You can’t make this stuff up
Posted on
April 19, 2013 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The Scotsman reports this morning that Ed Miliband is planning a highly personal attack on Alex Salmond and the SNP at the Scottish Labour conference in Inverness later today. Apparently the Labour leader will say, among other things:
“His is a narrow nationalism that thinks the way Scotland prospers is in a race to the bottom across the UK, cutting corporation tax rates for powerful companies while doing nothing for working people. And a narrow nationalism that says if it is in the interest of the SNP then it is OK to do cosy deals with Rupert Murdoch.”
If you can’t quite remember who Ed Miliband is, this is him:
We look forward to that exclusive.
We’re not sure, but this might be “Not Red” Ed too:
Says it all if the Sun is your paper of choice!
I see the link, Wayne Rooney but who is the guy reading the newspapers?
Is he Wayne Rooney’s minder?
Gosh, it’s an awfy hard call!!
News on Corporation tax rates in the UK:
George Osborne told MPs the UK would have “the lowest business tax of any major economy in the world”.
link to bbc.co.uk
I picked this link – the Sun as it is the same paper in the story here:
link to thesun.co.uk
Npower reported profits of £766million between 2009 and 2011 — but paid ZERO corporation tax.
Figures for 2012 have not yet been published.
Three other Big Six firms — E.ON, EDF and Scottish Power — have paid “significantly less” corporation tax than expected, said Labour.
Its simply a myth and lie that Scotland will have the lowest CT rates in the EU/world under the SNP.
I suspect we may have a more than a few converts to “Yes” by the end of this weekend.
It staggers me that people can’t see through all this stuff.
The very fact that the ‘Blues’ n ‘Reds’ have shared power
for decades and Scotland has some of the worst poverty
in the UK would be enough for me.
The West Midlands & North of England have not fared much
better but with a two-party system they, in a way, have a more
difficult task to enforce change.
We, on the other hand, DO have an alternative; a democratic one
that many peoples around the world would die for.
Voting YES is the only way.
According to the latest MORI poll, more people in the home counties rate Ed than do in Scotland; Scotland gives him the most negative net rating out of all the areas of the UK.
Here is another good wee read.
Following on from last nights Scotland Tonight and Newsnight Scotland interviews:
”Labour missed a chance to support their leader’s devolution commission by moving to devolve APD. They failed at the first hurdle.”
“We know that Johann Lamont wants to devolve it – as it has been to Northern Ireland – so why did her MPs not follow her wishes? Airlines , airports and representatives of businesses all over Scotland have voiced their concern on the recent budget hike in APD – the ‘poll tax of the skies’ – but Scottish Labour MPs aren’t listening to them, or it would seem their leader.”
link to snp.org
Also – Does he seriously think setting up a comparison between himself and Thatcher in people’s minds is going to do him any good at all in Scotland?
Those for whom its a positive association will already vote for the blue Tories, and those for whom its a negative association will be put off him even more!
Will this conference finally be the scene of schism between London and Scottish Labour?
Or is it all to carefully stage managed for dissent to be shown? I remember that old boy at Brighton/Blackpool being shown the door a few years back.
Will this conference finally be the scene of schism between London and Scottish Labour?
Or is it all too carefully stage managed for dissent to be shown? I remember that old boy at Brighton/Blackpool being shown the door a few years back.
Sorry about the double post – panicked when I saw the typo in the first one!
Peter Curran has put the Sarwar Newsnight interview up on Youtube for all to see:
Ed Milliband attacking Alex Salmond “Doing nothing for working people” He is having a laugh! Another line of Labour in Scotland’s long suicide note will be written. I can’t believe that I am looking forward to a Labour party conference.
The Man in the Jar, Outside Britain Evermore
Who him?
Nononononono…….. don’t tell me! Its on the tip my tongue.
Feck it…… give up.
I’m not sure whether or not “Red Ed is dead”, but the Labour Party (as we knew it) has been for a long, long while.
According to the latest MORI poll, more people in the home counties rate Ed than do in Scotland; Scotland gives him the most negative net rating out of all the areas of the UK.
