The art of loquacious silence
Today we’ve become quite obsessed with Jim Murphy’s pathological avoidance of a straight answer to the question of whether income tax should be fully devolved to the Scottish Parliament or not. The BBC now has a report on his much-trailed speech in Glasgow, but we’ll get to that in a moment. First it’s worth having a listen to this.
It’s an interview taken from the “Pienaar’s Politics” podcast on Radio 5 Live earlier this month. And it makes for an intriguing study of the art of evasion.
You can listen to the full extract above, but we’ve isolated the relevant exchanges:
JIM MURPHY: “When Scotland has voted so strongly – with over two million people voting No to stay as part of the United Kingdom – it wouldn’t make sense to give up voluntarily one of the real strengths of the United Kingdom, which is a devolved tax system, yes, but while retaining aspects of a UK system.
And I do think that’s important, that sharing and pooling.”
JOHN PIENAAR: “In saying that, Jim, you’re taking on a substantial slice of your own party in Scotland and probably an even bigger slice of public opinion among the voters of Scotland. Are you prepared to do that, and do you think you can win?”
MURPHY: [some evasive waffle]
PIENAAR: “So the answer, then, is you think it’s their job, if you’re elected leader […] it’s going to be their job to fall in behind you. And if you think full income tax is a bad idea, it’s going to be their job to support that view.”
MURPHY: “[…] So the Scottish Parliament, in my view, should have more tax powers -”
PIENAAR: “But not full tax powers.”
MURPHY: “At the moment, the devolution commission, after two years work, came to the view that it has, and I’m not going to, in the early hours of our leadership contest, undo two years of work.”
So now he’s reversed that position and he DOES want to undo it, right?
“Labour officially supports sharing income tax between the Scottish and UK parliaments.
Alert readers will note that that ISN’T actually a statement of support for the measure.
They might also note that he doesn’t appear to have said what the outcome of those discussions was. To the best of our knowledge, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls are still opposed to full devolution of income tax, and are the only people who ultimately get to decide what both UK Labour and its Scottish branch office’s policy is.
So in summary: we didn’t know what Jim Murphy’s position was three weeks ago and we still don’t. He’s survived multiple extended BBC interviews without ever answering the question, and now looks like he’ll get to the point where the Smith Commission’s report is delivered without having done so, at which point he’ll perhaps acknowledge that it’s got nothing to do with him anyway.
(None of which has stopped the media ascribing all three positions to him.)
Yet despite saying nothing, Murphy has monopolised acres and acres of news-space, to the almost total exclusion of his opponents who actually HAVE stated relatively straightforward positions (albeit equally irrelevant, since they also have zero power over Westminster where the new Scotland Bill will be drafted and legislated).
Neil Findlay and Sarah Boyack – just in case you’d forgotten their names – must be watching in starstruck awe of how a big-boy Labour politician goes about his business.
[…] The art of loquacious silence […]
Murphy’s Law : prevaricate, prevaricate, prevaricate…
Rewind only 2 months. If Salmond, Sturgeon et al had refused to give a straightforward answer to such a simple question, the unionist MSM would have been all over them like flies.
“What’s your Plan B, Jim?”
Income tax is not a good choice for this kind of increased fiscal responsibility.
link to bellacaledonia.org.uk
The distribution of taxable income in Scotland is very different from that in the UK as a whole, with Scotland having a markedly smaller proportion of tax payers at the high end of the income distribution. This reflects, primarily, the unbalanced nature of the UK economy, with its extreme concentration of very high earners in the City of London. We are certainly not arguing that Scotland should mimic the excesses of the City: there is absolutely nothing wrong, and a lot right, with the fact that Scotland has a different distribution of taxable incomes. However, what this difference does mean is that, if there were a further period of finance based expansion in the City, then the income tax base in Scotland is highly unlikely to grow as fast as that in the UK as a whole. Given the way the Barnett formula would be adjusted under the Conservative and Labour proposals, (there are more details in the full JRF submission), this would impose a squeeze on the finances of the Scottish government – which would put a future Scottish government under pressure either to raise the Scottish rate of income tax, or to cut services, or both.
It would be hilarious to see Murphy caught in a Paxman/Howard situation.
Doubt there’s a Scottish journalist with the cojones, though. They’re all too scared that he’d start screaming ‘F*** off!’ repeatedly at them.
I wonder if Jim Murphy actually supports Celtic?
Has anyone asked him directly and received a direct answer on that?
