You’ll have had your tea
Posted on
April 21, 2013 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Here’s Edinburgh MP Alistair Darling telling the Scottish Labour conference (around 1h 19m 40s) that in addition to an independent Scotland not being able to use the Euro or Sterling, it wouldn’t be able to have its own currency either.
“Every time your granny or your uncle or your auntie came up here they’d have to get currency in order to come and visit you.”
Now, we know the former Chancellor is careful with his pennies (if not so much with ours), but when our relatives come to see us, we don’t charge for bed and breakfast.
Presumably Darling supports joining the Euro then, so those of us with family in Ireland and France dont have to change money to visit…
I have to change my money for going South anyway so it shouldn’t be any big deal for people heading north.
Better together my arse.
remarkable! I hear there are some businesses in the UK that accept the Euro/US Dollar/any number of other currencies. Lock them up and throw away the key immediately!!
Most of my relatives live in Canada. It`s a small world.
Besides, how many times, when visiting England, do you swap your Scottish notes for English notes, just to avoid the usual “oh, what`s this?” hassle.
@Seasick Dave
“Better together my arse”
LMAO! That should become our catchphrase.
Like, you put your bank card in an ATM and ….
If Alex Salmond was to announce that Scotland was not going to use the pound — the pound would collapse and darling would be calling Scots selfish and spiteful
It would be interesting to see the “brand” of notes young Mr Darling has in his wallet. Or is he a bit like royalty and doesn’t carry cash around with him. What an utter arse.
To late to edit, but Scotland pulling out of the pound was talked about on Bateman programme on radio Scotland this morning
Try spending Scottish 20s in England. I gave a car park attendant in High Wycombe a Scottish tenner and he said ‘I’ll take it, I’m not a racist’
I forgot to mention, Alistair is a fud. I can’t put it any more simply than that.
When I visit family in Ireland I need to get a different currency but it takes seconds and it’s really a big deal. It live geographically closer to Eire than I do to England.
frankieboy says:
21 April, 2013 at 4:30 pm
I forgot to mention, Alistair is a fud. I can’t put it any more simply than that.
I take it that stands for federalist, unionist, devolutionist
Darling is such a serial liar that he cant remember what he says from one week to the next .
I can remember watching him on T.V either earlier this year or the back end of last year where he told the interviewer that a currency union made sense and would be beneficial to both countries ‘ now he is telling people who would listen to him that an Independent Scotland could not link to sterling or the euro .
What’s he gibbering aboot, your lot dinnae accept Scottish Banknotes when we go to Englandshire either.
It is highly significant that a Labour party figure who looks and behaves like a Tory was chosen by the NO campaign to lead it. He has no evident political abilities apart from looking a bit sensible – a look belied by the efforts at the Treasury
No wonder the UK economy got in such a state with an economic genius like Darling in charge. Off to Harrogate this week so leave Scottish twenties at home as they can be hassle and use in England this new device spreading throughout the world called an ATM which magically spits out local currency. And if I dont want to use cash Alistair I have this other clever bit of plastic called a credt card.
Why on earth does anyone give this very good friend of Tory Donors the time of day.
The Nae Sayers will tell whatever lie comes to hand because they no perfectly well they have nothing positive to say.
For the love of God it makes you wonder how the 200 other or so countries in the world manage. They obviously would all be so much better off if they joined the UK.
One of the reasons the UK is in decline is exactly because of this sort of can’t do, it is all too difficult, let’s set up a committee to think about it, file it and forget it mentality.
“Every time your granny or your uncle or your auntie came up here they’d have to get currency in order to come and visit you.”
I would need a medium as all my Aunties and Uncles and grannies are all dead it won’t make any difference to me.
Spending Scottish pound notes in England is the problem not the other way round.
More Darling incoherence, shades of the speech in which he managed to state that independence would be an irrevocable step, and yet we’d be crawling back with our tails between our legs begging to be allowed back into the Union.
I must admit I’m always puzzled at the respect accorded to Darling. All I can think is that he’s a) just the type of Scotsman metropolitan London loves, and b) isn’t Lamont, Rennie or Davidson.
Honestly, it’s like groundhog day with Tory poster boy Alistair Darling. This whole currency scare nonsense has been answered so, so so, many times, and here is Bitter together and their accomplices in HMRC (IN LONDON, not Scotland) regurgitating the same nonsensical story about currency.