I expect that will change when he comes up here and tells us off for voting SNP.
how nice of him to come up here on an awayday ticket and tell us ll how foolish were all being, I hope you listening there at the back ,quiet when Ed the talking horse is deifying Mrs Thatcher
I wonder how long it will take the tories to try slipping the pope a bung to beatify her?
“Roman Catholic Church To proclaim (a deceased person) to be one of the blessed and thus worthy of public religious veneration in a particular region or religious congregation.
To exalt above all others.”
Adrian B says:
19 April, 2013 at 10:17 am
News on Corporation tax rates in the UK: [….]
followed by a second post on Airport Passenger Duty….[..]
The Scotland 2012 Act (from the Caman commission recommendations) took 5 years to conclude. The Scottish government and Scottish Parliament committee recommended that both APD and Corporation tax be devolved to the SP. this was turned down. However N.I. has had it’s APD devolved: ” The Finance Act 2012 devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly (NIA) the power to set APD rates on direct long haul flights from Northern Ireland for destinations in APD Bands B, C and D. With effect from 1 January 2013, the NIA have legislated to set these devolved rates at £0. The rates will apply in relation to any carriage of a passenger which begins on or after that date, irrespective of when the ticket for travel was booked or purchased”
( link to hmrc.gov.uk )
In addition the N.I. Assembly want corporation tax devolved so that the ‘region’ can be more competive Ireland. They wish to reduce corporation tax to 12.5 %.
The UK government will now not discuss this until Autumn 2014, presumably after the referendum….what on earth is that all about?
( link to belfasttelegraph.co.uk )
Just listened to GMS J Lamont train wreck lol
I wonder if Ed has been speaking to the Labour partys’ ”truth team” and they informed him that he must put up council tax to benefit the masses lol. I understand Lamonts been taking lessons from Ed in being totally inept after last nights shambles on STV. Bear in mind that her interview is with a compliant media who are on their side! Makes you wonder how truly crap they are. I just hope Scotland is going to take their dosage of Eds medicine like good little subserviants before he bogs off back to ‘the country’. Labour the red Tories are truly a train wreck and we have a year and a halfs worth of their insanity to go! The ”truth team” will take some beating though. Its a beauty.
Just listened to the Lamont interview on GMS (thanks for the link, rev). No wonder her minders try to keep her in the bunker! It’s quite clear that:
Ed doesn’t talk to her
BT ignores her
Labour MPs laugh at her
And funniest of all is the way she responds to persistent questioning by reverting to the vocabulary of the harassed teacher who can’t keep control of the class. How on earth did ScotLab ever think she was leadership material?
link to bbc.co.uk
I almost felt sorry for Sarwar last night , he was caught out as a complete idiot.
Brewer absolutely skewered him ,the boy did not have a clue.
The actual policy document is a complete load of nonsense.
When asked anythnig all he could do was slag the SNP.
It is yet another sop to try and “kill the SNP “,it brings no benefit to us at all.
Devolving income tax merely makes us a tax collector for London , nothing more.
When asked to elaborate on what was progressive about it he just waffled he does not have a clue.
No wonder these clowns will not debate on anything remotely substansial.
Am beginning to wonder if either Ed or Johann will still be leaders this time next year.
“cutting corporation tax rates for powerful companies”
Yeah, how very dare the SNP try to attract new inward investment (and jobs) into Scotland by cutting corporation tax rates, playing the long game of trying to diversify the oil-dependent Scots economy. Bloody hell, I wish the Coalition would have the balls and foresight to do the same for England.
“while doing nothing for working people.”
Attracting inward investment, stimulating and incentivising businesses in Scotland via tax cuts very much DOES help working people. (As does avoiding spending tens of billions on Trident and putting that cash back into the economy). Still, I wouldn’t expect Labour (and especially Millipede, who’s never actually had a real job) to understand.
“And a narrow nationalism that says if it is in the interest of the SNP then it is OK to do cosy deals with Rupert Murdoch.”
Let’s be frank, there’s probably some truth in that. But certainly no more truth than was the case when New Labour prostrated themselves before Murdoch in the mid nineties (and beyond), or when Mandelson slimed his way aboad some Russian oligarch’s yacht or another. Such bare-faced hypocrisy.
