Heads they win, tails you lose
We’ve been poring over the fascinating document released yesterday by the Fraser Of Allander Institute, examining in detail the prospects for the Scottish Government’s budget in the coming years.
Admittedly at first we were chiefly doing it in order to embarrass the increasingly angry and belligerent BBC presenter Andrew Neil, who insisted repeatedly last year that there’d been no real-terms cut to the Holyrood budget since the Tories came to power.
That claim put Neil at odds with all manner of people pointing out that the opposite was true, to which we can now add the FoAI:
But we already knew Andrew Neil was an idiot, so that was no big deal. It was another chart in the document that caught our eye and made us think.
The four lines on that graph indicate the size of the cuts coming from Westminster to the Scottish budget over the course of the current Parliament, given four different scenarios of UK government policy, of which the red and dotted lines are most likely.
(Because Brexit is all but certain to cause additional damage to the UK’s finances that wasn’t foreseen when the government was producing its spending plans.)
And the interesting thing about them is that they won’t change no matter what happens to the price of oil. Brent crude could quadruple in price tomorrow and all of the extra money would just vanish into the maw of the Treasury, where it would make little difference to the UK and bring only a dribble of Barnett Formula cash to Scotland.
(Less than ever before, because the Scottish Government is now required to raise a much bigger proportion of its revenue from personal income taxes within Scotland and less through the block grant. Holyrood isn’t allowed to get its hands on corporation taxes, so it would see almost none of the benefit of billions in extra cash flowing from the North Sea to Whitehall were the price to rise.)
In other words, as long as Scotland stays in the UK, it’ll get billions of pounds worse off in the future no matter whether the price of oil goes up or down. (An independent Scotland could only gain, because revenues are currently more or less zero.)
And we suppose that does put an end to the awful “volatility” of the resource, which the No campaign droned on about endlessly during the indyref. Because there’s nothing volatile about a line that always goes down.
All SG, SNP, Green & Yes interviewees please copy!
Mr Andrew Neil of the BBC says:
“You go on and on,your party,about ‘austerity,austerity’-how much has the Scottish Government budget been cut in the past five or six years? […] In real terms there’s been no cut.”
…….and the BBC actually pay this man.A BBC journalist.
Little wonder they are in such a mess,and he is the creme de la creme of BBC journalists,down there and up here!
What a shambles.
Perfect yoon storm, red and blue tory. Hike Scottish tax, or cut services. BBC Scotland led attack propaganda’s been on it for a while now though. They’re even raging away at air transport duty cuts for Scotland, it’s that UKOK visceral now.
It is very clear that Westminster is deliberately trying to force the SNP government into a position of enforcing extra tax rises onto the Scottish people to ensure current services are maintained or alternately cut, to meet the budget. This of course would have the effect of making the SNP unpopular.
They swallow our Scottish revenues all the while and bleat about the need to tighten our belts.
Scotland has no such need. We are financially stable and only a fool would submit to this financial manipulation of the country and living standards.
Everyone should study this. The SNP’s head is in a noose. Which was precisely what was intended. Labour and Scottish (it wisnae me) Tories blaming SG for Westminster cuts dished out by Tories.
Severin Carroll’s take on this yesterday was predictable. ‘Economic experts warn on shortfall in Scottish budget’ with no hint that it was Westminster’s Tory gerrymandering policy and not the Scottish economy or government to blame.
Perhaps Andrew Neil will invite Rev on The Daily Politics to thrash this out once and for all?
😉
In short, being part of the UK is damaging to Scotland’s well-being and, coversely, we’d be less damaged with independence.
Who knew?
So when you think about it, the only sensible and logical thing would be for Scotland to be an Independent country.
If only there was some way that could happen.
Oh, and…
link to imgur.com
link to imgur.com
“And the interesting thing about them is that they won’t change no matter what happens to the price of oil.”
And there is a good reason for that – at present, the size of the government revenue from oil and gas is not a huge factor in the totals. The report itself says that, at best, total UK revenues will be in the hundreds of millions. Changes in the oil price are a minor perturbation on the graph.
The really interesting point in this was the response of Derek Mackay, the new finance secretary, who did not offer any actions that the Holyrood government might take to deal with the situation. No, he gave us a list of things that the Westminster government should do. So, in times of difficulty, the SNP reaches for the safety blanket of Westminster. Speaks volumes!
The fiscal settlement is yet to be revisited in the next parliamentary term, but the ‘tax raising responsibility’ was always a bear trap. One which was narrowly avoided by the SG during the recent talks, but its a trap waiting to close all the same at some future date.
Westminster knew EXACTLY what it was about when the Scotland debates and the devolution settlement was ‘on the table’ and it was always intended as a punishment exercise. A means of cowing then shackling a democratic threat. The term ‘no detriment’ has little meaning and even less value to them.
There is only one way to avoid the fiscal catastrophe occurring. Oh and that would be an impending catastrophe with added brexit misery at this point. That would be to remove the power from Westminster altogether before they wreck our economy and society any further than they have already.
No more pulling punches on telly or the doorstep. Positive is good, but this time we need to push the massive negative side of remaining chained to this ‘carnage waiting to happen’ political union.
The Union is bad for Scotland’s health. Who knew?
And, it’s only going to get a lot worse.
There was an announcement the other day of some emergency funding for the parlous NHS England – does that come with Barnett consequentials?
STV got Daisley to shut up because he was bringing their brand into disrepute. Isn’t it about time the BBC did the same with Neil and his ilk? If they are allowed to continue to produce biased personal commentary when they are supposed to be objective and even handed, one has to wonder why?
Anyone listening to BBC Scot the now.. A two-way conversation going on, then the host suddenly says “Stop”
..and then radio silence?
I best check my aerial’s working ok.
[…] Wings Over Scotland Heads they win, tails you lose We’ve been poring over the fascinating document released yesterday by the Fraser Of […]
Until Scottish Unionist supporters understand admit and accept the Scottish parliament has very little actual power over the things the BBC Davidson and Dugdale and co say they have we’re stuck with a situation where “The Establishment” can make wide exaggerated claims of mismanagement by the SNP because they know they themselves will not be in power to refute these claims were it to be themselves in that position
When you keep telling people over and over again “It’s them Ma they did it” eventually yer Ma believes it
Political tactic 101 repeat repeat repeat until the hard of understanding and reason give up and accept it as fact
And that’s how to conquer the world with “Democracy”
Verbal waterboarding
I misread Theresa May at first I thought she was flimsy like Jeremy Corbyn but she’s brittle and already showing signs of breaking, whereas old Jeremy, flimsy yes, but bends like a reed in the wind the old Jedi that he is
He’s still never going to be Prime Minister but you’ve got to admire his resilience
Yup. Unionists banging on about the price of Oil and falling revenues have suddenly found out that Revenues are in fact, “effectively” zero. So who cares about oil?
@Phil Robertson
So what are the actions that the Holyrood government might take to deal with the situation? And which of them are permitted even if possible?
I had a very quick look over the report, and it seems to me it’s effectively pro-Indy. But then I would think that 🙂
Robertson – explain this:
link to imgur.com
Phil Robertson, Oil revenues in hundreds of millions, are the UK giving it away ? or are the hiding the true revenue from oil. Norway’s revenues for 2015 were down 30% due to the weak oil price so they only earned £20 billion, given that due to their better care of the resource they now have double the production of the U.K that should still give Scotland over 9 billion of revenue at the low prices.
But perhaps if you let your friends get away with tax evasion then the tax accrued is not so high!
@Bob Mack says: 14 September, 2016 at 12:31 pm:
” … We are financially stable and only a fool would submit to this financial manipulation of the country and living standards.”
Indeed so, Bob Mack, but there does seem to be an inordinate number of such fools this side of the Scottish/English border and the saddest thing about that is they are mainly fellow Scots.
Dr NO! is as good a red tory yoon as any to watch how its all coming BetterTogether for SLabour now and this farce union ofcourse.
Scott Arthur Retweeted
Kirsteen ?@kittysull1 6h6 hours ago
Snp must use powers to protect services- Scotland could face perfect storm budget crunch that will cut services
Dr NO! very excited by today’s Daily Record’s UKOK stuff,
Scotland could face perfect storm budget crunch that will see public services slashed, say experts
06:00, 14 SEP 2016
BY LYNSEY BEWS
THE respected Fraser of Allender Institute says that the budget of Nicola Sturgeon’s Government could fall by £1.6billion by 2020/21.
@Ian Brotherhood says: 14 September, 2016 at 12:33 pm:
“Perhaps Andrew Neil will invite Rev on The Daily Politics to thrash this out once and for all?”
Aye!
Richt!
And perhaps, Ian, on that day also pigs may indeed take to the skies.
@ Phil Robertson,
I see you’ve crawled out from under the cooker.
You still haven’t answered the question.
Should Scotland be an independent country?
Ian Brotherhood says:
14 September, 2016 at 12:33 pm
Perhaps Andrew Neil will invite Rev on The Daily Politics to thrash this out once and for all?
Sorry Ian there is absolutely nae chance o that happening. The BBC do not do horror shows in the day time. 😛
Let’s face it Ian if this were ever to happen oor Stu would serve Neil his heid on a plate wi an apple stuffed in his mooth (Neil’s mooth not oor Stu’s you understand! 😀 )
Apparently, McZoomer is still making up crap, who’d of thought. Seriously is her 15 minutes of fame no finished yet.
And as if by magic the Trolls appear to credit the Scottish government with power it doesn’t have
See that works on the misinformed but not here
And that’s the problem with Unionists they’re like ISIS they don’t care who suffers as long as they get control
I class the BBC the same as a terrorist group as their aim is to spread fear.
So for this reason I am going to refer them now as the so called BBC(formerly a broadcasting company)as that’s what they call Isis in their broadcasts.
As the presenters should also be treated in the same way as all they do is spread fear they will have the moniker so called in front of their name. If we refer them in this way they are surely to despise us even more.
Rev.,
as well as the all the usual good info, I learned the correct spelling of the phrase pore over. Thanks for that. It looked odd initially, to my untrained eyes
I’ll make sure I use it and spell it correctly in future.
But we already knew Andrew Neil was an idiot, so that was no big deal
He’s an odd lad right enough. Last time I watched him with that equally odd side kick, the one with the letter box mouth, the Ligger explained that the Iraq war was a “foreign policy error.” Which probably says all that’s needed to know about how the BBC is merely a UK.gov civil service department, like the Treasury, with fantastically high paid tory wonks across this farce union, and programmes about cakes, royals etc.
But, but – Andrew is paid at such a high rate because he works so much harder than other presenters / celebs.
Surely this must qualify him to be much better informed than the rest ? or not.
@heraldnomore says: 14 September, 2016 at 12:50 pm:
“There was an announcement the other day of some emergency funding for the parlous NHS England – does that come with Barnett consequentials?”
Not if The Establishment can help it. Like so many other funding issues The Establishment will continue to rob Scots & Scotland.
Like, for example, the New London Sewerage system. Now such infrastructure funding in England is properly funded from within the DEFRA budget but in that example The Establishment decided to fund it from, “Government Reserves”.
DEFRA’s funding does carry Barnett Consequentials but all English funding falls under the heading of, “United Kingdom”, as there is no English block grant and thus all England is funded as, “United Kingdom”, directly from UK government Ministries.
In the case of the London Sewerage System the funding was from Government Reserves which do not carry Barnett Consequentials. Even worse all UK taxpayers pay for Government reserves. So we all helped pay for London Shite disposal. Even that was not enough of a rip off for the London taxpayers for every household in the south east water companies area got a refund on their water bills at our expense.
Use your powers! Use your powers!
When will the SNP just say, ‘What FUCKING powers?’
Tell us, Phil Robertson, what fecking powers, and what is the safety blanket you speak of?
With that info, you have one large, shiny brass neck to speak of safety blankets of WM.
I’m losing the plot with this repetitive shit!
@Phil Robertson 12:41 says
Below is a chart showing prices paid on future oil prices, these are actual prices paid now. They are obviously betting on prices going up and unlike you, this how they make money, so probably unlike you know what they are doing and where oil prices are headed.
KSA probably have another 2, maybe 3 years before they run out of money and need to force prices back up.
link to barchart.com
link to independent.co.uk
link to telegraph.co.uk
In addition look at brent crude chart and every 8 years, just it goes up and down like the stock market.
link to m.nasdaq.com
There is of course one itsy bitsy teeny weeny little problem for Westminster here, as I see it. 😉
The FAI is suggesting that Holyrood is facing a £1.6 Billion cut to its pocket money from WM. However as I understand it Holyrood “pays” around £11 Billion to WM for a wide variety of infrastructure projects. (Crossrail, London underground expansion/improvements, HS2, London super sewer etc) Now I assume that this money is deducted at source, i.e. WM removes the money, before Holyrood receives the dribble that is left.
I may be wrong here but surely if we were an independent country, radical idea I know but bear with me here 😛 , we would surely be around £11Billion better off to start with. This is before getting into any silly 😉 ideas about Trident etc. 😀
Not only would we better off but the never ending WM claim of the £15 Billion “Black Hole” would also be proven to be yet another LIE. I saw figures recently that stated Scotland “donates” £53 Billion to WM and spends £55 Billion. In my days at school this means a £2 Billion “black Hole” not a £15 Billion one. 😉
So in my view with an income of £53 Billion an independent Scotland must surely be in a far better place to be than it currently is. We would NOT be “giving” £11 Billion to Wm for infrastructure projects the vast majority of people in Scotland do not “benefit from” or even know about for starters!
This was highlighted during the “…more powers promise”. It was always a poison chalice designed to slowly damage Scotland further…too prove we are too poor. Westminster then “rescues” us with our own money.
How many times are we going to quietly permit this manipulation of our financial position?
I wonder why Norway doesn’t beg Westminster to save them from the curse of their Oil fund. A fund based on almost exactly the same resources that existed in the Scottish sector of the North Sea.
…perhaps many of my fellow Scots are too stupid? Why else would they turn a blind eye to such obvious deceit and theft.
For how many more years shall Scots send their wealth to the Empire in exchange for being a base for WMD, providing cannon fodder for illegal wars. A lower life expectancy ,…I could go on but most of you know the list by now.
Grrrr 🙁
Lenny Hartley says:
14 September, 2016 at 1:01 pm
Phil Robertson, Oil revenues in hundreds of millions, are the UK giving it away?
No idea but the Fraser of Allander report gives the figure as £50M for 2015-16.
Can I suggest that it is time Speaker Bercow had a word in Maggie May’s ear and reminds her that the whole purpose of PMQs is for The PM to answer questions – something of which to date she has seemed to be incapable or more likely deliberately determined not to do so.
@Phil RObertson: “No, he gave us a list of things that the Westminster government should do. So, in times of difficulty, the SNP reaches for the safety blanket of Westminster. Speaks volumes!”
Here Phil, let me give you a helping hand , as you don’t seem to know much about Scotland, devolution and reserved powers:
Devolved: link to gov.scot
Reserved: link to gov.scot
Glad to help!