Now, don’t get me wrong here, but either
A. Alistair Darling is stupid and cannot remember this story from before, when it was demolished and shown to be hogwash, or
B. He is a liar.
Which is it?
Ingerlandshire crying out for Scottish financial support ;-
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Mehdi’s Morning Memo: The Triple Dip?
The ten things you need to know on Sunday 21 April 2013…1) THE TRIPLE DIP?It’s been a bad week for the chancellor, with Tuesday seeing the IMF savage his austerity policies, Wednesday seeing unemployment going up, Friday seeing Fitch become the second credit rating agency to downgrade the UK’s once-coveted triple-A rating and Saturday seeing the Treasury Select Committee attack the chancellor’s flagship Help to Buy mortgage scheme.But it could get even worse this week – “Triple dip threat to the Chancellor” is the headline on the front of the Sunday Times:
Given the cost of travelling on New labour’s privatised trains I would say that spending money is the least of granny’s worries, it’ll take a bank loan for her to afford a ticket up here.
A + B.
RE Currency Union – January 2013
“And last night the Chairman of the No campaign, Alistair Darling, went even further – saying that it would be ‘desirable’ and ‘logical’ for an independent Scotland to retain sterling, as indeed it would.
“A sterling zone is in the interests of Scotland and the rest of the UK, and with independence Scotland would also have the economic and fiscal powers needed to grow the economy and boost jobs.
“In other words, if there is a Yes vote in the referendum, the No campaign now supports the policy that the Scottish Government is advocating – which the anti-independence parties spend all their time attacking.
“This is a very significant admission from Alistair Darling – it is as helpful to the Yes campaign as Mr Darling’s failure the vote against the Tory benefit cuts in the House of Commons this week is damaging to No.”
link to newsnetscotland.com
I don’t understand why Alistair Darling is allegedly held in such high regard.
Alistair Darling was the Chancellor responsible for banking regulation and its failure at the critical time of the first banking collapse Northern Rock and he was the Chancellor responsible for signing off the fatal RBS / ABN Ambro deal when everyone knew RBS had paid too much to scupper Barclays and UK regulatory authorities headed by A Darling ignored fact that no due diligence was done by RBS on a deal worth £49 billion before they gave its approval for world’s biggest bank take over deal that brought about the collapse of the Royal Bank.
In a BBC Today Programme Lecture on 2nd May 2012, the Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King criticised the lack of action by Alistair Darling and the last Labour government in the earliest days of the banking crisis when the first UK Bank, sorry English bank, Northern Rock, failed, which King said could have cost up to one million people their jobs. Decisive action would have at least mitigated the problems encountered by other Banks including HBOS and RBS some 10 months later.
The much vilified (then Sir) Fred Goodwin was an adviser to Alistair Darling as Chancellor, and was still a member of a key Treasury body advising Labour months after the banking crisis and quitting RBS. Labour don’t like being reminded of this
All this nonsense about the currency has reminded me of two stories. In 1980 when I was working in London one of my work colleagues overhead a woman in Barclays Bank asking ‘What sort of travellers cheques does she need for Scotland’.
Also quite recently one of my friend went abroad via London and when in a London cab offered payment with Scottish Notes. When the driver refused to accept my friend said, ‘Well you can have Euros instead as that is all I have, Scots Pounds or Euros you choose’. He took the Scottish Note.
Linda’s Back says:
21 April, 2013 at 5:03 pm
I don’t understand why Alistair Darling is allegedly held in such high regard.
Linda, maybe he’s not, maybe he’s about to be sacked as the spokesman
link to huffingtonpost.co.uk
I haven’t been down to England for a while but every time I do I make a point of only having Scottish notes. It’s great after having a meal in a cafe/retaurant and going to pay the bill in Scottish notes. This happened to me in the New Forest and the wee lassie behind the counter looked fair pit oot. I spoke to her boss on the phone (believe it or not) and pointed out that I had only Scottish money and what did she suggest I do. She caved. We have to be firm folks. It doesn’t cost them a bean to take it with their banking so to refuse to take Scottish money is just plain awkwardness on their part.
Someone really should remind Darling that to be a good liar you need a good memory – he is totally lacking integrity. Not well regarded in the Golf Club I suspect.
I had my Scottish notes refused in an S & N pub in London. I had no other and so, they took the drinks back.
