Colonial status won’t allow the Scots government to send a representative to Chavez funeral. But presumably they can send someone “privately” if we get up a private subscription to cover the travel costs? How about it Alec?
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I should think we could afford it Craig!
Especially when you consider yesterdays GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE & REVENUE SCOTLAND 2011-2012 Report (GERS). http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00415875.pdf
As the ever succinct Stuart Campbell has said;
“the short version is that in 2011-12, for the privilege of having a Tory-led government in Westminster imposing welfare cuts, public-sector job losses, the bedroom tax and the continuing presence of Trident nuclear weapons, Scotland paid £4.3 billion to the rest of the UK.
That’s the difference between the deficit Scotland ran up as its share of UK finances (£7.7bn) and the one it would have had as an independent nation (£3.4bn), assuming the independent nation would have done everything the same as it did inside the UK.
That last bit is kind of important. Because if an independent Scotland was going to do everything exactly the same as the UK, there really wouldn’t be any point in independence. But having control of its own affairs would enable Scotland to make different choices. It could save a billion pounds a year overnight on defence, banishing Trident and slashing the money it sends abroad.”
https://twitter.com/YesScotland/status/309346267203526656/photo/1
CE
Yes I read Stuart Campbell’s excellent piece this afternoon. If we could but get a copy to every voter in Scotland… That is one bit of news the mainstream media is certain to ignore.
“A government of an independent Scotland] could save a billion pounds a year overnight on defence, banishing Trident”
It wouldn’t, though, would it? What, and lose all the kickbacks?
“That is one bit of news the mainstream media is certain to ignore.”
Plan seems to be to direct attention towards this instead.
Whilst it would be nice, and if it could be done without public funds, and if the ghastly squad, the Unionist Triad of the LibDemCon coalition – because there is no such thing as opposition from these three peas in pod – didn’t moan their greeting heads off, about neglecting public duties, and manufacture tautological ‘crises’ in his absence, demanding that he not go swanning off attending funerals of the truly exceptional and brave Chavez.
I can’t help thinking the yanks offed Chavez, spontaneous cancer my foot.
On another tack the BBC Sicks ‘O’ Clock news must have been laying it on with a trowel over Syria, now sending vehicles, and rhetoric from Hague such as even apolitical sheeple are concluding ‘oh it looks like we’ll have to go to war with Syria’ surprise sur-fucking-prize, as if they weren’t providing the rebels with lethal hardware already, as well as bombardin us with vile warmongering propaganda. We really are in the final stages of this governing cliques descent to the abyss, I feel as millions of Germans must have felt as it dawned on them that Adolf was berserk, when contemplating Cameron, Hague and Clegg’s spasms of bloodlust and seeing tired, hungry, weak mothers and children trekking through desert into refugee camps, as our own hired killer scum destroy their country in the onward march of the fascist proxy storm troopers of the American, Israeli and British neo-Nazis entrenched in the Westminster government. England it seems will have to lose a war decisively, to have its hubristic bubble of unreality burst, be invaded or obliterated before these people governing us will stop before the abyss. I haven’t a care if it’s Russians or Chinese but whoever can string up Cameron, Clegg, Hague, Blair and Straw, and let them dangle.
Assassination must surely be re-considered as a humane solution to our national dilemma of having some of the greatest war criminals in control, is there a von Stauffenberg amongst our Coalition cabinet who can make a noble self-sacrifice and terminate this vile clique.
Without doubt Craig. I’m sure you are more than aware that Scotland’s MSM can be just as masterful at obfuscation as her Big Brother’s.
FDR’s famous words should be ringing out all across Scotland upon reading the GERS report and a balanced take on it for laymen such as myself.
We can also expect to see Danny Alexander and Co warning us about the volatility of oil revenues. This volatility hasn’t seemed to harm Venezuela’s public finances or oil revenues over the Chavez years.
That would also be the volatile oil that currently provides 1-2% of UK revenue, and has the potential to provide 10-25% of an independent Scotland’s revenue.
