George Robertson – Third Arse From Left
George Robertson has been designated by the Labour Party to lead a campaign to have a Yes vote nullified, on the grounds of campaign irregularities, intimidation and overspending. This has been agreed by Miliband’s office. One of the great advantages of being a small country like Scotland is that you very easily discover what is happening through family and social connections.
The media propaganda about “violent nationalists” is designed both to try to sway undecided voters to No (along with the disgraceful Gordon Brown “if you don’t know, vote No” slogan), and to provide ammunition to question the validity of the decision when they lose.
As I said, the great thing about a small country is it is very hard to keep secrets. People know what is happening, including the police. The Police Federation have put out a remarkable statement to contradict the media propaganda of violence and intimidation. Do not expect to see this featured prominently in the mainstream:
In response to increased press reports and comment implying increased crime and disorder as a consequence of the Independence Referendum Brian Docherty, Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation said;
“The Police Service of Scotland and the men and women who work in it should not be used as a political football at any time and especially so in these last few hours of the referendum campaign.
As I have previously stated the referendum debate has been robust but overwhelmingly good natured.
It was inevitable that the closer we came to the 18th of September passions would increase but that does not justify the exaggerated rhetoric that is being deployed with increased frequency. Any neutral observer could be led to believe Scotland is on the verge of societal disintegration yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Scotland’s citizens are overwhelmingly law abiding and tolerant and it is preposterous to imply that by placing a cross in a box, our citizens will suddenly abandon the personal virtues and values held dear to them all.
At this time it is more important than ever that individuals be they politicians, journalists or whoever should carefully consider their words, maintain level heads and act with respect. Respect is not demonstrated by suggesting a minority of mindless idiots are representative of anything. One of the many joys of this campaign has been how it has awakened political awareness across almost every single section of society. The success enjoyed by the many should not be sullied by the actions of the few.
Police officers must be kept free from the distractions of rhetoric better suited to the playground that the political stump. If crime has been committed it will be investigated and dealt with appropriately but quite simply police officers have better things to do than officiate in spats on social media and respond to baseless speculation of the potential for disorder on and following polling day”
I really hope you Scots do vote ‘yes’ as no person in their right mind would turn down the possibility of self-determination. I also commend you for putting the effort in but I do think that you’re kidding yourself if you think that a newly formned Scottish government will be much different to others in western Europe. They’ll ultimately tow the line with a US-led world. I hope I’m wrong as I love Scotland and want it to succeed – and am going there next summer on my next m/cycle tour. Good luck!
I too believe that the YES campaign is winning. The Financial Times spoke of “who to blame” for the loss of Scotland. The mainstream press are complicit in inflating the no campaigns claims.I personally suffered damage to a new car for having a YES sticker, my reaction was to add four more stickers and I shall repair the damage in an independent Scotland.
Please keep up the fantastic work !
“referendum debate has been robust but overwhelmingly good natured.”
It has, which makes it all the worse tying to smear the campaign. Have these people no shame?
I followed much of the debates, communitys coming together. Kids mums dogs, All really nice.
I guess this is really the chickens coming home to roost. They have been subverting democracy like this all around the world. I guess it should not come as a shock but when it’s in your own community (I consider Scotland part of that, independent or not) it really looks disgusting doesn’t it.
It’s no wonder people prepared to do this are not treated so great. Considering what the establishment do it seems they are treated very will. Well done Scotland for maintaining in a civil manner. Don’t let em rattle you. Remember they have only zombie support here also..
THE US EMPIRE _IS_ FALLING
@ Steve
> “I do think that you’re kidding yourself if you think that a newly formned Scottish government will be much different to others in western Europe. They’ll ultimately tow the line with a US-led world.”
Can’t agree. It’s not likely because the world is moving very fast in the opposite direction, though it’s not reported in the USUK Muppet Stream Media. But it is on the internet, if you know where to look. ; )
Via comments on Vineyard of the Saker on real information about Russia and China’s alliance and on Transcend.com from Johan Galtung.
