After seven months of appalling results, Alistair Darling was today thanked for his “hard work and honesty” in a brusque dismissal. Fans were quick to point out that in his previous job he had won no trophies, in fact rather the opposite. A whole series of dismal results had led to confidence ebbing away, and the recent disastrous performances by Gordon Brown and George Robertson were the last straw.
A key factor in the dismissal was the dissatisfaction of the wealthy shareholders in the City of London, banks and in the United States who are the owners. It was pointed out that some of the major players in the campaign, like the entire journalistic staff of BBC Scotland, had not been achieving the results expected.
The news was broken by a smug fat git
Speculation is now rife about who will lead the team for the rest of the campaign. Odds-on is John Reid, who supporters believe could increase the intensity of threat and violence which is now needed. There is some worry however whether his associations will appeal to the core fan base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmGjiokfQ2A
One possibility being seriously considered by the owners is to look abroad for new management. One well-placed source told the BBC “When the entire campaign is predicated on the idea that the Scots are incapable of running anything, it looks a bit odd to have a Scot in charge.”
Herbie
Just two questions, the first of which refers back to the thrust of my original post, on which you are carefully avoiding commentary.
1/. Do you also believe that Alex Salmond is to present-day Scottish politics what the late Harold Wilson was to UK politics?
2/. Would you still support Scottish independence if you thought that it would be of benefit to the remaining parts of the United Kingdom and in particular England?
As for the nukes, they will go, of that I am sure. On currency I am not certain what will be the eventual outcome, but countries have had currencies for thousands of years, and a large number of new ones have been launched in my lifetime. We’ll manage. I am not scared of change, as you appear to be.
One thing for sure – if we don’t vote for independence, nukes and the B of E will both remain. That is the lack of logic to your position.
Herbie
Sorry, there was a third question as well:
3/. Would you agree that the clever “positioning” by the Scots Nats you refer to is entirely dependent on the leaders of the three main UK parties lying when they rule out a currency union? If so, would you further agree that that clever “positioning” would be worthless if it were to turn out that they were not lying?
Fred
It’s not that complicated.
The London political and media class, on behalf of their masters, are desperate that Scotland remain in the UK.
That’s obvious.
All you have to do is ask yourself why.
Clue: It ain’t for the benefit of Scots, no more than anything these parasites do is for the benefit of anyone but themselves.
It’s simple. When people want to deceive you, they lie, threaten, bully, distract etc.
As the western imperium descends further round the u bend you see the above tactics employed all over the world, against anyone who wants to take an independent path out from under their yoke.
Scotland leaving the Union is but one of their many problems.
Didn’t have to be that way of course. They could have shared the wealth more evenly and then people might have more fondness for them.
But no. They’re much too greedy for that.
And anyway, as we’ve seen, they have an agenda which doesn’t include oiks of any nationality or none.
All people can do now is desert them as soon as humanly possible.
Habby
The Scots can peg to sterling. Doesn’t need London permission.
That’s why London’s threats are a lie, and they know it.
It would certainly be much better from London’s position to agree a currency union, but in lying about this they’re simply removing what small leverage they had.
For Scots it’s no more than a transitional arrangement, in any event.
They’re so desperate that they’re cutting off their own nose to spite their face.
All of this will get much worse before it’s over, and that includes their antics on the Russian and Chinese borders, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
They’re desperate.
This is what happens when empires collapse. It ain’t pretty, and even the collapse of the British Empire in relatively more benign circumstances, was a pitiful thing to behold.
That’s about the only bit where Harold Wilson has relevance.
There will be a currency union for so long as it suits the Scots. I suspect that that will not be very long, perhaps about two parliaments (I’d estimate the same lifespan for the monarchy).
The SNP might be cautious enough, but I see SNP/Green/Socialist rainbows in the sky, and that sort of coalition will be less sentimental. Westminster will have to whisper very sexily indeed to Holyrood if they don’t want Scotland to withdraw from sterling and let it tank.
It might already be too late. Imagine post-Farage UK grovelling to Brussels for entry to the Euro. Sweet.
“I am not scared of change, as you appear to be.”
Probably because you live in Norfolk.