I was working with S & N, had the number of one of their directors, called them and was given the direct line to the appropriate person, whom he knew. I was screened out by his Secretary but she promised to handle it and within ten minutes I was called by her again who said they must take them and to mention to them that the appropriate Director had said so.
I was ten minutes away and couldn’t be ersed so I didn’t go back.
I believe that a note was sent around the Managed House Division instructing them to take Scottish notes.
Always write a letter, research who it is, using the internet, and send them a recorded delivery complaint.
Always remember to ask if the wish to lose 10% of their sales as they should make this a public policy.
I have had a few meals and other vouchers in my day.
Edinburgh Quine.
That brings back memories from the early eighties.
I was topping up the tank in a wee place named Padstow in Cornwall, after fueling up I handed the wee ignorant person at the till a Bank of Clydesdale fiver who refused to accept it, I told him to suck the petrol out of the tank or accept the five pounds sterling.
He phoned his boss ,then accepted the transaction.
He was a right little ignorant prick.
The day after a Yes vote all cross-border roads between Scotland and England will be blocked with lorries as Tesco, Asda, Morisons and Sainsburys transport all their goods south as they will be unable to sell anything in Scotland as we wont have any money to buy anything with. 🙁
Alistair is getting more and more desperate every week, I think he will be carted of to Bedlam before next year. He is almost foaming at the mouth.
Anyone ever notice it is liars who are always going on about honesty and other people lying
ex. Truth/Trough Team
I’ve said this before.
Darling is a sociopath. Trying to analyse his motives is pointless as he doesn’t share the same values, nor the same view of the world as the vast majority of people. It speaks volumes of the Labour Party that he occupies such an elevated role in their organisation. Labour are so crippled by by a lack of value and moral insight that it is hardly surprising that individuals such as Darling can stand up in front of an audience and talk such absurd, poisoned nonsense. The Labour Party, especially in Scotland, has been hijacked by people whose lives are lived beyond and outwith the experience of 99% of the population.
@Edinburgh Quine
@robbie
A while since I ventured into England but when I do so I prefer to take Clydesdale bank £20.00 notes. The ones with the big picture of King Robert the Bruce on. There again I can be a glutton for punishment.
@ The Man in the Jar
Was that the Trough/Team that told you that 🙂
Another story of switching to Yes
link to dailyrecord.co.uk
Seems Mr Darling needs reminded of what the McCrone Report said back in 1975 and behind closed doors.
“It must be concluded therefore that large revenues and balance of payments gains would indeed accrue to a Scottish Government in the event of independence provided that steps were taken either by carried interest or by taxation to secure the Government ‘take’. Undoubtedly this would banish any anxieties the Government might have had about its budgetary position or its
balance of payments. The country would tend to be in chronic surplus to a quite embarrassing degree and its currency would become the hardest in Europe, with the exception perhaps of the Norwegian kroner. Just as deposed monarchs and African leaders have in the past used the Swiss franc as a haven of security, so now would the Scottish pound be seen as a good hedge against inflation and devaluation and the Scottish banks could expect to find themselves inundated with a speculative inflow of foreign funds”.
If this was acknowledged in 1975, after 40 years production and forecasts of as much again to come, ANY currency, whether Sterling, the Euro, the Krona, or yes, even a Scottish pound, would welcome the stability of the Scottish economy with open arms.
And furthermore, regarding the often repeated desperate volatility of oil prices, there is more to be read in the McCrone Report.
“..Plainly this is a most unreliable figure and it will vary from year to year, but it is probably sufficient to suggest the orders of magnitude. What is quite clear is that the balance of payments gain from North Sea oil would easily swamp the existing deficit whatever its size and transform Scotland into a country with a substantial and chronic surplus”.
Granted, we have a much bigger deficit after 40 years of Westminsters economic mismanagement, in stark contrast to Norway’s £400+ billion oil fund, but the essential value of oil as a natural resource is unchanged.
And if they’d happened to read Money Week, link to moneyweek.com I rather suspect my Granny, Uncles and Aunties, (those who didn’t already choose to live here for the free healthcare), might bring ALL their Money up North as ask me to exchange it for whatever currency Scotland chooses to use. If that is Sterling, then lets hope it’s only a transitional state of affairs for our convenience, or else pray that Money Week has it’s predictions all wrong.
Dirty Darling.