SERGEY LAVROV
Sergey Lavrov Russia’s Foreign Minister explains that the US Empire and it’s UK and European satraps are trying to hold back the tide as they try to hold up the rise of a multipolar world. But that world is already here.
Q. “One of our satiric writers, Mikhail Zadornov, at a certain point dropped this remark: America is prepared to fight a war with Russia to the last Ukrainian.”
A. “What can be said in a situation like this? Cynicism has been part and parcel of politics all along. Possibly, it is inherent in all those who write and speak about politics. We would hate to see Ukraine being used as a pawn. Alas, it has been otherwise so far – not through our fault and contrary to Russia’s wish. Some partners in the West – not all of them – have been trying to use the deep crisis of Ukrainian statehood for the purpose of “containing” Russia, for isolating us, and thereby tightening their looser grip on the international system. The world is changing, the share of the United States and Europe in the global GDP is shrinking, there have emerged new centers of economic growth and financial power, whose political influence has been soaring accordingly. As concerns economy, there seems to be growing awareness of that. The G20 group has been created. In 2010 the G20 made a decision to reform the International Monetary Fund to redistribute quotas from the Western countries so that new, growing economies can receive a little bit more quotas. Then the crisis began to ease somewhat and the United States and the European Union these days are in no mood to stand by those arrangements. Now they are determined to retain positions within the IMF that are by no means proportionate to their real economic potential in the world. A really tough struggle is underway for keeping unchanged the state of affairs in which the Western civilization determines the shape of the world order. This is a faulty policy with no chances to succeed, objective processes are developing in opposite direction. The world is getting really polycentric. China, India, Brazil, the ASEAN countries, Latin America and, lastly, Africa – a continent with the richest natural resources – all begin to realize their real significance for world politics. There will be no stopping this trend. True, it can be resisted, and such attempts are being made, but it is really hard to go against the stream. This is the cause of many crises.”
– ‘Sergey Lavrov: Throwing Russia off balance is ultimate aim’, by Andrei Vandenko, 11th September 2011 – ITAR-TASS –
– http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/748935
Plus some extremely moderate and fascinating comments by Vladimir Putin –
Links from a comment by ‘karlof1’ to ‘Listening to Lavrov giving up on the west’ – 14th September 2014 – The Saker –
Direct –
– http://tinyurl.com/k8qr3eo
OR search from –
– http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.it/2014/09/listening-to-lavrov-giving-up-on-west.html
JOHAN GALTUNG
In addition the revered father of peace studies Norwegian Johan Galtung provides much more information – see his website and the following notes.
JOHAN GALTUNG
“I LOVE THE US REPUBLIC AND I HATE THE US EMPIRE”
“I Love the US Republic, and I Hate the US Empire: Johan Galtung on the War in Afghanistan and How to Get Out” – June 15th, 2010 – Democracy Now –
– http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/15/i_love_the_us_republic_and
“Johan Galtung on ‘The Fall of the US Empire'” – June 7th, 2010 – Democracy Now –
– http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/7/johan_galtung_on_the_fall_of
FROM (US) EMPIRE TO (US) GLOBAL FASCISM
“Fascism? There is a domestic and a global variety and the latter is Obama’s foreign policy, with domestic elements.”
“A disconnect between speech and action is Obama’s trade mark. A key to his global fascism: instead of acknowledging wrongs of US foreign policy, he hides his extra-judicial killings with drones and JSOC’s (Joint Special Operations Command) in, maybe, 120 countries. Covert, CIA, less overt, Pentagon; with little Congress control.”
“What happened to the fall of the US Empire?”
“It is falling. An empire uses local elites to transport value from the periphery to the center. Those elites are now shaky in many places, like in Latin America, frightened in Africa, doubting in Europe-Asia, counteracting the US in China-Russia. Global fascism bypasses them.”
The US Empire collapsing not with a whimper, but a bang. No change there, then! –
Are things a tad strained when the ever temperate and diplomatic revered father of peace studies, Johan Galtung, finally calls a spade a bloody shovel?
