Muggers and mugs
Posted on
July 11, 2015 by
Chris Cairns
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A tall tale
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Seldom I chuckle out loud but this brought a full throated guffaw! Thanks Chris for a grand start to a Saturday morn.
Brilliant – says all that needs to be said really.
Aye they thought they getting full fiscal autonomy, the DR poseur liar promised it. Instead they got ambushed for austerity by the Tory/Unionists. They were warned never trust a Tory. That’s another fine mess they have got themselves in. The rotten to the core Union, well past it’s sell by date. Unionists reneged on their promises. Time for Indytwa#
How anyone can stomach another 5 to 10 years of this is beyond belief. Our society has truly gone to the dogs.
A great cartoon. A pity the Union provides so much material for Chris!
Again good cartoon Chris, I would say that until many of the Unionists do have their pockets picked and their lifestyles altered, they will remain indifferent to what happens to others.
[…] Muggers and mugs […]
Muggers, Mugs and Muggles.
Spot on, as usual. Excellent.
Saw a car with a UKOK sticker the other day. People seriously still think that!? Truth is, some always will. However, we only need them all to see the light and switch, just enough.
O/T
If we want to win the indyref arguments next time we need to start talking about currency….
Thoroughly recommend Ronnie’s Morrison’s book ‘Moving On’ which can be found here…
http://www.scottishmonetaryreform.org.uk
Folk need to realise how destructive the UK monetary system is. We need to ask why would we want to be part of a sterling zone..
link to positivemoney.org
So let’s change the argument.
Aye, they blame the SNP, always will, especially “Scots” Labour.
Well I blame them, for forgetting, they represent the people not the bloody party. Doing London Labours bidding to the detriment of their constituents, time they were swept away from all public offices.
John Bull with an American baseball bat? Some symbolism here shurely?
Better with an Indian Club? No the Empire is no more, Scotland is the Last Colony!
Keep up this good stuff please.
Well done Chris, navel gazing is now a full time occupation for UKOK supporters. They need someone to blame, and that falls on the usual suspects. They should be blaming the ugly image in the mirror.
Nailed it Chris.
They thought they were getting FFA instead they got SFA. They were warned. Never trust a Tory/Unionist
Excellent Chris. “NO Voting” Scots were the mugs.
Scottish Labour told us to vote NO. They told us, no matter who was in power at Westminster, we would be far better off than being an Independent country.
Well Kezia, Scotland voted NO, as you told us to do, what happens now?
And you had the brass neck to ask Nicola Sturgeon what is SHE going to do to combat these Tory cuts.
@Finnz says: 11 July, 2015 at 7:51 am:
“How anyone can stomach another 5 to 10 years of this is beyond belief. Our society has truly gone to the dogs.”
Wasn’t it Thatcher who claimed there was no such thing as society? It looks to me as if the only place in the Union that still believes in society, and thus socialist aims, is right here in Scotland.
In the rest of the Tory voting Union it is every one for themselves.
Chris, as is usual, condenses the things the rest of us struggle to describe into one picture and does so with his inspired humour.
That one picture encapsulates everything about how seriously F’d up this quasi country is.
Great stuff Chris, silent no voters mugged by their beloved UK.
The problem remains the same for our movement,conservatism with a small ‘c’. The section of our population who are middle class or pensioners have not been badly affected by the Tory budget.
Only when the incomes of the middle class are diminished as a knock on effect will they be more open to independence. As for the OAPs, I really do believe will will have wait a generation.
ScottieDog 9.06am
“If we want to win the indyref arguments next time we need to start talking about currency….”
Totally agree.
I was talking to a guy the other day and he is not a strong YES or NO. But he did say that he voted NO because the currency issue was not sorted out. He said it was unclear which currency Scotland would be using.
We need a strong decisive decision put forward by the YES campaign. Otherwise we will lose these neutral voters again.
Ken500 says:
11 July, 2015 at 9:13 am
“They thought they were getting FFA instead they got SFA. They were warned. Never trust a Tory/Unionist“.
Speaking as a veteran sports hack – just look at the mess SFA has got us into – no thanks.
As it is Saturday 11th of July all you have to do to hear the soundtrack to this cartoon is – open a window! (for viewers in West Central Scotland only!) 🙁
Voted No? Now affected by cuts? Suck it up, cos you asked for it.
ScottieDog says:
You are right, and I found the links very interesting, and will buy the book.
Yes, the currency issue is a big one with voters, it does mean any option that is chosen ie our own currency, has to be a provable best option.
International Financial experts need to give it a full bill of health. Once established the idea needs slowly fed out to the population along with irrefutable evidence that it is our best option.
Then there is the other black swan, pensions. Once more International experts need to put their name to how this WILL work for our seniors.
A solid and guaranteed option must be given. Again, gently fed in to the population. As with the currency option, to allow people to become familiarised with the concept.
