Drawing a blank
Posted on
January 07, 2015 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
We’ve got nothing today, readers. We don’t want to turn into Wings Over Jim Murphy, but otherwise the Scottish political scene is a bit tumbleweedy. Tell us something interesting that we should be covering. Or just a fun fact, or a joke, or anything.
In the light of the absolute horror at Charlie Hebdo today, it’s either that or we’re going to start running cartoons of Mohammed on principle.
How about Ruthie telling us about her nightmare scenario of Eck as the deputy PM?
Have these people not figured out that he’s just a back-bench MSP? They’re getting all worked up about how he could have all this balance of power malarkey in 6 months when, at best, he’ll be a back-bench MP.
If anything, he’d be best placed as an advisor to Stewart Hosie. I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of those two!
Shocking news. Can’t speak.
12 dead. Requiescant in Pace.
todays bbc news seems to hinge on the idea that deflation in the eurozone due to falling oil price is bad news, whilst falling price at the pumps in the uk is good. same story different spin within 30secs.
Bejesus.
Well AS has said he’s not interested in being DPM, or in any other Cabinet post – Ruthie’s gas at peep.
Can’t they envisage minority government, support on an issue by issue basis if merited? It worked here, despite the gang of unionists. Let them try.
Somebody called Luke Akehurst @labourlist.org makes the following prediction for May’s election:
Scotland
Lab 30 (-11)
SNP 23 (+17)
LD 5 (-6)
Con 1 (-)
He writes: “For Scotland I assumed a Scottish Labour vote share recovering to 35% and a degree of anti-SNP tactical voting.”
Fun fiction. But I must admit to being a wee bit worried about unionist voters expressing their hatred for the SNP and the independence movement by voting tactically. Am I right to be concerned?
From the National today
Quote: David Lammy said: “It cannot be right that the money raised from London taxpayers continues to be siphoned off to other regions.” Unquote.
Funny that, that what’s beeen happen to Scotland’s revenue for generations.
Wonder where Lammy is getting his figures from!
3001: A Space Odyssey
🙂
Quite poignant actually.We kill each other over words pictures and concepts.If we put as much effort in to helping our fellow man what a world we could have.
A big thanks from Paris for that, Stu’.
As they said: ‘I prefer to die standing that to live groveling’
I notice a football club in England have signed a player…
Me and the kids changed the words to the Sam Smith song “Im Not The Only One”. Was going to do a youtube eat your cereal type video with the kids singing along but they are bit camera shy at 13, 11, 9 and 8!!! You did ask for anything Rev!!!!
The Vow
Why Don’t You Pull The Other One
Apparently you’ve made a “Vow”
For worse or for worse
We can’t believe you’ve let Scotland down
But the proof’s in the way it hurts
For months on end we’ve had our doubts
Denying every tear
We long this could be over now
But we know that you still hold us in fear
[Chorus:]
You say we’re crazy
Cause you don’t think we know what you’ve done
But when you call us family
Why don’t you pull the other one
You’ve been so unbelievable
Now sadly we know why
Our Freedom is unobtainable
Even though Lord knows we have tried
[Chorus:]
You’ve used us for many years
But we’ve finally now had enough
You’ve made us realize our deepest fears
It’s a scam and we must break up
[Chorus 2x:]
Why don’t you pull the other one
Why don’t you pull the other one
Why don’t ……
Why don’t you pull the other one
The Charlie Hebdo murders are so horrible. It’s hard to think about our own trivial problems.
But looking at the headlines today, the British Press is speaking with one voice (apart from the Financial Times of course). the Health Service is in crisis. The only problem is – who to blame. Labour blame Tory cuts ( in England) and Tories blame Labour contracts from 2003.
Scottish Labour will, of course, blame the SNP, but that just gets us back to St Jim.
Election warfare blaring away as usual.
http://en.kiosko.net/uk/
Response from oor Eck he he..
Salmond responds to Davidson Alex Salmond has told the BBC he is not seeking to become a minister in the next UK government.
“I have no ambitions in that direction,” he said. “But if it was going to scare the Tories it might be worth doing”.