(ER. Does the US Empire use the methods of the Nazis? Is the Pope a Catholic? etc. Ed.)
– 5th March 2012 – Transcend Peace Organization –
– https://www.transcend.org/tms/2012/03/from-empire-to-global-fascism/
US EMPIRE MURDERS 12M to 16M IN SIXTY YEARS
Johan Galtung – the US empire has murdered 12m or 16m in forty years. “The difference is between overt murders and including covert murders by the US.” In illegal wars and genocides. –
‘How would we know that the Empire is dead?” – Johan Galtung –
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRXmk7piHXY
If there has been irregularities in this referendum I, like many others, accuse the BBC of being partial, non-objective, insulting and disrespectful in tone and attitude to the peaceful and dignified Scottish Nation. In addition it is most irregular to hide the research jointly paid for by Scottish taxpayers indicating how much oil and gas lie beneath Scotland and her waters before this historic vote.
It is most irregular to offer a referendum and then seek out every negative opinion from any passing or itinerant foreign politico or celebrity to pursue the FEAR FACTOR. Bullying an electorate like this is regular?
There was little debate in my opinion in the run up to the referendum. Instead there were noisy monologues, with the partial media declaring the winner.The reason is because a debate involves facts and figures, data we can only guess at. So we have to vote, blind to the real state of affairs we must live with after a successful Yes vote.
The Scots are resourceful and have many friends abroad. Let us not lose the conviction that self-determination is our Birthright.
The future is bright if you Vote Yes!
If you vote no? The future looks painful and poor.
So the police union obviously think Yes will win – I hope they are right.
I fully expect some kind of claw back on the result if (as I hope and believe) YES wins. Scotland’s resources both physical and human and just too valuable to the rUK.
Those with their noses in the trough and enjoying ‘punching above their weight’ are terrified at dropping down to a more realistic level of wealth and influence.
If Scotland fails to grab this chance to be free it will NEVER get another. It only got this one because in their arrogance and stupidity those with the power thought they’d never vote yes.
Those with their noses in the trough and enjoying ‘punching above their weight’
I misread that as ‘lunching above their weight’ which might be more apt as the troughers tend to steer clear of vulgar physical combat.
THE US EMPIRE _IS_ FALLING – 2
JOHAN GALTUNG
Strewth!
There have been some great updates in the excellent weekly editorials from the revered father of Peace Studies, Norwegian Johan Galtung.
The Fall of the US Empire-And Then What? –
“Successors? UK is militarily with USA to keep Anglo-America as a dominant world force even if a shadow of 50 years ago;” HA!
“US Blossoming? None; the bottom 20, 70 or even 99% have too little or no increase in buying power, hence too low domestic demand.”
“US Fascism? Yes, indeed; if by fascism we mean use of massive violence for political goals. US fascism takes three forms: global with bombing, droning and sniping all over; domestic with military weapons used across race and class faultlines; and then NSA-National Security Agency spying on everybody.”
“A deeply tragic development. Such an innovative country and nothing better to offer than macro bombing, meso droning and micro sniping. We sense the military-industrial complex at work–the bomb industry upfront–but dubious intellectuals are also in it:”
“The US military is turning inward, obviously to protect the white 1% who feeds them.” Amen Brother! ; )
– “The Fall of the US Empire-And Then What?” EDITORIAL, by Johan Galtung, 1st September 2014 – Transcend –
– https://www.transcend.org/tms/2014/09/the-fall-of-the-us-empire-and-then-what/
And several other interesting weekly updates.
– https://www.transcend.org/tms/category/editorial/
Greetings from Norway.
I hope that you Scots will vote yes in the coming election. Westminster tells you that you cannot manage alone, that you are dependent on the UK, etc. DON’T BELIEVE THEM. Norway is a small country with only 5 million inhabitants, less than Scotland, but we are doing very well, thank you. Our GDP per capita is $ 55 000, one of the highest in the world. Scotlands GDP would rise if you just got rid of the parasites in Westminster.