There will of course be many more issues, but rigging aside, these are the two that people are most scared of, and rightly, the first we need to address. These are issues that need to be looked into and solved ASAP, we need to be ahead of the game.
The usual propaganda will become hysterical, we need to anticipate that too.
@The Man in the Jar
It’s certainly not Evelyne Glennie on the percussion.
@Robert Kerr.
That or it is the annual “International Shed Building Contest” going on?
The thought they were getting Full Fiscal Autonomy instead they got Sweet Fuck All.
Some ‘sports writers’ have a one track mind. Never trust a Tory/Unionist
There’s a lot worse UKOK to come too.
We were told before the ref that the cost of indy would be £1400… well i stand to lose £1500+!
The fact that there must be thousands and thousands of No voters out there facing the same loss should make me feel better but doesnt confuses me slightly as you would think that many of them may well change their minds now… or would they? After all many Yes voters claimed they wouldnt mind taking a loss if it meant independence.
For many No voters it was a case of the union at any cost… well here it is.
@galamcennalath says: 11 July, 2015 at 8:49 am :
“Saw a car with a UKOK sticker the other day. People seriously still think that!? Truth is, some always will. However, we only need them all to see the light and switch, just enough.”
As the austerity, these numpties fondly imagined was never meant for them to suffer, starts to bite them too it may dawn on them that what many of the YES supporters had been telling them was true.
I certainly told many such people, “It’s comin yet fit aa that”, (and they’ve not suffered the worst of it yet).
It was fairly obvious that the Neoliberal mantra was meant to transfer the UK’s wealth from the pockets of the most poor, and most vulnerable, into the bank accounts of the most rich. So when there is no more to squeeze from the most poor then the only remaining place for the most rich to plunder and draw upon is the lower middle classes.
The UK is not a poor nation. The problem is the wealth of the nation is shared unequally and the figures show the richest people have more than doubled their wealth while the government are raiding the pockets and purses on the poorest and most vulnerable.
The ultra-wealthy cannot spend their all their wealth on a comfortable lifestyle and they bank their ill gotten gains which takes that wealth out of circulation.
If a reasonable share of that wealth was instead returned in the pockets & purses of the poorer folks they would spend it on essentials and the sale of those essentials would increase demand. Increased retail demand would increase wholesale demand which in turn would stimulate manufacturing and thus boost the economy. This would mean the manufacturing sector would grow and thus employ more people and manufacturing would stimulate the supply of commodities and the downward spiral would reverse.
If I’m reading it correctly that was exactly what Nicola meant by easing up on austerity. In every previous recession, or depression, austerity has only led to further austerity. An economy cannot come out of recession by austerity. Austerity will only transfer the wealth from the poorest to the richest.
Ask yourself this question – who, or what, is it that all these countries with massive national debt owe their debt to? Who is it that had surplus wealth to provided the cash that now needs paid back by all those different countries that had to borrowed it in the first place?
What’s more why do they need it back so urgently?
If they had the surplus cash to lend in the first place why do they need it back so urgently now?
If you cannot answer then you now know it has all been a great big con-trick designed from the start to make the poor poorer and the rich richer – and it must be obvious it has just succeeded in doing just that.
Ha ha, nice one Chris, excellent.
Feels good to have a clear conscience doesn’t it?
I hear the turkeys that voted for Christmas still meekly saying ‘I voted no’.
The needy are being sanctioned, population control exercised through child benefit limits, the oil industry decimated….
There is a word I shall not use, but that is what they are.
Hopefully there are at least a monority with an open mind.
Nice one Chris,yep those daft onions i imagine they will all be singing God Save The Queen and waving their butchers flag as her tory chancellor dips their back pockets to make his pals richer.
So no voters what are you moaning about this is what you voted no for or didnt you know that you idiots,dont blame me i voted yes.
It might just be me but I see more and more UKOK stickers on cars.
Time we got new YES stuff up on cars. in windows, on flag poles
Meanwhile in UK, Graun means England and London but we’re all pooling and sharing our resources.
link to archive.is
UK sees surge in property millionaires despite slowdown in house market
Over 500,000 homes now cost £1m or more and in 13 streets of London average house price is in excess of £10m
Scottish taxpayers pay (UK gov) pensions/benefits. Westminster takes the money out of Scotland for Scottish (UK) Pensions/benefits and send it back. The Barnett Formula It is taxes raised in Scotland that is sent to the UK Treasury and then is sent back which pays (UK) Gov pensions/benefits in Scotland. (UK) Gov pensions are paid out of general taxation. There is. No fund. The fund disappeared years ago.
Scotland raises £54Billion in taxes. Scottish Official website search GERS go through to the tables. Scotland gets (approx) £16Billion back which pays (UK) Gov pensions/benefits in Scotland.
£6Billion (UK) gov pensions and £10Billion (UK) gov benefits. £30Block grant pays all Scottish Gov expenditure – runs Scotland + £4 Defence
= £54 Billion raised –
Spent £30Billion Block Grant + £16Billion (UK) Pension/Benefits + £4Billion Defence = £50Billion
# £54Billion raised – £50Billion spent = £4Billion left
Scottish taxpayers raise the money in Scotland for (UK) Gov Pensions/Benefits in Scotland.