Thing is, as a Unionist I think there is plenty of material available to call the SNP to account, not least the status of an independent Scotland within the EU and so on – this isn’t it.
uilleam_beag says:
19 April, 2013 at 10:44 am
I’m not sure whether or not “Red Ed is dead”, but the Labour Party (as we knew it) has been for a long, long while.
I live in hope that we get the real Labour party back after the Yes vote next year.
That said, the current crop of numpties aren’t really inspiring confidence in me.
I may actually go against my principle of not joining a political party and consider joining Lab4indy though!
link to thetimes.co.uk
Labour turmoil as unions grab safe European seats
Ed Miliband is facing fierce internal dissent amid claims that plum seats in the European Parliament are being “stitched up” for union-backed candidates.
Rows have broken out across the country within Labour after previously popular candidates were excluded in favour of others supported by the party’s biggest financial backers.
Oh dear. Starting to seem a bit like the days before Blair when in-fighting and lack of direction kept Labour out of power for nearly 2 decades.
@scottish skier
Rows have broken out across the country within Labour after previously popular candidates were excluded in favour of others supported by the party’s biggest financial backers.
Isn’t that the same reason Lamont and Milliband are leaders? Don’t think the grass roots of the party wanted either of them – but the unions did. You can see how successful that was.
I just hope that Murdoch is keeping count of how many times the establishment including red ed & his cohorts have sucked up to him while demonising him when it suits them .
I have a feeling that if they push Murdoch too far ‘ he might just release the skeletons from his cupboard .
The short-sighted view taken by both the media and the Better Together adherents needs to be addressed more often. A Yes vote next year doesn’t mean we’re stuck with SNP policies forever, just that Scotland can have a much more representative government at each of OUR elections. If the Yes vote prevails, I can imagine Salmond & co being victorious in Scotland’s first general election – the smell of victory – but not necessarily thereafter.
Independence first and then we can worry about whether Scotland heads left, right, down the middle or – shocker – a sensible mix of both ‘extremes’ on a case-by-case basis. You never know: an independent Scotland might decide that C/conservatism makes sense on this smaller scale!
I have just listened to Lamont on GMS, it was embarrassing.
The lady comes over as nothing more than a patsy for London.
She is in severe difficulty when she has to go off script.
Her rubbish about the “dodgy donation” was the same piffle that they are all pouting.
I also found it laughable when she accused the YES Campaign of trying to stifle debate.
I am surprised she did not accuse SNP of sending lawyers letters to WOS ,NC , and The Herald.
When I look at this lot and hear their complete nonsense and lies I truly believe we cannot fail to win this Referendum.
The real Campaign will not really begin till next summer and when it does they will be exposed in the full glare of the public.
They have no ideas , no policies no positive for the union.
Indeed they have nothing positive on anything , and no person within their ranks that exudes confidence that the Scottish people can get behind.
The NO Campaign is dead man walking
Slagging off Murdoch ain’t going to give Millibot much support in the Scottish Sun, the biggest-selling newspaper in Scotland, and he won’t endear himself much to traditional Daily Record readers by likening himself to Thatcher either.
One thing for sure, the NO campaign and Labour are greetin like a bunch of losers!
““And a narrow nationalism that says if it is in the interest of the SNP then it is OK to do cosy deals with Rupert Murdoch.””
From the camp that has been bought by a big international oilman that’s rich.
Ed Miliband simply does not know what he believes in.
Marcia says:
Peter Curran has put the Sarwar Newsnight interview up on Youtube for all to see:
Oh dear, oh dear.
Anus Sarwar was owned by Gordon Brewer who demonstrated that the deputy leader and Dauphin of Labour in Scotland, has the cognitive agility of a lobotomized kinkajou, and the political acumen of Ian Smart.
Later, his leader Lamont was challenged in a BBC radio interview to answer the same question put to the boy – she too seemed unable to get enough neurons to cooperate to answer meaningfully.
Worse, when pressed to characterize HER bosses view on devolving income tax, she had no idea – apparently.
Given that none of the proposals she has made that involve relinquishing powers currently reserved to Westminster, could be implemented without the full support of a future Labour Prime Minister and Government, you’d think knowing Milliband’s mind on these matters would be job one for this regional pol.