“As for the nukes, they will go, of that I am sure. ”
So it was the anonymous politician who was lying then.
“It’s not that complicated.”
You’re the one complicating things.
You say the government is lying and the anonymous politician was telling the truth.
Craig says the anonymous politician was lying and the government was telling the truth.
It’s an either/or situation you can’t have both.
“I am not scared of change, as you appear to be.”
Probably because you live in Norfolk.
That option is available to all. I moved to Norfolk because there were no jobs in Scotland at the time (other than picking winkles, Fred – hope the big ebb was good for you). Change might involve Scotland’s being able to create employment in sectors currently discouraged by our globalist-arselicking leaders. Think positive. Though that must be hard to do in the NE.
The ‘smug fat git’ is one Blair McDougall.
He has a history of working for Zionist supporters in NuLabour, some of them Labour Friends of Israel.
‘Better Together’s Campaign Director is Labour activist Blair McDougall,[4] who was a special adviser to Ian McCartney (2004-2007) and James Purnell (2007-2008) during the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He was national director of the Labour Party’s Movement for Change organisation from 2011 and also ran David Miliband’s campaign for the Labour Party leadership[5] before joining Better Together.[6]’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Together_(campaign)
Purnell is at the BBC as Director of Strategy and Digital. Salary £295k!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/biographies/purnell_james/
Interesting declarations for hospitality received.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/biographies/pdf/Q2_1314/james_purnell_gh_q2_2013_14.pdf#zoom=100
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/biographies/pdf/Q1_1314/james_purnell_gh_q1_2013_14.pdf#zoom=100
BCG stands for Boston Consulting Group for whom he was a Senior Advisor. Keeping up the old connections.
Purnell was one time chair of LFoI.
This Labour Friend of Israel is on the campaign.
http://bettertogether.net/blog/entry/jim-murphy-mp
‘If I thought independence would be good for Scotland then I would support it. But it isn’t & I don’t…’
Murphy has been chair and vice chair of LFoI and is also on the Henry Jackson Advisory Council. Nice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Murphy
Craig lives in Ramsgate.
“That option is available to all. I moved to Norfolk because there were no jobs in Scotland at the time (other than picking winkles, Fred – hope the big ebb was good for you). Change might involve Scotland’s being able to create employment in sectors currently discouraged by our globalist-arselicking leaders. Think positive. Though that must be hard to do in the NE.”
Don’t seem to concerned about the jobs of around 10 thousand people on the Clyde do you? That’s not counting those who work in the only shipyard which won’t last long without the RN contracts. How secure are the jobs of all the servicemen? Will Britain want foreign nationals in their army?
BTW you forgot to mention Craig was born in Norfolk as well. Here in the Highlands don’t we just love people in the south of England trying to dictate our destiny.
“Craig lives in Ramsgate.”
Well now that doesn’t make much difference when he’s accusing people who live in Scotland of being more afraid of change than him.
Don’t seem to concerned about the jobs of around 10 thousand people on the Clyde do you? That’s not counting those who work in the only shipyard which won’t last long without the RN contracts. How secure are the jobs of all the servicemen? Will Britain want foreign nationals in their army?
The really wonderful thing about shipyards is that they don’t have to build weapons of war. They can build cargo vessels, cruise liners and, most wonderfully of all, tidal-energy arrays. They can build ROV’s for seabed mineral extraction, and their support vessels. With a less sclerotic attitude on the part of any government, UK or Scottish, towards innovation and hands-on technology, these things could be added unto you.
Meanwhile, I wouldn’t be banking on the continued supply of naval contracts by the UK to the UK. We’re in the process of realising that we’re a second-rate power – if that – we haven’t got any money, and our leaders tend to prioritise banks when thinking of people to give money to
“The ‘smug fat git’ is one Blair McDougall.
He has a history of working for Zionist supporters in NuLabour, some of them Labour Friends of Israel. Etc, etc, etc…”
__________________
Didn’t take long for Mary to weave her pet obsession into this thread, did it. 🙂
Ba’al Zevul
“The really wonderful thing about shipyards is that they don’t have to build weapons of war. They can build cargo vessels, cruise liners and, most wonderfully of all, tidal-energy arrays. They can build ROV’s for seabed mineral extraction, and their support vessels.”