£466Billion is raised in the UK in taxes – Go to UK Gov Official Website. Search statistics there are three documents go through the middle one. The tables are there.
£466 taxes are raised in the UK. Subtract £54Billion raised in Scotland = £412Billion.
£412 Billion is less on average than Scotland raises. (pro rata) The rest of the UK is approx 9 times more pop of Scotland. Divide £412Billion by 9 = £39Billion (compared to Scotland £54Billion)
The rest of the UK borrows and spends £90Billion more because they do not raise enough in tax (for their needs ie to cover their costs) = £412Billion + £90Billion = £502Billion. Then adds 9% of £90Billion which isn’t spent in Scotland and adds it to Scotland account/budget as a debt. Scotland dosen’t borrow or spend it. Scotland doesn’t spend the £9Billion but it is added on to the Scotland’s books/account as a deficit. The Deficit often referred to in the Press etc.as Scotland’s debt. It is fraud and false accounting. In business people would be put in jail for this false accounting.
The Barnett Formula is deliberately used to confuse the issue to cover up the fraud Westminster has been perpetrating on Scotland forever. Making Scoland poorer and the rest of the UK (London) richer. Westminster lets (foreign) multinationals tax evade through the City of London losing £Billions for back handers to Westminster Unionist Political Parties and their associates. Unionist Politicans are criminals and should be put in jail.
Scotland pays it’s own (UK) Gov Pensions/Benefits.
Ken 500 –
Sense of humour by-pass this morning? Lighten up.
Socrates MacSporran says:
11 July, 2015 at 11:20 am
Ken 500 –
Sense of humour by-pass this morning? Lighten up.
Its not funny.
Slightly O/T maybe, but, I had a quick look at the Guardian’s website this morning.
As befits the alleged newspaper of thinking left-wingers, the most-commented-on piece was the story about Unite signing-up members to back Jeremy Corbyn for the next Labour leader. This had accrued some 1700-plus comments.
Next most-commented-on, with over 1500 comments, was the story about Chukie Embra using the “F” word at a photographer.
Long to reign over us indeed.
Actually the couple we met on holiday last year were voting YES. Their kids were voting NO, saying to the parents to think about them and what they would LOSE, lose for god’s sake. Well those self same folk are about to find that their pockets will be a little lighter with the child tax credit though I doubt any of them got working tax credits, but every little cut to those, helps to focus their attention for the future.
Robert Peffers says
“As the austerity … starts to bite them too it may dawn on them that what many of the YES supporters had been telling them was true”
…. and we hope enough of them will vote Yes next time.
The more the Tories behave like Tories, the closer it all seems.
It is clear they put their idealogical ‘crusade’ to reduce the state and push wealth upwards before the stability of their Union. I do wonder why. Is it because they don’t see Indy as likely? Or, because they see it as probable or even inevitable, also understanding full well that their policies will make it more likely, and don’t care!?
Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part but even surely the Tories can’t believe that the current situation can continue for long. They must know IndyRef2 followed by exit is on the cards.
Perhaps the tipping point will be when polls begin to show a consistent 50+% Yes.
Ken500 says:
Good comments Ken, aye fraud, and of course they have many others……
Red tory mob assault on an actual socialist.
link to archive.is
Right on the button, Chris.
When are you bringing out a book of your cartoons?
And what the heck have you done with Hamish? I miss him.
Man in the jar, you hit the nail on the head. Over the weekend, the cause of scotlands problems!
I’m in rural Sicily for a short break learning waste management techniques from my new friends Rosario and Calogero and enjoyed this cartoon because it sums up the No voters predicament. The smug bourgeoisie will only consider switching to Yes if they get hammered. Even then MSM will say it’s Nicola’s fault.
The only Eng Lang channel here is the loathsome BBC WS, pumping out UKOKian TINA bilge against Tsipras and Greece generally and reliving The Battle of Britain.
Worst of all are the constant adverts telling us why their foreign correspondents are great and we should be having multiplied organisms all over the place every time they pontificate. I stopped watching live TV and theBBC in Sept and Mrs TC says I’m back to shouting at the screen again.
Calmed down a little by reading Scotland’s Future History by McHardy which a Winger was asking about. An excellent corrective to the Unionist narrative which has lied to us for three centuries.
BBC=British Bragadoccio Society!!!
[…] Visit the post for more. […]
@Helena
They never saw it coming Helena. They believed the government and media bullshit on basket case Scotland. All they saw was me, myself and I by the sound of the plea to their parents.
Well they got their wish and now the reality of their choice, all too predictably, will travel up the food chain and all the way into their pockets and democratic rights.
We were told that independence would cost us around a grand apiece. I’m losing well over that, thanks to this budget, for staying ‘Better Together’. So much for respectable think tanks, so called experts and the word of unionist politicians and their meeja.