This person is seriously unhinged. I suspect he is both pathological and psychotic. Someone suitably qualified should seriously be alerted to DeathHead’s state of mind. In a public interview, albeit within the context of him likening the interviewer’s earlier question to a psychoanalysis of himself, he jokes/tells the public on national television that he would not have sex with his mum. I would hence question this person’s suitability for employment in any capacity.
Nicely slced and diced Stu. Again.
No morals, no principles, no chance of fooling the electorate again, surely.
Findlay and Boyack must again be realising how irrelevant they are decision making, in any meaningful way.
They should also be concerned as Holyrood is surplus to requirements for Labour now the don’t control it.
Murphy is here to shut it down.
Can a journalist ask Ed Miliband and Ed Balls if they support the full devolution of income tax including rates and bands to the Scottish Parliament? What Murphy, Boyack and Findlay currently propose is irrelevant, as in the end they will be required to follow their Party leadership’s decision.
I look forward to reading the reply from the Labour Party’s leadership. A failure to respond to the question would, of course, be very newsworthy.
What I find interesting is Murphy’s assertion that over two million people voted no.
I was always of the impression it was actually just under two million.
I go away to check wikipedia and sure enough it is just over two million by about a thousand.
Is my memory playing tricks or is there some jiggery pokery going on?
@Sinky
Quite right, which is why this [income tax] alone is a poisoned chalice. And though it pains me to say so, even Gordon Brown sees this as a Tory Trap.
It has to be everything or nothing (i.e. retain full Barnett) otherwise it will not work for Scotland’s benefit.
I hope the SNP are prepared to dig in toes AND inform the public. Perhaps we should expect the new National paper to publish some honest assessments of the impacts of the various alternatives?
C’m on Rev -is it Murph the Smurph Day today & I’d forgotten about it?
Inconsequential & odious little man that he is. He hasn’t been able to state his position as ED hasn’t made his mind up yet.
There fixed that for you.
Can we have an interesting subject to deal with now- I’m all Smurphed out 🙂
link to bing.com
A politician who wants to lead unable to give a straight answer to a very simple question. This is why people hate what has become of politics.
IMO any answer other than 0% or 100% of any tax devolution cannot be right on any level. Also, if you give 100% devolution to one tax there must be a strong case to do the same for all.
Murphy seems like a traditional Labour centralist to me.
@Brian Powell:
I’m sure Findlay and Boyack are well aware of their impotence WRT policy. For them however, the election is about getting a payoff in the form of a senior role at Holyrood.
The MSM, led by BBC Scotland, have been heavily promoting Murphy since immediately after Lamont resigned. There is no doubt that he is the nominated golden boy of the MSM.
Well for someone who, allegedly, spent NINE YEARS at university in Glasgow and finally left WITHOUT receiving ANY degree of any sort can anyone really say, hand on heart, that they are totally surprised by the amount of waffle and twaddle eminating from this eejit’s mouth? 😛
The only surprising thing about Murph the Smurph would be if he ACTUALLY admitted to supporting ANYTHING! 😉
I’m looking forward to hearing how the Smith Commission split on party lines on the various elements.
Word seems to be that the Liberals now favour much of welfare being devolved. the SNP and Greens only need to persuade one of the other three parties to agree an element to secure a majority position before the horse trading begins
Who knows, Ed might read the report and yell “They agreed what!?!”
like I said already, (well almost), they should ask him to make it a vow, one that cn be printed on the front page of the Daily Record, then we could all beleave it!
I believe that Jim Murphy’s opinion on devolution of income tax or devolution of anything whatsoever will be totally irrelevant when he fails to win a seat as an MSP in Scotlands 2016 elections.
I’d bet that he is regretting his decision to run as SLAB leader knowing that Labour will be wiped out in Scotland in the next two elections. The fall out from that will be great to witness.
More popcorn on order!
muttley79 says:
25 November, 2014 at 3:47 pm
The MSM, led by BBC Scotland, have been heavily promoting Murphy since immediately after Lamont resigned. There is no doubt that he is the nominated golden boy of the MSM.
I think Murphy’s campaign for the SLAB leadership began some weeks before Lamont resigned.
Folks may also recall that another of Murphy’s tricks is the ability to disappear when the going gets tough, rather like McCavity Brown. GB was notorious for disappearing at crucial, awkward moments, but he finally came unstuck when he became PM and he was no longer able to hide when things were hot.
Alex
I think Murphy will obtain a seat in Holyrood should he become leader. The list system virtually ensures it because as leader he will be top of the list.