Need another argument? Many of you Scots are descendants of the Norse vikings! Don’t let those bloodsucking parasites of continental descent rule you.
George Robertson, the fool who said devolution would kill the SNP stone dead, Robertson also said Scottish independence would lead to the Balkanisation of western Europe.
Meanwhile Labour must be absolutely desperate when they’re rolling out Donald Dewar’s son, to plea with voters to vote no
George Square in Glasgow filling up with YES voters with, many carrying Saltire’s, and Catalonian flags, a Fiat 500 car is parked in the centre of the square, its livery, is a combination of the Saltire and Catalonian flag. Many foreign journalists are also in attendance.
Whinge, whinge, whinge, throw in a few lies, call everyone who disagrees with you a war criminal/neocon/zionist arsehole, go on and on about the mainstream media, whinge some more.
People everywhere are waking up, he’s never seen such a groundswell of popular support, the atmosphere is electric, an awakening is happening, all because he hangs around with some loud-mouthed nats who are never at all intimidating or aggressive, no that’s just corporate media lies and disinformation. Unionists are smashing their own cars. Everything negative that happens is an establishment conspiracy. You cannot be a No voter and a decent person.
He travels up from Norfolk and immediately finds himself surrounded by overwhelming Yes support. All the polls are rigged by the establishment. It’s 99% support for Yes out there. It’s electric, invigorating, life-reaffirming.
But the vote has been rigged. It’s all Thatcher’s fault. Neocons. Mainstream media propaganda, whinge, whinge, whinge.
And so it goes on. FFS Scotland, vote Yes. Please.
Thanks for that, Roger. As you probably know Norway, especially its recent history, has been a fine example for people in Scotland to measure their future. We won’t be exactly alike but we know we’ll always be friends with our Norwegian cousins.
Richard Branson, on SKY news urging Scots to vote no, and wait for new powers. No Richard, we’ll vote YES, and get all the powers.
I truly fear this election is going to be robbed. There will be little of the Gore vs Bush confusion, but more of the acceptance of the extremely unlikely 1992 Major victory where the very marginal seats were held marginally and everyone shrugged their shoulders and said tory voters don’t admit it to the pollsters.
In the coming weeks the whisper will be that people were too embarressed to admit to voting No. Just a rumour, an unplausible explanation. But it will be accepted and the chance lost.
I pray that I am wrong and when I woke up in London on Friday morning, the YES will be uppermost.
Power to the People. Freedom for the Free.
Tomorrow the people of Scotland will vote ‘YES!’ to independence from London rule. The momentum is in their favour, that’s why London is in such a panic. To be sure of winning the ‘no’ side had to be substantially in the lead in opinion polls, but they are not, and to cut a long complex statistical story short, this means that ‘Yes’ will triumph.
Statistically these kind of polls have quite a large margin of error, between 2 or 3 % both ways. This means that polls showing a 52% ‘no’ vote are close to meaningless as the true figure could easily be 49% or 55%. Also when ‘weighting’ the numbers all sorts of strange things happen. The bias is hidden in the weighting. This means that poor people are underrepresented, as are people who haven’t voted before, getting accurate data on these two groups is difficult. If the voting percentage is high, which it probably will be if the weather is good, pray for that, the ‘yes’ side will romp home and Britain will never be the same again. Here’s hoping and remember to vote ‘YES!’ tomorrow!
“George Square in Glasgow filling up with YES voters”
While the No voters are at work.
…
While the No voters are at work.
That’s corporate serfs for ya.
e-mail From the Crane Report
campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=02449da0-4500-4e3a-b9f8-00927dbdf5a8&c=d3586710-438e-11e3-b903-d4ae52844279&ch=d4422ad0-438e-11e3-b927-d4ae52844279
Humanity vs Insanity : Episode 23
SCOTLAND : An Opportunity for ALL of US?
Tomorrow will hopefully be a double celebration. I celebrate having completed fifty-eight years on this mortal coil and the People of Scotland have an opportunity to extricate themselves from the socio-psychopathic global corporatists and the temple of outrageous and excessive abject materialism. However, it is not going to be an easy ride by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed it may well be a case of jumping from the proverbial ‘Frying Pan into an even more despotic Fire’!