Maybe next time those youngsters will take a wee bit more time to think about who they should trust with their future.
Braggadocio I meant. Sausage fingers.
#Rest of the UK population is approx 11 times Scotland 5Million to 55Million.
Divide £412Billion by 10 = £42Billion. – 1 is (=) Scotland = £54Billion raised
£446Billion UK raised – (minus) £54Billion Scotland raises = £412Billion
A total fraud forever. An illegal pozzi scheme. An crime against Scottish/UK/EU/UN Law. A crime against the people resulting in unnecessary poverty in Scotland and making the rest of the UK wealthier. Crime pays. Westminster /Unionists are breaking every Law in the book. Scotland is not being treated equally (Union agreement) they are operating two different tax systems in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and not illegally nit implimenting UK tax Laws. A bunch of crooked, lying criminals who should be in jail but secretly use ‘D’ notices and the Official SecretsvAct to cover up their crimes along with their crooked civil servants.
To make Unionist/Party politicians and their associates wealthier. Stealing puplic money with no authority. Unionists politician should be put in jail.
Dave McEwan Hill
“It might just be me but I see more and more UKOK stickers on cars.
Time we got new YES stuff up on cars. in windows, on flag poles.”
Yes Dave, I have never took mine down. We should be treating this as if the YES campaign had never stopped.
C’mon, get yer YES stuff up, today!
A lot of soft NOs will be looking for the confidence to move to YES. And nothing beats seeing a YES sticker, poster, banner or flag.
@ Tinto Chiel
“I’m in rural Sicily for a short break learning waste management techniques from my new friends Rosario and Calogero…..”
Sicily, waste management?#!
Isn’t that a domain of the Mafia? Illegal landfills etc.
Bit surprised here and am curious about what’s behind it.
I’m not taking the mickey – just thought Northern Europe was more into waste management and recycling.
@Anne Bruce and others –
Collection of cartoons coming out later this year. The Rev has graciously agreed to do a foreword so I’m hoping he won’t be averse to allowing me to punt it on here when the time comes.
Watch this space …
All I can say is my friends offer a discreet 24 hour service, no mess, no fuss.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, capisce?
Just my silly sense of humour, Midgehunter.
People here are great but I have a hard time explaining 18/9/14.
Sicily is lovely, wonderful. Fabulous
Thatcher was secretly taking the equivalent of £20Billion+ a year out of Scotland. Against the Ministerial Code putting ‘D’ notice under the Official Secrets Act. Her Ministers were sworn to secrecy. A crime against the State. She devastated the Scottish economy. Then came to Scotland and said, ‘We the English people are generous to you Scots’, at the General Assembly.
Everyone just looked on amazed. Forsyth was her henchman. Andrew Neil was her BBC spokesman.
There are reports Corbyn was nominated to split the vote and let Burnham in.
Unelected Union leaders (not elected by the electorate) should not be choosing Political Party leaders. One person one vote.
Burnham who as Health Minister couldn’t run a Hospital (patients died), couldn’t run a country. No apology. Another useless trougher, illegally wasting public money which could be better spent.
Plenty of yes car stickers seen,very,very few ukok ones,I even saw a Labour one a few weeks ago. Is there a place where new yes stickers can be found for sale?
The Guardian, the only paper in Britain of any independence of editorial, because of it’s constitution. The Guardian is a disgrace. Cameron/Clegg did put Robocops in to destroy the Print Room and illegally threaten the Editor with jail. A ‘D’ notice under the Official Secrets Act? The Editor retired, promoted out of the way. Seems to have gone a bit barmy, trying to save the world. Save the world. They couldn’t even save themselves.
Try SNP website for YES merchandise, ask them. There probably will be 2016 Holyrood election literature, hopefully soon. The best YES literature came out too late (after the Postal votes) for best distribution.
A boat load of WBB books for Orkney/Shetland.? Now? They have poor Internet connection.
There was mention of using NI no or address ID for voting qualifications. That should cut out fraud, for #Indytwa
@msean
Yes merchandise is available on Amazon. Search for “Yes Scotland” I just bought some “Don’t blame me I voted Yes” badges. 🙂
Msean, if there is a YES shop still working in your area they may have some. We got a Saltire to stick in the back window of the car, trouble is it will not stick nor has the replacement. If anyone can recommend one which will stick inside we would be grateful.
Wow, thats truly magical…its managed to make me feel sorry for Jacquie Bird!
Macart @ 11,58am I said at the time where did all the brave Scots go, surrounded by debt and worried they cannot afford their big hooses and two cars community. We need to get out of this Union for no other reason than to make our Middle classes a little less English, and with apologies to those English who do not conform but you will know what I mean, the Margo Leadbetters of Good life fame.
I will not probably be worse off, pensioner you see, never been wealthy but comfortable enough but money is not and should not be treated as a God, it is a method of exchange and should we want we can always go back to barter.