23 comments and nobody noticed I’d forgotten to actually upload the MP3 file 😀
@HandandShrimp
Yes I agree, he hasn’t the bottle to stand without being a list candidate, “just in case”. Shows his mettle.
@Rev. Stuart Campbell
Didn’t click the link as I had already listened after you posted “might use that later, excellent work” 🙂
Agree what Murphy says is less irrelevant than Nigel Farage’s view as UKIP could hold the balance of power as no Westminster government is bound by the Smith Commission after next May.
O / T BBC Radio Scotland’s reference point on lowest crime rates for 40 years is Manchester United getting relegated in 1974 whereas a Scottish reference point would be Scotland were unbeaten in the World Cup finals or that Arbroath were a mid table team in top division or Dundee United reached their first national cup final.
Yet another reason why London Centric Broadcasting should be devolved by the Smith Commission apart from the democracy deficit.
Stu,
Ditto to Alex’s remark.
[…] e didn’t know what Jim Murphy’s position was three weeks ago and we still don’t. […]
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
23 comments and nobody noticed I’d forgotten to actually upload the MP3 file 😀
I guess we all thought it was a subtle ploy on your part to show us just how positive a case for all tax to be devolved to Scotland Murph the Smurph’s case has been! 😛
Alternatively you just wanted to confirm to us all that Murph the Smurph DID actually say he supported full devolving of all tax raising powers to Scotland, we just have to listen a wee bit harder to actually hear him say it. 😀
@ Lollysmum,
I’m right with you on the sentiments behind that post of yours but have to disagree on the use of one word which you used – inconsequential.
As much as we might despise the odious cretin he is anything but inconsequential. As Stu pointed out, he has already managed to “monopolise acres and acres of news-space.”
And that matters.
_________________
@ Luigi,
I agree, i believe Skeletors game-plan started long before wee Jimmy Jabber walked. I think it started at some point between the announcement being made that there was to be a referendum and when he started his one man roadshow on the jeggy crate.
Allowed, like Mr Brown and other assorted bettertogethernothanks spokespeople during the referendum,to rabbit on without saying anything at all/making vows that can’t be kept/etc. Hogging the unchallenged airtime. No surprise,but there again,not.
What you’re saying is, he’s a survivor of any interview he’s ever been involved in. John Pienaar is great at wheedling within the windmills of their minds, and Jim is one of those folk that you can hear the windmills whirring round as he tries to avoid answering a question, much like his colleague, Anas Sarwar.
I heard somewhere on TV, possibly C4 News, that the biggest complaint the public has about politicians is that they never answer a question. Jim and Anas do answer them, it’s just not a clear answer, that’s all.
Yep, failed that test Stu.
Did listen subsequently. Oh my word, Murphy is a seriously flawed individual.
I am perfectly used to political double speak and evasion but this man sounds like a wee lost boy in need of a hug from his mum (not a reference to a previous post)
Talking of evasively skulking around, avoiding exposure to light as if you’re future career depended on it, has anyone seen Jim Murphy and Nosferatu together in the same room?
Jim Murphy –
link to mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk
[…] The art of loquacious silence […]
Torygraph bleh for Eggs Murphy, should Ed fall under a bus, driven by Eggs. Bit of red tory cunning going on here, at their Scotland regions expense. He’s quite the tactician is old Eggs
“Jim Murphy promises 50p income tax rate for Scotland
The Scottish Labour leadership front-runner tries to distance himself from Ed Miliband and Ed Balls by stating that neither man knew in advance about his announcement and they ‘can read it in the papers like everyone else’.
Jim Murphy has attempted to increase his chances of winning the Scottish Labour leadership by promising to reintroduce the 50p top rate of income tax for the wealthiest Scots if he becomes First Minister.
In an attempt to woo the party’s Left and members demanding greater autonomy from UK Labour, he said he had not told Ed Miliband or Ed Balls about his plan and they “can read it in the papers like everyone else”.
If Eggs can stay clear of Smith Commission but still look like he’s a teamGBist in England, he’s got a great chance of Labour leader at best, getting his old cabinet job back at just as gooder:D
He seems to me to be saying he opposes full income tax devolution. He is “not going to undo” the devo nano proposals which took two years of work and which are current labour policy. Is that not correct?
The more I hear about him, the more I listen to him and on the occasions I see him; the more I feel irritated beyond belief! Who is this numpty little egotist? I never followed politics much until a year or so before the referendum. This is why. People like him should never be in any position of influence over others’ lives.