If the oil companies in the North Sea came to the Treasury and said to Dave and Gideon, “We have found 10 times as much oil as we thought there was AND we can pump ten times as much money into the UK economy or you!” Do you honestly believe either of them would say “No thanks guys, it’s way too volatile!”
bah –should be LabDemCon, however they brand themselves, same shit, different packaging.
@ Cryptonym
I Take it you fail to see the irony and dissonance in proudly declaring a group of democratically politicians as ‘vile’, just after promoting the idea of murder as a good thing. Vile indeed.
I also assume you’ve never heard of Godwins Law. Despite my many disagreements with the ConDems to portray them as anything close to the Nazis shows nothing but your own acute sense of historical ignorance.
Watch it, CE, with your use of the word “Nazis”! One of the Eminences will be asking you to define the word if you’re not careful (probably the same chump who asked me to define “fascism”).:)
*******
La vita è bella, life is good!
Lame points CE, the comparisions are valid.
I’d go if someone payed for my ticket.
You know, I’ve never been to scotland but I think my cousin sisters husband’s dad was Scotish.
O/T Please sign this bereaved mum’s petition.
Dear Mary,
My name is Linda. I’m a long-standing 38 Degrees member, and I’m sending this email because I know first-hand why it matters so much to stop the privatisation of our NHS.
On Friday afternoon, I will deliver a copy of the petition against NHS privatisation to the Health Minister. When I hand the petition over, I will tell the minister about what happened to my baby. He died when he was just seven weeks old whilst receiving care from my privatised GP out-of-hours service.
Can you stand behind me when I deliver the petition, by adding your name quickly before Friday afternoon?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/m/74c05147/2d5e8c20/5f80365c/467b44a1/4103144184/VEsE/
Last week was a hard one for me. It was the inquest into the death of my baby son, Axel. He died last November from pneumonia. His illness went untreated despite repeated calls and visits over the course of five days to my NHS out-of-hours doctors’ service, which had been recently privatised.
I feel the inquest left many of the biggest questions unanswered – like what role NHS privatisation may have played in the mistakes which led to the death of my baby boy.
~~~~~
I thought at first that it was spam but it is a 38 Degrees petition. The mum lost her baby to pneumonia. The privatised out-of-hours service Harmoni had serious shortcomings. Poor girl. This is a report on the babe’s inquest.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/02/nhs-commercialisation-bereaved-mother-fight
Harmoni the out-of-hours service was originally a GP led private venture. http://www.harmoni.co.uk/our-history
They were acquired by Care UK.
As of 6th November 2012, Harmoni is a wholly owned subsidiary of Care UK.
For more information about Care UK please visit http://www.careuk.com.
They are owned by now owned by the private equity outfit Bridgepoint Capital. Who is on Bridgepoint’s advisory board? Why Lord Patten of Barnes, Chair BBC Trust.
See the management team of Care UK.
http://www.careuk.com/who-are-we/management-team
You will not find a doctor there. In the CVs you can see a miscellany of corporate names such as Centrica, Whitbread PLC, Thomson Travel Group, The Gillette Company, International Distillers & Vintners, McLeod Russel Holdings PLC, Wellcome Foundation, Kellogg’s, Cheshire Building Society, J Sainsbury and Great Universal Stores. The last member of the team has this in hers – ‘MD of Prisons and Immigration Services, and MD of International Service Development for GSL (now G4S) advising in Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and the UAE on prison design and operations’. How nice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_UK
“Watch it, CE, with your use of the word “Nazis”! One of the Eminences will be asking you to define the word if you’re not careful (probably the same chump who asked me to define “fascism”).:)”
That’s easily defined, it’s short for National Socialist.
So people who are Nationalist and Socialist are Nazis.
OT
Revealed. #Petraeus ‘hand-in-hand’ with the ‘most terrible kinds of #torture’
http://is.gd/nmUKtF #iraq #warOnTerror
WHY THE 1% HATE CHAVEZ
Chavez shows the way not only for Venezuela but also for South and Central America. Not only for Venezuela but the for entire Neo-bamboozled world that the 1% rule with their rigged corrupt system.