Robert Peffers @ 10.36am, I think you and my husband are on the exact same wave length. He has been saying since this whole austerity racket started that it was to ensure that the little people of this world lost income and rights. We were all getting too uppity for the elites. Started with Thatcher who ensured we were mostly on shoogly pegs when it came to employment, now they want to make sure we simply are proper little meat puppets. Just enough to live on and paying money to the company store.
Great image, says it all now looking at what is happening in ukok. As a friend said a few months back, “what, just ok?”.
Oh god, I have a wee booklet thingy picked up in a charity shop, It’s called, ‘ Britain’s Offshore Oil and Gas’. From ‘Geological Museum’ no date, part of the ‘British museum’.
As far as I can see, Scotland is mentioned once on a small map, otherwise the whole book talks about North Britain and the North and South North sea!
The worst bit, a diagrams on page 43, one of kind of those technical elevations, you can see through into a Scottish oil field, lots of wells, lots of oil. The other diagram, is a map of central London, with the oil wells super imposed onto it! Incredibly sickening to see, but actually says all we need to know.
If the SLabour red tory hive mind had brains bigger than peanuts and really wanted to save their farce union, they’d all be voting
link to bbc.co.uk
Quite a sight watching neo fascist teamGB attack Corbyn!
Nice one Chris.
As a prime example of that spot on wee picture of yours at the Labour hustings in Glasgow last night, the focus of the conversation was the SNP and “Ugly Nationalism.”
Labour just can’t seem to hide their hatred for the SNP and of course independence.
It would appear that Labour has emotional issues, as well, mainly anger, and a blame someone else culture.
Whilst No cheer leaders and tuba exponents like Blair McDougall might feel compelled to blame the bad SNP for Gideon robbing the poor to pay the rich I am not convinced every ordinary No voter will be so inclined or so daft.
No doubt someone will correct me if I got this wrong but I believe George referred to the UK budget deficit,(for those who speak Scottish that’s THE BLACK HOLE), as now being around £65 Billion in his budget statement. If that is correct then Scotland’s share would be around $5.9 billion which is about 60% of what was being claimed before the budget and when FFA was being talked about.
Also have you noticed that Nigel Farage rarely gets a mention on the BBC Scotland these days but they could not get enough of him last year. Just got my copy of G A Ponsonby’s book on BBC Bias looking forward to reading it.
What currency should we use?
Should that not be….What meaningless currency should we use?
You could use “Pebbles” as long as it was agreed it was another acceptable mythical reality representing coinage
Or am I too cynical?
Another terrific cartoon. Good to know there’s a book coming. Will make great gifts perhaps for some no voting family members.
Some other good news today Ivan McKee has announced he is putting himself forward as snp candidate for the Scot parliament.
The more I look at this cartoon the more I want to howl.
Andy B
I noted the comments about ugly nationalism the other night. Labour on the other hand represent ugly Unionism and go hand in glove with the Tories in perpetuating the status quo for the bankers and wealthy elite.
The two No Thanks supporters are soft Unionists and the type that can be persuaded. I doubt that hard nose Unionists would ever surrender.
Dr jim , not sure if you’ve seen the comments on the last thread…
@Nana Smith
Pleased to hear that Ivan McKee has stuck around and seeks an opportunity to stand as an SNP candidate for Holyrood.
Question is of course, will he be selected this time after previously being turned down as a candidate for Westminster?
link to twitter.com is a gun for hire he thinks but he’s back home south of the river enjoying the spoils of Project Fear.
Its unbelievable that none of his tory chums cant find him a job though. Along Bliar McBloater, he is UKOK NO Thanks. How the mighty etc
Haven’t seen any UKOK stickers at all. Saw a parked car at the Barras today which was just covered in SNP artwork, wonder whose it was? 🙂
Thanks
@Thepnr
I hope he is selected this time around. I wonder why he wasn’t selected for Westminster? Do you recall which constituency he stood in and who got the nomination.
@Molly
You’re right, I didn’t, shops, fags,
@Nana Smith
I believe that Ivan was in the selection process for the Glasgow North and East Dunbartonshire constituency.
The chosen candidate was John Nicolson who to be fair has been a member of the SNP from the age of 16.
One of the many reasons I endorse Ivan as a candidate, he is one of us and worked as hard or harder than most for the goal of Independence.
“Delighted to have played my part in delivery of the Wee Blue Book around the country in August and September, shows what can be done when we work together as a team.”
It might just be me but I see more and more UKOK stickers on cars.
@Dave McEwen Hill, 11.02
Dave – I never took my YES sticker down and rarely saw cars with YES stickers after the referendum. This changed just before the General Election. I see cars with YES stickers frequently now. I’ve only seen one UKOK sticker. I live in Glasgow.
“We need you”———to rob, dummies.