Obsfucating, lying bastard of a man. It’s so clear now, that it is not people who put politicians into power, it is the journalists, the BBC, the media in general. They promote them, they sell them, because people like Murphy crave attention for their own ends. The media provide a raised stage, and between them they ‘fix’ the numpties into people’s minds.
Propagandists provide platforms for propagandee to propagate pish.
#Letsgetthefuckouttathisasap
1. The man would drown in a saucer.
2. @Lesley-Anne – 11 years, Lesley Anne. 9 years “studying” (sic) and 2 years with Student’s Union.
Sinky says:
Sinky, that Bella article you linked to is right. Devolving income tax alone seems like just another way for Scotland to be painted as subsidy junkies by loadsamoney London observers. Scotland raises proportionately more wealth per head than the UK as a whole, but that wealth doesn’t translate to proportionately higher taxable incomes – the money goes somewhere, but not into the pockets of Scots.
You can see that illustrated graphically at: link to businessforscotland.co.uk
K1
Totally agree. All parties involved in mugging the people. We have to put a stop to this.
Inexplicably and bizarrely, the title of this new item made me think about ‘In visible silence’:
link to youtube.com
O/T. Morag, are you around? I’d like to ask you a question. Thanks.
Kenzie says:
1. The man would drown in a saucer.
2. @Lesley-Anne – 11 years, Lesley Anne. 9 years “studying” (sic) and 2 years with Student’s Union.
My apologies Kenzie, maths was never my strong suit 😉 (neither was anything else in case you were wondering 😛 ).
@ Stoker
Precisely & how many acres of space have we on Wings devoted to him today just to say he doesn’t answer questions or quotes can’t be attributed to him. Are we falling into that same trap?
Press releases are issued for a reason usually to promote something or to distract us away from something else that’s going on that we’ve not noticed yet?
To be fair, most of the twaddle spouted by Skeletor in this clip matches that spouted on Sunday with Mr Brewer. And Brewer did make the remark about Skeletor blathering on, and saying nothing, which I think brought about the meltdown when sex with his mum popped into his head.
Which, BTW, for all those tutting about the references to that on a previous post, are we supposed to somehow gloss over, a highly paid MP said that on national TV. It IS proof positive, if needed, the man is deranged, or a robot that malfunctioned when MSM wandered off the acceptable script.
It happened, and needs aired, people are entitled to comment, the shame is to him, not his mother.
@paula rose and @gerry parker
just sent my latest drafts for your to check – thanks
Yes Fiona, I would say that succinctly sums up his tortured rhetoric. It’s as clear as mud. He is trying to navigate all avenues of the labyrinthine labour spectrum of pish policies to suit their focus group derived marketing solutions.
He is a socialist in solidarity with neo conservative ideology. His contorted stance is not a contradiction in dire need of a resolution. He is in fact the eggman. Goo goo g’joob Goo goo g’joob.
It must work like this:
Until Murphy knew what the Smith Commission was going to recommend in the way of taxes devolved he held a negative position but, in order to keep credibility as prospective Labour group leader, he now wants to give the impression he has an open mind on a positive view.
Then Labour HQ London tells him what the Smith Commission is about to recommend, (they have members on the committee reporting back, after all) and thus Miliband sanctions Murphy to fall in behind whatever Smith advocates.
Why?
First, because it is political to be seen supporting the Smith Commission’s recommendations without too much debate. It gives us, the public, the impression Murphy is truly a renewed, radical politician working for Scotland’s interests.
Second because support of Smith is ultimately meaningless – Labour might not get elected to Westminster next year, and even if it is able to form an administration the chances of turning full taxation into constitutional law, endorsed by the Other Place are very low to nil.
Hence, when full taxation is rejected for all the reasons his old Boss, Gordon I’m-out-of-here Brown, claims, Murphy can say publically that he was for it but now understands the wisdom of part-taxation …
And so on, and so forth.
O/T – Don’t know about anyone else but i find this utterly repulsive and a new low, even by Slabber standards. I know its a very emotive topic, and i don’t care how involved she was, but politicians have a duty to conduct themselves in a certain manner.
This is a shameful milking of other people’s grief.
Were any of her family victims?
link to bbc.co.uk
OMG – Sounds EXACTLY like Johann Lamont!
The hype over this one aspect of tax is getting ridiculous. I hope someone has the presence of mind to list ALL the fiscal powers and taxes that Labour dont trust the scottish public and it’s parliament with should Smith endorse for this one measure.
