Wings Over Scotland

That Israel bit was glorious.

RIP Harry Spring.

link to theferret.scot

Also more on Peter Duncan

link to theferret.scot

The Open at Carnoustie famous worldwide. The Carnoustie Golf Hotel. Upgraded. Upgrade facilities all around. Another improved facilities and investment in Scotland. Nearby the City of Discovery upgraded and investments. World class improvements. A showcase. Now on the tourist trail. Decommissioning investment bring jobs and prosperity. St Andrews Fife etc world class facilities. Tourism and education. Along with Glasgow, the Conference Centre of the world. Edinburgh one of most visited capital in the world. The Festival will start soon.

The BBC always gives away its agenda with its language. An SNP story will be SNP accused, a Tory story will be Tories defend.

You would almost think a SIU klavern is present on the banks of the Clyde at Plantation Quay.

O/T

On Radio2 now. Jeremy Vine discussing the military compensation.
Sarah Smith on now…………………….

There are around 10k military personnel in Scotland, 20% at officer grade, cant find figures for sergeants but if we are generous and say 10%, that equates to around 2400, affected, less than a third of the BBC claims, the only way I can manage to get their figures is if I include the Scottish based MI5 and include the staff of the BBC Scotland.

I liked the observation from someone in the SNP that said if Westminster wants to treat soldiers serving in Scotland as serving in a foreign country then we are comfortable with that.

🙂

“ James Dornan told Russian station RT earlier this week that a poll published that morning showed support for separation at 54 per cent.

But no such poll existed, and he later said he had mistakenly believed a survey from more than two years ago was new because it had “popped up” on social media. ”

link to archive.is

We need to double-check everything, especially what’s on social media. It’s not the first time old news has surfaced and been presented as new news, and it won’t be the last.

North Chiel… Apparently so 😀

link to thenational.scot

I assume that this extra compensation for the well paid in the military serving in Scotland will be subject to income tax. This means that the Scottish tax take will increase by about 41% of the 4 million pounds cost for this year so we should be grateful to westminster for this!

@Tom Halliday

“include the staff of the BBC Scotland”

Quite. Occupation Force HQ.

Brilliant! Loved it. Made my day

Anybody got any idea why 10,000 military personnel are based in Scotland and why the Scots are being sent south or elsewhere? Maybe the BBC / MSM could look into that one?

@Petra

They’re quoting that number to give the overall immpression that all the poor wee squaddies are having to pay more tax when in fact it’s a very small number who are paying more tax because it’s the higher ranked officers, but in fact it could be possible that lower ranks might be paying less tax, as I don’t know what the wage scale of soldiers is it would be hard to tell or how many higher ranked officers that would be

But that wouldn’t make a good story if the news people were to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth or just explaining the simple facts for people
so much easier to say SNP you know the rest

So the of late tacit Colonel Rape Clause Ruth Davidson, has surfaced in the Scotsman newspaper to have a pop at ex-FM Alex Salmond, over his RT show and to also attack Putin.

Yet Ruthie hasn’t had lunch yet with the Russian donor who paid £20,000 pounds at a Tory fund raising auction in February. The lunch will be with one of Putin’s old cronies Lubov Chernukhin.

Can we ever take Ruthie seriously again on anything? I for one think not.

I take it all these poor sqaddies paying more tax will be paying for their prescriptions and tuition fees etc since they are getting their tax back from the gracious WM.

The SNP Conference agreed only over 18 year old should be trained take up combatant roles in line with other NATO countries. The army should not recruit in schools. Or target areas of deprivation.

A MOD letter dated 1st July 2015 put the total number at 17,000 7.1% out of a trial of 250,000 UK total. Not just Army personnel. TA etc.

So when soldiers are in Afganistan do they pay Afgan rates of taxation, or if they’re based anywhere in the world do they pay the local rate of that country or the now English rate, or does this nonsense only apply to Jockistan

Or are they just playing silly bugger stupid childish *we hate the SNP* games

There’s nothing better than some facts.

For those that are interested all the Army pay scales for 2017/18 can be seen here:

link to armedforces.co.uk

The total number of military personnel bsed in Scotland as of 1st Oct 2017 was 9970 and of these 1290 were Officers and 8680 Other Ranks. In addition to the military there were also 3970 civilians employed by the MOD in Scotland.

You will need to download the Excel spreadsheet if you want more detail broken down to local authority from the link here:

link to gov.uk

So if we are only talking military here then there is something very iffy about the reported 8000 who have been affected by the tax changes. Sure they will all have been affected but how many will be paying more is the question?

Well looking at the payscale link it would seem that a few full Corporals and above might pay a few pounds a year more but the great majority of lance Corporals and all the privates will be paying less. Even some Officers will be paying less as they earn less than £26,000/year.

I think it is safe to say that maybe a maximum of 4000 out of the nearly 10,000 will be paying more and the biggest beneficiaries of this tax rebate from Westminster will be those much higher up the ladder than your typical squaddie.

The other main beneficiaries of course are the propaganda arm of Westminster, the BBC and the Tory party as they chalk up yet another SNP bad story with maximum coverage.

Is overseas not tax free? If stationed abroad for over 90 days. Less than 90 days in the UK. Top heavy with Admirals. More Admirals than ships. Top heavy command being reorganised. Redundant weaponry and not enough essential equipment. No balance.