Of course, it may be that she DOES know his mind and that it coalesces around a big fat “NO” to this flagship proposal. In that case her fraud upon the people of Scotland is grave indeed.
What worries me most though is the clear deficit in native wit and political nous of this pair. One prays that they never given access to the levers of power, for they would certainly be a danger to themselves and others.
I fear for my country.
The good thing is the Bitter Together mob hate the SNP so much that they are not behaving rationally.
in any circumstance in life if you behave irrationally the outcome is never good.
they have only one weapon Attack the SNP and YES .
All elections are a marketing excercise , and the first rule in Sales and Marketing is NEVER , repeat NEVER slag off your opposition.
Damn them with faint praise.
If Westminster had been smart they would have gone along the lines of
Look you want more power you want Corp Tax and ADT look we are good guys we want to help Scotland ,here it is you take care of it.
why do you need Independence when we are being so accommodating.
Instead it is NO ! NO ! NO ! and NO again to every reasonable request.
They do come over as intransigient ,and bitter,with the non political anoraks this does not play well.
When they invoke the “Willie Bain Rule” at every possible instance it only increases the general publics awareness of their bitterness.
So let us not get too dismayed at their negativity it will work in our favour
@ Captain Caveman
I’m sorry if you thought I was deliberately trying to be offensive the other day. I left you an apology, of sorts. Best I could do I’m afraid, given the subject. ‘Till next time.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
@CameronB
O/T
Hey no worries at all mate and no need for any apology, I’m the last person to criticise anyone for getting animated over politics. 🙂
The whole issue and legacy of Mrs T is hugely controversial, especially for Scots, and understandably so on some levels. I’ve shied away from further discussion in that thread precisely because I do not want to stir up unnecessary ill feeling – it is a fight that I simply could not win and would only massively piss people off in the process. For the most part, I’m here to learn.
@ Melanie McKellar
Westminster had a change of heart in giving Northern Ireland devolved power over (APD) Air Passenger Duty until after the Independence Referendum in Scotland as it would be seen as giving NI further powers, but not Scotland.
There was a vote on Devolving APD in Westminster yesterday. The Labour Devolution Committee have given the green light to Westminster devolving APD to Scotland.
Here is a couple of tweets following yesterdays Westminster vote:
link to twitter.com
Angus Robertson ?@MorayMP18h
MPs from @theSNP today voted to devolve Air Passenger Duty to Scotland, while Con/Dems voted against. Labour had gone home so abstained.
AngusBMacNeilMP ?@AngusMacNeilMP18h
No Scot Lab MPs voted to devolve APD to Scotland..For Wales~ Lab do not want to devolve APD to Labour!! Preferring to leave power wi Tories!
So Scottish Labour MP’s didn’t vote for APD to be devolved – yet the public is being told that Labour think it should happen. Actions speak louder than words.
So Nick Park made a life sized Wallace? Where’s Grommit?
Captain Caveman says: 19 April, 2013 at 11:24 am
“cutting corporation tax rates for powerful companies”
…….Bloody hell, I wish the Coalition would have the balls and foresight to do the same for England.
“while doing nothing for working people.”
…….Still, I wouldn’t expect Labour (and especially Millipede, who’s never actually had a real job) to understand.
“And a narrow nationalism that says if it is in the interest of the SNP then it is OK to do cosy deals with Rupert Murdoch.”
…….Such bare-faced hypocrisy.
Thing is, as a Unionist I think there is plenty of material available to call the SNP to account, not least the status of an independent Scotland within the EU and so on – this isn’t it.
Thing is, as a supporter of independence, I would consider myself as non-aligned and probably already on zee list. I know that I am most probably in the minority supporting independence, who would look forward to further referendum. Such as on Scotland’s future and the EU and most definitely on NATO membership.
First things first though. Scotland will need to vote Yes in order to be able to consider such re-appraisal of post-crash realities. You could always come and join us if you don’t fancy the prospects of Britannia in Austerity.
Vote Yes in 2014.
Labour’s 2014TruthTeam idea comes from the Obama 2012 campaign :-
link to en.wikipedia.org