I was disappointed about Ivan McKee as well
I met him during the Indy campaign and was very impressed with his input throughout the ref
Thing is, I come from a time and remember the snp not being able to stand candidates in every election constituency due to lack of volunteers, I was asked to stand as a councillor in a seat I was guaranteed to lose, just to make up the numbers. After the disappointment of the ref, I even considered putting myself forward as a candidate, then something happened. I looked around the room and where there were 10 activist during the referendum, there were now 150. In some constituencies there were10 ppc’s who came forward. The quality of the candidates was outstanding,ivanmackee wasn’t the only shining light who missed out. Sad as it is, this situation was inevitable but has to be viewed as a positive, still hope Ivan gets selected as a candidate somewhere
In my part of South Lanarkshire there are plenty of cars with Yes stickers. Sadly I binned mine on the 19th Sept and now I wish I hadn’t. Got an SNP sticker up though and will now look to get a replacement Yes. Saw a No Thanks car the other day, the first one I’ve seen since the referendum. Had a design that I hadn’t seen on any car prior to the vote. The battle to “normalise” Yes should now begin again.
@Thepnr
I’m sure he would be a great asset so fingers crossed he is selected.
More info here….
link to facebook.com
I heard Ivan speak art a referendum event and was likewise impressed. Good speaker and an excellent command of numbers and statistics. An asset to the SNP.
The ‘£65Billion’? (Aye right) mention in the Budget by dishonest George is the Deficit. The amount Dishonest George doesn’t collect in taxes in the rest of the UK (because of tax cuts for George and his mates) and the amount dishonesty George spends in the rest of the UK (because George and his mates are spending too much) That is coming down. Cutting the income of the most vulnerable and giving the wealthy tax breaks. Decreasing the income of the vulnerable and increasing the income of the most comfortable.
The debt is increasing because Dshonest George and his mate Carney are printing money QE to cover the amount dishonest George, his dishonest mate Cameron and their associates are borrowing and spending but not raising in taxes in the rest of the UK. £1.5 Trn, increased from £1.3 Trn since 2010.
It’s like paying down your credit card but taking out another loan hoping your pay will go up (growth).
Ivan McKee, Facebook, and his hopeful selection as a SNP candidate for Holyrood.
link to m.facebook.com
When watching Mr McKee debate during the indy referendum, I always found him informative, intelligent, amiable, and he constantly put forward a compelling and believable case for Scottish independence.
He would make a very good MSP, and a worthy asset for the SNP.
That is my opinion.
‘the latest documents to emerge from the 1970’s show that London civil servants and the Labour government conspired to prevent Scotland laying claim to the majority of North Sea Oil revenues in the event of Independence.
After the SNP’s major advance in 1974 on the back of the ‘It’s Scotland’s Oil’ campaign, in 1975 a UK Treasury department carved up the seabed to ensure Scotland’s share would be greatly reduced. The Treasury would simply override the Continental Shelf Order of 1968, which was accepted by the United Nations, and set the Scottish jurisdiction of the North Sea due east of Berwick. London’s proposals were to introduce a Shetland Sector which ran down to Esst of Caithness and further reduce the ‘Scottish’ sector by extending the English border in a north easterly line from Berwick so as to incorporate 4 known oil fields into the ‘English’ Sector. ”
2009
One up side of the next campaign is that we won’t be seeing the Unionist slogan, “Better Together” again.
George Osborne blow that right out of the water the other day with his austerity budget.
Also, Scottish Labour have told us that they will never campaign with the Tories again. So what you will see is Scottish Labour campaigning for us to vote to stay in a Union that will more than likely be led by a Tory Government.
Best of luck with that one Scottish Labour.
Nice one Ken500@ 11.05am.
We need to get this sort of information out to the electorate, the more citizens of Scotland who can access this type of detail the better.
Some Scots know they subsidise the rest of the UK, its up to us to get the message out.
Harry McAye, I have a spare yes sticker, not sure how to send it to you, maybe contact through Stu.
Calling no voting Scots mugs etc. is stupid. These are the people who need to be persuaded to vote yes at the next indyref. And many were probably wavering voters; not died in the wool unionists. Insulting them isn’t a smart strategy. It’s about as smart as Slab’s SNP-bad strategy.
Also see recent comment in Bella on this issue.
link to huffingtonpost.co.uk
Huffington post continuing its pro union propaganda I see;their campaign of lies never stopped.
@ Robert Peffers says at 10:36 am
”The UK is not a poor nation. The problem is the wealth of the nation is shared unequally and the figures show the richest people have more than doubled their wealth while the government are raiding the pockets and purses on the poorest and most vulnerable. The ultra-wealthy cannot spend their all their wealth on a comfortable lifestyle and they bank their ill gotten gains which takes that wealth out of circulation.
If a reasonable share of that wealth was instead returned in the pockets & purses of the poorer folks they would spend it on essentials and the sale of those essentials would increase demand. Increased retail demand would increase wholesale demand which in turn would stimulate manufacturing and thus boost the economy. This would mean the manufacturing sector would grow and thus employ more people and manufacturing would stimulate the supply of commodities and the downward spiral would reverse … If I’m reading it correctly that was exactly what Nicola meant by easing up on austerity.”