Comment from previous thread and it’s one of the most salient I’ve seen on here for a while.

Robert Louis says:
19 July, 2018 at 9:30 am
“Just read the piece by Gordon McIntyre Kemp in the National about indy timetable. Aye right!! More ‘lets delay the referendum again kite flying by SNP leadership. Get on with it.

Do the SNP think folks like myself are going to hang around until they finally get their freaking act together and call a referendum that should have been called two years ago? simple answer NO. Indeed I will never forgive them if brexit happens in Scotland – as I have stated here before.

I really do not know what they are smoking at SNP HQ, but it isn’t helping them. They talk of post brexit like everything will be just as it is now, but it won’t, and here’s the real killer, guess who the massed ranks of the britnat media will be blaming for any post brexit problems in Scotland – Aye that’s right, the Scottish Government and SNP.

If referendum is not called by September, I’ll have had enough and will seriously be looking at my options for moving elsewhere if I can (out of the UK). I am not going to sit around and watch as Brexit unfolds in Scotland, with an SNP government in placee sitting back watching too, whilst fretting over just when a brexit deal will be finalised and if they should wait another year or two before indyref2.

No, it is time for some leadership, and a hell of a lot less of this ‘tee hee, why interrupt our enemies while they make mistakes’ etc. Yes, sitting watching as they utterly destroy Scotland and close our parliament – and make no mistake that IS going to happen. A government of ‘national unity’ will be the cover, and they are already openly talking about it – and planning it.

No, we have waited long enough. I know Brexit is a mess, I know things are not yet clear – but THEY NEVER WILL BE. Does anybody seriously expect things will be clearer in 2019 or 2020, or 2021.

There is a REAL disconnect here between the real tangible fear people have about brexit, and those who seemingly philosophise about how ‘if we just wait one more month, or year, or maybe until the next election, or maybe until brexit happens, and so on. Their is a name for such behaviour, it is called PROCRASTINATION.

Once brexit starts, the public attitude will shift. They will not view it as they do now, they will regard it as something that HAS happened already, not as something that can be changed via independence. And they will be afraid, and the overriding thought will not be independence, it will be we’d best stick together with the UK, since without them we are f*cked.

Their will NEVER be ‘just the right time’ to call a referendum, their will never be ‘clarity about brexit’, it will never be a ‘tidy, complete deal’. It is going to be messy for years and possibly decades. We should call the referendum ASAP. Enough is enough.

The people of Scotland have given The SNP Scottish Government a clear unequivocal mandate to call a referendum – and that is something they MUST do. NO more delays, no more of this tosh about waiting.

Oh, and just one final thought, I am sick and tired of all this rubbish about DIY independence. I regard that as possibly the dumbest nonsense I have heard in all my days. Indeed I would go further and now regard it as a piece of political spin, to persuade indy supporters that it is somehow THIER fault a referendum can’t be called – ‘oh, if only people would get the polls to show 55% indy support etc…’ It is frankly despicable. Yes, indy groups are re-forming and yes people are trying to get active, but NOBODY is going to start taking notice, UNTIL A REFERENDUM IS ACTUALLY CALLED (and that includes Westminster btw).

Get on with it, FFS. Just freaking well get on with it. Their will NEVER be a perfect time.”/endquote

Only thing I disagree with in it is the comment that indyref2 should have been called 2 years ago. Don’t know where he’s coming from with that.

I always make a point of reading Peter A. Bell’s stuff. Pity there aren’t more like him in or near the SNP leadership. Check out his response below to GMK’s shit-brained nonsense advising yet more procrastination. We really don’t need people like GMK who have no real idea of what’s at stake. Yessers and SNP members need to make it clear to the leadership in no uncertain terms that the time for politely faffing about is over and it’s now time to start ACTING accordingly.

link to peterabell.blog

I would say this immediate removal of current MP’s names for breaching standard’s, from the Parliament’s website, is a direct result from the Cliff Richard case.

Being described as a ‘landmark ruling’.

And I quote:

‘Labour MP Jess Phillips said if the courts could maintain both anonymity for victims and transparency for the accused, Parliament could do it too.’

And another snippet:

‘Labour MP Sir Kevin Barron said: “We perfectly agree the issue about sexual harassment and bullying and harassment needs confidentiality to make sure that people will come forward and will speak out so that actions can be taken.’

It’s a well known fact that actually publishing the names of those accused of sexual abuse/harassment, often leads to other victims coming forward. All organisations dealing with csa including the police are aware of this reality? The whole edifice of Weinstein collapsed because some brave souls went ‘public’ not ‘private’. Privately paying off people is what a lot of these corrupt bastards have been doing for decades, nay centuries.

But now, they have used the ruling against the BBC to immediately remove all current investigations underway about corrupt politicians from their website.

They are definitely circling the wagons.

‘MPs just voted to keep corruption and sex harassment investigations into MPs secret’

link to archive.is

How many Scottish troops are in the UK army? I do not know but would like to.
I do remember reading somewhere a while ago that 2/3rds of the SAS
are Scottish, if they, came back to a SDF, think it worry them a wee bit.