_That’s_ why Hugo Chavez is so laughably misrepresented in the fake liberal Western press – like the Grauniad.
Chavez has demonstrated actual social democracy instead of (now fake) Western ‘democracy.’ And the 1% fear nothing so much as a good example.
Norwegian peace activist Johan Galtung and Hugo Chavez are saying the same thing.
As in Venezuela, so in Scotland? Fraternal greetings to our Scottish brothers under the English quisling / US Imperial jackboot. One day you too may know “Tiocfaidh ár lá.” ; ) (*1)
JOHAN GALTUNG
It’s about the money, stupid.
PARTYOCRACY – TECHNOCRACY – AUTOCRACY – BANKOCRACY
“There is a crisis in the Western or more particularly the Indo-European political system –for reasons to be made clear. The system is referred to as “democracy”, meaning rule with the consent of the ruled; of, by and for the people. In practice this is interpreted as multi-party national elections for a national assembly, and majority rule in its two major forms, presidential and parliamentary democracy. The minority is given the role as “loyal opposition”.
“The sovereign, people, are given choices not between positions on issues, but “platforms”, issue-bundles; and not between candidates, but candidate-bundles, “lists”, designed not by the parties, but by executive committees, officers, even by one officer, the boss. And this choice the sovereign can make only once every four years when a power window opens one or two days, 8-10 hours, called elections.”
The system is better referred to as partyocracy than democracy, a reason that we often talk about “political class”, “political elites”, etc. There is one exception, Switzerland, voting in referenda on single issues; and in parliament on a single cabinet candidate.
The system does not work. One country after the other–USA-Greece-Italy-Spain-France-India-Nepal to mention a few, fail to come to grips with key problems of economic crisis–be that “fiscal cliff”, “sequestration”, “austerity”, debt–in ways acceptable to people. New parties with new ways of cutting the issues arise, some populist in the sense of promising much more than they can ever deliver. People go to the streets, “occupy movements”, huge “indignant” demonstrations (praise to Stéphane Hessel who just passed away at the age of 95), long on words, short on ideas.
CLERGY, ARISTOCRATS, MERCHANTS
“The deep structure generating these anomalies in the political formation is in the social formation: the millennia old caste-class system with clergy, aristocrats, merchants on top, ruling with words, bullets and money respectively; trying to convince, coerce, corrupt; using their cultural, military, economic power as the key component to political power. They compete, they circulate–maybe in the order military-cultural-economic, we now live in the Age of the Merchant–they cooperate. They have one shared goal: prevail over the people, like Tocqueville praised Democracy in America because it was not.”
“YEAH, BABY” !
“The way out is what the three on top fear most: local production directly to the consumers, at a fair price making both equals.”
– ‘Partyocracy – Technocracy – Autocracy – Bankocracy,’ by Johan Galtung – 4th March, 2013 – Editorial – Transcend Peace Organization –
– http://www.transcend.org/tms/2013/03/partyocracy-technocracy-autocracy-bankocracy/
(*1) (Truth in advertising. The local middle class, ER, ‘across your water,’ might prefer those determined to boot the 1% as a (very) ‘strong opposition,’ rather than ‘our new masters.’ ymmv.
Presbyterians would never be corrupted by the Sassenach / US Empire. No son of the manse would ever take the US Imperial shilling. ER, Oops! Gordon Bennett! (ER, Brown? Ed.) No change there, then! )
Good one from Cockney Mystic on Medialens. I have just watched the segment he refers to.
Emilio Cardenas on Newsnight re. Chavez
Posted by cockneymystic on March 6, 2013, 10:55 pm
I notice newsnight introduced this guest as the former Argentinian ambassador to the UN rather than the former executive director of HSBC Argentina. Strange for somebody from everyone’s favourite drug money laundering banksters to express such concerns about the rule of law and subversion of democracy under Chavez.