The falling price of a prime commodity like crude oil reduces manufacturing & distribution costs. Eventually those benefits are passed to the consumer.
Likewise we are enjoying petrol prices some 20% lower than last year which frees up cash to spend on other things like paying down debt or on stuff which creates jobs. We can even save it for a rainy day.
But the British media thinks this is a disaster because equities are falling.
But it is the wealthiest in society who suffer from short term falls in equities while the poorest have more to gain with cheaper fuel & food prices.
Again, we see a narrative in the British media that is entirely supportive of the Establishment in London while refusing to herald the benefits to working class/poor people.
Guess you already heard this one:
Which current non-Labour MP do you most admire and why?
Iain Duncan Smith. He had a terrible time as Tory leader but has had the personal strength to bounce back, which I admire. Also, even though I don’t agree with many of his reforms, he came to Glasgow and seems to have had an awakening about poverty.
http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2011/05/03/knowing-me-knowing-jim-murphy/
What about the pros and cons of the EU.
I’m guessing there will be a good few conversations about this in the not so distant future.
Sure, Rev, a suggestion I posted yesterday:
A heads-up on an interesting bit of news that could merit its own article, from the Herald “Labour must tackle inequality, says top economist bidding to succeed Darling”.
The top economist is Angus Armstrong, the main part of NIESR, the main spokesperson for a thinktank hailed as “impartial” by the MSM, and one of the main enemies not to put too fine a point on it, of Independence during the Ref campaign. He is hoping to take on Edinburgh North-West – for Labour.
I saw one guy playing darts on the telly yesterday who has a beer belly even bigger than Jackie Baillie’s.
The Daily Mail and its slave the Metro are running a campaign like the one against mauve Ed. Milliband .This time it is against N.[angel] Sturgeon’s eating habits etc.
Bashing the poor Better Together
Preparations for the reconquista of Berwick have begun:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/01/berwick-upon-tweed/#comments
“Berwick rejoining Scotland in an interesting idea but where would one draw the boundary? You would logically have to include the Berwick suburbs of Tweedmouth and Spital, both of which are south of the River Tweed, otherwise you would end up with all sorts of administrative complications for the residents of these areas. However, once you agree that the border should go south of the Tweed, the question is then how far south can you push it? We all know that the residents of Newcastle have more affinities with the Scots than the residents of Southern England ”
We’re waiting for Morag to sign up. 🙂
UK General Election – really neat 2D graphic at:
http://electoralcalculus.co.uk/homepage.html
This investigates all the possible outcomes, varying the possible votes. It predicts SNP with 49 seats, but the it also investigates the effect of SNP vote and predicts a 33% chance of SNP will be a coalition partner.
The site is worth it just for the graphic.
Fun fact. Shetland has 1,697 miles of coastline (although measuring the true length of a coastline is a philosophical rather than physical problem, unless you specify the scale at which you are measuring, due to the fractal nature of coasts).
http://nafc.octeportal.co.uk/WebData/Files/coastline.pdf
Well theres always about what the SNP actually HAVE done and not about which flavour of Jam any of the other lot promises they will,might,maybe or Vow to do, and whatever it is it’ll be better than the SNP which i’m sure they’ll pledge to do.
I’m sure Stu will have a good archive list of projects achieved by our chosen leaders if we ask nice…go on, go on, go on Stu help the folks back on the positive bus…
Dan Huil says:
“ “For Scotland I assumed a Scottish Labour vote share recovering to 35% and a degree of anti-SNP tactical voting.”
I must admit to being a wee bit worried about unionist voters expressing their hatred for the SNP and the independence movement by voting tactically. ”
I’m sure we are all a bit worried that something goes wrong between now and May and the vote falls short of present polling. Of course Labour, the BBC and the MSM will be trying hard to boast Labour’s final vote.