Robert thanks for the excellent article. Brilliant in fact. The situation that you outline so well and more so in such a down to earth manner exemplifies a Keynesian model of economy. Not one that everyone agrees with of course.
One such person who does, to some extent, is Joseph Stiglitz. From 2012 Joseph Stiglitz (a ‘new-keynesian’ economist) was a member of the Scottish Government’s Fiscal Commission Team working alongside Professor Andrew Hughes Hallett, Sir Jim Mirrlees, Frances Ruane and Crawford Beveridge. Their key role was to to establish a fiscal and macro economic framework for an independent Scotland. Nicola Sturgeons views on the economy have no doubt been influenced by him. On the otherhand he was probably chosen on the basis that his economic stance ‘best fit’ the views of a more compassionate and progressive Goverment / Scottish society.
link to gov.scot
Stiglitz has had a very prestigious career indeed as an example he was Chief Economist for the World Bank. Perusal of his Wikipedia profile gives you some idea of the measure of the man …. achievements and attitude.
‘Joseph E. Stiglitz said today [Nov. 24, 1999] that he would resign as the World Bank’s chief economist after using the position for nearly three years to raise pointed questions about the effectiveness of conventional approaches to helping poor countries. In this role, he criticised the IMF, and, by implication, the US Treasury Department. In April 2000, in an article for The New Republic, he wrote: ”They’ll say the IMF is arrogant. They’ll say the IMF doesn’t really listen to the developing countries it is supposed to help. They’ll say the IMF is secretive and insulated from democratic accountability. They’ll say the IMF’s economic ‘remedies’ often make things worse – turning slowdowns into recessions and recessions into depressions. And they’ll have a point. I was chief economist at the World Bank from 1996 until last November, during the gravest global economic crisis in a half-century. I saw how the IMF, in tandem with the U.S. Treasury Department, responded. And I was appalled.’’
link to en.wikipedia.org
A few interesting youtube videos:
link to wisegeek.org
Joseph E. Stiglitz: Let’s Stop Subsidizing Tax Dodgers
link to youtube.com
Joseph Stiglitz on Newsnight Scotland
link to youtube.com
Joseph Stiglitz: It’s Time to Get Radical on Inequality
link to youtube.com
Prof. Josef E. Stiglitz: “The Future of Europe”
link to youtube.com
As a bye, I’ve noticed a number of posters discussing the issue of currency in an Independent Scotland. In the lead up to the Referendum I reckon Alex Salmond came across as a ‘one man band’. The MSM of course never ever mentioned the Fiscal Commission Team or people like Joseph Stiglitz at all. I think this led to many people questioning Alex Salmonds ability to make such a major decision, supposedly on his own, on behalf of a Nation.
Alex was constantly demonised and generally discredited as an example by portraying him as a mars bar eating nincompoop. No one cared to mention the he was an economist in his own right and had worked as such for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Royal Bank of Scotland and the oil industry.
As we can’t rely on the MSM to disseminate information in an unbiased way at all I would suggest that any informative leaflets being delivered country wide in future should include facts such as who exactly is involved in establishing the fiscal / economic framework for an Independent Scotland … the currency we will use … to counter them trying to imply that it’s Nicola …. the Lawyer … who’s calling the (currency / fiscal) shots on her own!
Ken500 at 5.29
None of the carving up of sea borders should survive independence.
There is an international protocol on sea borders. The carve ups were merely internal UK arrangements without external validity
There are plenty of cars up in Sutherland with Yes stickers, and we passed a car covered in Yes artwork on the road south to Inverness this morning.
@ Dave McEwan Hill says at 6:51 pm ”None of the carving up of sea borders should survive independence. There is an international protocol on sea borders. The carve ups were merely internal UK arrangements without external validity.”
I know we’ve all seen this before but a reminder that we will reclaim our seas and oil fields when we eventually get our Independence.
link to youtube.com
@ Harry McAye
Ref looking for YES stickers :
If you use Facebook, send a PM on YesRutherglen facebook page.
Otherwise, email to : forward AT YesRutherglen DOT com
We’ll get you something.
Whether it’s a second Referendum or some other way, ” it’s comin’ yet for a’ that ” 🙂 🙂
Hi red sunset.
Is that email address,
forward@yesrutherglen.com ?
It’s ok, wordpress disguises email addresses.
@ Brian DTT
Yep that’s the email address.
There were some YES stickers left a while back, I’m sure we’ll find some to suit.
Such was my utter despair, anger, and sheer incomprehension of 55% (allegedly!) of those who voted in the referendum saying No to independence – How can you possibly say no to the independence of your own country, FFS? – that I pulled off all the Yes stickers on my car and binned them, along with the Yes posters about the house and the Yes badges and wristbands I had been wearing for weeks beforehand.