@ Les Wilson

Agree that the Dateline folk deserve funding, but IMO not for anything conventionally serious. They’re really good at what they do (the writing is fantastic) and they should keep doing that. The Israel report was a perfect example of them not needing to ditch the humour to get a point across.

O/T…

Orange Walk called off after Glasgow Priest attack

An Orange march, due to take place in Glasgow on Saturday, has been cancelled. Glasgow City Council confirmed the walk would not go ahead following a meeting with the organisers. The Orange Lodge said the postponement would allow time for further discussions.

link to change.org

PS:
Just got a Facebook message. Change.org

Orange Walk called off after Glasgow Priest attack
An Orange march, due to take place in Glasgow on Saturday, has been cancelled.

Glasgow City Council confirmed the walk would not go ahead following a meeting with the organisers. The Orange Lodge said the postponement would allow time for further discussions.

@Hamish100
The problem is this:

“At the end of the Brexit process, when the final deal is known, it is right that Scotland should have a choice about our future.

Brexit must not be forced on Scotland no matter how damaging it turns out to be. Last year’s Holyrood election gave us the democratic go-ahead for an independence referendum. The recent vote of Scotland’s national Parliament has backed this up. If the SNP wins a majority of Scottish seats in this election, that would mean we have been given the democratic go-ahead three times. ”

link to d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net

and similar in the full 2017 SNP General Election manifesto.

If Brexit is forced on Scotland and the SNP do NOT hold an independence referendum, their manifesto promises aren’t worth the electrons they’re written on, so why on earth would anyone vote for them for any next election? They could promise instant independence – well, they would have broken their promises last time, so why would anyone be taken in, in 2021 or 2022?

So far they have broken no promises, they have kept the faith, and their word, and that will be so until the Brexit negotiations are complete, or at least their result is known.

So far.

Maybe someone with the tech can compare the BBC RUK NEWS on the puir wee army generals having to pay more tax and the BBC Scotland version. Refreshingly it showed up the English ministers attack on the natz tax before he runs off.

Alert

Extremely biased survey about the NHS on Scotpulse

Tinto Chiel @ 7:23 pm

You wrote: “.. I’m having a post-prandial swatch at C4 news at my daughter’s. Top story on Sainted Jon Snow’s Prog is 1) falling crime conviction rates in England .. ”

Not so ‘sainted’ this evening! The piece on new (negative) stats on crime rates, conviction rates and policing was headlined/introduced as ‘bad’ in Britain. Only later in the programme, when full details were given, are we told that the bad news story was only about England and Wales.

E-mail sent immediately to the C4 newsroom complaining and urging them to do ‘better’.

The Westminster unionists another criminal cover up. They really are the most disgusting creatures. Even more cover up. Plus the crimes under the Official Secrets Act. They have already covered up child abuse. Destroyed the documented evidence. Hague as Home Secretary before retiring. To the Lords? The Saville cover up. They made him a Sir. Filthy disgusting creature. BBC malicious policies and duplicity.

Iraq, Lockerbie, Dunblane kept secret for 100 years.

The Orange Order is a bigoted, misogynistic,racist, unequal, semi quasi secret association. Not everyone can join. They discriminate. They do not obey UK Law. They should not be patrolling the streets financed by public money. If they want to march and parade they should do it on private land at their own expense. Not upset others destroying the economy.

O/T: well kinds O/T.

Perhaps the, “Troop Tax”, story is being used as the smoke screen for the news from ower the border. Like these news items on BBC text service:-

Only 9% of crimes in England & Wales result in suspects being charged. According to Home Office Figures and that is the lowest detection rate since 2015. Data also shows that Police closed just under half, (48%), of cases because no suspects could be identified and it is the fourth year running that homicides had increased.

Apparently Tory Chief Whip, Julian Smith, told Tory MP, Brandon Lewis, to break a voting pact, (pairing), with a LibDem MP, Jo Swinton, “By Accident”. Oh! Dear!

Under=pressure English NHS services are spending over one billion pound per year buying care from outside the English NHS because they cannot keep up with demand. The costs are being racked up by hospitals, ambulances and mental health trusts Westminster data shows. English NHS managers say money is being wasted because the private care is arranged at the last minute and results in the English NHS over-paying.

The most common purchase by the English NHS is thought to be for care like hip & knee joint treatments.

The English NHS “Care Quality Commission’s”, review of Radiology practices says there should be a limit upon how long it takes to report the results of patients’ X-rays and scans. They found the practices in English NHS A & E departments varied from one hour to two working days.

In the English NHS system Children & adults can face a wait of more than two years for an assessment of Autism. English National guidelines state that the diagnosis process should start within three months of being referred.

The English NHS Joint Committee on Vaccination has advised the English NHS they should be extending the immunisation against the jap that protects against the HPV Virus that protects against cervical cancer that is routinely given to teenaged girls to also be given to teenaged boys.

Both the Scottish and Welsh NHS have already extended the immunisation to boys.

I wonder what the motive is for the Scottish branch offices of the Westminster unionists to carry out a relentless campaign against the Scottish NHS?

Surely it couldn’t be hat they are trying to work a smokescreen for their party members iat Westminster – or could it?

@stewartb 7.43: not surprised at the later Channel 4 E&W revelations re crime convictions. I salute your indefatigability in e-mailing C4 but, as a company with HMG as a majority shareholder, it has to #ScotlandBad (here by omission) like the rest.