Four things keep me optimistic.
i) The SNP and those Yes supporters who get behind them are a formidable grassroots ‘steam roller’ (Sunday’s cartoon)
ii) The SNP are and should play down Independence in this vote. That way, they won’t scare off those who are inclined to vote for them in Holyrood, but voted No.
iii) The SNP appear to have a menu of policies they will pursue in WM which have wider appeal across Scotland than usual. This should soak up Lab, Lib and maybe even Con voters.
iv) Labour and the MSM are on both ends of a see-saw. What appeals to Scots horrifies Middle England and vice versa. They are trying to push two agendas which conflict and their plans continually fall apart. This should limit their effectiveness.
Okay Rev, you might want to comment (or not) on the London Evening Standard’s new useful little Scotch idiot, or Jockland correspondent or whatever she is…
http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/charlotte-ross-divided-scotland-will-hold-the-rest-of-us-to-ransom-9960196.html
INSTURGEONTS ARE WE
https://archive.today/rmgIW
how about the fact Labour are trying help Jim’s cause by also not knowing how the NHS is funded in Scotland and getting his name wrong, didn’t Diane follow the referendum? LOL yeah we believe you lot there is clear divide between scottish labour and labour thinking
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2015/01/jim-murphy-vs-diane-abbott-will-miliband-rein-him-in/
Maybe the Hopkins witch will tweet something silly and get burnt at the stake.”please let her”
Is that Labour’s Socialist Manifesto?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zX-gz1lRt0
H says:
7 January, 2015 at 4:38 pm
how about the fact Labour are trying help Jim’s cause by also not knowing how the NHS is funded in Scotland and getting his name wrong, didn’t Diane follow the referendum? LOL yeah we believe you lot there is clear divide between scottish labour and labour thinking
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2015/01/jim-murphy-vs-diane-abbott-will-miliband-rein-him-in/
Aye, clever Jim Murphy forgot about the law of unforeseen consequences. In his efforts to look tough and patriotic in Scotland, he seems to have stirred a nasty hornets nest down in London. I understand JM is trying to be clever here, but this really could come back and bite him on the arse. Watch yer back, Jim!
Does the Labour Party really want to win the GE2015 and make all the hard choices? Or are they willing to just let the Tories carry on doing the nasty work? Discuss
Shocking footage on Youtube from Paris.
Animals.
As the labour party and its media allies, namely the bbc, are so insistent on running with the NHS, all countries.
Would it not be a good idea to get some facts and figures down on how labour run down the NHS and how their politicians voted for or against bills relating to the NHS.
The labour run welsh government would do for starters.
Be prepared.
Oh and on a day that the Herald seems to be running with SNP councillors being suspended for burning the Smith papers, what about Labour councillors. Why don’t they cover that?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2899444/Twitter-row-councillor-suspended.html
Stoker
🙂 insturgeonts indeed
I’ve been diagnosed with a type of amnesia where I deny the existence of certain 80’s bands.
There is no Cure.
True Story.
“I’d like to check myself out,” I said to the receptionist at the hotel.
“Go ahead, there’s a mirror behind you,” she said.
True Story.
@Oscar Taime
Well spotted, Jim Murphy admires IDS because:
he came to Glasgow and seems to have had an awakening about poverty.
IDS is an arse who puts people into poverty rather than help them out. Jim Murphy and IDS are a joke but not funny at all.
Here is something worth exploring:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-30715031
It is the latest Brian Taylor blog, which is similar in tone to the presentation he gave his peers about the Scottish Referendum, but this time it is a huge Scottish Labour promotion to help get their 1000 nurses strategy understood by the thick Scottish voters. A few extracts:
To be clear, there is nothing particularly extraordinary in the actual content of Mr Murphy’s suggestion.
Mr Murphy is not directly responsible for the “mansion tax”. He now leads the Scottish Labour Party.
He sees his future at Holyrood – which has no overall responsibility for the broad economy or, presently, for much in the way of taxation policy.
That will change, to some (still argued) extent, in the future. In which context, for example, Mr Murphy has said that he would favour reintroducing a 50p income rate – if necessary, for Scotland alone.
Rather, Mr Murphy is anticipating that the money raised by a mansion tax would be diverted to public spending by UK government departments – and that, through the standard operation of the Barnett Formula, Scotland would get a cut.