Bio below
http://www.law.umich.edu/FacultyBio/Pages/FacultyBio.aspx?FacID=emicarde
There are many instances on Medialens on how the corporate media and the stenographers-to-power have treated the event. The Independent carried a poll – Do you think that Chavez was a brutal dictator!!!! or Do you think he was a hero of the poor and oppressed. The latter is reading 69%.
o
“We can also expect to see Danny Alexander and Co warning us about the volatility of oil revenues. This volatility hasn’t seemed to harm Venezuela’s public finances or oil revenues over the Chavez years.”
No their inflation rate is only running at 22%, below average for them, in 1996 it was 115% and they have more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia.
WHY THE 1% HATE CHAVEZ – 2
CHAVEZ BOLIVARIAN REFORM
When oil-rich countries use their resources to boot the Imperialists and introduce Norwegian-style social democracy the US / Sassenach Imperialists’ rage gets murderous. See Muammar Gaddafi, Gamel Abdel Nasser and Hugo Chavez for details.
“What’s our Imperial oil doing under their desert sands?” – Our brave Sassenach / US Empire boys delivering aid to Libya. (ER, Shome mistake Shurely? Ed (*2) ) –
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdBXApgTWz0
As Johan Galtung says, a system that eliminates (*1) the 1%’s corrupt control is the answer.
And Hugo Chavez shows the way. No wonder the Arab Street mourns Hugo Chavez as ‘another Nasser.’ Or ‘another Gaddafi.’ Both anti-Imperialists. Both towering examples of kicking the bums out of their countries.
“(Chavez) was becoming increasingly critical of the corruption in both the army and in the civilian government, coming to believe that despite the wealth being produced by the country’s oil reserves, Venezuela’s poor masses were not receiving their share, something he felt to be inherently un-democratic.”
“Chávez and his followers described their aim as “laying the foundations of a new republic” to replace the existing one, which they cast as “party-dominated”; the current constitution, they argued, was no more than the “legal-political embodiment of puntofijismo”, the country’s traditional two-party patronage system.”
“Chávez’s promises of widespread social and economic reforms won the trust and favor of a primarily poor and working class following.”
– from Hugo Chavez – Wikip –
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Chávez
MORE USUK WW2 “ALLIES” MALARKEY
“How dare you mention my strings.” – The Toy Patient – @ 2.30
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0KZa9ER9Bg#t=01m48s
(*1) And if they don’t go willingly they will go unwillingly. But go they will.
SHIRLEY !
(*2) “Surely you can’t be serious?” you say? You _were_ awake for the last ten years we hope. In which case your mind had better be on ‘Permanent Suspicion Of Everybody. Except Yourself. And Sometimes You Wonder About Yourself.’ –
“I am serious and don’t call me Shirley.” – Airplane –
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo7qoonzTCE
Howz about if Craig, and / or Alex S, get in touch with Sir Sean Connery. Surely the msm wont ignore that. Wouldn’t that be kool, But it might have to be kept hush hush..you know how history has treated supporters Peace
And before anyone starts, i know sir Sean hasn’t lived Here ( Scotland ) for many a year, he aint the only one ( Scottish person ) To live where they so choose, remain active with the SNP
@ All,
Being from the Caribbean, I can attest, that while I agree with Craig that there are legitimate points of criticism that can be raised about Hugo Chavez, if one views the political and economic stance that he took then there is much to be praised.
Chavez’s ‘Pertrocraibe’ oil deal for the Caribbean islands has saved the entire region from impending economic collapse. That is because nations such as Jamaica, are in debt so deep, that the debt in perpetuity borrowing processes between the World Bank and IMF had assured that the life blood of the Caribbean people would be financially sucked out, under compelled terms of borrowing that absolutely ensures that the borrower will remain debtor. Now add to that the price of otherwise unaffordable oil importation – then what? That is confirmed by the direct testimony of John Perkins (“Economic Hit Man”). Any leader who points to what the empirical evidence confirms is to be demonised. Consider the economist president of Ecuador who has given refuge to Julian Assange. What is so wrong with trying to direct the benefits of a country’s natural resources to the upliftment of its people. Well – absolutely ¬nothing – that is precisely what honest leaders should do for their country and for their people.
