This blog exclusively broke the news that Juncker was much more friendly to Scottish independence, and that was a major reason for Cameron’s bitter opposition.
Unionists were in frenzies of delight this past 24 hours at Juncker’s statement that he saw no further enlargement of the EU for five years. Wings Over Scotland has done an excellent job of summing up the triumphalism of the media and of every senior Unionist politician you can think of.
The BBC deserves the massive criticism it has been given for unionist bias, but James Cook of the BBC deserves credit for asking Juncker’s office whether his statement included Scotland. The reply could not have been more clear. Juncker did not include Scotland in that statement. As Juncker had said before, Scottish independence is a matter for democratic decision and is an internal EU matter. Juncker was talking abut the length of time it would take applicant nations to meet the acquis communitaire, or body of EU law, regulation and obligation. Scotland, by definition, already does meet the acquis.
All this Juncker’s office told the BBC explicitly. What is implicit, and self-evidently true, is that Scotland’s independence is not an enlargement, it is just Scotland remaining in, requiring some internal readjustment.
This ought to be good news for everyone – including the unionists.
I can understand that there are people who genuinely love Scotland, but wish for reasons of history to retain the United Kingdom. I even understand some of those honestly believe Scots will be wealthier and happier in the UK. I think they are very wrong, but entitled to that view and some people hold it sincerely.
But such genuine Unionists, should they lose the referendum, would surely wish Scotland to remain in the European Union? That already guarantees the continuance of all the most essential links between England and Scotland, in particular full freedom of movement and settlement and trade and citizens’ rights. It is also important for Scotland’s future prosperity.
Surely a real unionist would want to retain the Union, but still want Scotland to remain in the EU if it became independent?
But instead, every professional unionist politician was gloating at the entirely fictitious prospect of Scotland being kicked out of the EU. They were absolutely delighted at the prospect. They really hate Scotland.
There are decent unionists. But the professional politicians are not decent unionists. They were delighted at the very idea that Scotland might be kicked out of the EU. Because actually they hate, despise and fear Scotland and the Scots. For them, Scotland only exists to pay for their very comfortable public funded lifestyles. The idea they may lose their power, influence and above all their money, horrifies them.
“You are going to vote for the Union!! You are going to vote for me!! If not, you are going to SUFFER, you bastards, SUFFER!!!”
I have a prize of two hundred pounds available to the first person who can show me an instance of the media reporting Juncker’s clarification with the same prominence, space and energy they devoted to splashing the Unionist scare story.
Fedup
“however sooner than later the question of profit sharing, bonuses and stock options will be re-evaluated”
That is why I wrote “total emoluments” if you look. The only way to reverse the unsustainable wealth gap which has developed is extremely firm action by the state. To be in a position to enact such a law presupposes a very different political climate to the one now existing, one in which the rich cannot do anything they want.
Thanks for drawing my attention to the “total emoluments”, we are n total agreement on the issue.
Further as you have pointed out the current climate of post “greed is good” of the Thatcher/Reagan era is far from the climate for such a change. We need a cultural change, and a reassessment of the current measures and bounds of acceptability and tolerance of the obscenely rich.
There is a lot of dodgy dealings that certain people and their party do not want out,who knows how dodgy or perhaps this investigation over paedophiles and sexual deviants will uncover much worse than sexual misdeeds,paedophilia is bad enough but there were stories about 40 years ago about how at least one boy was killed by a group of paedophiles they were caught and jailed,could there be more of this? I think that the panic that they seem to be in could uncover a lot of bad deeds.I hope not,and that it is only their greed that they want to hide.
I am talking about any convenient, apparent man-made disaster – like a surprise, devastating earthquake along the Highland Boundary Fault, an unexpected volcanic cloud and tsunami from volcanic eruptions in Iceland, a devastating hurricane from North America which hits Scotland like Katrina demolished the Gulf Coast, a shift of the Arctic Vortex which causes unprecedented flooding and loss, a shipping mishap which kills many, and a nuclear meltdown like the one which devastated the Fukushima plant.
They all will be explained by me as to how the Pentagon et al. had any one of them happen, and the deadline is two days before the voting in September,
The bet is off, though, if the respectable polls when averaged claimed that the Yes vote never got within 5 points of a victory in the referendum.