__________________
All very true, Ba’al Zevul – as long as they get the orders.
Last time I looked, the few remaining UK shipyards weren’t doing too well on the non-military side of things, were they.
Habbabkuk, 9:38 am:
The high exchange rate for the UK pound inhibits exports.
H is unusually quiet, and actually absent, on the Aaronovitch thread.
Mary,
Anon’s nauseating trolling is more than making up for H’s absence on the Aaronovitch thread.
Of course it could be the same troll on both threads and just the standard sock-puppet name change tactic.
“The really wonderful thing about shipyards is that they don’t have to build weapons of war. They can build cargo vessels, cruise liners and, most wonderfully of all, tidal-energy arrays. They can build ROV’s for seabed mineral extraction, and their support vessels. With a less sclerotic attitude on the part of any government, UK or Scottish, towards innovation and hands-on technology, these things could be added unto you. ”
BAE don’t build anything of that sort.
Only thing keeping ship building on the Clyde alive is the MoD.
fred, 4:09 pm:
The thing keeping other shipbuilding dead is the high exchange rate.
“In short, institutions matter. Culture matters. History matters.”
Then take a look at the political history of Glasgow.
The SNP started by greatly increasing police numbers even though there was no increase in crime. They amalgamated all Scotland’s police forces into one force and gave them powers of stop and search which some say contravene human rights laws. They are currently conducting twice as many stop and searches as the Metropolitan Police. Now MacAskill has transferred his powers as Justice Secretary to the unelected Chief of Police.
What use would proportional representation be in a police state?
Clark
“The thing keeping other shipbuilding dead is the high exchange rate.”
______________________-
You’ve said that twice now – in “reply” to Fred and me – and all it shows is that you’re economically illiterate.
The decline of ship-building in Scotland started decades ago and had nothing to do with high or low exchange rates but everything to do with being non-competitive, producing shoddy work and never meeting deadlines.
As Fred has said, it is almost entirely dependent on MoD work.
Habbabkuk, 5:43 pm; the gutter press has always blamed the work force for lack of exports, but always avoiding mentioning that a high exchange rate impedes exports by increasing their price for foreign buyers. It has always campaigned to “keep the pound strong”. It has always blamed immigrants for the shortage of employment, but always avoided mentioning that a high exchange rate attracts immigration.
Habbabkuk, 5:43 pm:
Yes, a high exchange rate makes a country’s goods less competitive abroad.
Workers would probably work more enthusiastically if they were building something other than machines of death and destruction. Delaying and fucking up the building of battleships probably seems pretty ethical to normal human beings.
@Clark
Beforer the war when the shipyards were booming we were getting four dollars to the pound. As the value of sterling fell the shipyards declined.
Reply to ‘Habba-Bella’-
“Didn’t take long for Mary to weave her pet obsession into this thread, did it”.
Mary’s “pet obsession” as you so dismissively refer to it, just happens to be one of (if not THE most) worthwhile “obsessions” on this planet right now; shared (thankfully) by countless others (who don’t quite see it as you do)in possession of a backbone, a brain and a heart. Unless you consider the systematic destruction of a noble race of people,(along with their homes,land,livelihoods etc.)to be of no consequence. THIS is Zionism in practise.
Speaking of “weaving”, “pet obsession” is better suited to a piece of knitting than the suffering brought about by Zionism -(aided & abetted by the British government)to weave its insidious way into the lives of innocents; May 1948(Nakba)to the present day. If dedication to a worthy cause (justice for Palestine)is a “pet obsession” the sooner we’re ALL “obsessed, a better place this world will be.
“Mary’s “pet obsession” as you so dismissively refer to it, just happens to be one of (if not THE most) worthwhile “obsessions” on this planet right now; shared (thankfully) by countless others (who don’t quite see it as you do)in possession of a backbone, a brain and a heart.”
What a load of bombastic bullshit. More people suffer and die in internecine religious conflicts OUTSIDE of Israel and Palestine than within their combined borders.