Phil Robertson says:
14 September, 2016 at 1:31 pm
Lenny Hartley says:
14 September, 2016 at 1:01 pm
Phil Robertson, Oil revenues in hundreds of millions, are the UK giving it away?
No idea but the Fraser of Allander report gives the figure as £50M for 2015-16.
Phil, why are yoons like your good self happy about the fact that because you voted NO 2014, it makes no difference to Scotland what the UK oil revenues are now and will be in the future?
@Phil Robertson. Come us with some ideas man for what the SG could do.
We should have control of all our taxes and our fiscal and monetary policy.
(Called independence, BTW).
Brexit news
EU President Juncker , repeating Europe’s ‘red line’ that there can be “no a la carte access to the single market” and that Britain will have to accept free movement of goods and persons if it wants unlimited access to the single market.
link to archive.is
And then we have bawheid Farage complaiing in eu parliament that it’s not fair and calling Guy Verhofstadt a fanatic.
“I would argue what we really need is to have a sensible, common sense approach and for this parliament to recognise it has made a mistake and to find somebody who actually likes the United Kingdom to lead these talks.”
What a balloon ?.
link to archive.is
My brother-in-law lives and works in Aberdeen in the oil industry. His personal limited company is incorporated in England which is where all his tax is paid. I wonder if the GERS figures account for the many cases like him.
O/T
Why aren’t they press n media screaming for the Tory MSP
To stand down from his party, as they did over the 2 SNP mp’s
This seems to be a story they are happy to ignore.
Yip I remember these statements made by Andrew Neil which I disputed with him on twitter.
It ended up with him blocking me as I ended up called him a liar.
Good to see the FoAI now backing me up so Andrew Neil is indeed a liar.
Obviously truth does not matter when the BBC is defending the Union.
Yet despite these disastrous cuts Westminster will make to the Scottish Government’s budget.
We will still have those in Scotland peddling the same old excuses about how we are better off continuing to be governed by Westminster, because being independent the cuts would be even worse.
I say again, we need to get the Rev`s articles out to the wider public who will only ever read the distorted Unionist version. These great pieces produced by WoS would I believe make a difference to public opinion if they could be produced in paper form and distributed in thousands throughout the country.
I hope Nicola takes a ‘big stick’ to the unionist parties on Thursday.
Got the popcorn ready. Better get that jotter stuffed doon the back o’ yer breeks Ruthie.
🙂
The only answer is to end the debilitating union with England. Let britnat Scots like Neil wallow in the London cesspit.
I’d have been happier with no new “powers”. It really should be all or nothing. FFA is also open to interpretation, unless exact terms are agreed before settlement.
I like the idea of SNP introducing paid, trained people to handle getting the basics across the doorsteps to voters who otherwise rely on ebc or daily reword. Millions still don’t know we’re being shafted daily.
Re the subsidised BBC Flagship Andrew Neil.
Could we ask Channel 4 to take him off if the price is right?
Two Great British Bakeoffs for the price of one. 🙂
When the SNP announce Indy2, they should make clear that a NO vote will mean huge tax increases.
@Robert Peffers & Arbroath1320 –
🙂
Aye, understood.
Even if Neil did dare face Rev Stu he would probably insist on it being recorded.
No way he’d ever take him on ‘live’.
;(
Right totally O/T here but just completed my daily splurge of tweets to the leetle tankette commander! 😀
McDuff.
One way of doing this is to write a letter to your local newspaper based on either the information in the article, or based on some of the excellent below the line comments.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a few letters published in the local paper, remember, the readership of local newspapers are usually older (like me) and get their local newspaper out of habit (and to read the matches, hatches and despatches).
As a follow on to my last comment, the SNP should make clear that they will have to at least double Council Tax, especially in the top bands, if there is a NO vote.
I’d say we’ve waited long enough for the mythical ‘positive case for the union’.
No more media bullshit and no more putting up with risible semantic bullshit from the tunnel visioned support. We can pretty much see what is happening in the UK today for ourselves both societally and economically. It does NOT make for pleasant viewing on ANY level across these islands.
As far as we are concerned however, pledges and assurances were given to the Scottish electorate which WERE NOT KEPT. People have suffered as a direct consequence of those pledges and assurances being broken.
Never fucking mind how independence should always have to explain itself or how it would work from the macro level into an infinite fucking future. Howzabout HMG and Better Together explaining why their better togetherness, their broad shoulders, their better, safer opportunities NEVER materialised at all?
Howzabout explaining to all the EU nationals resident in Scotland, just why voting no DID NOT guarantee Scotland’s continued membership of the EU, or indeed how everyone’s rights, as guaranteed by EU human rights legislation, are now under threat?
In their own time then.
An excellent and not unrelated read from Derek Bateman ..
link to derekbateman.scot
“If nationalism is core belief in country, it looks like their nationalism is stronger than ours.”
At the moment, I agree with him. Belief in the concept of the UK is still strong. We need to erode that by offering visions of reality. The real reductions in the block grant as featured here, being one. Brexit being a much bigger one on the horizon.
As Derek puts it …. “A foundation stone of the Better Together case was the integrity of the UK. In other words, the political and constitutional construct we know as Britain was sound, time-honoured and powerful. Our alternative was uncertain, untried and shaky. You needed faith to buy into our idea. Theirs just was…”
In Indyref2 we need to reverse that logic. UKOK must be seen as the “shaky” option. They are currently handing us all the information we need to make that case!
@gerry parker
Fair point. It’s probably more the older readers who actually read the letters. A non-contentious letter not slagging off SNP / Lab / Con / whoever, would be a novelty.
Look out folks there’s trouble ahead in Glasgow this Sunday. 😀
link to twitter.com
Scotland – when compared to England, relatively higher in resources and relatively lower in incomes (but, when taken in totality, pretty much the same GDP per head).
So what econonic tool does the UK government bestow on the Scottish government? Taxes on resources?
No, taxes on incomes… am I missing something here or are the new powers a stitch-up?
link to twitter.com
Exciting times. Frankly. Will Lord Flipper make a special guest appearance like he did bettertogether with the blue tories this year?
Last one I saw, Toodleoo the noo Brian interviewed them live BBC Scotland style, Fluffie, Goldie, Ruthie, some other tory grinning idiot and they just stood and sniggered at each other, them chatted about Game of Thrones. Apparently brilliant tory insight thinks that Game of Thrones is really good. That’s what its like on planet toryboy. Easy.
Together, we are Scotland.
Does that not sound SO much better. It would then be a case where, heads we win, tails we win.
Dunno about you but I get really excited on the week leading up to the 18th of September. Until we reclaim and regain our control of Scotland and a new date is born, I’m gonna celebrate every 18th of September like it was the 4th of July.
53% of Glasgow said Yes so too.
Love 18.09.16
Why does England’s hold over Scotland remind me of Westminster’s paedophile rings?
You know how the Tories say that they are doing a marvellous
job in ruining, sorry running the country, and how the UK economy is better off than the French or EU economy, well why is it the UK needs France & China to invest in Hinckley Point Nuclear Power Station?
It seems that the UK will be in the dark unless the French Spend Billions that Westminster doesn’t have.
Of course this means that the interest payments and very high energy tariffs will put the UK even deeper in debt, but that isn’t really a problem as the Plebs will have to pay it. Just like what they did for the Casino Bankers.
Has anyone sent Brillo Heid the details of Scotland’s budget cuts? Nice to have a retraction and an apology!
@gerry Parker and Inderef2
You are right about writing letters to the papers. Even if you hate the paper you may get a chance to put across the true version of the Independence case.
For example I have had a few letters printed in the Scotsman and Evening News lately refuting the more rabid Unionists. Every one will be read by perhaps 30 to 40 thousand readers, based on 20,000 circulation. It is better to get one letter in such a paper than to grumble about their bias. Some time ago I complained to the editor of the Scotsman about the huge number of Unionist correspondents in the letters page and, to be fair, he said they did not get many letters from Pro Inde writers. They have published most of the letters which I have written since then, and I hope that one or two readers will have been converted.
No point in preaching only to the converted.
In 1707, when the Scottish parliament voted to dissolve itself and send representatives to the parliament in London, the Speaker of the English House of Commons exulted, “We have catch’d Scotland and will bind her fast.”
That was how the formal business started – does that sound like a union of two nations to you?
We have always been a prize, a source of revenue and resources, a possession and never ever a partner
gordoz says:
O/T
Why aren’t they press n media screaming for the Tory MSP
To stand down from his party, as they did over the 2 SNP mp’s
This seems to be a story they are happy to ignore.
Do you mean this one.
Tory millionaire MSP Alexander Burnett reported to police amid claims he broke election spending rules
I have emailed Ruthie about this and asked her what she is doing about it I also hope the FM gets to ask her about it at FMQs.
Things appear to be going swimmingly for the Tories these days … don’t they? 😛
CAUTION
The link eventually takes you to the DR!
link to twitter.com
Don’t worry though folks this will be the top story in Disreporting Scotland tonight with the announcement that the leetle tankette commander has suspended him fro m her party … right? 😀
Talking of Barnett Consequentials…
link to imgur.com
I see there are a couple of *ahem* interesting hashtags doing the rounds on Twitter just now.
#TweetlikeExpress
#TweetlikeSiobhan
Not that I am cynical or anything but they do seem like … erm … fun! :S
The background to our Union – little has changed regarding manipulation.
Remember very few had the vote and many of the MPs of the day had lost a great deal of money on the Darrien project. The Act of Union undertook to pay 400,000 pounds in compensation to those who had incurred these losses. This was of course blatant bribery as the people who were to benefit from this compensation were amongst those who voted in favour of the Union.
Scotland relied on 50% of its exports going to England. In an act of blackmail in 1705, the English Parliament closed their market to Scottish cattle, coal and linen and declared that all Scots would be treated a aliens. It showed the vulnerability of Scotland to a trade war. In addition, Scotland was excluded from England’s colonial territories.
The lessons of the future lie in the past.
Have you sent a copy of this to Mr Neil, Stu? Better still his bosses at the BBC.
…………..
Thanks for the oil links at 1:26pm, Undeadshaun.
…………..
@ heraldnomore says at 12:50 pm …. ”There was an announcement the other day of some emergency funding for the parlous NHS England – does that come with Barnett consequentials?”
This is worth listening to, if you haven’t heard it before.
What really annoys me about all of this is that Andrew Neil well and truly knows the ‘financial’ score but continues to attempt to brainwash everyone with his propaganda jabber. Kaye Adams, with her MA Honours in Economics and Politics, is another one. Lies and manipulation by people from elsewhere is totally unacceptable. Lies and manipulation perpetrated by Scots to the detriment of Scotland, especially our children, is absolutely abominable. Beyond the pale in fact.
link to youtube.com
………………..
@ galamcennalath says at 2:14 pm …. ”An excellent and not unrelated read from Derek Bateman .. “If nationalism is core belief in country, it looks like their nationalism is stronger than ours ……
”A foundation stone of the Better Together case was the integrity of the UK. In other words, the political and constitutional construct we know as Britain was sound, time-honoured and powerful. Our alternative was uncertain, untried and shaky. You needed faith to buy into our idea. Theirs just was… In Indyref2 we need to reverse that logic. UKOK must be seen as the “shaky” option. They are currently handing us all the information we need to make that case!”
How any of the BriNats in Scotland still believe in the ”integrity” of the UK; that Britain is ”sound, time honoured and powerful” is beyond me galamcennalath.
Surely even they must see and be disgusted by the constant paedophile revelations; the outcome of actions taken by war-mongers such as Blair and Cameron; the corruption; the debacle of both right and left politics at Westminster; the fact that there are more unelected individuals in the HoLs than elected politicians in the Commons and so on.
If many can ignore the aforementioned, I reckon the bottom line is purely down to economics. Too many people have been convinced that an Independent Scotland is too poor to support them. That leaves us, as Stu (and others) is doing here to highlight how rich we are and more than anything turn the tables on them and highlight what a financial mess Westminster is in. Brexit will help of course.
link to youtube.com
Revealed: The accounting trick that Hides Scotland’s Wealth.
link to businessforscotland.co.uk
………………………
O/T
@ Undeadshaun says at 1:40 pm …. ”And then we have bawheid Farage complaining in eu parliament that it’s not fair and calling Guy Verhofstadt a fanatic.” …. “I (Farage) would argue what we really need is to have a sensible, common sense approach and for this parliament to recognise it has made a mistake and to find somebody who actually likes the United Kingdom to lead these talks.” ”What a balloon?”
What a balloon right enough. Has it not dawned on him that there is no one in the EU who actually likes the United Kingdom (Westminster). Very few people on the planet in fact.
O/T
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water the SPFL drop another bomb.
The next “
OldNew Firm” game will be played on … wait for it … hold … HOLD … December 31st!WE now have three months to garner our loins, or whatever it is that we garner these days, for another Daily Express/Siobhan McFadyen incessant onslaught about Scottish football specifically and Scotland in general!
I see yesterday’s ‘Scottish Nurse’ that filled the bulletins has become today’s ‘UK Nurse’. She’ll have been cleared then, and Andy’ll be Scots once more…
Since 2010 when the Tories came to power. Oil price $120 a barrel. Osbourne increased the Oil tax 11% (£2Billion) to 81% (Westminster has taken 50% of all production plus Oil and Corp tax) Danny Alexander laughed about it. When the price started fallen. Osbourne kept the tax at 60/80% despite the price falling 75%. Destroying the Oil sector and losing thousands of jobs. It is now 40%, from Jan 2016. The price has increased but the tax is still too high for increasing production. The tax should reflect the price for stable production. The investment by the Oil producers started to be cut in 2011. Projects shelved but continuing current projects. It was an absolute appalling disgrace. Osbourne was sneaking in and out of Aberdeen. One of the worse Chancellor there has ever been.
Scotland has least £20Billions+ in Oil related revenues and more Oil & Gas has to be imported. Even more because of Westminster Unionist policies and not being able to borrow to invest. At the same time the Block Grant was being cut. Scotland raised 54Billion in revenues, with £4Billion of Oil revenues 2014/2015. £54Billion 2015/16 with no Oil revenues. i.e. A £4Billion increase in other revenues.
Westminster policies are still costing £13Billion in ‘Deficit’. Paying off loan repayments of the rest of the UK debt – not borrowed or spent in Scotland, Trident, no tax on ‘loss leading’ drink, tax evasion, illegal invasions etc. (‘Unidentified expenses’ on the balance sheet. – what’s that about. A cover up?) Without these policies Scotland would be substantial surplus.
Scotland can’t borrow, The rest of the UK borrows 20%. Scotland is deprived of £13Billion but gets it added on to the Scottish accounts as ‘Deficit’. Totally false , fraudulent accounts. Losing Scotland £Billions including Oil revenues and extra import costs. Against the majority wishes and the public interest. Criminal behaviour by Westminster Unionists dangerous ‘Pycho Bastards’.
Andrew Neil is a biased Tory alcoholic, liar. Alcoholics make poor decisions, without proper ‘total abstinence’ counselling. Getting £1/2Million from the BBC which is supposed to be impartial. Westminster and BBC employees should be drug and drink tested. Selfish hypocrites. The hypocritical, pompous arrogant Keith Vaz. A total disgrace troughing on £Millions of public money. They should retire or resign or be sacked. No one would get away with it in the wider society.