So what if someone had to change currency anyway! That is NOT a reason for voting no!
This is odd. A Labour councilor who thinks that the Scottish Government (or is it the SNP) have a position with regards to which Glasgow football team they support. It must be that, as surely no councilor would be indulging in sectarianism.
link to twitter.com
LeeMacD
It is a sad state of affairs when a Labour councillor has to resort to sectarianism in order to make a cheap political drive by shooting.
If Cameron congratulates Ferguson on Man U winning will that be treated in the same way by Labour councillors in Manchester?
Oh I forgot to sign off with my new signature
Regards Erik
‘Better together my arse’
Regarding currency… absolutely zero issue these days.. England and Scotland have plenty of Bank Machines. I envisage a time where you will be able to choose your currency (Sterling or Merc, Sir?)
Rev, my post didn’t appear? Was it moderated for some reason?
Adrian B @ 5.03 Thanks for posting that ‘ I was beginning to wonder if my imagination was running away with me .
“ in addition to an independent Scotland not being able to use the Euro or Sterling, it wouldn’t be able to have its own currency either.”
I’m sorry but I think I may have missed something here.
IF we can NOT use the Euro, Sterling or our OWN currency WHAT exactly does he suggest we CAN use?
What a WAZZACK! 😆
Osbourne knows if the Scots exit sterling he and New England are shafted for the simple reason of rapid devaluation that will hit sterling. McCrone expected a free floating £1 Scots to be worth £1.20p sterling within two years of independence.So the first thing that will hit England is a rise in the cost of imports on which they hugely are reliant, not the least the 11% of their electrical needs they import from Scotland. Then there is the 36 to 40% drop in foreign exchange earnings that go away if Scotland leaves sterling.Kicking Scotland out of sterling achieves two things for England – rapid devaluation of the currency and rising inflation. Now if Osbourne thinks the Bank of England and the City of London will let that happen he is even more stupid than we already think he is. Both the ‘City’ and the BoE know how vital exchanging other currencies into sterling is to the London and SE economy, over the next two years, from the Scottish Oil and Gas sector alone, that means foreign exchange dealings in excess of £6.8 billion which post 2016 would all be happening in Edinburgh if the £Scots floats against the petro-dollar.On top of that he will have to give the Scots back all the £1 sterling vs Scottish pounds which are currently issued against a surety held in the Bank of England at exactly the same time as the English Treasury’s cash flow is going to be drying up and the bank of England is facing rapid inflation.
Given the way the Bank of England £ is losing value, an independent Scots £ could be a good thing. Would make visits to friends and family south of the border a veritable bargain. Think of all the £rUK’s you’d get for your strong £Scots. Could even encourage a stronger social union.
😉
@Arbroath1320
How about sun-dried cow pats? Convient, biodegradable and likely to be worth more than Sterling when oil ceases to underpin the ‘UK’ economy.
SS @ 7:31
I believe Scotland is a net exporter of food to England which is a net importer (value wise) overall. I say food and not just including ‘drink.”
So we would need a sort of level playing field with our major export market or they would switch to 3rd World raw material producers.
Oil will follow its own path and it is further complicated by being designated in US$. The FUKRS will have to pay free market prices, which would be quite appropriate for the heritors, red pill blue, of Maggie’s legacy.
A wee tip if you are in a pub, always have a good draught out of your own pint first before handing over the money. If they refuse it, you’re a wee swahl up.
Arb1320,
“I’m sorry but I think I may have missed something here.
IF we can NOT use the Euro, Sterling or our OWN currency WHAT exactly does he suggest we CAN use?”
Currency is a tad arbitrary. We lack a lot of conch shells:
link to en.wikipedia.org
Beads are another possibillity in the clubs of London.
Or we could just become an oil economy.
What’s it to be my friend?
We ought not to be affeared of London calling. For we know they are talking mince. Copyright Joanne Lamont.
A successful currency is the least of our problems.
Capt. Darling, poster boy of Blue Labour.
The Pound Sterling belongs to Scotland, Wales, N.Ireland and England. It is also a fully tradeable currency. As such, Scotland can use it if Scotland so pleases, regardless of what England likes to imagine.
For some bizarre reason, Brit Nats like Darling somehow imagine the pound sterling is OWNED by England. It isn’t.