If Alex Salmond and the SNP are serious about keeping the Pound Stirling as the Currency of Scotland, there will be no independence. Likewise if Scotland embraces the Euro, Scotland will rapidly become a vassel state of the Euro-Federalists, who will asset strip the nation in the same way that, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain have been stripped of their entire national wealth and much of their national identity.
To achieve true independence, the People of Scotland might consider asking their elected leaders to embrace the following 12 point mandate for TRUE INDEPENDENCE:
1). Establish an independent Central Bank of Scotland (Free of Rothschild Control).
2). Issue a new Scottish (Debt Free) Currency.
3). Settle any outstanding debt with new Scottish Currency.
4). Take Scotland OUT of the EU.
5). Take Scotland OUT of NATO.
6). Establish strict currency controls for first 3 years of independence.
7). Demand transfer of proportionate UK Gold Reserves to Scotland (keeping them well away from Gordon Brown!)
8). Nationlise the Scottish Oil & Gas Industry.
9). Re-take Control of the NHS
10). New Residency in Scotland linked directly to investment/contribution to Scottish Economy.
11). Establish State Employment Agency to provide work/training for all able-bodied residents.
12). Members of ‘Secret Societies’ to be barred from Public Office.
Once Scotland has taken this massive step away from the socio-psychopathy of the prevailing political arena, the people of England, Wales & Northern Ireland will perhaps be motivated to extricate themselves from the abject economic slavery of the Rothschild controlled ‘Debt Based Economy’ and seek to replace the paedophiliac political elite, who have proven that they are incapable of managing the Country on behalf of the electorate. It is time to remind ALL elected officials that they are duty-bound to uphold their ‘Fudiciary Responsibility’. We live in truly exciting times … and I wish the Scotish people every success in their quest for TRUE INDEPENDENCE.
I trust that Thursday 18th September 2014 will be a memorable day for ALL residents of Scotland, England, Wales & Northern Ireland. A new beginning for everyone perhaps?
… and if I can help in any way … I often dream of being able to embrace a little piece of Scotland! Imagine …. !!
“a minority of mindless idiots”
I’ve seen an egg thrown at a politician and some shouting over a BBC broadcast. Both perfectly legitimate political actions. Maybe I missed the mindless and idiotic stuff you refer to.
Don’t know about ‘third **** from the left’ but I have often wondered how his dentist manages if you see what I mean.
http://i3.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article1165340.ece/alternates/s615/lord-george-robertson-image-1-440646149.jpg
That photo is from a 2012 article headed ‘Lord Robertson: Independent Scotland will need nuclear weapons to get into NATO’. Laughable.
A BNP/Britannica referendum agent favouring Headbutter Together kicked a woman in the stomach, Phil. Maybe that’s what he means?
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/eyewitness-no-campaigner-responsible-for-attack-at-rally.25188810
Didn’t make the BBC, though. Unlike Murphy’s Egg.
“Need another argument? Many of you Scots are descendants of the Norse vikings! Don’t let those bloodsucking parasites of continental descent rule you.”
The Scottish government has been pushing Scotland’s Celtic heritage to the exclusion of their Norse heritage even though in many areas it is far greater.
They have road signs in Gaelic even in areas that were pure Norse, they have Gaelic radio and TV programs not Norse.
I came from the north of England to the north of Scotland, both areas Viking, the place names were the same in both, many of the slang terms used in agriculture were the same and taken from the Norse.
Our Norse heritage is something which unites us, don’t let Salmond make us speak Gaelic.
If you need a laugh. From Medialens Message Board.
‘Walking Eagle
On a recent trip to the United States, Tony Blair, ex-Prime Minister of the UK,
addressed a major gathering of Native American Indians.
He spoke for almost an hour on his plans for a Carbon Trading Tax for the UK and Europe.
At the conclusion of his speech, the crowd presented him with a plaque
inscribed with his new Indian name – Walking Eagle.