Last time I saw Neil he was enthusticasticaly singing the English national anthem with Portillo and a less than enthusiastic Livingston. Whole thing was an embarrassment. Could only conclude that it was set up to make Livingston uncomfortable and score points off him.
BBC’s new Scottish economics correspondent…
link to imgur.com
Saudia Arabia gas sold off it’s Oil rights to raise cash. Issued shares for investment.
As we all know wee Ruthie is against a second independence referendum … or is she? 😉
Meanwhile Dan Suff in Tory country (Dumfries and Galloway) a couple of Councillors, one EX Tory and another I suspect to also be EX Tory, are going to push the council to hold a referendum on D&G independence from … erm … Scotland! 😀
A motion will go to the full council on Tuesday calling for the local authority to seek Westminster approval to allow residents to vote for the region to either remain part of the UK or to leave if a second indy poll gets the go-ahead.
They apparently want to hold their wee ref thingy at the same time as a second Holyrood independence referendum. 😛
link to archive.is
Jackson Carlaw cites a woman in his local bakery telling him she wants politicians to make decisions instead of consulting the public. She says the public are constantly being asked to make decisions on subjects they know nothing about.
I have some sympathy for those who do not want to be involved and I recognise ‘voter fatigue’ is grinding down our support.
Does that mean the SG should look at other ways for us to take back our independence? Should that be in the next manifesto for Indy supporting parties?
O/T I like Michael Gray as a journalist.
British Bake Off costs £15Million. The production company demanded £25Million from the other Channel.
@Scott – Thought it was going a bit under the radar as they say
as Bill & Ted would say …..Excellent !!
Jesus fucking wept LA…what next Edinburgh South declaring they wish to set up a socialist republic with Ian Murray for president!
Keith Vaz is 60! I hope when I’m 60 I’m still up for threesomes with prozzies and snorting poppers, or whatever it is your average Westminster ligger does with poppers and if someone ever tells me what a popper actually.
Grossest thing about it all, is why it took so long for Vaz to actually quit. There are standards of conduct that are applicable to public office and lot of jobs too. It keeps coming up but would you leave your children unaccompanied in the House of Reprobates and if not, why are we tolerating this place at all? Why is the BBC still a viable out fit after Saville alone? and on it goes.
BBC comedy knows the score, its the betrayal of trust, you never get it back, Armstrong and Miller at the dentist.
link to youtube.com
I would say we are still in the silly season K1. Unfortunately this story initially appeared some time ago, down here in the local rag, so it’s not really new “news” but all the same it does show the mentality we are up against here.
I wish that the SNP had not gone along with the Smith commission, it was always a trap. I know how it would have been spun, but what would that have mattered…damned if they did and damned if they didn’t. Over 200 amendments batted away during the so called ‘debate’ last year, a complete white wash of the historical significance of sending 56 MP’s down there to represent us.
As far as I’m concerned we are fucking independent. This same old same old wall tae wall pish is just repeat and rinse over and over, is a manufactured distraction. It’s simple if we were independent we would accrue all tax raising revenues in Scotland for the Scottish treasury, we would have the power to shape our economy to our own liking.
We are not a poor country, we are not an incapable people, we are not bereft of an abundance of resources.
But it would seem we have within our polity a dearth of intelligence when it comes to understanding the most simple of concepts.
When o when will people realise that this is not as complicated as it’s being presented?
Sick o’ it!
So, we have our slogan.
“Vote NO to indy for tax rises”. I like that. Could be a vote winner.
Perhaps another way to phrase it better?
Arbroath1320 says:
14 September, 2016 at 3:58 pm
As we all know wee Ruthie is against a second independence referendum … or is she? ?
Meanwhile Dan Suff in Tory country (Dumfries and Galloway) a couple of Councillors, one EX Tory and another I suspect to also be EX Tory, are going to push the council.
Well LA They can do one! after the debacle of DG1…
“What is the cost of fixing DG1 ? ”
we’re Nae telling yea, but holyrood bad
Am beeling, cutting classroom assistants cos we have nae money
O/T
Wee toothy roothy’s unelected boss in Westminster is beginning to fall apart already. Corbyn seemingly ‘telt’ her today. If her performance is anything to go by she’ll be a total stuttering, wreck of a wummin when Brexit kicks in.
……………………………..
@ Arbroath1320 says at 3:29 pm …. ”Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water the SPFL drop another bomb. The next “Old New Firm” game will be played on … wait for it … hold … HOLD … December 31st! WE now have three months to garner our loins, or whatever it is that we garner these days, for another Daily Express/Siobhan McFadyen incessant onslaught about Scottish football specifically and Scotland in general!”
Something REALLY STINKS about THIS! WHO’s behind making that decision?
Hogmanay ruined for many, especially those who get beaten up (the kids who witness it) at home following a ‘no win’. The Police run off their feet. A&E departments struggling to cope. Then as you say a big deal made of the violence and the fact that Police Scotland and the Scottish NHS are basket cases. More than anything Scotland starting a New Year with all of this hanging over them. Scunnered!
Arbroath1320 says:
14 September, 2016 at 3:58 pm
As we all know wee Ruthie is against a second independence referendum … or is she? ?
Meanwhile Dan Suff in Tory country (Dumfries and Galloway) a couple of Councillors, one EX Tory and another I suspect to also be EX Tory, are going to push the council.
Well LA They can do one! after the debacle of DG1…
“What is the cost of fixing DG1 ? ”
we’re Nae telling yea, but holyrood bad
Am beeling, cutting classroom assistants cos we have nae money
Have had a few digs at McZoomer, and am now beginning to feel a little bit guilty. I think she might actually be genuinely mental.
Clootie
Your correct about the Speakers comment it was in response to all Scottish MPS requesting to leave the Union 1714 this was one of many such requests. To be told “we have caught you and we will keep you ” followed by the Exchequer “we bought you and we will tax you” on signiture of the union Scots took one seventh of England’s debt £2.5 million it was this debt that put Scotland in debt Scottish national debt 1705 600,000 English debt 18 Million Scots need to know the true history of the Union it was a hostile takeover never a Union of equals then and not a Union of equals now
I would say we are still in the silly season K1.
They may take our freedom, and oil, but they will never take Rosco!
link to bbc.co.uk
K1
Bit of profanity with Jesus mentioned with the f word.
What was the point you were trying to make that would aid Scotland’s independence?
I just don’t see it.
Hamish, leave me alone. Okay.
We’ve got Scottish Nationalists Welsh Nationalists French Nationalists and now Nigel Farage is “accusing” the EU of being European Nationalists which according to UK Unionists is a very bad thing given that they’re definitely NOT British Nationalists..no such thing…never heard of it…perish the thought
All the Great United Kingdom of England wants is !freedom! for Britain to be in charge of everything and everybody and would you all just shut up you Nationalist Bastirts
Normally when Yoons talk about their Yoondom they use the word Preserve a lot but Neil swishy hair Oliver has chosen to depart from that word and deploy the word Conserve (wee clue there) does he want jam on it or just the regular preserve but Scottified
Somebody’s got to mention Greyfriars Bobby ower lang, I’m preparing for a tearing up
Poor Neils grasp of history is all his own but I remember very far back in time when there were no Scottish actors at all at all and if there were they certainly were’nt considered good enough to grace our screens whether TV or film and the odd ones who did get any work had to modify their accents to such a ridiculous degree they sounded as bad as the English and American actors sounding ridiculous with a large feather usually protruding from their caps which was as everyone knows to denote the “Fact” you were Scottish
Drink of the alcoholic variety was a must in the identifying of Scottishness because ONLY Scottish people drank whisky and it must be drunk copiously and this process continues today
In Mr Olivers history Scots were morons except for the few who were not but they are always identfied as wrong headed or rebellious trouble makers
So if you’re Scottish and a Diddy it’s good but if you’re Scottish and educated you’re nothing but trouble
See how that works
Here’s something for the hard of hearing older No voter to consider.
Your Retirement Will Cost More Because of Brexit
“Think your retirement is safe from the Brexit fall out? Think again. According to calculations by BlackRock, market movements following the EU referendum will mean you will now need to save 13.7% more to fund the same level of retirement income.”
That’s just if you manage to save any money at all, the level of state pensions are also now under threat. The so called “triple lock” will be first domino to fall. This will be front page in Scottish editions of the Express and Mail tomorrow, I’m sure.
link to archive.is
Scottish Psyche at 358pm,
You are making the somewhat erroneous assumption that what Jackson Carlaw says happened, really did happen. It is right up there with the very best political bullsh*t. Surprised you believe it.
Petra says:
14 September, 2016 at 4:23 pm
@ Arbroath1320 says at 3:29 pm …. ”Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water the SPFL drop another bomb. The next “Old New Firm” game will be played on … wait for it … hold … HOLD … December 31st! WE now have three months to garner our loins, or whatever it is that we garner these days, for another Daily Express/Siobhan McFadyen incessant onslaught about Scottish football specifically and Scotland in general!”
Something REALLY STINKS about THIS! WHO’s behind making that decision?
I agree Petra something really DOES stink about this. No one, and do mean NO ONE, with a right mind would even touch this date with this fixture. In my view the blame falls firmly and squarely at the feet of Mr. Lancaster head honcho of the SPFL. (I understand 😉 It will be driven solely by the greed in the SPFL for more of SKY Sport’s money to cover this game nothing more nothing less!
==========================================================
garles says:
14 September, 2016 at 4:23 pm
Arbroath1320 says:
14 September, 2016 at 3:58 pm
“What is the cost of fixing DG1 ? ”
we’re Nae telling yea, but holyrood bad
Am beeling, cutting classroom assistants cos we have nae money
And right there folks you have another prime example of Dumfries and Galloway council working at its *ahem* very
bestworst!I’ll post this again as weekend reading because I’ve a dread feeling the lady in question will still be gesticulating spasmodically … if you catch my drift.
Clipped Wings: link to wp.me
Think I’ll just leave this here for any 2014 NO voters popping in for a wee scree.
This is your, and our, future. 😉
Next time people tell you that an independent Scotland can do things differently PLEASE believe them and NOT the Tories from London.
link to twitter.com
@Robert Louis 4.38pm
Who says I believed it?
If we are not ‘allowed’ a referendum, then can a mandate can be won in other ways? That was simply the point I wanted to make.
K1 at 4.17 pm
I know the feeling. Same with me. It’s so obvious we would be so much more wealthy and a happier nation if Independent.
Too many Scots just don’t seem to want to take the real facts in. What’s worse many don’t even want to believe them.
It’s still going to be a battle with the British Establishment and the MSM come a possible second Independance ref. One I couldn’t stomach if we were to lose that one as well.
Like it or not, financially Scotland merely serves middle-class England.
Time to poison the soup with our poisoned minds?
Looking forward to, say 10 years from now when the shoe will be on the other foot.
Tory Bastards..
“Scottish ebola nurse” was all over the BBC headline network yesterday, usual display of UKOK greatness, Scottish smear to hell and back but see how long it takes to spot what actually happened, buried deep in the usual BBC creep out of Brutishness?
link to bbc.co.uk
Scottish nurse’s lawyer explains what actually happened, but who did the BBC smear?
“Public Health England were unprepared for the volume of people returning from countries affected by Ebola,” Ms Cullen said.
“There were also serious failures in communication amongst the Public Health England staff.
“It is perhaps ironic that given the criticisms made about Public Health England processes, it was their complaint which led to the Nursing and Midwifery Council investigation and these proceedings being initiated against Pauline.”
OH.. 10 years from now..when 40% of indyref1 no-voters will no longer be with us.
Sad, but true, therein hope.
@heedtracker says: 14 September, 2016 at 1:20 pm:
” … Which probably says all that’s needed to know about how the BBC is merely a UK.gov civil service department” …”
Indeed so, heedtracker. In this they rather resemblance the Glasgow Council. Glasgow set up departments and call them, “Arm’s length”, but they always have a Labour Cooncellor as the chair of the arm’s length organisation. Thus the Cooncillor gets a rather over generous salary and rather over generous expenses. These are both over and above their council remuneration.
It’s a bit like the House of Lords too – stuffed to the gunnels with those the commons wants rid of or wants to reward for services rendered.
Does Brillo also guess the weather for the Empire broadcaster, I wouldn’t let him clean my toilet he is that useless.
I don’t think he has realised yet but every wee lie and wee negative towards Scotland, he is helping the Indy cause.
Tick Tock
O/T
Scottish Oil and Gas Production Statistics 2015-16
link to news.scotland.gov.uk
“Key statistics in the publication are:
• In financial year 2015-16, oil and gas production in Scotland (including Scottish adjacent waters) is estimated to have been 70.0 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe).
• Scottish production increased by 21.4% compared to 2014-5, and accounted for 81 per cent of the UK total.
• In 2015-16, oil and gas fields in Scotland accounted for 96 per cent of UK crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) production, and 60 per cent of UK natural gas production.
• In 2015-16, the approximate sales value of oil and gas produced in Scotland is estimated to be £13.4 billion.
• The approx. sales value decreased by 23.5% compared to 2014-15, despite an increase in production over the year, due to sustained low prices.
• In 2015-16, operating expenditure (excluding decommissioning) on oil and gas production in Scotland is estimated to be £6.8 billion, down 6.7% compared to the previous year.
• In 2015-16, capital expenditure on oil and gas fields in Scottish waters is estimated to be £10.2 billion, down 17.6% compared to the previous year.”
During the Scottish Referendum The Spectator wrote an article on the North Sea called “Running on fumes”
link to economist.com
Petra says:
“Surely even they must see and be disgusted by the constant paedophile revelations; the outcome of actions taken by war-mongers such as Blair and Cameron; the corruption; …. If many can ignore the aforementioned, I reckon the bottom line is purely down to economics.”
Those are probably the two main strands of NO voters … Those who can’t see how awful the UKOK actually is … And those who believed the UK was the financially safe option.
I suppose some sad folks belong to both.
This worship of Glorious Brittannia … I have encountered them frequently. Typically older relatively poorly educated people who genuinely believe the UK has had the moral high ground on most matters, has had a noble historical interaction with the world, and had a Empire like no other bathed in virtue and generosity!
Generations of state propagandists have left their mark.
When I was a kid it was an almost universal given that the UK was a special, better place. Total crap, but it was mainstream thinking in the past.
Many more Scots see the reality now.
We now have to convert some more No voters though. They believed that UKOK was decent OR was financially safe. We need to shake up the foundations of as many of those as possible. WM are doing much of that for us.
Shake-up of Scotland’s council ward boundaries approved
link to archive.is
@Davo says: 14 September, 2016 at 1:40 pm:
” … His presonal limited company is incorporated in England which is where all his tax is paid.”
Many years ago I did a spot of research on such matters. I ploughed through many company reports and was amazed to find some of those with so called, “Registered Head Offices”, with London Addresses. One that stuck out like the proverbial sair thumb was what was then one of the top senior football clubs in Scotland – Dunfermline Athletic.