O/T
I am having trouble commenting on LPW’s blog. When I use the WordPress option and put my name (Muttley) in, it says I do not own that identity?
Stoker
SNP Bad, never mind that the C Diff outbreak started when Labour were in power…
@ Lollysmum,
“Press releases are issued for a reason usually to promote something or to distract us away from something else that’s going on..”
Yip, or both!
_____________
@ Valerie,
“It happened, and needs aired, people are entitled to comment, the shame is to him,”
Well said Valerie.
@Stoker and @SquareHaggis, wasn’t Vale of Leven hospital one of the hospital’s Labour were going to close in 2007 if they had won the Holyrood election? Just asking. 😉
he’s waiting for word.
Maybe I’ve got this all wrong, but, something about devolving Income Tax revenues to Scotland worries me.
When I was working full-time, in Scotland, my seemingly Scottish employers were part of a group with its Head Office in Chester. All our income tax was done through the Chester Inland Revenue office.
My employers before that were alos English-based, with my income tax affairs handled by another English office.
Now I am semi-retired, what little Income Tax matters I have to deal with, I deal with an office in Ne3wcaslte.
How then, can they decide what income tax revenues are given to the Scottish government, and which stay with the Treasurey in London?
I know too, of English-based friends,whose income tax affairs are handled by Scottish tax offices. How will it be sorted out?
It strikes me, the Treasury could, if they wished, fiddle the tax take, to the detrminet of Scotland.
Or, am I being paranoid?
@Muttley79:
Maybe you’re schizophrenic? 🙂
Welcome to the club!
@AuldA
Seriously though why is it doing this?
Socrates MacSporran
paranoid unlikely.
but, this is a very weird day.
a murphy libretto that would defy even mozart.
and sainsbury’s apparently not selling the national coz they didn’t want to take sides.
🙂
FFS Stu he goes ti the futba nearly every week. He’s just a normal NORMAL bloke right.
I went to pent the bathroom roof and came back and Eggs was still talkin to he’sell. The man’s a sassij. I watched the Brewer interview with his twa contenders and he diznay like getting questioned. He went from “I’m relaxed, I’m relaxed about the whole thing Gordon” to eyebrows down and poised tell Gordon to FO FO FO. Like I say, sassij.
I’d rather hear a door squeak than listen to Jim Murphy. Sorry. Beyond the call of duty. That’s what we pay you for Rev – so we don’t have to. Does ANYONE, apart from BBC Scotland, listen to Jim Murphy?
I agree with Lollysmum.
News flash Murphy Labour lies and waffle doesn’t cut it any more.
@Muttley79
I always find LPW comments refuse to recognise my username except when I input my email address hoping that that will not be published to the universe which is why I almost never comment there.
@Capella
Cheers. Anyone else know what to do?
I’m with Grouse on this; all this sounding out about the income tax being devolved signifies…nuthin. Smoke and mirrors; they are (his puppet masters) setting the stage for what we all know to be the sham of the Smith commission’s big reveal on Thursday.
He’s the mouthpiece, covering all the angles whichever way it goes. ‘No flies on me’ Murphy. Setting up ‘SNPbad’ to deflect from their precalculated machinations.
I hope we utterly wipe these bastards off the face of the political map in Scotland. It is our only hope.
To be a good liar, you have to have a good memory, Murphy’s are selectively and deliberately none existent. He won’t forget his expenses though, he has not, and will not forget those.
@Muttley:
Seriously, I’ve no clue. Wrong email address?
Problem with a cookie? Try clearing the cookies and start over?
@ Lenny
Very much so.
I was unaware of that slight technicality, so conveniently forgotten, until over the past couple of days until someone mentioned it here on WOS, it may have been yourself, can’t remember.
Baillie sickens me, if she was that affected by it all, professionalism dictates you arrange for someone else to make the point. But then again, i don’t know if such a procedure exists within the devolved Scottish Parliament.
Every time you think Slabber couldn’t stoop any lower, one of these obnoxious interlopers soon prove you wrong.
Hard to believe some people swallow their despicable guff.
Labour have become sooo dodgy, it beggars belief! Murphy isn’t the only one, though seems to stand out as particularly insidious. No principles, no policies, no credibility with anyone who looks at all closely at what they say. Great Labour men and women of yesteryear must be spinning in their coffins.
Going O/T, but talking of dodgy stuff, I got an email from 38degrees.org.uk suggesting “Nicola Sturgeon is currently backing a dodgy EU-US trade deal … Please can you sign the petition calling on her to change her mind and oppose TTIP?”