Any new surprises along the way will be the subject of discussion, and possible agreed upon amendment of the bet which is set at $200 American.
‘The argument in a nutshell is, therefore, that a freedom which was beneficial to all concerned back in 1958 is no longer necessarily fit for purpose in the vastly different Europe of 2014.’
Habba makes a good point here; the freedom of movement championed by Craig has left the countries of Eastern Europe admitted to the EU in a demographic free -fall worse than that of their big neighbour, Russia-
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2014/01/22/the-new-eu-members-are-depopulating-more-quickly-than-russia/
The “freedom” enjoyed by all, an example of which is;
Far-right Group Britain First ‘Invade’ South London Mosque Over ‘Sexist’ Signs
When is the mosquenacht (kristallnacht redux)?
How many laws have been broken?
Yet there will not be any prosecution of the culprits, this is in the latest in which the group all clad in their inform of flat cap and olive green jackets have “invaded” mosques in a crusade to hand out ” British Army Bibles” with no reaction from the politicians or the police.
The open season on the Muslims started with “illegal asylum seekers” pupating to the current hate fest against Muslims, which is all in the way of spreading freedom and respect for human rights.
The old man threatened by the invader “Christians” is further ordered to cover the cross in the brickwork, because it is offensive to “Christians” to see a cross on a mosque building!
However curiously the chief of the invaders then goes onto delivering a speech about the rights of Muslims in this country and then walks into the police station to be arrested!
Britain First Fail Dismally In Attempt To Get Leader Arrested, Say He’s Been Arrested Anyway
Clearly an example of respecting human rights and inclusive society that we have here in UK and can show it off to the world with pride and joy.
Meanwhile back at the ranch Babar Ahmad has been found guilty and sentenced to 12.5 years imprisonment.
On Tuesday, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG’s representative in London called upon pro-Israel David Cameron government to provide greater defense and intelligence support to the Kurd entity.
Rahman, whose post makes her effectively Kurdistan’s ambassador in London, said the Kurds were Britain’s ally in the fight against terrorism and extremism. However, Britain refused to supply defense items such as electronic jamming equipment to the KRG without end-user certificates issued by the Iraqi government. Baghdad refused to issue such certificates if the equipment was destined for Kurdistan.
http://rehmat1.com/2014/07/17/bibi-erdogan-support-kurdistan-in-iraq/
@ Fedup 26 July 10.10 PM re your comment “My name is Elizabeth Coady and I am the tweeter behind @HeadlineJuice”
I don’t have the slightest problem understanding Ms. Cody’s horrible story. A journalist who takes an independent view supporting Wikileaks against the position of the security services would be seen as dangerous and easily subject to a Zersetzen program, and there is also precedent for a journalist (Anita Busch in LA for example) being persecuted to stop her from criticising a celebrity. It is a pity that the UK doesn’t have journalists of similar courage.
You talk about freedom, freedom, freedom, etc. Well there were also examples close to home of Zersetzen from the Snowden leaks, though I don’t recall seeing much about them in the UK media.
Snowden leaked a series of training slides from GCHQ’s recent training program that advocated the use of techniques designed to “disrupt”, “diffuse”, “destroy”, and “discredit” their victims. Now that’s the language of a Stasi-style Zersetzen program particularly when other GCHQ slides go on to describe the objectives of these techniques as being to “create cognitive stress” “create physiological stress” “create affective stress”.
What Mr. Snowden is referring to, and what we continue to experience, is a process of persecution whose stated objectives according to GCHQ’s training slide are to “create cognitive, physiological and affective stress” in their targeted victims. These are not the techniques and objectives of a normal Spy agency but the techniques of a Secret Police, and a nasty one too.
Methinks it will be require something much much more underhand than that un-fathomed level of carbon monoxide, to preserve the monarchy. There will have to be people as dead as a dodi then? By September? Phew?
Testing
This just read a piece on the BBC website reporting Alex Salmond’s comments regarding independence and the Health Service. If someone opposed to independence had said such things about the future of the Health Service in an independent Scotland what would have happened?`First the BBC would be accused of being biassed then all the things which were said by the Unionists in this piece would have been said by the Nationalists. “Scaremongering”, “disinformation”, “getting desperate”, etc.