Radio 4 constantly agonises about out-of-control stabbings in London but almost never mentions the SG measures which have seen Scottish knife crime plummet.

It’s the way they tell ’em, unfortunately, and it’s only going to get worse once indy-battle commences.

O/T

Peace has broken out between the African countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The merchants of death in Europe and USA are not happy about it. They are warning about job losses at weapons of death manufacturers. Trade unions are warning of strikes if the death jobs are threatened.

Senior merchant of death, Tony Blair, is on his way to Africa to re-start the war process immediately.

The populist, fascist, xenophobic, right wing government of Italy says peace and progress in Africa is a good thing and will stem the migration of half of Africa to Italy.

President Trump, heavily critisised by “progressive Liberals” in the West for trying to make peace with Russia, has not tweeted yet.

Truth always.

O/T – some thoughts on epigenetics, the Scottish cringe and the brexit potential for inter-generational harm

Enjoy!

link to eurofree3.wordpress.com

“Truth always”

Grun? Rider000? Scotsman?

Memory is a fragile thing. Maybe someone with something like “stats” in their username. Anybody remember? Was a unionist anyway.

UK tax compensation for armed forces.

Here is the snappy reply from Derek Mackay Finance Secretary which shows how very angry (sorry – disappointed) the SNP are at another insult. A bit like being savaged by the dead sheep of Geoffrey Howe fame.

“As a result of the Scottish government’s progressive tax system 70% of people in Scotland are paying less tax this year than they did last year for a given income and we hope those who have seen their tax bills reduce will not be disadvantaged by the UK government’s proposals.

“We are fully committed to supporting the armed forces community and armed forces families in Scotland benefit from services not available elsewhere in the UK, such as free school meals, prescriptions and eye tests, and tuition fee and living cost support in higher education when they are ordinarily resident.

“It is disappointing that, despite making an offer to discuss the differential taxation of military personnel, the Scottish government has not been consulted on the proposal announced by the MoD.”

UK Daily Express headline Lawless Britain and London media again don’t differentiate between England and UK.

PacMan says:
19 July, 2018 at 8:33 pm

One Dutch Twitter user wrote: “Dear UK government. We appreciate the effort and you probably have no clue, but please stick to English if you want us to understand you. This is horrible. Kind regards, The Netherlands.”

Yes, but there was a message which Europe read loud and clear – The UK wants to bypass the EU’s appointed negotiator Michel Barnier, and appeal to individual EU member states directly.

Even now, at this late stage, the UK is still utterly clueless about EU protocol and is still bumbling about in the dark like a complete amateur. It is simply embarrassing, but it is also inexcuseable.

BBC Scotland reporting on the Clara Ponsati situation ending with “Clara Ponsati has brought the Catalonian crisis to Scotland’s door.”

Imagine that, one wee half-decent wummin actually outdoing the Westminster Corrupt Club. It would suit them better to outline in DETAIL the harsh realities of the Brexit crisis looming for all of Scotland in the very near future.

Wee Ginger Dug: As part of the UK, Scotland will be invisible to the world.

…”Last weekend, when Donald Trump was giving an interview to Brown Noser in Chief Piers Morgan, he waxed lyrical about British branding. The UK has a lot of great product, apparently. One of the things that impressed Trump most about Great British product was the fact that there are different names for it. “You can say ‘England’, boored Trump, “you can say ‘UK’, you can say ‘United Kingdom’.”

As far as Trump is concerned, the terms UK, United Kingdom, and England are synonyms. That’s why his White House staff had tweeted on Friday that the president had left the UK and was on his way to Scotland. It wasn’t, much as we’d like to imagine so, a subtle recognition that Scotland is on its way to independence….”

link to thenational.scot

Something a little lighter:

“YES supporters are being urged to tune up their vocal cords and get on their way to record a Proclaimers classic to Sing4Scotland in time for an independence rally in Inverness at the end of this month.”

link to thenational.scot

The Ferret has dismantled the lie about troops paying more in Scotland.The Ferret is going from strength to strength .

That was brave (and right) of them to criticise Israel like that. Watch out, guys. You’ll be accused of being vile anti-Semites any day now.

@Dave McEwan Hill
Got a link for that? I’ve done it in a couple of places and keep messing up because of the £2,000 at 19% rather than 20% as an offset, and just mis-=flaming-typoing where there’s no edit facility. Would save my tired old neurons strain to just get their figures (having checked them).

But the counter claim in the National that up to £33,000 nobosy pays more tax according to SPICe is also wrong, that’s more tax than last year becaue of the personal allowance, NOT more than the rUK. Counter-spin is just as bad as spin, and WE don’t need it. The truth shall set us free.

OK, found it. From The Ferret:

“According to the SPICe calculations, those earning up to to £33,000 will pay less in tax than they will in the current year 2017-18.

When compared to the rest of the UK, those earning up to £26,000 will not face a higher tax bill, despite being in the higher 21 per cent tax bracket.”

I worked it out (eventually) and agree.

link to theferret.scot

Re Brexit. According to the Telegraph
link to telegraph.co.uk

“The Dutch version [of the Brexit White Paper] was described in a leading newspaper as reading like something put through the “cheapest available” translation software. It also mis-spelt Edinburgh as Edinburg”.