A late Irish colleague of mine often used the phrase of TDs and such as Darling. He has told his own lies so often.He now believes them to be true
A future Scots currency would be backed by – among other things – a very large pool of oil and gas while the rUK-pound would be backed by a bunch of Ponzi schemers and under-regulated speculators in London and … well, not much else. Sanity would suggest a strong Scottish currency over programmed for failure inflated paper. We should all be grateful to AD and the BTs for bringing this more clearly into the debate. Does anyone really want their pensions to be tied to the currency of a failed economic system?
As regards currency going to England, I always like to have a good supply of Clydesdale fivers. If I get any nonsense, I demand Scottish pound coins in change.
I had a taxi driver in London once tell me he only takes proper English money, so I suggested he could take the money I offered or call the police. He took the money.
Having Scottish currency refused in England is just pig ignorance on the part of English people. Maybe up in Scotland we should start making a right old fuss every time we get handed some English ‘funny money’. You know, holding it up to the light, going over to show it to other staff, telling English people, that it’s ‘funny money’, just like they do to us in London, then sighing and grumbling as it’s put in the till.
Fantastically ill tempered Severin comment fest going on at the Guardian at the moment. It seems to have attracted just about every anti-Scottish troll going. I’m quite enjoying it 🙂
@Handandshrimp
I presume Rider 000 and Niclas are leading the charge? 😀 😀
Niclas is a soul. I would like to persuade him to change ships.
John Ruddy has popped in as a have a lot of complete warmers I haven’t seen before. Somebody said the Torygraph has a pay wall now so that might explain it.
Handandshrimp
remember Niclas fears the pogrom once Independence is achieved, and definitely no definitely isn’t Duncy H
I wonder if you can find the Labourlist thread where John Ruddy was bemoaning the lack of ideas
So in opposition we have a failing chancellor whose austerity budgets and war on the poor has seen two ratings agencies downgrade the UKs credit rating from AAA to AA+. Then we have a failed chancellor who ushered in the UKs economic collapse whilst house flipping for fun.
On our side of the equation we have a finance minister who has not only balanced every budget since gaining office, but has presided over the continued if slow growth of the Scottish economy whilst most of the rest of the UK goes backwards at a rate of knots and has managed to find the cash to protect valued benefits, education and inject funds into infrastructure.
Who do we believe over matters of currency or economy? Take wild guess.
Randomscot
Niclas says he would return to Wales which is odd because if we vote Yes they might take heart and he would be back to square one.
I really have to find out who this Duncan H character is.
Handanshrimo
in Duncan’s case, ignorance is bliss
Stumbled across this little-known (to me, at any rate!) story in the Telegraph, from 2011: Portugal Bailout: Alistair Darling’s post-dated check just got a whole lot bigger:
link to blogs.telegraph.co.uk
“A weekend trip to Brussels last May is proving mighty costly to the British taxpayer. It was taken by Alistair Darling, whose party had just been beaten in the general election but because coalition talks were still taking place, he remained the de facto Chancellor. In that capacity, he signed the UK up to the new EU stability mechanism aimed at bailing out the weaker brethren in the eurozone”.
“The Government are putting a brave face on it, arguing that it is in this country’s economic interests that the eurozone is a success because it is our biggest export market.”
Assuming the logic still applies, you would think rump-UK would be looking to ensure the success of their neighbours, rather than create imaginary obstacles? Spiteful little man (on many counts).
“Besides, how many times, when visiting England, do you swap your Scottish notes for English notes, just to avoid the usual “oh, what`s this?” hassle.”
NEVER! I enjoy a good arguement though….
Based on that video, I note that Sir Malcolm Bruce doesn’t know what ‘begging the question’ means.
Anyway, why, exactly would such a currency union be something Scotland could never escape from should the nation so choose?
Then we have a failed chancellor who ushered in the UKs economic collapse whilst house flipping for fun.
That’s borderline defamatory.
He flipped for profit, not fun.
As an ex-chancellor Mr D should know that the Bank of England is independent of political control and that all Scottish banks are required to hold backing assets for their notes at all times.
Furthermore, as the backing assets of the BoE are UK assets, some of these assets belong to us anyway.
Just saying like.
Yesitis says:
21 April, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Most of my relatives live in Canada. It`s a small world.
Besides, how many times, when visiting England, do you swap your Scottish notes for English notes, just to avoid the usual “oh, what`s this?” hassle.
NEVER !!!