(If, however, the money were to be used to reduce the UK deficit, then Scotland would not benefit directly.)
Mr Murphy, however, expects expenditure. His announcement is that Scotland’s formulaic share would be spent upon recruiting a further 1,000 nurses.
In Scotland, Labour is apparently lagging well behind the SNP in the polls. There is talk of several seats changing hands.
With some urgency, Jim Murphy needs to talk up Labour’s credentials as standing up for the people of Scotland.
That hinges upon mind set.
If, post referendum, the people of Scotland are still in a mood to favour those who offer a strong Scottish voice on Scottish issues, then that potentially benefits the SNP – as it does in elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament where Scottish issues are dominant.
If, however, the people can be cajoled (by Labour and others) to think primarily upon UK politics and the occupant of Downing Street, then matters might revert.
Meanwhile, Mr Murphy needs – as a minimum – to challenge and, if possible, neutralise the SNP’s standing as the voice of Scotland.
A new year, but not a new approach to analysis from Mr Taylor.
@Wee Jonny
You asked for a pelting, here’s one 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17yc_uKfiU8
Shocking news from Paris. Hope they catch the murderous b******s soon.
I have absolutely NO idea what sort of neds wee Ruthie is taking but I suggest that she better stop taking them cause drugs can seriously damage your health. Oh wait a minute she is a Tory I guess any damage has all ready been done then. 😀
As far as “all quiet on the Western, sorry political front” is concerned Stu you could perhaps go with:
Wings over a hilarious Jim Murphy or Woah Murph for short. 😛
Has anybody received the Nov and Dec Copies of the Scottish Statesman Magazine? I have paid an annual sub and can’t contact them.
Member of the Scottish Parliament John Finnie said that the sinister forces suppressing the truth about this illegal war are still very active and planning another British establishment “white wash.”
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150107/1016624915.html
@Aspen
http://scottishstatesman.com/
Just lost for words on the Paris attack. Despair will have to do.
I don’t know if anybody else has had the misfortune to try and navigatecthe Inland Revenue’s new Voice Recognition System yet.
I got half way through reeling off my NI Number when it asked for my Date Of Birth.
I must have really pissed it off when I said St Andrews Day naned after me cos next thing I knew I was discussing the Referendum with a lovely lass from Newcastle
@andy nimmo,
I had this misfortune to phone them today and the automated voice could not make out what I was saying even though I used my best posh voice.
I know it is not a good day for laughs considering the inhuman attack in Paris.
I though I had to share this with you all.
No prizes for guessing who this reminds you of.
I will let you all decide, but I’m pretty confident you will all get it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2900525/Taxi-firm-sparks-anger-poster-targeting-drinkers-featuring-overweight-woman-saying-start-look-sexy-call-cab.html
Lesley-Anne says
“I have absolutely NO idea what sort of neds wee Ruthie is taking”
NEDS?
Is she gettin it on wi Murphy?
galamcennalath 4.19 pm.
Thanks for that. I also hope people remember that Scotland returned 41 Labour MPs [out of 51] in the 2010 election and still got a Tory/LibDem government. For Scotland’s best interests to be protected the people have to elect as many SNP MPs as possible.
At last – a breakthrough for Wee Ginger Dug! He’s on the National’s reading list on page 25!! Hurrah for the good guys finally getting a mention 🙂
Alexicon @7.01
the ad suggesting you get a taxi if the woman starts looking sexy, my response was mmmm I don’t know?
maybe another pint’ll do it,
but you comment about using your poshest voice made me think of this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAz_UvnUeuU
C4 choosing not to show cartoons.
@John King.
Funny it reminded me of Jackie Bailey???
No amount of alcohol would see me go there. 🙂
@Macandroid says:7 January, 2015 at 3:45 pm:
“Wonder where Lammy is getting his figures from”?
Well, Macandroid, like a wee wifie that used to live next door to me in Edinburgh once said, “Want tae try this recipe for Macaroni Cheese, Bob,I made it oot o ma ain heid”.
Labour also have a sad trait o makin things oot o thir ain heeds.