They can’t even spell the names of our cities right!

The EU has produced a document for preparing for no deal..

link to ec.europa.eu

link to independent.co.uk

Ronnie, that link is four months old!

Serious violent crime soars in broken Tory England but falls in SNP Scotland;
link to thoughtcontrolscotland.com

When the thing you try to avoid happens!;
link to joansjigsaw.wordpress.com

Crunch time;
link to rbs.postach.io

“Mr Paisley was conscious of the potential embarrassment that would be caused to him…”;
link to sluggerotoole.com

HUGE PRESSURE ON MAY TO SACK WHIP, CHAIR FOR ‘PAIRING’ TREACHERY;
link to skwawkbox.org

The UK’s industrial supply chains are dependent on European manufacturers;
link to blogs.lse.ac.uk

Brexit Republic Podcast: Episode Four;
link to rte.ie

Desperate measures, The case for a second Brexit referendum;
link to economist.com

This theatre of the absurd is making another referendum more likely;
link to chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com

Survival of the richest: The wealthy are plotting to leave us behind;
link to cnbc.com

Israel should be shunned as an Apartheid State, says Irish senator;
link to gulfnews.com

Public toilet closed by Moray Council to cut costs to be re-opened;
link to archive.is

UK consumers facing price hikes and more imported produce on shelves;
link to archive.is

Brexit could mean a return to food rationing;
link to thenational.scot

MPs to hear Scottish fruit growers’ concerns over labour shortages;
link to archive.is

Lords puzzled as Home Office seeks more leeway in using child informants against gangs, terrorists;
link to rt.com

Potential presidential candidate offered free tickets to councillors;
link to irishtimes.com

WATCH: Ireland ready ‘if proverbial hits the fan’ – Leo Varadkar on Brexit;
link to independent.ie

Brexit: Theresa May says it is now up to EU to prevent hard border as she visits Northern Ireland;
link to archive.is

Good morning, Macart,

That’s some mess she’s making, right enough.

Charlie’s not doing much better;
Prince Charles to tell child abuse inquiry he was ‘certainly not aware’ his bishop friend was a paedophile despite the clergyman accepting a caution for gross indecency;
link to archive.is

Looks like the BritNats of Greater England going for the “Blame the EU furriners and flounce out to the WTO rules No Deal Hard Brexit” which some of us have always suspected they were going to. @Smallaxe says at 8:19 am

Hi, JWT.
🙂
Ireland open to ‘better’ Northern Ireland border backstop: finance minister;
link to reuters.com

May will be gone by October. The idiocy will be gone. To be replaced with more? Labour and others, the so called ‘opposition’, could have brought them down many times. They did not even turn up to vote or abstain.

What a shower of useless, incompetent psycho bastards. Sanctioning and starving people. Imagine May, Raab and Williamson negotiating anything. There is something wrong with these people. What an embarrassment. Appalling people. The lies they are telling is a further disgrace. They are making people sick and ill. Increasing crime and criminal behaviour.

May cut police numbers as Home Secretary. Cut border agency numbers. The result was that the queues at Heathrow got so bad, it was chaos. People were allowed to enter unchecked. She blamed the staff she had appointed. The head resigned and called her out. Said it was her fault. Imagine the Brexit chaos at the borders.

There is a code of conduct these people are supposed to be following. Now they are covering up their reported crime. Johnston wiki information has been changed. Misrepresented to cover up his criminal behaviour. Informing a criminal associate the name and address of someone. So the associate could threaten and beat the person up. He was reported to the Police. Then no action was taken. He was sacked by Murdoch for telling lies. Now deleted. He is writing a Telegraph column for £250,000 without authority. He was sacked by Howard (‘something of the night’) for telling lies.

The military depending on rank can put their off spring to private school expense paid, The lower ranks were housed in inferior quarters. Some of which has been sold off. Some barracks shut and put up for sale. The military estate sold off. Unwanted premises.

@ Smallaxe – that was an interesting resd:
REVEALED: THE £271 BILLION R*PE OF THE NATIONAL INSURANCE FUND THAT DEPRIVED 50S WOMEN OF THEIR STATE PENSION;
link to byline.com

It links to the original paper which sets out the UK Government pension and NI thieving. Heroic work by Tony Lynes in researching all this.

The rape of the National Insurance Fund
(a draft prepared by Tony Lynes as a basis for a National Pensioners Convention factsheet on the National Insurance Fund)

Summary

1. The National Insurance Fund operates on a pay-as-you-go basis but has to keep a working balance which the Government Actuary recommends should not fall below two months’ benefit expenditure. The balance predicted for March 2006 is £24.5 billion above the recommended level and it is expected to rise to over £60 billion – about £48 billion above the recommended level – by 2010.

2. The suggestion that the Fund exists only on paper and is not available for spending is unfounded. The money is invested in gilt-edged securities.

3. The Treasury regards NI contributions as a convenient form of taxation, while benefits, including pensions, are seen as part of total public expenditure. The size of the Fund’s balance, therefore, is not taken into account in deciding whether or by how much pensions should be increased.