Nah, I don’t believe NS backs TTIP for one minute. I’ve seen other people cast doubt on the motives behind some 38degrees initiatives? We know TTIP is dodgy, but 38degrees sounds a bit iffy itself!
@ Lesley-Anne
I couldn’t say for sure but there is something in what you say ringing a distant bell somewhere in that vast space which is my cranial cavity.
🙂
Stoker,
Jabber greetin’. I have to agree with you, in her professional capacity this is simply not on. Time stamp: 17.57
link to scottishparliament.tv
@Lesley-Anne – wasn’t Vale of Leven hospital one of the hospital’s Labour were going to close in 2007
They were going to shut Ayr Hospital A&E but thankfully they didn’t win in 2007 😀
I wouldn’t touch 38 degrees with a barge pole.
It wasn’t just the Broon one but they also apparently had a large number of signatures against BBC bias which I don’t think they submitted.
It could be a way of collecting email addresses and how people think about particular issues.
As far as I know, the SG were cautious about TTIP but did not discount it completely when AS was FM.
I think the idea was it could be good for increasing trade but the SG would control opt-outs such as the NHS.
I don’t know much about the C Diff deaths which were tragic for those concerned but they came in 2007-08 when the SNP were in their first year of government and I would think some of the problems from the previous administration had to be sorted out.
J.Baillie is a liar as we all know after listening to the nonsense she talked at the Clydebank union talk in 2012 whilst smirking as some people were relating awful stories of poverty there.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
There is something immoral about a lot of the SLAB politicians
Maybe Smurf avoids answering with the truth because, as John Curtice would say “In truth” he probably would’nt know how to administrate any powers, i bet he does’nt know to tax his car
Since this appears to be a theme day
link to derekbateman.co.uk
AuldA, I’m here but I’m still sick so paying attention intermittently.
I thought I read that Murphy spent only two years studying and the rest of his time at uni was on sabbatical. I wasn’t sure if it was seven or nine years in total. I just looked at his Wikipedia page and it’s really not clear so who knows what the exact numbers are.
Is Jim Murphy still on sabbatical – or has he got a real job?
@Morag:
Ooops, I am very sorry for that. I hoped that by now you’ve at least feel a bit better. Did you see a GP?
I had just a wee question: I just received my SNP membership card today, and it is written on it: ‘Branch Europe’. Any clue to what that means?
Please please take care.
I got 4 minutes into that interview and switched off to save my PC from going through the window.
Ooops. Sorry. Read ‘I hoped that by now you’d’ and not ‘you’ve’. My bad.
Dr Jim.
You’re probably right there. They aren’t mature enough politically to to accept responsibility for spending and prefer someone else to take the decisions.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
My home town of Derry has ‘Slabber’ as a way of describing people who talk shite or worse.
How appropriate !!
Pity the media represent this slabbering as mainstream thought – a lot of people are very influenced by MSM
I wouldn’t be surprised if Murphy was still claiming for a Bursary
AuldA, I saw the GP this morning, just a virus, take paracetamol and rest till it goes away. The coughing fits are tiring that’s all. Thanks for asking.
I don’t know what that means unless they renamed the Brussels branch. Which is quite likely. Maybe you could phone them and ask? Though they may not be on top of the membership surge yet – a whole lot more new people joined up at the weekend.
@Morag:
Thanks! Longer answer in a couple of hours.
O/T
Saw some comments about 38 degrees. I’ve been a member for a couple of years now and rate them very highly. You can imagine my stunned dismay when I saw an email come in asking me to petition Nicola Sturgeon!
What they’re asking is for her, speaking as the leader of ScotGov to come out against the deal.
An opt-out promised by Westminster cannot be trusted for obvious reasons. Not least of which is the raft of corporate lawyers some of these companies can throw at the UK Govt in order to overturn it. Besides there is far more than protecting our NHS at stake.
Juncker, as incoming president of the EU, has already said he’d scrap the entire ISDS clause – that which allows corporations to sue Govts for interfering with their ability to make a profit. I’d like to see Nicola back that stance.
Cameron is leading a group of 12 (I think) EU nations who want it kept in. For reasons I can only imagine have to do with their bank balances, because I cannot think of a single reason why that is a good idea.
TTIP aside, please don’t write off 38 degrees. They do an awful lot of good. I’ve never donated to them as I can’t afford it and I’ve never known my information to be used in any way other than as a signature on a petition. I trust these guys as much as the SNP in some ways and certainly far more than anyone in Westminster!