@Capella says: 7 January, 2015 at 3:54 pm:
” … Scottish Labour will, of course, blame the SNP, but that just gets us back to St Jim.”
Like so much else in the Scottish Public Services Sector the real culprits are actually Labour themselves. The damage they caused to Scotland’s public services by the Labour PPP/PPI schemes will still be dragging Scotland down decades from now. There is no way for Labour to deny that sad fact.
How long, i wonder, before one of the Slabber ambulance chasers use today’s tragic and senseless events in France to justify the maintaining of WMD and/or staying within the Uk?
Meanwhile – MoD lift submarine safety ban in Scottish lochs
http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2015/jan/mod-lift-submarine-safety-ban-scottish-lochs
Westminster deliberately increased Oil taxes 11% (£2Billion) to damage the Scottish Oil industry because of tbe Referendum. They have lost Scotland £4Billion+ a year even without the fall in Oil prices. The fall in Oil prices can be mitigated by tbe lower cost of goods, services and transport costs. The Scottish Gov investment in Renewables has also paid off. If Scotland had full fiscal/Independence the surplus could be taxed or sold, bringing in more revenues to Scotland. Renewables already out produce nuclear and other forms of fuel.
Sarwar the Unionist stooge was gloating with Cameron at any loss to Scotland’s revenues with the planted ‘question’. Two multimillionaires and their associates lying their pockets and gloating together about the loss of people’s livelihoods. People are being sanctions and having to go to food banks. They are despicable.
All this talk of summits when all they need to do is take the (11%) tax rate back down again. They are pathetic. Just as well because of SNP foresight and good management, there are jobs in construction (road), Offshore Renewables (funded by £30million EU money) and increased fishing allowance, negotiatedby Richard Lochhead SNP, increased NHS/Uni. spending will also create jobs. Aberdeen/shire councils had been receiving 30% less fundng than every other local authority in Scotland for over thirty years by Labour/Unionists. The NHS was also underfunded by Labour/Unionist getting less money than other Health Authorities.
The major construction projects in Scotland e,g, Forth Road Bridge and improvement to the rail services will help improve the Scottish economy.
Merkel/Cameron are engaging in a trade war with Russia which will damage the European economy. 26millions Russians died in 11WW, so Europe could be free. The troubles in the Ukraine started because Merkel refused a loan.
@PictAtRandom says:7 January, 2015 at 4:13 pm:
“Preparations for the reconquista of Berwick have begun:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/01/berwick-upon-tweed/#comments
I must credit Ray Bell for the following information that I took notes from some years ago. Ray wrote it far better than I and Ray gave much more information. His article was written in Bella Caledonia and I’m sorry as I haven’t got a link to the Article : –
Berwick had changed hands several times then, in 1746 around 40 years after the Union, the Westminster Parliament passed the “Wales and Berwick Act”.which stated : –
“It is declared and enacted that in all cases where the Kingdom of England and England hath been or shall be mentioned in any Act of Parliament, the same has been and shall henceforth be deemed and taken to comprehend and include the dominion of Wales and Town of Berwick upon Tweed.”
What it basically says is that whenever Westminster legislation mentions, “England”, that term is to include both the town of Berwick and the Principality/Country of Wales, However, that act has been repealed and as far as most folks are concerned Wales is a country and not a part of the country of England. So just why does the Westminster Parliament continues to claim Berwick upon Tweed as if it had always been a bit of England? Especially when some surveys now show 3 out of every 5 Berwickers would prefer to live in a part of Scotland.
Most Scots don’t even know, that when David I was King of Scots Berwick was his capital city. Some of you may remember Christine Grahame MSP lodged a motion in the Scottish parliament for the return of Berwick to Scotland saying, “Even the Berwick upon Tweed Borough Council leader, who is a Liberal Democrat, backs the idea and others see the merits of reunification with Scotland.”
Mind you Jeremy Purvis, MSP, who was born in Berwick wanted the Border moved 20 miles further into England Purvis claimed, “ … I had a gran in Berwick and another in Kelso, and they could see that there were better public services in Scotland. Berwick as a borough council is going to be abolished and it would then be run from Morpeth, more than 30 miles away.”