4. A number of measures have been taken to prevent the Fund’s balance from rising to a level at which pressure to restore the value of benefits would be irresistible. The first of these was the reduction and eventual abolition of the Treasury supplement between 1981 and 1989, followed by the introduction of an ad hoc Treasury grant which was paid only from 1993 and 1998. Restoring the supplement at its pre-1981 level would bring an extra £11.3 billion a year into the Fund, enough to meet the gross cost of a £109 per week basic pension.

5. The policy of compensating employers for a series of “green” taxes by reducing their NI contributions is costing the Fund about £2.4 billion a year, while the proceeds of the taxes, amounting to about £1.8 billion, are purloined by the Treasury.

6. The extra 1% NI contributions introduced in 2003 to provide money for the National Health Service have had the effect of reducing by about £1 billion a year the amount of contributions paid into the Fund.

7. Control of the Fund should be taken out of the hands of the Treasury and transferred to a National Insurance Commission consisting largely of representatives of contributors and pensioners, as recommended in a Catalyst Forum paper in 2003.

Followed by more in depth analysis. Well worth a read if you have the time!

link to singernet.info

ARTIST TAXI DRIVER
?
@chunkymark
Oh my God!!! Oh my God!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!! Theresa May doesn’t know shit…
link to twitter.com

Scotland really needs a central bank for Independence. It will take 18 months. It could be sooner? Scotland definitely does not need to lose 24 or any more Devolved powers. It needs more which was happening. The Scottish economy has for far too long been ruined by Westminster ignorant decisions, The Oil & Gas sector too high taxes when the price had fallen. 40% since Jan 2016. High prices do not help the economy.

The £ is falling putting up prices and imports. The balance of payments deficit and the debt. Makes prices dearer because of the increase of commodity prices. The London clearing banks make a fortune exchanging £ to Euros putting up prices and costs. With fees, interests and manipulation. Illegal Brexit monetary manipulation which will increase. Affecting the world economy. Creating deficiencies. This appalling saga being carried out. Completely incomprehensible. Trying to thrash the world economy and make people poorer.

Fracking is tax free in the rest of the UK. Fracked US gas is being imported into Grangemouth. CCS projects for coal and gas were abandoned by Westminster. Tidal Projects cancelled. Solar investment cancelled. Wind turbines banned in the rest the UK. £Billions are being wasted on Hinkley Point and HS2.

HS2 will make journeys throughout Britain take longer. It is just a public waste with no business case and not enough passengers. It will be always subsidised. Instead of Improving rail times and services in the north of England and Scotland. They take twice as long as comparable journeys in the south. The Tories cut investment.. It would improve rail travel to rival air flight time. Leading to less need for internal flights and pollution.

The fishing industry throwing back dead fish for years, reducing stocks. Instead of using larger nets, like Norway. Or trying to improve terms and conditions in the industry, reliant on migrant labour.

The farming industry. Mad cow came from Alabama and cost £Billions. Over 10 years. £Billions taken from Scottish farming by Westminster in CAP payments. Scotland as part of the UK receives the lowest CAP payments in the EU. The Scottish farmers were awarded extra payments for hardship and to make up the deficit. The Tories took it illegally and gave it to wealthier farmers in the south. £Millions. Stating ‘better together’ when they did it.

@ Smallaxe – that was an interesting read:
REVEALED: THE £271 BILLION R*PE OF THE NATIONAL INSURANCE FUND THAT DEPRIVED 50S WOMEN OF THEIR STATE PENSION;
link to byline.com

It links to the original paper which sets out the UK Government pension and NI thieving. Heroic work by Tony Lynes in researching all this.

The r**e of the National Insurance Fund
(a draft prepared by Tony Lynes as a basis for a National Pensioners Convention factsheet on the National Insurance Fund)

Summary

1. The National Insurance Fund operates on a pay-as-you-go basis but has to keep a working balance which the Government Actuary recommends should not fall below two months’ benefit expenditure. The balance predicted for March 2006 is £24.5 billion above the recommended level and it is expected to rise to over £60 billion – about £48 billion above the recommended level – by 2010.

2. The suggestion that the Fund exists only on paper and is not available for spending is unfounded. The money is invested in gilt-edged securities.

3. The Treasury regards NI contributions as a convenient form of taxation, while benefits, including pensions, are seen as part of total public expenditure. The size of the Fund’s balance, therefore, is not taken into account in deciding whether or by how much pensions should be increased.

4. A number of measures have been taken to prevent the Fund’s balance from rising to a level at which pressure to restore the value of benefits would be irresistible. The first of these was the reduction and eventual abolition of the Treasury supplement between 1981 and 1989, followed by the introduction of an ad hoc Treasury grant which was paid only from 1993 and 1998. Restoring the supplement at its pre-1981 level would bring an extra £11.3 billion a year into the Fund, enough to meet the gross cost of a £109 per week basic pension.

5. The policy of compensating employers for a series of “green” taxes by reducing their NI contributions is costing the Fund about £2.4 billion a year, while the proceeds of the taxes, amounting to about £1.8 billion, are purloined by the Treasury.

6. The extra 1% NI contributions introduced in 2003 to provide money for the National Health Service have had the effect of reducing by about £1 billion a year the amount of contributions paid into the Fund.

7. Control of the Fund should be taken out of the hands of the Treasury and transferred to a National Insurance Commission consisting largely of representatives of contributors and pensioners, as recommended in a Catalyst Forum paper in 2003.