And then the penny dropped when I discovered what was going on and it still is today. Anyone can get registered as a limited company for a very small fee.
What you get is an accommodation address with a company that takes your, “Head Office”, mail and forwards it to you. They do the same with your phone calls. The mail was originally sent to your PO. Box Number.
I kid you not – here are a couple of such companies who will set you up as a, “Limited Company”.
link to yourcompanyformations.co.uk
link to ukplc.com
Casual conversation last weekend with an almost 70 year old lady. Life-long Labour voter. Pretty much clueless about politics. Rule Britannia. Voted No in indyref#1. Voted Remain (because she travels to Europe a lot). Now worried about having to get visas to travel to Europe.
I said. “No need to worry. Just support Nicola Sturgeon’s drive to keep Scotland in Europe even if that means voting for Scottish independence.”
She said. “Scotland cannae afford to be independent.”
I replied. “Who told you that? The BBC?”
My reply caught her off-guard as my obvious distrust of the BBC was clearly something she had never before encountered. It really made her think–why was I distrusting the BBC? Eventually she replied, somewhat meekly, “Well, you have to believe somebody.”
I replied. “Well start believing in yourself and in Scotland, NO’ the bloody BBC.”
Oh, Peep the Beeb campaign going great guns. Still about 18% to raise but getting there. If you’d like to help fund this important campaign to bring BBC MISREPORTING SCOTLAND’s nightly propaganda broadcasts down to a small peep, then here’s the link:
link to indiegogo.com
Thanks again to all those who have already contributed.
Now – let’s get in aboot the BBC.
Ah, Mr Peffers, you forgot about the termination payments from same ‘arm’s length’ entities.
And the pension enhancements.
We’ll see what happens after May.
O/t spotted a German camper van this morning in Cornwall on camp site sporting Scotland and yes stickers. They loved my yes thistle tattoo. Take a leaf loony yoonies.germans love Scotland more than you do.have you no shame? .
Petra and Arbroath1320: because the Scottish football authorities are so incompetent it’s not always easy to attribute their actions to Unionist Plot but I would put nothing past them, given some of the senior officials.
All I can say is, that, as a supporter of what is termed a “diddy team”‘, I have enjoyed the last four years without The Queen’s XI.
O/T: what a shameful smear campaign against the SCOTTISH NURSE Pauline Cafferky in an attempt to cover up the incompetence of the Heathrow Health regime.
The people of Blantyre know what an excellent nurse she is.
Wake up, No voters. How much disrespect are you going to swallow?
The fall in Oil production is not because of the Oil price. It is because of the UK tax regime. Osbourne destroyed the Oil sector by not taking down the tax regime in line with the fall in price. The Oil producers couldn’t make a profit to invest in the sector, so they have to cut production. Losing Scotland revenues, taxes and jobs.
Osbourne increased the tax in the 2011Budget. 11% (£2Billion) to 81%. The Oil price was $120 a barrel. As the price fell Osbourne kept the tax at 80% then 60%. He didn’t cut the taxes fast enough to continues production. The Oil producers cut planned projects in 2011. They just continued with their present contracts undertaken. Shedding staff and losing thousands of jobs.
The Oil tax is 40% from Jan 2016. Still too much to further increase production significantly, but the price is rising. Osbourne is an ignorant, incompetent. Losing Scotland thousands of jobs and revenues. It would have been lower production but not decimated.
4 helicopters fell from the sky in 5 years. Killing people. Breaking UK Gov H & S regulations, The UK Gov refused to have an Inquiry. Despite the recommendation of the UK Gov Transport committee. Leading to further deaths. Totally negligent. 2009 – 19 people died. No Inquiry. The owners sold up two years later for £250Million. The helicopter model is now grounded. Indefinitely. Imagine if that had happened in London. There would have been an Inquiry right away.
Hammond when Defence Minister spend £2Billion (of Oil revenues?) up dating and modifying Army helicopters. The North Sea sector helicopters are 30/40 years old, Despite the Oil revenues which have gone down to Westminster for over forty years. Hammond smirked at the suggestion Scotland should have a Navy to patrol it’s shores.
The Scottish Gov had to organise a Sheriff Fatal accident Inquiry to find out what had happen. The witnesses were given immunity to find the truth. An employee had broken UK H & S rules by not recording on paper the maintenance details of the vehicle involved. He used phone conversation that were not recorder in a manual. Otherwise the helicopter would have been grounded.
An Offical Inquiry would have been held with the power to apportion blame and convict. Scotland does not have those powers. They are reserved. Robert Goodwin MP Transport Minister, . refused to have an Inquiry. The CAA led by a former pilot, agreed there was not need for an Inquiry. In case it was pilot error. Putting more lives at risk. That has happened.
“ next “Old New Firm” game will be played on … wait for it … hold … HOLD … December 31st!
Coulda been worse, coulda been boxing day.
Poor “I’m John McKay…..”
Just had to announce that employment in Scotland ROSE by 50 odd thousand in the last quarter, and is now BELOW the unemployment rate in the rest of the uk.
Thats gonna sting….!
Interesting German perspective on the UK contribution which will be lost …
link to spiegel.de
@woosie says: 14 September, 2016 at 1:58 pm:
” … Millions still don’t know we’re being shafted daily.”
Tell you this, Woosie, I’ve not only been telling people about how Scotland has been getting robbed blind by Westminster ever since the Treaty of Union but I’ve been giving them evidence to support my claims.
Guess what, woosie? They just refused to believe me and what is more, in spite of the evidence, they called me a liar but could not refute my evidence. I started this in around 1946 as a schoolboy and I am not alone in spending a lifetime attempting to spread the word.
@Proud Cybernat
I’ve sent you an email, was sent around 2pm. Can you have a read and get back to me (we want your blessing regarding sticker campaign) 😉
Wake up, No voters. How much disrespect are you going to swallow?
Monday or Tuesday’s Daily Record front page did same style “Scottish nurse bad” BBC style, “Drunk Scot who forced holiday jet to divert” with full page photo of said drunk Scot.
When was the last time a UKOK national tabloid had, “Drunk Englishman who forced holiday jet to divert.” BBC smear and slander Scots for decades but its still eye catching when Scottish haha tabloid cringing sleaze bags do it.
Jackie Bird reading the news decides to avail us all of HER personal opinion of Brexit (or was it the BBCs) immediately following a statement to the contrary by the First Minister
No BBC bias on display yet again (move along)
Ligger’s ex side kick from his Hootsman days. Just one more sneaky shit tory, insular, far right rule Britannia Britnat. Curtice poll say Brexit UK is saved, will Farage style EU far right break up the EU? Doesn’t matter to the UKOK toryboys.
link to archive.is
Unionists need to put some effort now into considering how to convince floating voters and young voters (inclined to independence) that the UK works. After Brexit, the unique partnership of nations – and the ties, friendship and economic relationships involved – are a boon. The UK is pretty much the perfect size.
Re the ‘Old Firm’ game. Historically i.e. before T.V. controlling the fixtures the ‘derby’ was played on New Years day. Being generous here I would suggest that rather than have pissed up supporters attending and watching the hate fest after a nights festivity there is some counter intuitive thinking going on i.e. there will be less drinking in the afternoon as people will rather try and keep themselves together for the bells. I don’t know obviously but just a thought. Will it work if that is the case who knows?
@ Grouse Beater Great read if you keep writing like that ah kin see Stu making you Heid Reporter,keep up the erse kicking tae they Yoon Churnalists. Big Tammy doft tae ye.
Dr. Jim….. Think it was her employer’s view….. Is she cleared to express opinions ?
Alisdair
Back in the day, when the Old Firm game was a Ne’erday standard, there was a lot-less bevvying than goes on today – we couldn’t afford it for a start.
Even then, the authorities tried to move it. I recall the great Sunday Mail football writer Rex Kingsley pointing out, back then, Ne’erday was the one day of the year when the pubs were shut.
He therefore said, quite rightly: why move the fixture from the one day in which the fans could not get tanked-Up?
Ken500….. any thoughts on the C $l € u%t #h… A crash ?
Ronnie: “Grouse Beater, Great read. Keep up the erse kicking.”
Ah’m oan tha’ joab, ma china.
Teresa May could increase taxes. Stop cutting budgets. Stop sanctioning and starving the vulnerable? Increase Scotland’s budget – Block Grant?
Cut Defence Trident/redundant weaponry. Stop cutting NHS/Education budget. Tax the wealthier and stop tax evasion. Stop bombing the Middle East and supporting Israel. Or have a GE.
The Tories commited electoral in 31 constituencies the Police might move to get a conviction. Resulting in a GE.
It is not terrorism that is threatening the world economy. It is illegal wars, drugs and tax evasion. Destroying communities and society.
If Osbourne had not lost Scotland/UK thousand of Oil (chain) jobs. Scotland would have really low unemployment, increased revenues and decreased unemployment benefits. Less Oil & Gas imports. Less balance of payments deficit and less UK debt. With increased £Billions of revenues to support welfare benefits, support public services and vulnerable people.
Brexit could/will cause a crash. The Tories might pull back. Try for agreement, similar to Cameron. A watered down compromise. Switzerland had a Referendum to stop migration. 51/49 Out of the EU. Negotiations have gone on but the EU said ‘no migration no single market’. Switerland have had to back down. There is a compromise within Switzerland. Something about restrictive papers/visa but within Switzerland.
Cameron tried to do that, but the Brexiteers would not agree. Cameron should never agreed to have a Referendum to appease UKIP. A disaster. It might completely split the Tories. Labour/LibDems/Greens/UKIP are in a mess. Even a few UKIP MP’s in Westminster would gave been a better compromise for England/Wales than this mucked up mess. They would have burnt themselves out.
The SNP would have held the balance of power as predicted. Advantageous for Independence. A great bargaining chip. At least Scotland is in good hands. The SNP will stand up for Scotland/interests. They are fit for the Westminster sneering Unionists.
It will take a wee while to organise another Referendum. Campaigners were a bit jaded. Once the paper work is in place. It can happen any time or Scotland will get a lot of consideration or compensation. Full fiscal autonomy and full EU membership. No Westminster interference. If the rest of the UK had listen to Scotland’s policies. They would not be in so much debt within an unequal society.
The migration in Europe is caused by UK/US and France. Only a cease fire and reconstruction will stop it. There are not so many migrants in the UK as in the rest of the Europe. The Tories are falsifying the migration figures. They are including foreign students and under estimating the nos of Brits in Spain etc.
Brits in Spain become Spanish or joint citizens to pay less tax. Retirees pay less tax as Spanish citizens, They might in other EU countries. In Portugal they pay no tax for ten years as Portuguese citizens. Buy house cheaper, less rates etc. More people might retire to Europe.
The poor remain with us, growing in numbers, with ‘destitution’ re-entering our vocabulary on a regular basis. An inconvenient truth of our current civil oligarchy that is deeply embedded in a WM political system which promotes ‘patrimonial capitalism’ (Piketty’s phrase). Decent, sustainable capitalism where everyone would have an acceptable standard of living is just too difficult for a WM political class to contemplate when they are out of their depth in their day jobs.
‘Poverty means not being able to heat your home, pay your rent, or buy the essentials for your children. It means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty, and impossible decisions about money. It means facing marginalisation – and even discrimination – because of your financial circumstances. The constant stress it causes can overwhelm people, affecting them emotionally and depriving them of the chance to play a full part in society.
The reality is, almost anyone can experience poverty. Unexpected events such as bereavement, illness, redundancy or relationship breakdown are sometimes all it can take to push us into circumstances that then become difficult to escape.
Poverty wastes people’s potential, depriving our society and economy of the skills and talents of those who have valuable contributions to make.
An estimated £78bn of public spending is linked to dealing with poverty and its consequences. This includes spending on healthcare, education, justice, child and adult social services…
Destitution is the most severe form of poverty in the UK and means someone can’t afford the basic essentials they need to eat, keep clean and stay warm and dry. 1.25 million people in the UK experienced destitution at some point during 2015… child poverty rates remain high at 29%, and poverty among working-age adults without dependent children has risen from 14% to around 20%. Child poverty is projected to rise sharply over the next four years and working-age poverty is likely to rise in the longer term unless action is taken now’
link to jrf.org.uk
SG have a very extensive child poverty strategy that at its heart enables the state, creates social unity and provides aid to the worst off in society
link to gov.scot
WM is fronted by the toxic legacy of this person and generations of UK citizens are paying the price of her ‘strong leadership’ and politics of exclusion
‘Thatcher didn’t win elections because she converted a majority of citizens to her cause (she didn’t) or because she was personally popular (she wasn’t). She won them because her governments delivered just enough tangible benefits to just enough voters at the right time’
(Bale, 2010 The Conservative Party;From Thatcher to Cameron)
UKOK politics – from hubris to disgrace.
I know all that post links mean well but please stop the ones to the scotsman . the herald etc i tend to gravitate to the comments and gees i can’t believe some of the junk , the totally misinformed rubbish these people post from we will be forced to join the euro , to this constant pish of a multi zillion bleedn hole where is this feckin hole so we can fill it with the pish these people deem as gospel truth that can’t ever be questioned .
Scottish Psyche at 3.58pm
Logically then he should ignore her 🙂
Hmm maybe TherMay is waiting to see the result of America’s General Election vote first, before going loco with A50.
If you’re coming to The Green this Sunday, you could bring a banner of where yer frae in Scotland..
There’s gonna be 100’s of individual Scottish communities coming together.
Come as you are.
Re the Old Firm fixture –
This date was being discussed back in June
link to archive.is
The lunatics in charge have clearly decided Murdoch’s money is more important than the wellbeing of the country.
At some point the SNP are going to have to take a political lance to this boil, and make sure the resulting mess sprays all over Ruth the Shitstirrer.
Oil Revenue?…when did we ever get any? Was a per head ratio for Scotland ever incorporated into the Barnett Formula? Does Oil Revenue figure in the GERS? The Inter Regio Account from which all proceeds from Oil are siphoned into is then ‘moved’ en bloc into the Westminster ‘black hole’ of hidden accounts and ‘pink papers’ is it not?
Unless Gers is fully deconstructed and debunked publicaly in a straighforward manner by the SG, we will not convince enough soft ‘NO’s that Scotland is viable. This is the reason that this basic lie is hammered day in and day out via the colonial media. People absorb this core misbelief through constant repetition and unconsciously incorporate it into their world view. That’s why they resist rational facts. They use emotional reasoning and that is hard to break down.
We need to use the same approach via billboards, FB, websites stickers, whatever. Those wrong Unionist core beliefs need to be undermined and challenged by ours.
O/T So D&G ‘Independent Councillors’ want to vote to secede from Scotland?….nice photie of the two of them proudly holding up a Butcher’s apron. I wonder where they want to secede to?…Northern Ireland perhaps?…seems like it would fit in with their views. But wait a minute..the ‘Province’ voted to Remain..Stupid stunts or something similar?