He’s a wee bit mixed up, though, for Berwick is historically Scottish and, “Berwick Borough Council”, only came to be in 1974. when, “Berwick Borough Council”, joined with the English council areas including Alnwick and Lindisfarne. At that time Westminster abolished the Scottish, “Berwickshire, in Scotland and, at the same time made Duns, in Scotland, the Shire seat of local government when, “Berwickshire”, was replaced by, “Border Region”. In fact the original treaty kept Berwick as part of Scotland but transferred its administration to the English local authority. Few Scots realise that Berwick was only officially made part of England as late as in 1885 and even that is not clearly set in either Scottish or English law.
To sum up Berwick became part of Scotland around the 11th century. Between 1147 and 1482, Berwick actually changed hands 13 times. The Treaty signed in 1551, by Queen Mary & King Edward IV agreed that Berwick would be ruled by England but remain part of Scottish territory. It is on record that when the town of Berwick appealed to the English Parliament for funds they were told, “Berwick is in the realm but not of it”. Then we had the strange claim of Jaimie Saxt/James I who declared that Berwick was neither Scottish nor English but was part of the, “United Crown’s domain”. Which is strange as in 1603 there was no United Crown – just two independent Kingdom’s crowns on one person’s head. Even during, The Bishops’ War, (In 1639), Charles I met with General Leslie in Berwick and they agreed disputed matters should be negotiated and settled by the Scottish Parliament under Scottish Law.
Even so that 1746 Act had Berwick still with the status as a “county corporate”, with two members of parliament until the “Redistribution Act”, of 1885 cut Berwick’s representation to one MP and made it part of Northumberland. That was really the first of Berwick being officially called part of England.
@Tattie-bogle says: 7 January, 2015 at 4:43 pm:
“Maybe the Hopkins witch will tweet something silly and get burnt at the stake.”please let her””
Dinna be daft, Tattie-bogle, that woman’s silly statement has probably pushed the independence vote up at least two points. Never interrupt your opponent when they are making mistakes.
PictAtRandom says:
7 January, 2015 at 4:13 pm
Preparations for the reconquista of Berwick have begun:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/01/berwick-upon-tweed/#comments
“Berwick rejoining Scotland in an interesting idea but where would one draw the boundary? You would logically have to include the Berwick suburbs of Tweedmouth and Spittal, both of which are south of the River Tweed, otherwise you would end up with all sorts of administrative complications for the residents of these areas. However, once you agree that the border should go south of the Tweed, the question is then how far south can you push it? We all know that the residents of Newcastle have more affinities with the Scots than the residents of Southern England ”
We’re waiting for Morag to sign up. 🙂
Hi All,
There are two post codes here TD15 1– & TD15 2–, 2 being south of the river when you get a few miles past Screm it becomes NE– (Bandit Country). As I tell folk here any TD15 Post Code returns Automatically to Scottish Administration just as the river +1 meter is, a referendum in the rest of Berwick County that has a NE post code (the ones that have nae problems counting tae 11) to decide if they want tae return.
@Robert Peffers
I remember when I first came up to Edinburgh as a student (sorry, Morag) I went back down to York on the train one weekend to collect some belongings. As we passed through Berwick railway station, the man sitting opposite me said, apropos of nothing at all, “That’s where they executed the Scottish prisoners, you know.”
I made what I hoped were conciliatory noises and wondered how he knew I was English – perhaps it was tattooed on my forehead!
Thanks StevieMcB, but I understood I was to get a magazine delivered to my door. They seem to have disappeared.
Totally OT, but I’ve just read in the Catalan press of an intriguing document on Europe and independence movements by the Spanish government. Only in Spanish I’m afraid.
In among calling Cameron “not pragmatic but arrogant” for allowing the referendum, it criticises that the “mere principle of majority” should be allowed to decide such a “damaging and destabilising” issue. (Democrats, what?)
But interestingly it seems they think current EU legislation is silent on the breakup of states, i.e. does not forbid it, and the Spanish want a specific guarantee written into treaties.