Followed by more in depth analysis. Well worth a read if you have the time!

link to singernet.info

If the Brits quit the EU with no deal, which seems quite likely, what will the SNP do? Does the party have a plan? Or are we in the usual British head-in-sand thing of we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Strategy matters. Maybe there is a secret plan, I do hope so, because we’ll need one.
The thought of being chained to the rotting hulk Britannia should give SNP leaders, indeed all pro-indies, nightmares.

Theresa’s Brexit idea is not going to wash.

The Good Friday Agreement was an internationally ratified peace treaty which brought, to an extent anyway, an end to the Troubles. It was dependent upon weapon decommissioning, it was dependent upon an open border between North and South, and the demilitarisation of the Border landscape.

For Theresa to introduce ANY border control between North and South is a material breach of the Good Friday Agreement, and just like the UK Union, once a Treaty is breached, it ceases to exist and cannot be resurrected no matter what the circumstances. The only way a breached treaty can be “unbreached” is to have it replaced with a completely new Treaty.

To deliberately undermine the Good Friday Agreement by reintroducing any form of a Border is a flagrant breach of the Good Friday Agreement, and is furthermore a direct provocation to Irish Republicans, leading to instability and an almost inevitable return to violence in Northern Ireland.

If Theresa May does tear up the Good Friday Agreement, any return to violence will be blamed on Westminster, I would expect International sanctions would follow, and the integrity of the UK, or what’s left of it, would be destroyed. Honest and honourable nations do not arbitrarily tear up peace Treaties.

But to say something controversial from a Scottish perspective, I believe now is the time when we need to act.

May’s Government, and the wider chorus of Brexiteers see Northern Ireland as the major sticking point between them and Trade Deal with the EU. Those circumstances are heightening tensions in Northern Ireland and the prospect of more violence seems inevitable. Frankly, while I lament Ireland’s tragic and terrible crises, I do envy Northern Ireland it’s place on the agenda!

Scotland is in a very strong position to launch its own constitutional assault on the UK Government’s Brexit madness, and doing that now secures two very worthwhile objectives… First, it is a second stick in the spokes of Brexit which means the Irish Border Issues is NOT the only hurdle Theresa May needs to clear, and this can help to diffuse some of the pressure building in Northern Ireland. Second, it’s in our own interests for the Irish border problem to still be an unresolved problem when the “Scottish Problem” comes fully on stream with its Constitutional arguments of Sovereignty.

The chances of agreement are minuscule I know, but say for arguments sake, the EU saw the risk of violence in Northern Ireland, plus riots, food rationing and societal collapse, perhaps even civil war in England, the EU could conceivably offer Westminster a “basket case” Trade Agreement to provide the UK with a humanitarian lifeline for essentials. Scotland does not want to leave it too late and risk upsetting a delicate EU rescue deal.

Now is the time we need to force Scotland’s Constitutional Sovereignty onto the agenda. We need it to happen, Dublin needs it’s to happen, Brussels needs it to happen. Dawdle and wait too long, and we’ll be dealing with Westminster all on our own.

Tweet from Barnier ….

” Very happy to meet @DominicRaab this afternoon. I’m looking forward to our work over the coming weeks to 1) finalise the WA (incl. the backstop on IE/NI) & 2) prepare a political declaration on our future relationship “

…. he significantly keeps the two issues separate, which of course they are. He puts the backstop firmily in the exit agreement part, NOT mixed up with any declaration on relationship.

He will make a statement today.

That massinations of the mooth Frazer Nelson (editor of something or other ) say’s Tereeza has a backup plan, that’ll be the backup tae the backup lol , wan things for sure she has everybody’s backs up lol.

Andrew Neil (multimillionaire – Thatcher henchman) and Laura Kuenssberg (£250,000 a year – millionaire) Taxpayers money. Politics Show ‘the Brexiteers are like Scottish psychopaths’. With references to ‘Trainspotting’ Haw haw. These two moppets. BBC standard of reporting. Shocking, They should be sacked.

Neil an arched biased Tory is well past his sell by date. Misinformation. Scotland voted 62% Remain and support has increased. A complaint should be made. How much did they make from the Brexit polls manipulation and the ‘dark money’ contributions associations. Offshore Hedge funds. Tax free Expenses and remuneration. Unreported.

Barnier is playing the game here.

It is not in the EU’s interest to do any sort of deal with the UK, it is in their interest to SEEM to be doing a deal with the UK, but the very lifeblood at the heart of the idea that is the EU is at stake here.

They would sooner take the loss of the UK as an undesirable, but acceptable ‘hit’ in order to survive.

No quarter will be given.

Smiles maybe, soundbites, but no quarter.

Was listening (while trying to eat breakfast) the other day at work to a Brexiteer rant off about how brilliant everything is going to be once we release the shackles of the EU.

Ten minutes later he was in my office applying for his paternity leave. Not that I needed reminded with said Policy in front of me, but he thought it pertinent to stress to me that he was entitled to his two weeks off.

I bit my tongue because I am not so sure a more ‘competitive’ or ‘efficient’ UK will allow that sort of thing to remain in place.

Britain now acting true to form, this time however they have absolutely no clout.
Last border in N Ireland was to keep the republicans out. This border will be to keep N Ireland out.
The people of N Ireland will decide and will surely take the road which will serve them best … South.