Nonsense is being printed about the EU budget and the U.K. Contributions, nonsense. The U.K. Gets a rebate. It gets more back than it puts in. The UK withdrawing it’s contribution will benefit the EU. Less for the EU to give back in reduced tarriffs and services. The rest of the UK imports far more than it exports. Any fall in the £ will benefit exports but it will be less beneficial as the price iof imports will increase. More pro rata – putting up prices – and the balance of payments deficit. Putting up the cost of living. Lowering living standards.
Scotland has less of a balance of payments deficit. A more balanced economy. It exports more pro rata. So it has less debt. It also raises more in taxes. Spends more on public services. Although that is more affordable because of the higher revenues raised (pro rata).
The rest of the UK Paying less taxes is a benefit. They have more money to spend in goods and services. More spending power (pro rata) More prosperous because they are loading their debts on Scotland. The false ‘deficit’. Spending less on essential services can be a false economy.
Countries with good education and health systems prosper. They are more cohesive, equal,and fairer. This makes people happier and there is less tension or agression within communities. Increasing people’s wellbeing. This is happening in Scotland.
The minority are trying to take the majority out of the EU. A difficult task. It will rebound. Things are happening so quickly. It is quite exciting. Wondering what will happen next. Talk about the unexpected.
Arbroath1320 at 2:23pm
Reading the @ScottishTories tweets below that really cheered me up 🙂
Kevin McKenna employs the little grey cells and writes an excellent critique of the Tories in The National:
link to thenational.scot
Lochside
The irony is that D&G is going to be screwed if they leave the EU- out of all the Scottish regions it is so centred on farming.
10% of the workforce work in agriculture (national average is 2.6%). The tories are giving very short term guarantees but what are tory guarantees worth?
Scotland has a lifeline to stay in the EU and folk in D&G are going to slit the region’s throat? Seems unlikely. Just a couple of knobends trying to Jack each other off.
Time for Scottish Government to take control of all public revenue raising in Scotland by introducing an Annual Ground Rent based on a charge per square metre rated on land type.
This could be introduced now, provide a substantial increase in public revenue while dramatically cutting Scottish citizens’ and businesses tax bills.
This is not with out note we say their wee crafting Smith as a poison chalice and here it sits.
Have not had time to read comments yet, but I think I am right in having a recollection of us being told we would be like Greece without the sunshine, if we voted Yes. The UKok gov are doing their best to try that one, keeping Scotland poor, making south of england rich on the back of Scotland’s stolen wealth.
The Scottish government, ie the SNP, are working wonders really, against massive odds. Looks like it is gonna get a tad more tricky. Passing police station, schools, parks, community centres today from hospital, having got a bus not privatised, the thought crossed my mind of how it could all be a whole lot worse if it weren’t for the Scotgov working their socks off. I sincerely hope they have a few tricks up their sleeves, it will be crucial to keep things running at a level, never mind being better.
The Oil revenues do feature in GERs, but are they correct? . Google Scottish/UK accounts. Go through the pages. Scottish gov accounts. It used to be on p16, but that has been changed. There is a table of all taxes raised. At the end. It gives Oil taxes raised as a pop share and as a geographical share. The (so called) revenues, some estimated, are given and added on.
How much does Westminster/Unionist fiscal interference affect these figures? There are ‘unidentified expenses’. ‘Nominal expenses’ . £Billions. Weird. Accounts are done to identify expenses. Not to hide them. That is false accounting. Would not be accepted in private or public accounts.
VAT is estimated based on Ireland figures (pop – pro rata). It is suggested that is under estimated and should be higher. Westminster used to claim it could not publish separate Accounts for Scotland. A click on a mouse? That is why some items are estimated.
Asthma is cured by swimming and steam. Not sauna. Get your lad down to a swimming pool or health club. Someone with chronic asthma, high cholesterol and could hardly walk. On tablets and an inhaler. Went swimming and in the steam. Completely cured. Lower cholesterol, no tablet or inhaler. Completely fine. Have a shower or they have to put more chlorine in the water. Too much is unhealthy, especially for youngsters.
Time Polis Scotland cracked the whip & ruled offside on the Hogmanay fixture.
I sincerely hope they have a few tricks up their sleeves, it will be crucial to keep things running at a level, never mind being better.
link to archive.is
Alex Bell of the Graun says Scotland’s up shits creek whatever happens and its time for things to be done radically different economy wise in Scotland.
“There is important context here – the Fraser of Allander’s headline was part of a budget report, setting out the challenges to spending ahead of the Scottish government’s financial statement. Such a thing is old hat for Westminster, where bodies such as the Institute of Fiscal Studies provide pre- and post-budget comments. In Scotland, no such body has previously existed –”
A Scottish radical and different think tank is a great and original idea. So what can we do everyone? Nothing but we can raise income tax. Lets do it!
@Ken500
I read all your posts well nearly all…but on asthma I have to disagree. There is no cure for asthma it’s a debilitating disease and can cause death.
link to nhlbi.nih.gov
link to caltonjock.com
Kevin writes a no bad column. No SNP bashing. The US didn’t support the UK Falklands useless intervention. The Yanks appreciated the Argentine claim to historical rights. They advised Taking it to the UN for deliberation and mediation and sort it out – peacefully. Thatcher seduced Reagan. Sweet talked him into her way of thinking. Late night phone calls. No accounting for taste. Hands off.
If there was any Oil it could only be produced with Argentine co-operation. The nearest land mass. Some Oil companies were over estimating discoveries. To get investors roped in for increased revenues. The shares prices increase along with the companies value. The company spends the revenues and then the share value falls. Investors lose their money/investment.
I notice a few people on here mention conversations they’ve had with individuals recently and would like to share my experience of getting into discussion with literally dozens of English people when I was abroad recently.
At some point in the conversation, with them all, the subject of Scottish Independece was raised. Some were sympathetic and others of course could barely hide their annoyance. None had any idea of what had been going on with Scottish resources: how wealthy Scotland is in fact (they know now!)
Anyway this post is more about their attitude to Westminster politics and I should point out that I met a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and who came from all over England, say from Penrith to Penzance.
Would it surprise anyone to know, as it did me, that every last one of them no longer supported Labour, Libdem or Tory. They were all UKip supporters. Now I’m sure that there must have been some Labour and Tory supporters around but I just didn’t meet them.
The conversation, with these UKip supporters, would then inevitably turn to talking about immigration and that was a real eye-opener too. It was clear that their gripes were less about EU nationals and more about those who don’t have peelywally faces, such as Turks. I would then point out that when EU nationals were sent home the jobs vacated, such as in the NHS, would have to be filled by someone, more than likely individuals from Commonwealth countries (53) such as India, Pakistan, Jamaica and so on. Some were aware of this: Most weren’t and when the penny dropped their faces were a picture, to say the least. Went from peely-wally to grey, bright red and even purple.
The point of this post is that when these racist individuals, or even those who are just genuinely concerned about the sheer volume of immigrants living in England, realise that Brexit isn’t going to address their ‘gripe’ they are going to be totally disillusioned / angry and England is going to be in a real state of flux. Individuals like Farage will come up with even more fascist proposals to address the ‘problem’ and get even more support.
Come the next election in 2020, imo, UKIP is going to be ruling the roost down south and if they are out of the EU and split from Scotland wee isolated England is going to implode .. be in one unholy mess.
@heedtracker
Nop
That’s what they want.
Increase demand in the economy and create a parallel currency.
Way fwd.
It can cause death in extreme cases. Just recounting what happened to a chronic asthma sufferer whose health improved. It could be worth a try. Not meaning to give offence. It is a frightful condition and increasing. People have died unfortunately. Unexpected and suddenly. Well aware of dreadful heartfelt cases.
It is peculiar. That people who want no migrants but can be immigrants or have close ties to other countries. Most migrants are in London – more jobs, cosmopolitan but London voted Remain. The North of England were there are less migrants and more connections to overseas. Voted No. Parts of Wales which benefits from EU Grants. voted No. Cardiff or Swansea. Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones. ‘Green, green grass of home’ . International overseas stars. EU/US residents.
Surveys often say respondents are not bothered about having different culture neighbours but they want less immigration. Like they are brainwashed. Even migrants can resent migrants from other countries. Some folk did seem to not know what they were voting about. Lemming over a cliff. Swept along.
‘Peelleywalley’ faces.
Some folk voted out and then said they didn’t realise they were voting to expel their brother-in-law or friends and relations.
To be fair to Alex Bell he seems to be saying everyone is up shit creek. He does rather take the dismal part of the dismal science” a wee bit too seriously.
News at Ten reveals just how fat Tory Boy NHS has sunk.
They then primed the UK viewers to the fact that other countries take out insurance and pay to see GPs.
Stop right there! We pay National Insurance and we pay for our GPs to see us.
The Tories have stretched the NHS for many years now, and people like the Junior Doctors refuse to accept another round of do more with less for less.
The Tories will sell Health Services to their mega rich friends, just as they have with Gas, Electricity, BT, Royal Mail, Northern Rock, etc, etc.
If No voters get scare mongered by the UK Media’s Propaganda services at Indy Ref 2, they can look forward to their first vital sign being how much is on their credit card.
If it crosses your mind that Labour might do better, recognise that that Labour Controlled NHS Wales is in an even worse state than NHS England.
Vote for Scotland, vote for SNP, vote for all that your life is worth!
OT
Jings, that’s Explorer with Hempleton-Kemp (?) first to counter-clockwise through both north-east AND north-west passages in one season, and by 2040 they’re predicting an ice free summer in the Arctic.
All this p%ing around with Brexit and Indy Ref 2 is doing my head in. It’s time NOW to get the dust off those plans for Hunterston deep-sea container hub and get some light of day on them. It won’t be long before container ships progressing up to the supercontainer ships of 20,000+ TFEU will be coming through, and what do they see as they come out of the north-west passage? Scotland, being held back by the UK, and probably out of the EU, with just Greenock and a flaming dusty noisy coal terminal, and wealth makers clinging to the skirts of a failing City based economy.
We need to get started on this now. Stupid Conservatives can’t even see an inch in front of their eyes, the money and economy there for the taking is just immense.
Check it out on google zooming out. Never mind the Iceland Greenland gap for NATO, think money, jobs, economy, and a hub for east and west, first port of entry into the EU, offloading to local small container ships. Think bigger than Rotterdam and Southampton rolled into one.
O/T – re the Glasgow Green rally on Sunday, I agree with Tam Jardine and others that there needs to be some sort of cohesive organisation inc advertising for these indy events. I only know about GG from reading WOS and I’m already pro-indy, obvs, but how many no-ers or undecideds are aware it’s taking place, or care?
To prove point of lack of co-ordination, last night I received an email invitation to attend a ‘getting the band back together again’ SIC (Scottish Independence Convention) gig this Sunday at St Lukes in the Calton, 17 Bain St, Glasgow G40 2JZ at 2pm. Tickets are £5 and can be purchased from (if link works)
//scottishindependenceconvention.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=df012d8279198a094e9cfa04b&id=514b5b234e&e=e81b1efcaf
I’ve no idea whether the SIC venue is on GG or near it or one event will detract from t’other or not. The entertainment and political commentary at SIC will come from Alex Salmond, Eddi Reader, Janey Godley, Haggis McSporran, Witserface and Alan Bissett, Jean Freeman MSP, Tommy Shephard MP, Robin McAlpine (CommonWeal), Carolyn Leckie (Women for Independence), the Wee Ginger Dug and others.
I’m not actually fired up enough to bother with either to be honest but hope all who attend either/both have a fab time. 🙂
Nasty Lib Dem idiot Cole Hamilton says on Scotland 2016 SNP robbing me of my British Citizenship.
Joan Macalpine doing well against Tompkins and BBC
No offense taken Ken500. Just lived with a sister who has asthma, my daughter was diagnosed at the age of 2, in and out of hospital most of her childhood. She’s now a grown woman of 34 and still uses her 2 sprays. Thankfully her little ones appear free of it. 😉
Same here but people have survived. Some have not tragically.
I wonder if our MSM will savage NHS England for their disgraceful treatment of ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey?
Imagine Express & Mail headlines if this had been NHS Scotland?
Re Sinky @ 10.53 Again BBC has two unionists against one Indy when discussing Brexit / Indy they seem to forget that the Greens have more MSPs than the Lib Dems.
TJenny
It is ridiculous- I am an SNP member and read wings (and keep an eye on Stu’s twitter feed) throughout the day. I am living and breathing the case for indy and yet somehow I find myself on the outside of the movement. If the dribs and drabs of info and hearsay are hard for me to penetrate then what must it be like for folk that are swithering- maybe thinking about attending a rally. You hear someone talking about speakers on Glasgow Green and then suddenly its an all ticket event in the Calton.
So now in the absence of anything more concrete I will be taking my wee girl on the train over about midday and see what transpires. If you find yourself feeling fired up I’ll keep an eye OT
Some Lib Dems and others will be getting worried.
It’d be hard defending a defamation action if you’ve accused someone of committing a crime and the police disagree.
Kathleen Nutt @kacnutt
@policescotland say “there is no investigation” into @MichelleThomson
link to twitter.com
My old army pal stayed in Germany after he was discharged. Teaches English. Is as English as can be.
Anyway over visiting his elderly mother who lives in Maidstone. She is also English. Think ma Larkin. She has as is her right a blue badge. Her son living in Germany drives a left hand drive car with German plates.
Parked in the disabled spot at the local supermarket. Bloody foreigners taking all the good parking spaces was the retort from a local making assumptions.
My pal has been to war for his country and suffers for it.
He has serious doubts of ever coming back to settle in England he found it so racist.
K1:
Please see last post on Sorry,Guys.
Peace Always
Very interesting intervention by guy Verhofstadt regarding stability growth pact. Calls for it to be removed…
@ Lochside says at 9:05pm …. “Unless GERS is fully deconstructed and debunked publicly by the SG, in a straightforward manner, we will not convince enough soft ‘Nos’ that we are viable.
That’s it in an absolute nutshell Lochside. We can do our utmost to get the truth out there, by every and any means possible, but ultimately this has to be dealt with by Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP (with help from experts).
Last time round we were struggling with issues such as pensions, currency, NHS, EU, NATO and so on. Most of these issues have been resolved and can be kicked into the long grass. Now the crucial factors relating to us getting our Independence are the black hole frightener / GERS (whereby pensions / convincing the elderly would still be problematic) and exports to rUK versus the EU. So yes …. deconstructed … debunked …. and relayed in such a straightforward manner that absolutely everyone can fully understand.
Now I’m sure that Nicola Sturgeon will be well aware of this but maybe we should contact her anyway. As an example when being confronted with the dire impact of the drop in oil revenue she never says “little of it came our way anyway” (or give out statistics / mention it fluctuates etc) rather comes out with something along the lines of ” Yes that’s correct but our onshore economy is strong.” People switch off when they hear her agree with them and probably have no idea what the word ‘onshore’ actually means.
Maybe they’ve spent too much time talking to individuals who constantly use political jargon or they don’t get the chance to elaborate when being interviewed? Whatever the case it’s not working. A change of ‘approach’, imo, is required.
Re the recent comments from David mundell and Liam fox on Scotland’s input to brexit and also along with prime minister may and infact anyone who is a unionist, the table of importance and respect of westminster goes something like this.