I wish someone out there with Spanish could read it and say what they think. Sounds hopeful.
“More than an internal affair. Secessionism and European integration. http://dades.grupnaciodigital.com/redaccio/arxius/documents/1420661738institutoelcano.pdf
The National Institute for Economics and Social Research (NIESR) said the new Scottish government would have to borrow that £23bn sum in its first year of independence, at interest rates up to 1.65% higher than the UK Treasury’s rates, in addition to billions more needed to meet its budget shortfall on day-to-day spending.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/08/independent-scotland-debt-thinktank
Angus Armstrong, a macro-economist at the NIESR (and Labour Party candidate for Edinburgh South West), said the calculations were based on the Scottish government’s promise after independence to repay its share of the UK’s debt, which is expected to hit £1.7tn by 2015-16.
Considering Scotland has bailed out RuK to extent of £150 billion of oil revenues in excess of UK expenditure in Scotland there is no good reason for an Indy Scotland to take on a share of RuK’s debts.
This will make you smile –
https://www.dropbox.com/s/19pxr2ioi60tcu7/oilfund.htm?dl=0
Scotland carries less debt than the rest of UK and has done for years, being in surplus. The only way Scotland has been in ‘debt’, is the debt incurred by Westminster’s illegal wars, tax evasion and banking fraud etc. Westminster has had, by secrecy and lies, the equivalent of a £220 Billion Oil fund Scotland Scotland is only in ‘debt’ because the rest of th UK, secretly’ refuse to pay it’s debt but spends £100Billion a year (pro rata £10Billion) more than Scotland. Scotland don’t spend it but is lumbered with the debt. Economics (secret) the Westminster way. Keep it secret and bung debt on to your smaller next door neighbour to make them poorer. They even keep illegal wars off the balance sheet. Westminster cover up it’s criminality by the Official Secret’s Act.
Scotland would have been Independent years ago if people had known the truth. The cheating and lying during the Referrndum by the criminals in Westminster who once again illegally lied to line their own pockets. Westminster don’t want Scotland to have fiscal autonomy /Independence because they are crooks. Westminster and their associates benefit from tax evading, illegal wars,
secrecy and lies.
Scotland could easily balance the books without Westminster’s criminal interference, and be in surplus. Scotland raises £53Billion in taxes, which would be enough for all it’s needs with different economic policies than those imposed from Westminster. It could gain £4Billion a year from Oil revenues by cutting the increased tax from Westminster 2011, which was designed to ruin tbe Scottish economy for spite. It could save £1Billion by a tax on ‘loss leading’ drink and £1.5Billion
on illegal war/Trident = £6.5Billion. The rest of the UK would have to raise taxes to pay off their
debt. The tax evading criminals at Westminster colluding in sanctioning people leading to food
banks. The ConDems cut NHS/Education spending having promised to protect it. Liars and cheats. They decided to make 20% ‘efficiency savings’, which would have left a NHS deficit of £30Billion by 2020.
Scotland has been paying off the UK debts and bad fiscal management since before 1928. There are the records to prove it. Pay your own debts or see you in International court. Liars. Westminster think they are above International Law and still engage in illegal war, tax evasion and banking fraud as they have done for over a hundred years, to make themselves and their associates multimillionaires by stealing from public funds. The Westminster Unionist Parties are funded by hedge funds. The SNP is funded by it’s members. Power to the people.
Angus Armstrong seems to forget the obligation to also share the assets or has they been conveniently been forgotten. Just like Westminster secretly and conveniently forgot to share the assets for 100 years.
Scottish Independence and Catalonian (Quebec) Independence Movement is quite different. It is difficult to compare. Different Union, different history, different culture. Spain and Canada have a federal system. Tbe UK does not. Scotland was supposed to be in an equal Union. Federal states have different rights. Scotland was guaranteed equal rights which have eroded with secrecy. No taxation without representation.
Westminster and the Spanish Gov (Csnadian?) are both full of crooked, criminal liars. Secret tax evaders, illegal warmongers, supported and funded by banking fraudsters.