouty, abusive responses which pathologically evaded addressing the article’s point, the one vaguely factual argument raised was the notion that an independent Scotland wouldn’t be able to make significant savings on its current (notional) £3bn defence budget because NATO supposedly requires all member states to spend 2% of their GDP on defence.
The video clip below is from Russia Today, which is in no way an impartial news outlet. However, it’s dangerous and unwise to reflexively dismiss any message purely because of the medium. Heck, even the Daily Mail tells the truth sometimes.
His views are expert and worth listening to. (The full interview is here.) Readers can, as ever, decide for themselves whether to believe him or David Cameron.
Alert social-media users will have noticed that it’s hard to avoid a constant low-level buzzing from a faction of the Yes movement, calling on the next Scottish Government (in the event, as currently seems likely, that it’s another SNP majority) to issue a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, or UDI for short.
And in the context of achieving Scottish independence UDI is indeed the answer, if we assume that the question is “What’s the stupidest thing the SNP could possibly do?”
This week, as the UK’s new Conservative government brought forward a bill to impose tax on renewable energy projects, just seven Labour MPs turned up to oppose it.
You know these guys that you used to see wandering round the city centre with a sandwich board telling us “THE END IS NIGH”? It seems they were right.
In today’s Scotsman, Peter Jones makes the case for why an independent Scotland would have been plunged into the same crisis currently affecting Greece (and making the case along the way for why George Osborne’s austerity is inevitable and we should just shut up and accept it).
He insists strenuously throughout the article that he’s doing no such thing and is simply highlighting the flaws in the idea of a currency union between Scotland and the rUK, but to anybody who actually reads the article, it’s patently obvious that that’s exactly what he’s doing.
We’ve already brought you the First Minister’s appearance on last night’s The Daily Show in the US, but in addition to the seven minutes that were shown on TV there were a further seven minutes of interview which didn’t go out on air, but were shown on the Comedy Central website, region-blocked so only US residents could see them.
When the FM goes abroad to represent Scotland in the outside world, though, we think it’s only fair that Scots get to see what she’s saying and doing on their behalf, so we didn’t let such trifling obstacles get in our way.
At this morning’s Wings editorial meeting, we were discussing whether the spectacular victory for radical-left anti-austerity party Syriza in Greece last night was a bit of a beamer for Scotland. After all, the Greek electorate were faced with a lot of the same uncertainties as Scotland was in the independence referendum, except in Greece’s case they’re a lot more real.
Greeks really don’t know which currency they’ll be using this time next year, or whether they’ll still be in the EU, or whether there’ll be an exodus of big business, or whether they’ll be able to borrow money, whereas in Scotland those were baseless scare stories. Yet voters in the Hellenic Republic didn’t bottle it and decide to leave their fate in the hands of Germany.
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on All Or Nothing: “Tentative translation of the Marquis of Montrose quatrain: He either fears his fate too much, Or his deserts are small,…” May 8, 23:10
Confused on All Or Nothing: “hail mia, full of grace, the lord is with thee … jesus was “antisemitic” : Ye are of YOUR FATHER…” May 8, 22:52
Lorn on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “I think, Mia, the traditional Scottish Unionist vote and UKReform do not a double act make. They are coming from…” May 8, 22:51
Lorn on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Neither, Hatey. It doesn’t have to be above 48% before a campaign starts. Calling the bluff of both Holyrood and…” May 8, 22:45
Lorn on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Your tedious nonsense might apply to some nationalists, but, for the majority, we are very well aware that independence will…” May 8, 22:39
Hatey McHateface on All Or Nothing: “Understood. I’m gonna assume that “wanking on and on” is an order of magnitude more serious than “wanging on” ” May 8, 22:17
Rev. Stuart Campbell on All Or Nothing: “Y’know, I’m not sure you were ever voting Yes, mate.” May 8, 21:50
Rev. Stuart Campbell on All Or Nothing: “Fucksake, what do I have to DO to stop you people fucking wanking on and on about Israel and Palestine?…” May 8, 21:49
Hatey McHateface on All Or Nothing: “Woo, check out the big guts on Mia. She’s standing by her words. There’s your route to Indy right there.…” May 8, 21:39
Mia on All Or Nothing: ““The problem is the number of plants [in Hollyrood] working for the USA’s deep state and for the rogue state…” May 8, 21:06
Mia on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “I am actually very surprised the Green vote remains that stubbornly high after their many cock ups with the return…” May 8, 20:58
Hatey McHateface on All Or Nothing: “Aw, quick everybody, look at Mia. If frantic virtue signalling could give you wings, she’d have enough lift to carry…” May 8, 20:53
Mia on All Or Nothing: ““It’s people like you that stopped me voting YES” Yes to what? It is trolls like you and Hatey what…” May 8, 20:50
Vivian O’Blivion on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “RefUK friendly polling outfit Find Out Now have the Faragists on a thirteen percentage point lead! Westminster voting intention, field…” May 8, 20:26
Yoon Scum on All Or Nothing: “Mia It’s people like you that stopped me voting YES And I use the term “people” in it’s loosest meaning” May 8, 20:16
Mia on All Or Nothing: ““an openly unashamed antisemite” If, according to you, the new meaning of the word “antisemite” is to feel sick at,…” May 8, 19:58
100%Yes on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “He keeps having a go at Alba Party. Bitter nice as a drink, it must be hell for someone who’s…” May 8, 19:58
Yoon Scum on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “The biggest tell that a NAT isn’t very bright is they cannot give one single reason to stay in the…” May 8, 19:52
Hatey McHateface on All Or Nothing: “Like I said, Mia, you’re an openly unashamed antisemite. Whether it’s you blaming your perceived wrongs in Scotland’s governance on…” May 8, 19:47
Mia on All Or Nothing: ““days of 2014, that antisemitism w…” zzzzzz!! Antisemitism. The good old magic (but by now devoid of meaning) word that…” May 8, 19:23
Hatey McHateface on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “You just beat me to it, YS. I was wondering if Rev Stu is lying to us, or if supporting…” May 8, 19:21
Hatey McHateface on All Or Nothing: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, sara, but who cares about that? Don’t we really need racist, sectarian, twisted bigots if we are…” May 8, 19:12
Mia on All Or Nothing: ““Happily there will be true independence fighters to vote for” I am counting on that, Sarah, but, If am not…” May 8, 19:09
Owen Mullions on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “His blog these days has nothing to do with independence, just a constant diatribe against Alba (no wonder they got…” May 8, 19:06
Hatey McHateface on All Or Nothing: “Mia blaming Scotland’s situation on Da Dews again. Who ever thought, back in the heady days of 2014, that antisemitism…” May 8, 19:02
Xaracen on All Or Nothing: “Excellent summary! The fact of Westminster insisting on its own sovereignty only verifies that the concept of sovereignty is a…” May 8, 18:56
Yoon Scum on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “YEP that has been the plan in 2019 there was a vote on keeping the UK in the common market…” May 8, 18:55
Yoon Scum on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “If each event I was told was going to have a massive boost for indy actually did have a massive…” May 8, 18:53
Yoon Scum on The Last Thing They’ll Expect: “Most moon howlers and NATs think that support for indy is well over 70% many think it is 90% So…” May 8, 18:51
James Cheyne on All Or Nothing: “Mia, Hear hear. It is not allor nothing, The problem is the voting system in Scotland under Westminster parliament of…” May 8, 18:37