I had given up my job in the Far East to come back to Scotland to throw my lot in with the Yes campaign. The money and all that didn’t matter – I just had to be home when my country voted Yes to its rightful independence. It had to happen, didn’t it? Yes, the No campaign would be down and extremely dirty, but the Scots would see right through it, tell them to do one, and would vote by a good majority for Yes… wouldn’t they? I mean, no-one would vote against the self-determination of their own nation… would they?
… On 19.09.14 reality hit. And it hit like a brick to the head and a knife to the heart. People said it felt that someone had died. No-one had – but the hope and expectation had gone.
So, then. The Yes paraphernalia was binned. I had given up on the possibility of Scottish independence happening, at least in my lifetime. And what to do but go back to the Far East with a heavy heart and to deal with whatever the future brought.
And… well, well, well and whadyaknow! Before long: Cameron announces EVEL; the Better Together lies get exposed one by one; the Smith Commission farce takes place; the SNP membership skyrockets; Nicola Sturgeon tours Scotland achieving rockstar- like status… and Scottish Labour elect Jim Murphy as their new leader!
Refound hope and expectation! The Scottish independence thing hadn’t died after all. Oh no, it was back on – and how!
So, back to Scotland once again, this time to help out the SNP get as many MPs as possible to Westminster. And how did that go again…? Oh yes, 56 SNPs out of a possible 59 in Scotland, Scottish Labour eviscerated and left with one MP – for Morningside and its environs, LOL! Then there’s that Lib Dem guy in Orkney & Shetland…!
That Yes paraphernalia might now be gone, but now hope, real hope has returned. IndyRef 1 was a rehearsal, though with the wrong result. IndyRef 2 must happen, and when it does, let’s make sure it’s Yes – the correct result!
Ye of little faith. The YES is still up around here. Bitterly disappointed but just could not take it down. It is semi-rural. There have been suggestion to take it down but but it still stays for Holyrood 2016 and the EU Ref and #Indytwa. It is still there but will be increased with SNP for when we go again.
Re YES stickers.
Is there online artwork that can be used to print off badges to fit inside now redundant road tax disc holders? Even something easy enough to re-size would do.
I currently have an SNP sticker on an old tax disc in mine but I’d like to vary it now and again, perhaps even a “Don’t blame me, I voted YES”, version as well.
Alan: Calling no voting Scots mugs etc. is stupid.
It depends on how vociferous they continue to be over defeating the power of democracy.
I retain the right to argue an opponent is a fool by demonstrating the stupidity of his opinion. If, however, I meet one who says they regret voting against their own interests and can see how things have turned out, I’ll take a more conciliatory line.
In the meantime let’s drop this absolutist crap that No voters are waiting to be converted if only enough of us would do them the favour.
A good many are very happy they voted No.
With the exception of the Saltire, Yes badges and stickers have lost a lot of impact. We need fresh images to tell people the dream is not dead.
Grouse Beater wrote:
“With the exception of the Saltire, Yes badges and stickers have lost a lot of impact. We need fresh images to tell people the dream is not dead.”
I agree! I would like to see a badge or patch which states in black bold with a Saltire background:
No More
LibLabCons
Vote Them Out
Obviously the lettering would be more centred.
Another good idea previously mentioned was:
“Are You Yes Yet?”
I would like to see that done in black bold with a Saltire background.
Now that’s 2 badges, or patches, i’d happily attach to my tammy!
🙂
@Grouse Beater
I suspect there are many reasons No voters voted the way they did. Some may now regret their vote. Others might have voted Yes but weren’t sufficiently persuaded–at the time maybe not an unreasonable position, it wasn’t as if the Yes Campaign had all the answers and there was no uncertainty. And some were no doubt dyed-in-the-wool unionists and who are you to say they voted against their own interests? There are no doubt people (large land owners, bankers, etc.) in Scotland whose real interests really do lie in the union, voting Tory, etc. Are they really mugs for voting no?
I would say feel free to insult the latter all you like if it makes you feel good (although not sure it makes you look good) but insulting the former is counter productive. If you actually believe in democracy you should respect their vote, make an effort to understand their concerns, and ask how the pro-independence movement can make a stronger case.
Alan: I would say feel free to insult the latter all you like if it makes you feel good
How do you think I argue with opponents? On a beer crate wagging a finger and shouting at them through a megaphone?
Here’s a deal: if I don’t tell you how to conduct the way you discuss politics, then you agree not to lecture me.
How many landowners are there in Scotland & how many votes do they have? the answer is gey few, so they are an irrelevance.
No group is as Unionist or loudmouthed, they had plenty of friends at Westminster but have none at Holyrood so who gives a monkeys what landowners want. We’re the mugs for tolerating them for so long.
While we’re on the subject of landowners. Glen Roy National Nature Reserve & its parallel roads are under threat, please support this petition,
link to you.38degrees.org.uk
@Grouse Beater
Irn Bru crate.