It is so sad when the real bullies, dictators of impoverishment to the world at large, militarist and fascists try to discredit what honest people set out to do.
The world appears to be reverting to ol’ style imperialism and colonialism and Obama with his smooth tongue – does not fool discering people that his foreign is an extension of GWB 11 ( only with a slippery golden tongue).
Ex Pat That second You Tube (Shirley Airplane) has been corrupted in some way. Just a few seconds in there was this deafening noise. I could not shut the machine down and had to use the off switch and then reboot. Weird ???? Do you get the same?
@ All,
Correction:-
” The world appears to be reverting to ol’ style imperialism and colonialism and Obama with his smooth tongue – does not fool discering people that his foreign is an extension of GWB 11 ( only with a slippery golden tongue).”
Should now read:-
The world appears to be reverting to ol’ style imperialism and colonialism and Obama with his smooth tongue – does not fool discerning people that his foreign policy is not an extension of GWB 11 ( only with a slippery golden tongue).
P.S. Unfortunately – my slippery fingers in typing are not as smooth as Obama’s golden tongue – hence my correction.
Brilliant Post Ex Pat
Mary – For Truth and Justice…Petition Signed. and coppied to my facebook for all my NHS friends. Thank you
Only now watched the Guardian documentary department’s film in full. It’s clear a fuller précis (see above) is required; he print edition understates the gravamen of its own evidence. A more accurate summary would read:
Exposed thanks to Bradley Manning: devastating evidence that the
White House initiated nation-wide death squads in Iraq—and the ‘bloodiest kinds of torture.’
If you haven’t, I urge you to watch this film:
http://is.gd/Brodoi
OT. Today the barely-in-the-closet homosexual and well known protector of senior Tory paedophiles announced material support for Al Qaeda in Syria. About 5 hours later they kidnap 21 UN peacekeepers. How insane is this? The fact that this sordid shameful little creep holds a ministerial role makes me feel physically sick. He is utterly destitute of any ability or capability other than to kiss the ass of a foreign power that is presumably keeping him in line with a stick and carrot approach.
Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!)
6 Mar, 2013 – 9:10 pm
“Watch it, CE, with your use of the word “Nazis”! One of the Eminences will be asking you to define the word if you’re not careful (probably the same chump who asked me to define “fascism”)”
Habbabkuk, did you ever get round to defining fascism?
No. You brought the subject up about people using the word fascist in an inappropriate way but you refuse to define the word as you interoperate it yourself.
It is you that is the chump.
Mr Hester is having problems again with his subsidiary bank NatWest.
~~~
Yet they think they can flog it off.
Video: RBS boss Stephen Hester defends bankers’ bonuses in face …
http://www.telegraph.co.uk › Finance
6 days ago – Despite RBS posting losses of £5.2bn, Chief Executive Stephen Hester defends the pay awards being made to staff, saying the country should …
BBC News – RBS lost £5.2bn in ‘chastening’ year
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21612261
7 days ago – RBS boss Stephen Hester says restructuring has “defused an … Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reported its fifth annual loss since it was …
Comrades – today on The Majority Report we have a long-form interview :
http://majority.fm/2013/03/06/36-nikolas-kozloff-hugo-chavezs-death-political-legacy/
The interview starts about 21 minutes into the show.
Majority.fm is worth listening to every weekday – Seder is independent, and one of the exceedingly few US-based journalists unafraid of telling the truth.
OT
Put another way:
Latest Assange crime. How the White House ran death squads across Iraq—& the ‘bloodiest kinds of torture’ (vid): http://is.gd/Brodoi
Well here’s something Chavezs DIDN’T have Roaming around Venezuela, Nor did Gaddafi have these things to police the people, but they are out already for duty on us soil – anti mine armour – wtf. windows to put the fucking Trieste to shame. OMG