I post here on things that concern me, I raised the matter of the DRIP vote, I raise the matter of the arming of the police in Scotland, things like that. One thing that worries me right now is this dirty nationalist politics and those who would use nationalism to incite hatred between peoples. That seems to be turning into a real threat as it has so many times in so many places throughout history.
That is nationalist with a small “n” by the way and includes the fanatical rabble rouser of both sides.
A fair days pay for fair days work does not exist in the capalist run society, a small minority due well but the remainder generally have struggle, this has been amply proven in this present recession or slump.I cannot for the life of me begin to understand how voting for Scottish independance will change anything for working class they will screwed as per normal. The post war concensus that was to make Great Britain a better and fairer place to live has been dismantled ,what is in place that will protect any future workers rights in a new independant Scotland.
I’ve never thought that iScotland would be either thrown out of the EU, or left having to re-apply for membership. However, I’m very concerned about TTIP, which poses huge dangers for NHS Scotland, and many, many other matters, as well as undermining democracy, and creating supra-national tribunals – effectively dissolving a great part of any state signatory to it. How does iScotland deal with this?
I really don’t think most unionists give a toss whether Scotland would be in or out.
In fact I think that the EU in order to piss off the English would be delighted to let an independent Scotland join the EU,and thus make it far more likely that the rest of the UK left the EU.
Then we’d all be happy?
Fred
But you live in Scotland and I would truly be very surprised if you had encountered any hatred.
Seydlitz
Scotland kept free university education, free NHS prescriptions etc. I have no doubt at all the worker’s rights will be better in Scotland. There is, for example, a significant socialist and green presence in parliament, unlike England.
Actually the “workers’ unity” argument is the most rubbish of all. Worker’s rights are appalling in the UK and getting worse – therefore we must keep the UK – is an astonishingly stupid argument.
I meant non Scots pro unionist!(except those in politics)
Something here reminds me of “Animal Farm”.
“Syed Talha Ahsan,34, a fellow British Muslim who admitted related offences and was extradited with Ahmad, will be freed after being sentenced to an eight-year term – the same period he has already spent in detention since his arrest in London in 2006.”
Thanks Fedup for highlighting this wonderful news that Talha Ahsan is coming home. His brother, Hamja, has run a tireless campaign. His parents must be overjoyed. The charges, which they both had to accept in a plea-bargain, do not warrant even six months in prison, let alone extradition. But the slavish Theresa May, who hates Islam with venom, handed them over to be tortured in Supermax prisons into extracting a false confession. Still the important news is he’s coming home.
Sorry about this being off topic, but I hope you understand.
Actually the “workers’ unity” argument is the most rubbish of all. Worker’s rights are appalling in the UK and getting worse – therefore we must keep the UK – is an astonishingly stupid argument.
Up to a point, and not a very distant one, IMO. The EU (and Juncker especially) is about countering US and Chinese exploitation of global markets with European ditto. That is, it buys globalisation, uncritically. The underlying trend in globalisation is to encourage a flexible workforce. This is doublespeak for a cheap workforce, with the bipedal production units taking as little as can possibly be arranged from the supermen who actually run things by talking to each other and flying round the world.
The easy solution to the UK woes is to support the globalist agenda. That will, ideally balance the books and make the already-rich very happy indeed, but we need not expect a general rise in the standard of living or quality of life, but a continuation of its current decline. We can get out of the EU and attach ourselves to the US rump, or we can stay in the EU: the upshot will be the same.
UNLESS the bipedal production units resist this, and insist that their share of the profits is commensurate with their value to the production process, rather than being determined solely by the profit margins of the global funds which own the business.
Which is very unlikely to happen. Isn’t it?
And another off-topic, today is the 11th anniversary of the day somebody, on the instructions of Tony Blair, murdered Dr David Kelly, so he could turn Iraq into a demolition site.
