Freedom Cheaper than Iraq War 764


A particularly mendacious lie by Danny Alexander puts the institutional start-up costs of Scottish Independence at £1.5 billion.  That is a cool half billion pounds cheaper than Scotland’s share of the costs of the Iraq and Afghan wars, even on the Westminster government’s blatant under-estimate of the war costs.

So Scotland can afford criminal invasions killing hundreds of thousands to ‘bring freedom’, but cannot afford the smaller cost of its own freedom!!!

The £1.5 billion estimate is mendacious in two ways.  Firstly, it is a simple recycling of a Canadian lie at the time of the Quebec independence referendum, apportioning with no argument 1% of GDP to startup costs.

Secondly, as nearly all the money will be spent in Scotland it is not a loss at all, but actually an increase to GDP, as any but the most nutty neo-con would be forced to acknowledge.  And it would be the precursor of government money spent annually in Scotland rather than England for ever thereafter.

Thankfully Alexander won’t have a job much longer – and if he thinks a penny of Scottish public spending is going in future to support his huge arse and deceitful mouth, he is very wrong.

 


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764 thoughts on “Freedom Cheaper than Iraq War

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  • mike

    The BBC thought it rightly important to tell us about the 12 soldiers who died when their helicopter was shot down in Ukraine. It called them “people”, which of course they are.

    Would the 7 children injured today by Ukrainian army shelling of civilian areas of Slavyansk be classed as “pro-separatist rebels”? Perhaps – if the BBC were to mention the attack at all, which of course they won’t.

    http://rt.com/news/162604-chidren-injured-east-ukraine/

  • Peacewisher

    Did you keep away from that 15th February march, Anon, because you thought there’d be a load of weirdoes. Well, yes, it was full of weirdoes, of all colours, classes, ages, and sexual orientations. We are all weirdoes, and (apart from other things) it is our right to be weirdoes that our forefathers fought for in ww2.

  • Peacewisher

    @Mike: It was same with reporting on Iraq. The BBC seem to be treating this as if it was a war against the Donbass. The BBC was very different in its reporting of the war with Vietnam… shows how times have changed. And how in turn the BBC have changed young people minds: anti-war, 60s; pro-war, 00s, (or would have done if the young didn’t rebel and turn to their computers…)

  • Mary

    The chocolate teapot in Ukraine had better watch out. If he heats everything up too much, he will be in danger of melting.

    ~~

    Well said Peacewisher ref the march. It seems like centuries ago. But only 10 years and in that time, so much killing and maiming.

  • mike

    Yeah, Peacewisher, Gilligan knocked the stuffing out of them. They are little better than a neo-con mouthpiece now.

  • mike

    “Ukraine Vows to Bring Peace to the East” runs the BBC headline.

    That’s as close to “War is Peace” as you can get.

    Peacewisher: Learn the truth online. Yes. Then what? Step away from the screen and into he street, if you want to make the change. It’s the only way.

  • Peacewisher

    Wrong to blame Gilligan. He was just a journalist trying to get a story out. The big mistake seemed to be not having a proper strategy for protecting their source, and wilting to Blair’s bully boys verbal aggression. As you say, Mary, suddenly it is as if it happened yesterday.

  • Peacewisher

    Mike: bottom-up will last and be self-sustaining… (cf 38degrees) top-down will have to be maintained by lies… maybe even violence… (cf. condem coalition)

  • mike

    Let’s sign that petition!

    Write the names of certain websites in a public place. Agit-prop graffiti. Spread the truth.

  • John Goss

    Mike, I’ve been spreading it via Facebook. The first time I shared it three other petition links, two with NATO in the title were posted with it. They appeared to be pro-NATO petitions so I deleted them. I tried to repeat the procedure and could not get it to repeat. So I suggest people check especially their first share.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !

    Herbie

    I think you’re very angry with the Poles about something or other. What is it that makes you so angry? My guess would be that you’re angry about the role Poland (through Solidarity) played in ridding Eastern Europe of Russian imperialism(followed by the breakup of the Evil Empire itself), but do correct me if I’m wrong! 🙂

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Since you mention history:

    “Then again it may just be the case that the Poles are pathologically incapable of understanding how you behave when next door to a major regional power. Their history would certainly suggest that that is the case.”

    let me ask you: how, in your opinion, should Poland have “behaved” after 1933 and, specifically, how should it have “behaved” in 1939?

    Let’s see if the great geo-strategist dares answer that one! 🙂

  • Jay

    Mike work out how you can control market forces then in turn you will get a handle on the corporations in turn you can set the dichotomy of governmental democracy in which also controls market forces.
    Influence the media and the banks and you will have a real leftist society, guarantee an ideal and hey presto. No need form vandalism.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !

    From the egregious Herbie

    “…since their foreign policy is fronted by here today gone tomorrow, British educated Bullingdon boy, Radosław Sikorski.”

    _________________________

    Radoslaw Sikorski has been the Polish Foreign Minister since 2007, Herbie.

    That makes 7 years so far (with more to come).

    Hardly “here today gone tomorrow”, Herbie.

    Longer than you’ve been commenting on CM and probably longer than you’ve been unwaged.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    PS – have you ordered those books by the excellent Anne Applebaum yet, Herbie? You know it’s the right thing to do!

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !

    Herbie

    And when you do get round to answering the questions, Herbie, try to do so without resorting to four letter words, there’s a good lad:

    “And fuck off with recommending her drivel.”