Sobering analysis from across the Atlantic….Theresa May’s Brexit speech may break the Northern Ireland peace process – The Washington Post;
link to twitter.com

That’s all for now, Wingers. Have a peaceful and prosperous day.
🙂

Smallaxe says

Sobering analysis from across the Atlantic

Indeed.

A rhetorical question … why does the foreign media completely understand what’s going on in the UK and can present reality clearly and accurately, yet the UK media appear to not have a clue and present a fantasy pro Tory-Brexit version without challenge?

link to washingtonpost.com

Average wages in the UK has fallen over last ten years. 1% a year. It has increased since 2014 but not up to 2008 levels. It has fallen more in the public sector than private, although unemployment has fallen. More people are working for an average less money. Less growth.

The EU have democratic solutions to disagreements within the member states they negotiate with each country and agree on a decision no matter whether the country is large or small irrespective of population
In the United Kingdom England negotiates with itself and the rest of member states (Scotland Wales Northern Ireland) can go and take a flying you know what

This is NOT a Union this is a dictatorship

England cannot survive the subsidy of Wales and Northern Ireland without the assets of Scotland
Not my words, the words of Jacob Rees Mogg

Thanks Bob, interesting, although I’m clueless on what a ‘capital’ ship means or indeed if the article I read years ago re the Italian navy was referring to the same thing.

@ Dr Jim 1044….

That’s a good rant Dr Jim. Well on the nose.

Back in the day berry picking was (weather permitting) a 6 week season.

Scotland was so poor, that in the one month of the year when the weather might be expected to be nice and other countries would celebrate with national festivities… Scotland turned out its children, its mill workers and its home grown itinerant workers – The Travellers – to pick crops for pennies. No security, no minimum wage, no accommodation – round Blairgowrie they literally slept under hedgerows. A busman’s holiday for the mill workers. School uniform money for the bairns.

Blairgowrie – with a population of under 10,000 – at one point had the highest rate of pubs per head of population (for all uk) to cater for the influx. About 10 years ago, there were still 27 on the go.

And the town would be jumping during the season, the Glasgow Mill workers, the Dundee Mill workers and the Traivlers – took tae the drink, then took tae the Wellmeadow in the evening, and then (one way or another) often took tae each other.

One elderly couple of spinster sisters, very respectable, used to book their holiday every year, and stay in the hotel overlooking the Wellmeadow. When the hotel moved them to a room at the back, they were most affronted and demanded their ‘room with a view’. They found the antics in the Wellmeadow terribly exciting.

Extra Polis were drafted in during the season. That doesn’t happen now – the furriners are often young students, looking to save for when they get home – they don’t create the same amount of disorderly conduct in any way, shape or form compared to what was.

And nearly all the Scottish adults (laterly – in the ’80’s) were on the bru. When the tax man came round, The farmer filled up the book with the name, John Smith, repeated over and over, for all his fruit pickers that day. Indirect subsidies for the farmer, but don’t call them scroungers or subsidy junkies.

Each farmer, considered it a badge of honour to be the hardest on their workers. I saw one farm, near Blairgowrie, owned by a very large Supermarket. They did actually have accommodation for their workers, a concrete byre, with no running water (never mind hot or cold), no toilets or showers, no heating and no windows, and certainly nothing as advanced as a kitchen.

So, now, with the advent of polytunnels – its a 5 month season. Well done to the farmers for building up a multi million pound export industry – and I do mean that, I’m not being sarcastic.

Tayside and Angus, takes in about 25, 000 eastern european workers for the berries. They get paid minimum wage, or better if they can (and many do) pick more on the piece rate.

One farmers best picker managed to save £7,000 for going home to Rumania, where it was to pay for her family and education. At that time (2 years ago) she would get x7 Rumanian currency for her £.

In the 5 months she was here, she shared a caravan with 3 others on the farm, each paid the farmer £40 per week. Each bought their clothes, food, groceries from Perth, and often, each saves up a bit and buys something like an iPhone, or car, or bigger, more expensive item they can’t get at home.

That farm, had over 100 caravans, each with 4 tenants. They get about 5 years of life out of each caravan.

In turn, the bigger farms, need to employ staff, to take care of the caravan site side of things. More jobs created.

About 10% stay on full time, at least for a couple of years. 2,500 people spread out over Tayside and Angus – drop in the ocean.

But hey, the farmer won’t miss them really, the local shops won’t see a drop in takings really, the caravan industry won’t see a booming industry take any kind of hit really.

And we can alway get the prisoners tae do it. Perth Prisons (one of the main ones in Scotland) houses up to 800 prisoners, medium to high security. Good luck with that one folks, and if you live near a berry farm, best start locking your doors.

So all in all, these furriners, coming over here, ‘stealing’ our jobs – no they haven’t, they’ve created a 5 month industry out of a hit or miss 6 week one, staffed up by school kids.
The furriners coming over here, causing a crime wave – no they don’t, they’ve actually reduced a Policing issue.

And won’t farm labouring be such a lot of fun with the removal of H and S and minimum wages and working time directives. ‘Cause you know Farmers, such a good track record on treating their workers decent when its all left up tae them.

But hey, Brexit, taking back control. Jam anyone?