A very chuffed Tony then departed in his motorcade, waving to the crowds.
A news reporter later asked one of the Indians how they came to select the new name given to Tony Blair .
They explained that Walking Eagle is the name given to a bird so full of shit that it can no longer fly.’
All pals. http://www.nato.int/pictures/2001/010613/b010613az.jpg
Clinton just came out of the closet saying vote NO.
He and Obama are big on payback.
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/scottish_american.htm
“When the American Revolution broke out, at least in the Scotch-Irish version of the story, the Ulster natives leaped at the opportunity to attack the British crown. “Call this war by whatever name you may. . . ,” observed one Hessian officer, “it is nothing more or less than a Scotch Irish Presbyterian rebellion.” King George allegedly called the conflict “a Presbyterian war,” and another official stated that cousin “America has run off with the Presbyterian parson.” In spite of these comments, the actual Scotch-Irish population was a bit more divided in their loyalties than legend would have it, especially in the South. Still, the Scotch-Irish generally emerged from the Revolution with an enhanced local reputation.
The same could not be said for the Scots proper. Although famed poet Robert Burns once wrote an “Ode for General Washington’s Birthday,” the Scots who had emigrated to Colonial America were seldom convinced by the patriots’ arguments. Many had fought against the Crown only thirty years previously, but when the Revolution broke out, the majority of Scots sided with Great Britain. Of this there is little dispute. In 1776 former Paisley cleric John Witherspoon, then president of the College of New Jersey and a staunch patriot, tried to change this point of view. He gave an address (later printed as a pamphlet) to the “Natives of Scotland residing in America” that noted: “It has given me no little uneasiness to hear the word Scotch used as a term of reproach in the American controversy.”Virginian Thomas Jefferson included a condemnation of “Scotch and other foreign mercenaries” in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, a phrase that Witherspoon discreetly helped remove. However, Jefferson continued to rail at the “Scotch Tories” for over two decades.
Link to GCC Webcam at George Square, Glasgow. Filling up now….
I am full of hope for a YES vote, but I cannot see how this will be allowed to happen. There will be very serious economic repercussions for the rUK & I cannot still believe that such a momentous & historic process as a fully democratic YES vote will be accepted by rUK.
Maybe it’s just the cynic in me, but we have already seen media bias, scaremongering & I reckon there’ll be vote rigging & other nasties to come.
As many have said, I hope that Scotland votes YES & then the rest of the UK is sparked into a political realisation that things don’t have to be the way they are at present (I am a Scot living in NW England).
Cloudy but dry Glasgow and Edinburgh
Same Inverness
Same but light rain 16.00 onwards Aberdeen
Fog and mist early then cloudy and dry Galashiels
etc etc
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2648579
Since our host feels Poland is a metaphor, how about Nicaragua? Fair referendums and elections don’t stop the push-back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandinista_National_Liberation_Front
“While the Sandinistas encouraged grassroots pluralism, they were perhaps less enthusiastic about national elections. They argued that popular support was expressed in the insurrection and that further appeals to popular support would be a waste of scarce resources.[58] International pressure and domestic opposition eventually pressed the government toward a national election.[58] Tomás Borge warned that the elections were a concession, an act of generosity and of political necessity.[59] On the other hand, the Sandinistas had little to fear from the election given the advantages of incumbency and the restrictions on the opposition, and they hoped to discredit the armed efforts to overthrow them.[60]
A broad range of political parties, ranging in political orientation from far-left to far-right, competed for power.[61] Following promulgation of a new populist constitution, Nicaragua held national elections in 1984. Independent electoral observers from around the world—including groups from the UN as well as observers from Western Europe—found that the elections had been fair.[62] Several groups, however, disputed this, including: UNO, a broad coalition of anti-Sandinista activists; COSEP, an organization of business leaders; the Contra group “FDN”, organized by former Somozan-era National Guardsmen; landowners; businessmen; peasant highlanders; and what some claimed as their patron, the U.S. government.[63]