1-England,
2-America, Nothern Ireland,
3-certain Euro countries and Wales,
4-China and the rest of the EU,
5-further Asian nations.
6-Scotland and Russia,
7- Middle East and North Korea.
That’s my reading in where Westminster places Scotland in so far as respect, curtesy and diplomacy.
@Tam Jardine
It’s the same for Hope Over Fear. Finally found the events page, through google not the facebook. It starts at 11 a.m. and will be well organised and there will be more information.
It’s nearly Thursday. From elsewhere the YES bikers will appear same as last year. Yay.
Glasgow Green? I think it’s quite big, never been there.
Just back from Surrey this evening so haven’t read all posts.
My wee strawberry-blonde grand-daughter started school yesterday so I was down to be part of it now I am retired.
My son said to me yesterday that Surrey was classed as an area of deprivation – he said there are pockets of deprivation but no way the whole area can be described as deprived. But it makes you wonder if money is diverted to those Tory-voting areas where life is good. There certainly seems to be plenty of initiatives for children in their area of Reigate and Banstead Council.
Makes you wonder how much of that is going on in Tory MPs constituencies throughout England while ignoring the North of England.
NHS England has said they will only continue to fund such services as they have now till 2020 after that time other arrangements will have to be made
And there’s yer TTIP deal folks coming right at you from an America near you
And Theresa May will grab it quicker than that greedy kid in Willy Wonka
She’s only today caved in on Hinkley Point Nuke Power
at a mere 110% more than renewable energy
And still the Yoons sweem “It’s good it’s good” and whether Scotland likes it or not you will be doomed along with us
because we’re having all that oil that you don’t have and it’s no good anyway west of Shetland
Tonight on the Scotland Tonight show wee Rona got telt and telt and hints were drapped fae great big giant heights that Scotland is in the EU if we so wish but over on 2016 the BBCs flagship shite Tomkins is still scweeming “Naw yeez cannae Naw yeez cannae”
Can there be anybody left in the whole of Yoondom who’s ears still work and can get a lend of a brain cell for even just a minute and catch youselves on with all this nonsense you’re talking
The economic black hole story isnae even working in fact we could just fill that black hole up with the amount of shite coming out of your mouths
Just for once Yoons give it a rest “We Win” so get over it and lie down with a bit of dignity
One last word, what are Liberal Democrats actually for?
In the sense of, what’s their purpose?
I’m shutting up now, it’s the drink made me do it
Sorry to go O/T but I thought a Finnish view of the recent McFayden/WoS debacle might be interesting to WoS readers.
Today I saw some friends and family, many of them journalists, who think the BBC is trustworthy and the epitome of impartiality. English tabloids are what they are, not to be taken seriously.
I’ve been trying to tell them what a propaganda vehichle the BBC is in Scotland, how all the press (apart from the National) is anti-Scottish, how the unionist establishment tries to shut up dissident voices. (And stir up sectarian trouble, as their anti-Scottish agenda.)
Not many believed me before. But the shut down of WoS Twitter got their attention. Hey, maybe lumilumi’s ramblings have some truth in them. It was something they all could source themselves. Go and see. See, I wasn’t being a crazy conspiracy theorist.
Result? Trust in the BBC and any English/British papers and news sources shaken, almost destroyed.
Well done, Yoons. You’re destroying what you love by your own actions. Not only in your Great Britain but also abroad. Brexit doesn’t endear yourselves to many Europeans. Fortunately, Europeans know Scotland is different and would fit right in.
David Cameron’s internal tory party squabble becomes an accidental defining moment in UK trade and foreign policy. No plan A, let lone plan B, C, D or E. What a muddle.
@TJenny, Tam Jardine,
Sunday at Glasgow Green is the big one.
Of course there are other events, as we should expect, but we can’t attend all.
Hopefully, Ronnie Anderson will clarify bits and bobs over the next few days, but so far as I’m concerned it’s Sunday.
Hope to see ye’s there!
🙂
I’ve been reading on here for a couple of years now and it seems to me, to be the same things repeated time and time again.
Why does the SG seem to be so Inactive? I don’t see any challenges to Westminster, well any that they take any notice of. The SG have all the information they need and more besides.
Is it not the SG’s duty to ensure there is no detriment to the people of Scotland? If they know there is detriment. Why aren’t they shouting from the rooftops? Tell the people whats going on and what they intend to do.
It’s time there was some pressure put on Theresa May and her cronies, i believe many countries in the world would back us as we still have many friends in this world. England not so many.
As far as the figures and budgets and so forth, pocket money for the jocks and that’s how it will always be, Scotland on Universal credit.
Basically reading too much needed to make a comment.
Not a Troll, thanks
@ TJenny at 10:46pm ……..
Totally agree that the advertising of events is shambolic. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many people I’ve spoken to that didn’t have a clue about Gasgow Green and can’t go now because they’ve made other plans. Now I’ve just read your post and it’s the first I’ve heard about the Calton venue. And it sounds as though it will be fabulous.
Surely the SNP could at least send out an email well in advance (not last night) to all members and advertise in other ways.
Don’t know what I’ll be doing now! Run from one to the other? In saying that the Calton tickets may be sold out. Additionally why hold them on the same day?
@Petra
Sturgeon: “” Yes that’s correct but our onshore economy is strong.” ”
Yes, that is the correct answer, but I think the SNP surround themselves with politicos not plebs like 99% of the population are. They need to make it simple. Something like@
“oil revenues are now nearly zero so make no difference to Independence either way, but our normal economy is growing steadily, and our deficit is coming down very nicely since the banks crash. In 6 years it’s come down from over £20 bn – 17% of our economy in 2010, to less than £15 bn but only 10% of our economy in 2016, if you ignore oil which makes no difference now anyway. If we make sure that continues we’ll be in surplus by 2025 – we’ll have money in the bank :-)”.
Yeah that’s not very simple either 🙁
@Petra –
I don’t know about the Calton gig, but the Glasgow Green gathering starts at 2 and is meant to go on until 8.
Petra:
I left this on last thread for you,sorry you missed it.
Smallaxe says:
14 September, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Petra:
I don’t know about Saturday but Sunday at Glasgow Green begins
a two pm until Eight pm.Hope this helps.
Peace Always
link to facebook.com hope this helps
Have I missed something?
D&G or any other region, doesn’t ‘belong’ to the council, or even the current electorate.
Parliament is the guardian of all regions, granting administrative tasks to local representatives.
Clootie
I believe it was ‘We have catched Scotland and will hold her fast’ and in 1713 after a vote for dissolution of the union very narrowly failed.
Thanks Smallaxe, Ronnie etc …
Just checked some things out online and it seems that the Hope over Fear event is on Saturday at 11:00am? Wouldn’t it just make sense, a real impact, to combine these three events and have some amazing speakers / music at one MASSIVE venue?
louis.b. argyll @ 12.07
Which parliament? Holyrood or Westminster?
I favour the former for obvious reasons.
@ yesindyref2 at 11:49pm ….”Yeah that’s not very simple either.”
Ha, ha, ha! Not easy right enough!
Maybe she should just say ” Oh p*ss off why don’t you (plus boot to the shin) and tell the BBC, Unionists and newspapers to stop feffin lying to the Scots”. That would at least get everyone’s attention.
link to instantstreetview.com
Glasgow Green 18th Sept
Event starts at 2pm till 8pm ( anyone setting up stalls be there by 1pm ) Train s from Edinburgh to Glasgow (lower level ) get of at High st & walk down past Clock at Glas cross Saltmarket .
Sturgeon suggests independence may save Scotland from UK’s Brexit ‘lost decade’
link to archive.is
Tory MSP Alexander Burnett reported over election spending rules
link to archive.is
Dr Jim
Even when we have voted Yes and are welcomed into the EU they will still be telling us we will not be allowed in the EU.
Even when our economy starts to kick on and we start feeling the benefits of independence they will still be telling us we will not be allowed in the EU.
£10.33 billion is the expenditure allocated to Scotland for shared services NON ID expenditure that can’t be locked down to a single country. Well- some of it is spent here but almost all is spent outwith Scotland, on defence, on debt interest and all the hundreds of UK government functions that take place down south- that’s why we are defenceless with infrastructure miles behind other European countries.
We’re not staring at a black hole. We are starting at a massive stimulus package unprecedented in our history. Am I wrong?
Y’know the 18th September is gonnae end up being Independence Day eventually?
There’ll always be gatherings from here on in Scotland on that day. Probably the biggest one’s. But it’s also good that there are many others surrounding that date, it gives people options, time wise, to be part of one if they can’t manage t’other.
So it’s all good. 🙂
Certainly agree there needs to be some sort of central online hub where all events are listed, a go to look up…like the List.
Call it the ‘Independent List’ for e.g. Organisers just call up or email that hub and have their events listed on a weekly basis or some such. Ye get the drift.
Smallaxe, response on ‘Sorry guys’ awaits ye 🙂
Ronnie and Ian B
Cheers- at least some folk ken the script. See youse there
@ yesindyref2 The YES BIKERS will not be attending the HoF on the 17th George Square.
YES BIKERS will attend the Glasgow Green on the 18th , that is advertised on the Yes Bikers own page .
K1: “The 18th September is gonnae end up being Independence Day.”
Until then it’ll be known as Epic Fail Day.
Re;Ken500 and Cherry
O/T
Ken thanks, I know you mean well, regards asthma. It is like most things different for everyone, with varying degrees of seriousness and triggers. It is worth trying different things, we will look into it, hoping son is home tomorrow, most of all he is finding the tv being on an absolute nightmare. Ward with 3 older guys, who seem to like the bbc bizarrely. East Enders, blimey. News on today, heard SNP bad, brexit no probs for economy bla bla, all within seconds of some long haired woman blurting out news where you are, pap.
On another subject was just reading about the coup in Brazil and the new ‘president’ selling off the family silver within hours. RT has a wee bit on that. Brazil, a country with a myriad of resources, but huge unemployment, and of course that volatile stuff, oil, oh and gas. Wouldn’t be anything to do with their neighbour at all, no surely not.
England swelters in 34 centigrade while Scotland gets nightlight and drizzle. So much for pooling and sharing.
In search of sun, this is worth a revisit: link to wp.me
Yeah richt enough GB, that’s why we are all gathering on Epic Fail Day on Sunday.
@Artyhetty
I used to have a kettle boil beside daughters bed when she was having trouble breathing…it’s very hard to watch them try to do something we take for granted…she now has a vaporizer which she uses a lot…it could be useful for you…Hope you have good news soon. 🙂
@Ronnie
Ah yes I see, they won’t do HoF for reasons said too many times before. Well, I think the YES Bikers know themselves where they’ll be. I got that about HoF from HoF facebook a message on 12th July, he got that wrong. I think they’re a big draw, that was a highlight for me last year at HoF. Best bit!
From the Streetview, looks like there’s street parking outside which should be OK on a Sunday. Interesting.
I guess these events go around Twitter and facebook, but there’s some of us don’t do either.
To all Tories(Any Colour) 18th September.Glasgow Green
Little boys blue we will blow our Trumpet
And if you don’t like it
You can Fckn lump it
Peace Always 🙂
I do wish folk would stop talking about govt surpluses. If you think this is something we should aim for then read the following..
link to heteconomist.com
A better price of framing for and Indy Scotland could be…
Do you want a country that is run by bankers or the people?
Do you want a country that spends £1 trillion cleaning up the mess created by its bankers and then telling them to keep doing what they are doing so you can bail them out again?
Why don’t we spend a small fraction of that creating jobs and a world class export base so we can bring in revenue for years to come for our kids.
The costs of staying in the union are high.
My belly is rumbling,
Hunger methinks
I need my breakfast
And Nana’s links
Peace Always
liveindependence@gmail.co
grassroots crowdfunder since #IndyRef started!
The National Yes Registry’s ‘Indy App’ is designed to help us all connect as the new movement for independence builds momentum. Can you help to support the crowdfunder for it?
Guest article on Wee Ginger Dug by Jason Baird from the National Yes Registry describing the App.
Copyright © 2016 Independence Live, All rights reserved.
This includes all lists I have sent mailshot to for crowdfunder.
Our mailing address is:
Independence Live
Shawlands
Glasgow, Scotland and beyond G43
United Kingdom
The BBC in Scotland only employs Sycophantic journalists, who can prove themselves supporters of the Union.
Its how the Establishment works, anyone who may be deemed unreliable / unpleasant towards their insecure union will not progress
Haggishunter says:
Its how the Establishment works, anyone who may be deemed unreliable / unpleasant towards their insecure union will not progress
Peace,Love and Union Regression
Links
link to commonspace.scot
north-sea-largest-production-increase-ion-record-according-new-figures
link to archive.is
link to alynsmith.eu
link to scottishbychoice.wordpress.com
UK Government refuses to give MPs a vote on arms sales to Saudi Arabia as US Senate discusses boycott
link to archive.is
link to opendemocracy.net
link to evolvepolitics.com
link to thecanary.co
link to europa.eu
link to politics.co.uk
link to theleveller.org
link to zerohedge.com
Check out the DNC leaks and the british/American project on google. There are too many for me to link on here.
This is an old article from 2004 link to archive.is
ScottieDog says:
Do you want a country that is run by bankers:NO!
Do you want a country that spends £1 trillion cleaning up the mess made by Bankers:NO!
Why don’t we spend a small fraction of that creating jobs and a world class export base so we can bring in revenue for years to come for our kids.YES! Let’s do that!
Peace,Love and ScottieDogs Ideas
Nana:
I thank you for hearing my plea
links for them
And breakfast for me x
Nana:
It must have been my excitement, I forgot to say!
Peace,Love and Links
(unelected) Tory multimillionaires receive local gov contracts. A declared interest? The Firm is a shambles. Despite repeated warning have been allegedly overcharging. Plundering public money. Embezzlement. The staff are trying to sort it out and cover it up. More fraudulent accounting? The reason people join Unionist political parties to line their own pockets. Enough is never enough for some despicable, greedy people. Sanctioning and starving the vulnerable. They are not fit for public office. May 2017
The Tories have destroyed the Scottish and world economy. Scotland has lost £Billions to Tory/Westminster fiscal mismanagement. They have fraudulently with no mandate destroyed the Oil sector. Losing thousands of jobs. Withheld permission for access to EU renewable grants Scotland could have access to apply, worth £Billions. Reneged on renewable promises. CCS Longannet in Fife. May 2017 SNP/SNP
Trident is a complete obsolete waste of money costing Scotland £Billions. Scotland can’t put a tax on ‘loss leading’ drink. Cost £Billions. Tax evasion cost £Billions. Debt repayment on money not borrowed or spent in Scotland. Cost £Billions. – £13Billion a year. Scotland can’t borrow like other parts of the UK. Cost to Scotland £13Billion. May 2017
Scotland can’t borrow. Westminster borrows approx 25%. More tax is raised in Scotland (pro rata) £54Billion (even without Oil revenues) Scotland spends £56Billion.