You know what really gets me about these No campaigners is the absolute relish they exude when they think Scotland is fucked up, even , god forbid, these people cling on I’d never want to see Scotland damaged, yet these so called Scots are so wrapped up in their desperation they would literally see Scotland burn, and enjoy it with such relish 🙁
Can I make this clear once and for all, this is the facts and reality, THE very first thing that will happen is Scotlands legal position will be determined by the European courts, the only question that needs to be put before the European judges is, is it reasonable to ask 5 million already EU citizens to reapply to be EU citizens, I see no circumstances where a European court could return any verdict other than that would be unreasonable, it would go against all the core values of the EU to abandon 5Million of it’s citizens, that act in itself would pull apart the EU, it will never happen, Scotland will remain in the EU by court order, no need for approval, no need to reapply, just a ruling from the courts to the commission to chamge the letter heads.
So please stop playing the games of the No people and made up nonsense of Westminster, that is the process already set out and stop letting your lack of knowledge on EU processes force you in to playing these made up nonsense games with those anti-EU unionist liars.
Ba’al Zevul
You have to be extremely stupid to buy in to protectionism and mercantilism.
we all know that DRIP is being passed today, Thursday, due to the ’emergency’ – the UK emergency being that the EU Data Retention Directive (DRD) was declared invalid a while ago. What about the ’emergency’ in the other EU states? Germany never (officially at least) implemented DRD, Austria has just ruled that retaining data must cease in that Alpine state – maybe Eire will follow soon, as they were a co-presenter of the case to the ECJ?
Some of you here on Craig’s excellent blog might have heard of SLOVENIA, member of NATO and the EU, with a population about a third of the size of Scotland.
…just thought that you in the UK, and Spain, might like to see how DRIP compares with the places where DRD is an ’emergency’ in seemingly the opposite direction! (If you want the link to 13 pages of legal Slovenian, just google for “US_RS_ZEKom-1_3julij2014.tif”)
Workers’ rights in this country are not appalling. They might not be as good as they could be but try the Indian sub-continent or the far east, the people who make all our “stuff”, if you want appalling.
Craig “Worker’s rights are appalling in the UK and getting worse ”
The false recession created by economists has not only increased management power through fear of unemployment, but has reminded us that economists can unpick all the talent and creativity of the workforce by re-structuring the money into their own pockets. We climbing up an escalator which is going down.
The simple presence of Socialist and Green ethics in Scotland is an antidote to the despair of being placed on a treadmill in a cage by the economists. But there again the place to find bright slogans is the mouths of politicians chasing a political victory.
I am being bombarded with texts offering work at the moment because the Tories want to make a feel-good factor after 6 years of the construction industry being locked down. But they want you to work on slave conditions. People in the EU will not put up with austerity and being treated as slaves indefinitely.
I do not believe that Tory politicians actually have a braincell to understand that workers have to be incentivised same as bankers in order to work.
Craig
16 Jul, 2014 – 5:15 pm
Your only answer to the point that bigger governments are better killing machines is to point out that you can go anywhere in the EU!
How peculiar.
You forget it is governments which in the first place restrict the very freedom of movement you applaud this newer bigger government for giving you.
The bigger the government the better at oppression and killing it is. History is full of examples. Currently the USA and China are convincing examples. Can you give one example that contradicts this simple truth?
Your pro-independence and pro-EU position is a contradiction. Your faith in the latest government mirrors your ever changing party allegiance.
This is you: Down with the distant government! Long live the new distant government!
YouKnowMyName
16 Jul, 2014 – 6:12 pm
Being anti-EU makes a troll? Jesus, that is the most idiotic thing on this thread. Well done.
Not surprising then that you accept a neo liberal politician’s promise as evidence enough of the EU’s wondrousness.
Craig
“The only way to reverse the unsustainable wealth gap which has developed is extremely firm action by the state.”
Are you quoting or paraphrasing Lenin?
Of course the absolute pre-eminence of the state for, what centuries, is not in the least responsible for or anything to do with the world we live in.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/no-campaign-accused-of-dishonesty-on-eu-1-3479295
Hi Craig ,
I am a regular reader of your blog and most of the articles are excellent. Whilst I thought the above article was also excellent unfortunately I did not share. The reason being the overtly strong swearing at the end. This is only my personal opinion but it is also not the type of emphasis any of my FB friends ever use therefore I was uncomfortable passing it on. This is your blog and you have every right to say whatever you want but just thought I would give a little feedback. On the whole I have found your articles to be intriguing and informative.