  • Herbie

    Kempe

    The Poles wanted a permanent stationing of NATO troops, and other defenses as a final solution to their fear of the East.

    You see, they thought they’d joined the wonderful West as full civilised members, law and order rules all, you’re a democracy right. We’ll have no more bullying here. Everything is subject to the law, except when our new powerful friends say otherwise.

    Despite persistent requests going back to 1999, when they joined with hopes of tomorrow, very little has been done to address their concerns.

    The West is reluctant to give them the defensive measures that would finally remove the threat from the East, whence they’d become their truly independent selves. Probably quite formidable, given time.

    Why?

    Whilst their partners in Europe are cuddling up to Russian interests behind the scenes, poor old Poland, very vulnerable Poland, with the least military resources, facing a walk over border with the beast, is the most openly and subversively aggressive against Russia, on behalf of their partners. Their very distant partners.

    Georgia.

    NATO: All for one, and one for all.

    On the borders. It’s everyone for themselves, usually. Borders are a release valve from authority.

    It can get quite human at times.

  • nevermind

    All that drivel about Poland, Havashite, when Britain looked on and dithered when Poland was overun by the Nazi’s, because the yankee doodle dandy was not involved then.

    Poland was overun by the Germans first on their way to defeat east and on their return fleeing home. Then they were overun again by the ruthless Russian army, straffing them for letting the Krauts cross their lands.

    Your pathetic palpative rewriten here is naive and childish. Craig will enjoy a good laught on his return.

    Now carry on with usurping this blog, you poor sod.

  • Peacewisher

    EU trying to use financial and legal (tendering process flawed?)pressure stop the South Stream gas pipeline to Europe, through Bulgaria:

    http://www.euractiv.com/video/barroso-warns-bulgaria-south-stream-case-we-will-act-50267

    even though the contract will bring Bulgaria more money than its annual EU “allowance”.

    Meanwhile, Russia is negotiating a deal to put the pipeline through Turkey:

    http://www.worldbulletin.net/turkey/137676/4500-syrians-flee-to-turkey-in-three-days

    And all because the US is suddenly in charge of EU policy.

    How stupid is this!

    Greece is also looking for a slice of the South Stream action… we all know they’d love to get away from the EU, and couldn’t be so easily bribed as Bulgaria.

  • Mary

    I often wondered where Cowper Coles, ex ambassador and HM special representative in Afghanistan and Pakistan, had washed up.

    ‘“Too big to jail” HSBC will also have representatives, the Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings, Douglas J. Flint, and his senior advisor Sherard Cowper-Coles. These mega banks have a longstanding record of financial fraud:

    “Goldman symbolizes master of the universe of financial manipulation (Reuters April 16, 2011) It’s been involved in nearly all financial scandals since the 19th century… In 2002, it was largely responsible for Greece’s debt problems. It involved circumventing Eurozone rules in return for mortgaging assets.

    Using creative accounting, debt was hidden through off-balance sheet shenanigans. Derivatives called cross-currency swaps were used. Government debt issued in dollars and yen was swapped for euros, then later exchanged back to original currencies.

    Debt entrapment followed. Greece was held hostage to repay it. The country’s been raped and pillaged. Paying bankers comes first. Doing it left Greeks impoverished, high and dry. Goldman profited enormously by scamming an entire country and millions in it.”(Stephen Lendman, Goldman Sachs: Making Money by Stealing It, sjlendman.blogspot.ca, 17 March 2012)’

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/bilderberg-2014-war-criminals-big-oil-and-too-big-to-jail-banksters-meet-in-secrecy/5384502

    ‘His first role as a head of mission was in Tel Aviv as the British Ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2003’ Enough said.

    ‘In 2011 Cowper-Coles became BAE Systems’ international business development director, focusing on the Middle East and south-east Asia.[7] He is a committee member of the Saudi-British Society. [8]

    His appointment at BAE caused some controversy, since he is thought to have “had a profound effect” on the decision by Robert Wardle, then director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, to end an investigation into BAE’s allegedly corrupt dealings with Saudi Arabia.[9]’ That fits.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherard_Cowper-Coles

  • Juteman

    I was speaking to someone yesterday, and we were discussing the referendum. He mentioned that his brother was the only male still alive from his primary school in Glasgow. Alcohol and substance abuse had claimed the lives of most of them, His brother was 53 years old.
    Rule brittania.

  • Kempe

    ” All that drivel about Poland, Havashite, when Britain looked on and dithered when Poland was overun by the Nazi’s, ”

    Nazi invasion of Poland started 1st September 1939. Britain declared war on the 3rd. On the 17th in accordance with a secret treaty drawn up with Germany the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, the county being divided up between the two. Poland surrendered on 6th October.

  • doug scorgie

    Anon
    30 May, 2014 – 6:49 pm

    “Sorry, but I won’t sign any petition instigated by hard leftist Lindsey German.”

    I imagine Anon that, to you and your fellow trolls, anyone to the left of Mrs Thatcher is “hard left.”

    “…something so manifestly wrong as the Iraq War…”

    Have you ever made any comments on this blog Anon, condemning the Iraq war?

  • Mary

    More Better Together dirty tricks. BBC website.

    Scottish independence: Vote No Borders advert pulled over child hospital claim
    The advert claimed Scots would find it difficult to get treatment at the children’s hospital after independence
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-27632803

    B&Q investment to ‘pause’ after Yes
    The boss of the company that owns B&Q says investment would “pause” in Scotland following a “Yes” vote in the referendum.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-27639649

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