£54Billion + 25% £13Billion = £67Billion – £56Billion. A Difference of £11Billion+ . Scotland loses to the Union. All together with different policies and no Westminster policy interference. £11Billion + £13Billion = £24Billion+ benefits of different policies, a year. May 2017 SNP/SNP
The Scottish IndyRef was maliciously and fraudulently usurped by Westminster Unionist politicians with blatant, fraudulent behaviour and out and out lies. Promises blatantly reneged on in the most despicable way. May 2017 SNP/SNP
Westminster is fraudulently taking £Billions out of Scotland and trying to cover it up by criminal behaviour, false accounting and out and out lies. Breaking the Law with impunity. Against the majority wishes and the public interest. The illegal wars are damaging the world economy. Causing death and hardship for Millions wasting £Billions. Mass migration. A minority are now trying to take the UK out of the EU against the majority wishes. Damaging the world economy.
Unionist Controlled (unelected) councils is Scotland are wasting £Million/Billions of taxpayers money on grotesque non mandated projects and cutting funding which should be allocated to essential pubic services. They should be spending funds on social care, homeless accommodation, drink/drug ‘total abstinence’ counselling, schools and education, road maintenance and bus services. They are ignoring their statutory duties and cutting funding for the essential services. Demanding more and more money for grotesque projects the majority of the public do not want. Borrowing and causing unneccesary debt.
Glasgow has the best airport bus service in the world, Frequent service, into the City Centre in 15/20 mins even in congested traffic. Glasgow Unionist politicians are demanding £Million/Billions of public money for an unaffordable rail link. They are not providing for essential services – schools education, vulnerable support, drink/drug total abstinence counselling, homelessness accommodation, social care, road maintenance. To clean up the City. Supporting out of date sectarianism. Wasting public money policing Orange Marches every other week. Marches which should be banned (by Police request) for the disruption it causes to the local economy.
Unionist/Green councils in GCC, ECC and ACC have wasting £Billion of taxpayers money not fulfilling their statutory duties to provide essential services and diverting £Millions/Billions to grotesque non mandate projects against the majority wishes and the public interest. Just like their Unionist counterparts in Westminster. Destroy the world economy. May 2017 SNP/SNP
Hinkley Point and HS2 are a complete over budgeted waste of public money. HS2 will make journey’s throughout Brutain take longer. The present rail/net services should be improved. Their are completely more credible alternative to Hinkley Point which will be safer, more cost effective, quicker and produce more energy. Instead of taking years, over budget and flying dangerous nuclear waste around the world. A despicable dangerous decision. May 2017 SNP/SNP
It is not terrorists threatening the world economy. It is illegal wars, drugs, government fraud and lies. The Brazilian President was trying to help the poor and bring more equality. To help improve the economy. Possible some wrong doing? Used as an excuse for the middle class to get rid of her for selfish reasons. To sanction and starve the poorer. Creating greater divisions and strife in the society.
Another Indy Ref YES for peace, prosperity and happiness.
Good morning Smallaxe. I posted another batch but think I might have put 5 links rather than the usual four so may be caught up awaiting moderation.
Some very interesting links included.
Hopefully won’t be too long so you can enjoy with morning coffee. xx
‘STV poll finds Ruth Davidson is more popular with Scots now than Nicola Sturgeon’
That’s all the confirmation anyone needs if any was needed that polls are just a load of shit.
So the next time someone tries to tell you, ‘the polls show no appetite for Independence’, you can say, ‘yeah but is that actually true, or just a pile of Yoon shit’.
Ken500 says:
Another Indy Ref YES for peace, prosperity and happiness.
Ken!I love you!
Peace Always
Davidson more popular than Sturgeon you say?
I say WALOFS!
One_ Scot, ah! But do they say with whom?
Could it be she is more popular within the STV/ BBBC offices and nowhere else in the world??
Or could it be within her own head ??
Or indeed , within someone elses – like the SoS??
“STV poll now finds Ruth Davidson is more popular with Scots now than Nicola Sturgeon”.
I’m guessing that’s a typo and its the STV barge pole we’re talking about.
I can believe that a poll would find Buffalo Gal more-populr than the First Minister.
Buffalo Girl does not have to make the hard decisions, such as juggling the Scottish Government’s money to plug the gaps caused by her (Buffalo Gal’s) Westminster pals’ stupidity.
BG also has a compliant media, ever-ready to publish her: “SNP bad” sound bites, but not to question her too-hard on how her pals in Westminster are messing things up.
Easy, in such a slanted playing field, to look good – when shooting downhill.
Last week, I was at a social function with a bunch of farmers. “That Sturgeon” was everything bad. “Yon SNP” were making a right mess of things, and Brexit was the best thing that could happen.
However, when I asked: “Well, what will happen to your hill ewe subsidy when we are out of Europe”? – different story.
These farmers honestly think life will go on as normal after Brexit – that a Tory government in London will still feather-bed their existence. Aye Right!
The Poll is rigged it doesn’t take into account SNP/Nicola support at 50%. Tories 20%/Davidson support. No factored in -in popularity terms. SNP/Nicola is 50% more before the Poll stattistics are included. To have a reflective poll of leadership. Twice as many SNP/Nicola supporters would have to be inciuded as Davidson/Tory. No comparing like with like. A manipulated Poll. Bad mythology. Just nonsense.
link to europa.eu
link to politics.co.uk
Racist abuse caught on camera
link to twitter.com
link to theleveller.org
Re DNC leaks and more
link to zerohedge.com
link to observer.com
Computerworld.com/article/3120385/security/new-guccifer-20-dnc-dump-and-colin-powells-private-emails-leaked.html
link to archive.is
There is a lot of stuff on google re the British/American project, worth trawling through if you have the time or the inclination. Here is an old article from 2004
The british/american project
link to archive.is
Many farmers support the SNP. Big funders in Turriff. Less Landowners but still many Estate owners support Independence/EU. Traquair, McDonalds etc. Some estate owners not resident in Scotland. They would not have a vote in Scotland.
New poll eh? 😀
No, she really isn’t, but then the meeja have been kind to Davidson. Can you imagine Davidson putting up with even half the utter shite the meeja write about the Scottish Government and the First Minister?
No, neither can I.
Action Krankie is a confection of meeja product marketing. The First Minister and her predecessor are the real deal. Their achievements were earned the hard way, without the aid of populist media and with a great deal of hard work.
Let’s leave the wee lassie to her tanks and buffalo wrangling, her photo ops and mindless empty jingoism. The real politicians ARE getting on with the day job of cleaning up the catastrophic mess Davidson’s party has dumped upon Scotland’s population.
EMPEROR RUTH..
NOW MORE POPULAR THAN…
(insert really popular thing here)..
Oil. Literally Scotland’s curse.
But looking at Andrew Neil, his disdain not just at the SNP, its supporters and the very concepts of independence, there are times when he discusses Scotland that he holds it as some sort of a sorry-state-for-a-nation. The moment we have Andrew Neil begin discussing Scotland, you can actually feel an unease settle over ones shoulders as he begins to list of new and current ills that besiege our nation. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him praise Scotland in any real way.
If he has, it’s only because of the machinations and help from the British State. If I can …I avoid Neil and his views like the plague.
According to the latest STV poll Fat Boab & Maggie May are more popular in Scotland than Nicola.
Aye Right!!!!!!
So much for polls.
I’d like to know how they mange to rationalise these figures against the fact that Support for The SNP is around 50% while that for the Tories is around 21%. Does not compute.
Davidson is a 2nd rate reject. In a FPTP (Westminster) electoral system. She would not even be be there. Or a leader of a Party. She has been roundly rejected (all with all the Unionist/Green) by the electorate coming third in most cases. There would be one representative of all the other Partes. Not even a Party to lead. They just are an embarrasment to Nicola. The majority’s ‘Adored darling’. Jealousy is an awful thing.
The Unionist/Green inspired Holyrood electoral system to keep (illegal) control of Scottish affairs. Rather than bring Democracy to Scotland. Masks the result. Like a annoying noise in the background. The electoral will get wise to this electoral system and Davidson and her cronies will be out. They will stop wrecking the Scottish economy with their lies, conceit, arrogance and greed. To facilitate lining their associates pockets wasting £Billion of taxpayers money. Sanctioning the vulnerable and starving them. Committing illegal war crimes. Causing pitiful and grief mass migration. Evil parasites.
@Ken500 says: 15 September, 2016 at 8:40 am:
“The Poll is rigged”
All such polls are rigged, Ken500. The basic idea of all opinion polls of public preferences are essentially based upon the premise that they are totally random samples and there now is no such thing as a totally random sample.
The very worst has to be YouGov as they not only operate a list of signed up, and paid for, people they poll.
However, there are no totally random polls.
Think of it this way :-
(a) – So called random phone polls only phone land-line numbers and nowadays many folk use mobiles exclusively but in any case there are large groups of the public who do not even have a settled home and thus are not included in such a poll.
(b) – Randomly stopping folk in the street depends upon where the street is located. Take a survey in, for example Edinburgh’s Morningside will get a very different result from the same poll in Edinburgh’s Craigmillar.
(c) – on-line-computer polls depend upon what particular on-line forum the poll is on. A poll run on Wings will be quite different from one run on the Daily Mail’s on-line pages.
A poll run by the SG on the SNP’s website will give a very different result than one run by the Labour Party on Labourhame and that is all before we even consider methodology.
YEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAA
We’ve reached the target, folks!
A very big thank you to all who made it happen.
Wingers….they never let you down!
Now to start spreading the word and educating the masses.
Lets plant those seeds of doubt my friends.
link to indiegogo.com
Another insane day of BBC led UKOK lying farts in to action, Tory clown Ruth more popular than Nicola,
and
“Hinkley Point C nuclear power station gets government green light
Theresa May gives £18bn scheme go-ahead but announces new safeguards for foreign investment in infrastructure
The government is keeping a guaranteed price of £92.50 to EDF for every megawatt hour of electricity generated, despite concerns that is far higher than the market rate.”
Wind energy costs nearly half that kerching price guarantee but toryboys hate green energy. Massive UKOK “fiscal transfers” to the French, just never give up a penny to the sweaties up there with their crazy renewable energy Scottish fantasy.
Great British tory propaganda gets better by the day.
A dead cat has more charisma than Davidson, Dugdale, and Rennie combined.
@louis.b.argyll says: 15 September, 2016 at 8:56 am:
“EMPEROR RUTH..
NOW MORE POPULAR THAN…
(insert really popular thing here)..
Shite on a blanket!
As Rev says on twitter…they’re ‘competency ratings’, not measures of ‘popularity’ of politicians…spin spin spin…ship of fools.
Daily Wail reports that UK Ministers have killed off any Scottish Six news broadcast.
Worth reading this
link to thenational.scot
I’m pleased they are talking up Davidson. They are preparing the ground for her to be the face of the Union in IndyRef2. A straight fight between Indy and the Tories? Bring it on!
BT 2 fronted by a Tory makes it even more difficult and suicidal for Lab/LibDems to side with them.
It gives us perfect focus of what Tory led WM has meant, and will mean, for Scotland.
Last time it began as status quo versus Indy and steadily morphed into home rule versus Indy. Next time it will be separatist right wing UKOK versus Indy with the broad shoulders of the EU. The choice won’t change in the course of the campaign.
The majority in Scotland detest the Tories/politicians.. They detest the sight of them. The sight of them makes the majority people feel physically sick. Ditto most Unionist politicians.
Along with the rest of the majority of UK population who detest Westminster/Unionists politicians.
Robert Peffers:
EMPEROR RUTH..
NOW MORE POPULAR THAN…
(insert really popular thing here)..
“Shite on a blanket!”
🙂
Peace Always
Going by recent conversations I can’t help but wonder who stv polled. I know of 2 families who quite recently left the scot tory party.
Being told by tories that the leader is “a plastic politician” with “no substance or policies” and prone to “ outright lying “ leads me to conclude that it is only the rabid unionists who support her.
By the by if anyone missed Alex Salmond on the lbc phone in yesterday he seems to have created a stushie by stating Nicola should block brexit. The leavers did not like that no siree.
@Nana
The Channel 4 link was pretty much appalling Nana and IMO its merely the beginning. This is NOT going to end well.
I don’t believe Scotland should want any part of the UKs current path.
Racial or ethnic abuse is NOT acceptable in any form. This is however the UK that Westminster politics and their media have created. Isolationist, intolerant, xenophobic and driven by mindless fear, hatred and rage toward the other.
Dear God, what they’ve created is a runaway train with only one destination and it will end in tragedy.
The next indyref really has to underline this question in crayon – What KIND of country do you want to live in?
Who’d be a great British economist. Neo fascist Voice of the North P&J latest not Scots oil and gas reportage, jump in anywhere,
“North Sea has largest production increase on record, according to new figures
The Scottish Government’s 2015-16 Oil & Gas Production Statistics today showed production rose by 21% year-on-year. This is the largest annual increase on record since the statistics began in 1999.
120,000 jobs losses are expected to have been lost from the industry by the end of the year. Oil & Gas UK said 84,000 linked to the industry were axed in 2015, with an additional 40,000 jobs losses to be lost this year.
An Aberdeen company was forced to cut half of its staff
Oil and gas production in Scotland (including Scottish adjacent waters) is estimated to have been 70.0 million tonnes of oil equivalent. Scottish production accounted for 81% of the UK total.
The approximate sales value of oil and gas produced in Scotland is estimated to be £13.4billion. However, the sales value decreased by 23.5% year-on-year due to a weak Brent price.
The Scottish Conservatives have claimed the figures were supported by a number of tax breaks made by the UK Government and then Chancellor George Osborne last year.”
Scottish production is actually near 100% but Labour chopped a huge chunk off of Scotland’s North Sea territorial waters and gave them to England. No idea why. Niceness maybe.
Archive.is does work but the P&J is just too stinking for their servers.
The Hinkley Project will take 10 years by £100Billion over budget. That is why the UK Gov is £Trillion in debt. Borrowing more money at massive unaffordable interest rates. The unelected Tories are complete financial incompetent, ignorant wreckers. It is just a scheme to line their associates/backers pockets with illegal plundered taxpayers money. £Billions illegally wasted.
HS2 is the same. A vehicle to totally, illegally embezzle £Billions of public money to syphon off to line Tories politicians and their backers and associates pockets. Cronyism. Osbourne father-law was a consultant. Paid £Millions. The project chairman has just left with £Million wasted to go to another post. After fraudulently promoting the project. Theresa May is totally incompetent.
There are renewable scheme which would produce more fuel. A Humber tidal scheme was cancelled as unaffordable. Costing £9Billion. Two tidal schemes would cost £18Billion Take two years to build and produce more cheaper, safer fuel. Coal with CCS would produce more, safer fuel. Abundant all over the UK. The Tories have banned coal production in the UK. They are flying nuclear waste around the world,
Iain Macwhirter on Brexit ….
“Yesterday the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, speaking to MSPs at Holyrood, repeated her insistence that Scotland needs to remain in the ESM. ….. the one thing that looks crystal clear is that Britain will not be remaining in the ESM.”
link to archive.is
Here’s something i didn’t know. Commercial broadcaster CH4 is owned by the Westminster government but funded by advertisers.
So, let me get this straight, The Great British Bake Off is sold by the Westminster owned and controlled BBC for £25m to a Westminster owned commercial channel? Nice wee cash injection, eh!
CH4 Saves The Great British Bake Off? Aye, right!
If you see Sid tell him, eh!
link to archive.is
@Macart
Sadly it’s only one of several links I could post regarding the rise of abuse. I find it worrying that the tory tankette’s comments regarding Christian Allard has not been highlighted by the bbc.
When the Consular Councillor for French Nationals has to write to her expressing his concerns this should be top of the headlines in any decent newspaper and especially the national broadcaster.
But of course we know that will not be allowed.
The poll actually shows Nicola with 54% support as First Minister..and Kezia at MINUS 10 percentage points.
link to stv.tv
Worth watching BBC Question Time this evening with Joanna Cherry.
On the day BBC pulls plug on Scottish Six and billions wasted on Hinkley Point,Call Kaye discusses the Old Firm.
and O/T Craig Brown says Old Firm blocked his plans for Scottish Football
link to heraldscotland.com
The Oil sector was ruined by Osbourne taxing the sector at 80/60% when the price had fallen 75%. Osbourne is a criminal, false accounting, and should be put in jail. Scotland has lost £Billions because of Tory policies, false accounting, criminal behaviour and lies. Starving the vulnerable to death and causing mass migration, because of illegal invasions. Costing £Billions. Sanctioning and starving the vulnerable to death. They should be put in jail.
Listen to this podcast
link to michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com
@Macart
Im seriously worried this shit will travel, it’s like a virus, and we can’t deny we have a minority up here, that would revel in that.
The murder of the Polish man, for me, has been quite unbelievable, and yet we see nothing coming from the Tory gov’t. It was mentioned in the EU parliament.
How shameful is that?
Things are very ugly.
Another Union Dividend wrote
“Worth watching BBC Question Time this evening with Joanna Cherry.”
Is it? I don’t subscribe to their shite.
I don’t pay them to lie to me.
As for your direct link to the BUM rag Herald, no thanks!
I don’t help fund rags that crap all over Scotland for London.
@Valerie
Brexit UK.
Is this what folk voted no for?
A state where they can watch society turn upon itself and victimise neighbours, friends, visitors because they’re not the ‘right sort’?
Is this ‘Better Together’?
With the Brexit vote, Westminster’s politicians and their media attack dogs have set a chain of events in motion which I’m pretty sure they have absolutely no control over. When a hard brexit becomes a reality, the backlash from certain sectors of the population will not make for good viewing.
They read the public reaction to their years of politicking and naked manipulation so wrong and now their epic greed, arrogance and stupidity has put significant sectors of their own population in harms way.
Callous, reckless and moronic doesn’t come close to covering it.
The only way the Yoon media can stop Independence is by preventing IndyRef2. They believe they can do this by constantly pumping out misleading Yoons polls along with misleading headlines.
Don’t expect them to stop any time soon.
My point made exactly,
link to twitter.com
Trying to get my head round the preamble which seems to accompany polling questions on Indy.
They seem to always say something like “if there was a referendum tomorrow how would you answer, should Scotland be an independent country?”
To my mind this is quite different from saying simply, “should Scotland be an independent country?”
The first is setting up a fictional situation, the second is asking a simple opinion on the subject.
These two ways of asking cannot possibly result in the same answers.
I am thinking along the lines of … You set up a scenario which the person knows does not exist, is false, it’s not going to happen, which immediately puts the listener into a negative defensive state of mind before question is asked,
There are a lot of psychological experiments I have read about which entail creating a situation then asking people to make a decision on a subject apparently unrelated to the situation. However, as the situation is modified, so are people’s decisions. Although there is no obvious or conscious relationship between situation and decision, there is always in fact a deep rooted subconscious connection.
I wonder if this polling style is having such an effect? The preamble influencing the choice?
Why not “should Scotland be an independent country?” in isolation? That should give a more influence free opinion.
The problem with publicity for organised events is when the organisers ONLY advertise on Facebook or Twitter.
Not everyone uses these platforms so organisers are depending on word-of-mouth getting the message out.
Most people, nowadays, have internet access so it would make sense to have a web site that anyone can access. The strange thing is, such a web site has existed since before the 2014 referendum.
It’s a wee bit clunky to use but the info is there.
link to indyscot.info
Use the arrows at left and right (in front of the Forth Bridge) to scroll through the events posted. Both HOF on Saturday and Yes Movement (Glasgow Green) on Sunday are featured. The info re Sunday is found by clicking on the ‘read more…’ link. Still showing a 12 noon start so hasn’t been updated to show 2pm.
link to indyscot.info
This is the site that needs used and advertised, for people who will not use Facebook or Twitter.
nana @10.12 well i listened and was far from impressed especially about the movement of editors political or not whats the difference if thats the best we have on our side it dosnt look good sadly .
Thanks Nana for your great links. I too, like smallaxe look out for these links and share them with my BBC watching friends on facebook.
I’m trying to use the BBC tactic of sharing lots of information and hoping some of it sticks. However NOT like the BBC, this is good information not misinformation!
These are pieces that very few people get to see, so thanks for that.
@galamcennalath
The question used in the Ipso Mori poll for STV released today was “Should Scotland be an Independent country”.
I totally agree with you, all pollsters should ask the Independence question in this way.
@ScottieDog
Government’s need a plan to create a surplus, that’s how they can demonstrate they have the finances under control, can meet borrowing committments, and therefore get more borrowing. But it doesn’t mean they have to actually create that surplus. In fact with Government borrowing so cheap right now – central banks buying up Irish debt on 50 year bonds at an annual rate of 0.33% for instance, now is the time to borrow like it’s going out of fahsion and use the money to grow the economy. I wish Scotland was Indy and could take full advantage of that – both Sturgeon and Swinney are dead against Austerity and WOULD borrow to grow the conomy and create wealth, from which all the good things like social fairness and justice can come.
Banks? They’re just a tool, but unforunately in the UK it’s the UK is the tool, the tool of the banks. Stupidity.
@others
The popularity poll isn’t rigged, the standard way of reporting the ratings is the gap between popular and unpopular. Sturgeon beats Davidson on popularity, but also has a higher unpopularity rating than Davidson – so Davidson”wins” by 1 point, +21% to +20% for Sturgeon. But basically Sturgeon is more popular, and there’s still half the population don’t have a clue who Davidson is. It’s the price of fame! And the way the poll is reported, same as it always was.
Has anybody noticed how the latest 2 Indy support polls have been rigged by unbalanced weighting?
Its actually easy to notice how they are rigging yes I mean deliberately rigging these polls.
The Age weighting factors are unbalanced because they are asking twice as many elderly voters and they are asking younger voters.
The voting demographic in Scotland is clear and distinct. The elderly vote for no change the younger vote for change if these polls where to weight them in favour of the younger voter the result would also be unbalanced but show an over significant vote in favour of Independence.
This weighting can ONLY be balanced if they ask the same amount of people from each age group. Only then will we get an accurate reading from this methodology.
You can see from other tables they ONLY use unbalanced weighting when it comes to age!
The latest UK OK Poll:
What embarrassing rubbish to try and pitch!
The survey must have been limited to 4 people,
the two faces on Davidson, her partner and her mother.
It’s like trying to say Fat Boab was the lead character
in the “Oor Willie” stories.
(Not the rancid Fib-Dem Willie)
“Should Scotland be an independent country”.
The last word missing from the question is ‘again’.
OT.
Just wee gripe folks.
Please,when referring to someone further up the thread add the time of that original post.
I’m getting cross-eyed searching for people further back. 🙂
I’m at work and can’t spend too much time searching for a needle in a haystack.
PEACE TO ALL.
‘“Should Scotland be an independent country”.
The last word missing from the question is ‘again’.’
Everyone can go home early, the internet’s been won for today.
There is a Panelbase poll doing the rounds just now, like a number 9 bus, none for ages, then they all come at once.
One thing the STV poll shows is that a large porportion of the electorate still believe the lies they are fed on a daily basis by the MSM. Does anybody really think that Ruthie Tank Commander is more popular than Nicola. However the MSM seem to have fed the populaces heid wi mince. After the May elections I was visiting a relative , the BBC news was on the telly, Ruthie was talking pish, my Relly said I like her she tells the truth, I said she has just lied to you, no she hasn’t etc, I said she just said we have seen Snp peak their support is dropping. I told her that
The SNP had just broke the 1 million mark for votes for the first time ever and how could that be described as their support falling, therefore she is lying to you. she would not accept that RTC was lying. That is what we are up against!
I was speaking to somebody recently who was an enthusiastic worker for Indyref 1 , asked her if she was coming on the walks we are doing in an attempt to get fit for Indyref2 . She said no, has given up, will never happen. etc etc. We need to get these people onside again any suggestions?
I see the Scottish Tories have urged the Libdems to denounce Nick Clegg’s suggestion there is now a “compelling case” for independence.
I wonder what Wullie Rennie thinks about that?
Ask me another silly question pollsters
I’m 100% happy that Ruth Davidson is successful Yes or No..(at being crap) but they don’t include that bit
They might as well ask{ Why aren’t you one of us
Yes or No
One_Scot: “the internet’s been won for today.”
The possible consequences of ‘independence’ definitely worried some people. Yet it’s surprising how many don’t know Scotland is the world’s oldest recorded nation, clan territories and all.
A more comfortable, productive question might be:
“Should Scotland regain full self-determination?”
The irony, of course, lies with the need to get a Tory’s approval for the wording that holds our destiny.
“The question used in the Ipso Mori poll for STV released today was “Should Scotland be an Independent country”.
I don’t even think the question asked above will give a true reflection of Indy support beacuse of the use of the word ‘should’.
I imagine a number of people thinking to themselves, “Aye well, my heart says it should be independent because am Scottish and Scotland once was an independent country BUT my head…”
I think something like this might be better:
“Do you want Scotland to be independent” YES/NO?
Has anybody noticed how the latest 2 Indy support polls have been rigged by unbalanced weighting?
They need to know the how and why their relentless anti Scots democracy campaigning’s going.
Last night’s STV teatime news had a youngish woman chuntering away over the current oil barrel price at $46 but this time last year it was $100 and therefore… its like a game show flashing away the barrel price but this never happens in England and was a very rare newscast thing under red and blue tory Scotland.
So I thought that all looks scary and worrying and we must stay in this union of England’s kindness and generousness but the guy next to me also watching turns round and says, “its not all doom and gloom then.”
Peter McCulloch at 11:40
“I wonder what Wullie Rennie thinks about that?”
That’s an easy question to answer, he’s thinking:-
Ah wonder whit ah’m huvin fur ma tea the night
🙂
I agree with those who smell a big fat rat in the polls.
The demographic is clear, yet doesn’t show up in so-called predictive formulae?
Of course, the pollsters can reject or ‘drop out’ of conversations and only ask key questions to those seemingly this way or that.
WHO OWNS THESE POLLING COMPANIES? Who screens the methods of actual data collection.
Yet it’s surprising how many don’t know Scotland is the world’s oldest recorded nation, clan territories and all.
Its far more profound than even that. Scotland is a country that was forged in a 400 year war with the might of the Roman empire. Scotland is one of imperial Rome’s greatest legacies but archaeology continually shows it all goes back much further than the building of Hadrian’s wall.
For obvious reasons, you wont hear any of this via UKOK super sonic BBC dudes like Neil Oliver, Dan Snow, Dr Starky, that bloke Schama. All of them have had ample opportunity to show us Scotland’s nation status for thousands of years but don’t. Its not a coincidence.
Scotland, the only country in the world that’s getting erased from world history. Scotland is ofcourse not the only country in the world that gets this kind of black out. Just ask all the peoples of the world that have been “colonised.”
link to pasthorizonspr.com
Heedtracker: “Scotland, the only country in the world that’s getting erased from world history.”
We’re certainly getting written out of Westminster.
Going by the way unionists belittle us they must think Indy Scots a sub-culture of dreamers.
Thanks for the links Nana in particular the one regarding the Polish lady (8:46am).
What a nightmare for them waking up every morning thinking or knowing that they and their children are no longer wanted in England. Worse still that there are people out there who are ready to physically attack them as soon as they open their mouths or have a finger pointed at them. No account taken of the fact that Polish workers have been deemed to be the hardest working group in the UK, with an excellent work ethic, and net contributors to the Treasury. No account taken either of the fact that the Poles contributed massively to us winning World War2. Understandable right enough when you know that such information has been suppressed by the media, in particular the BBC.
Politicians and journalists, such as those who report for the Express, have a lot to answer for. History tells us, for example in Nazi Germany, that when a country is struggling economically (in the UK gross inequality / austerity measures) some politicians and elements of the media scapegoat individuals culminating in shaping and creating racist attitudes through demonisation and so on. In Germany the Jews. In England the Polish (and others).
This situation, imo, is only going to worsen as millions of English people realise that their ‘wish’ is not going to be fulfilled with Brexit: Exacerbate as the economy takes a nose dive. If for no other reason we really have to make our escape before this poison spreads north.
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@ Another Union Dividend says at 10:10 am
”The poll actually shows Nicola with 54% support as First Minister..and Kezia at MINUS 10 percentage points…..
Worth watching BBC Question Time this evening with Joanna Cherry.”
link to stv.tv
Strange don’t you think that Davidson with 20% of the vote, less popular than Maggie Thatcher in Scotland, would be voted most popular leader? I mean to say what SNP supporter, Green or Labour for that matter would ‘tick her box’? The latter account for over 70% of the Electorate. Where were they when the poll was held?
The bottom line is that if they report such rubbish (propaganda) some people will start thinking that they must have missed something and that Davidson might be half decent right enough. They, as Unionists, are focusing on Davidson holding the Union together because rotten as she is (and her party) there is no other ‘viable’ contender to do so. Dugdale and Labour (north and south of the border) are a lost cause and wee Willie Winkie a total liability
……….
Thanks for the info re. Joanna Cherry AUD. That’ll be worth a watch as she usually slaughters her opponents.
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I see that Theresa May has done a U-turn and approved the Chinese CGN / French EDF plans for the Hinkley Point nuclear power station to go ahead. What happened to Chinese involvement being a threat to National security? Has her change of heart, and way of thinking, got something to do with the Chinese warning her that the UK and China were at a ‘crucial historical juncture’? In other words block this and you’ll not be trading with us.
She says that she’s insisted on significant new safeguards before agreeing to the scheme. Will she tells us what they are? Are we safe? Where will the costs, billions, come from?
Seemingly this will lead to the creation of 25,000 new jobs in the Somerset area. How many of these posts will be filled by Chinese and French individuals? What will the locals have to say about that?
Hi Socrates MacSporran,
Yes, thanks for clearing that up, I’d forgotten how expensive drink was back in the day, if I remember the stories I was told you had to be a bona fidae traveller to purchase on a Sunday too. Seems I was being too generous!
[…] online as his hobby. In the past he has failed to understand basic economics, thinks Scotland has not had a cut in its budget, doesn’t hold back from impartiality and tries to rewrite history. To put it bluntly, […]