Standard Life’s Far Right Board needs exposing:
Keith Skeoch, Executive Director of Standard Life, is on the Board of Reform Scotland, the neo-conservative lobby group which wants to abolish the minimum wage, privatize the NHS and pensions, and still further restrict trade unions.
It is difficult for Tories openly to campaign against Scottish Independence as everyone in Scotland hates them, so they do it with their corporate hats on. This is most of the board of Standard Life:
Garry Grimstone, Chairman, “lead non-executive” at the Ministry of Defence, London
Keith Skeoch, Executive Director, right wing political lobbyist
Crawford Gillies, Non Executive Director, Chairman of Control Risk Group, of London, the “security consultancy” of choice for ex MI5 and MI6 officers
Noel Harwerth, non-executive Director, Director of “London First” – [Honestly, I am not making this up]
David Nish – Chief Executive, Member of the “UK Strategy Committee” of “TheCity UK”. “TheCity UK” being a body of the City of London.
John Paynter, non-executive Director, was vice chairman of JP Morgan Cazenove until the 2008 crash
Amazing that lot oppose independence, huh?
Standard Life also threatened to leave at the time of the devolution referendum and gave out No campaign materials to staff. “Leave” of course is a relative concept – the above bunch just pop up from London from time to time to check on how the serfs are doing.
I published this information on 27 February when they last tried to influence the independence debate. Standard Life is again trying today to influence the referendum campaign by a press release claiming it will move key departments to London in the event of independence, enthusiastically amplified by the BBC, Guardian and all the other reactionary media.
Well, here is an opposing press release, from me. If anybody thinks that an Independent Scotland will be a place where major strategic companies can still be controlled by swivel-eyed right wing ideologues, they may get a very nasty shock from the people of Scotland.
“The SNP was the only major party to oppose the Iraq wars and sanctions.”
But the leaders of all three parties were Scottish.
That’s irrelevant to the question I was answering.
Some good ripostes to the Poison Gove on his ‘anti-semitic attacks’ nonsense including one from Gerald Kaufman.
It would help if I gave the link.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/10/antisemitism-and-criticism-of-israel
“For example?”
Use your crystal ball, the one which makes you so certain what Scotland’s future would bring. See which people have been hijacked by which political or theocratic ideal in ten years time or in twenty.
Just seventy years ago Britain was at war with Germany and Japan, who knows what would be happening in another seventy years? People claim to know, people think they know, people are usually wrong.
Do Standard Life operate within Israel. If so the directors might like to read this.
Moving and powerful: Mustafa Barghouti’s speech on the destruction of Gaza
Posted by The Editors on September 11, 2014, 5:51 am
On Tuesday 9th September, Dr Mustafa Barghouti, the Palestinian MP, member of the PLO’s Central Council, and General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, addressed Palestine Solidarity Campaign activists in London.
Dr Barghouti, a medical doctor, was in Gaza during Israel’s latest massacre.
He spoke to a packed hall of 400 people on the day of PSC’s National Lobby of Parliament for Palestine. Activists then went on to meet their MPs and put the case for justice for Palestine and sanctions on Israel.
This is Dr Barghouti’s speech:
– See more at: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/moving-powerful-mustafa-barghoutis-speech-destruction-gaza/
~~~
There were several Jewish names in lists for TheCityUK, especially in the Advisory Council including Lord Brittan! and Lord Levene. I bet there is much financial support going to Israel from that mafia.
http://www.thecityuk.com/about-us/who-we-are/advisory-council/
Wall to wall trolls here now, it is getting difficult to spot the “real” posters from the trolls. I never read, respect or reply to anything the trolls write and suggest everyone now does the same. I do value this blog despite the facile, immature and often foul mouthed offerings of juvenalia from the rent a mob I must glance at as I scroll past. I know Craig is against banning these rude irritations but it is getting to the point that there are more trolls and moles here than real posters.
Why can anyone call the Referendum informed?
I am finding out facts here I have not read anywhere else. All the facts should have been placed before the Scots, especially the volumes of oil and gas already discovered in Scottish land or waters, before considering Independence. Without the facts this Referendum is hamstrung.
GIVE US THE FACTS!
‘There’s not much anyone can tell Grimstone, 63, about privatisations. The former Treasury mandarin masterminded 20 such sales for Margaret Thatcher over seven years during the 1980s when everything from medical technology company Amersham, now part of General Electric, to British Airways was offloaded.
He has travelled a long way from Streatham, the son of a communist carpet layer, whose first job after studying chemistry at Oxford was as David Owen’s private secretary in the Department of Health and Social Security. Grimstone moved to the Treasury just as public spending in the nationalised industries was coming in for scrutiny. Privatisations were just around the corner.
Before the British Telecom float in 1984, which saw 2.4 million people buy shares, the largest public offering had been split between 100,000 investors. Such was BT’s success that Thatcher ordered Grimstone to press on with British Gas before the 1987 election. Five million bought in.
“A programme of privatisations is different to single sales — you can maximise the bandwagon effect, get people interested in buying shares and create demand which creates pricing,” he says.
With the Royal Mail on the blocks — subject to union friction — plus uranium processor Urenco and the two state-backed banks, another programme is taking shape. But a Tell Sid-style retail offering isn’t always preferable, Grimstone says.’
http://www.standard.co.uk/business/markets/tell-sid-could-thatchers-selloff-guru-gerry-grimstone-mount-the-black-horse-bank-8668218.html
21.6.2013.
“Who are [the submarines on the Clyde] protecting Britain from, Fred?”
“From anyone who decided to use unconventional warfare against Britain or one of her allies.
For example?
….. Use your Crystal ball.”
Ain’t got one, don’t need one.
• Switzerland? Austria? Ireland? None of them are members of Nato, none of them have been attacked by anyone who decided to use unconventional warfare’
• Who is more likely to be attacked with unconventional warfare – the UK, Switzerland, Austria, or Ireland? The UK, of course, it’s the one with the most enemies.
Conclusion: To avoid being attacked by unconventional warfare, it is not necessary to spend billions you can’t afford on nuclear weapons. Just stop pissing other people off.
I never read, respect or reply to anything the trolls write and suggest everyone now does the same.
Trolls – indeed anyone – may be blocked for your personal convenience by using Habbabreak, a little script written by an unsung hero, the link to which can be found (‘Habbabreak Options’) at the top of the page. Download the script, define your troll/s and presto! no more asshat misery!
I’m actually encouraged by the troll content, and have noticed that it rises substantially when Scottish independence or Israel’s periodic bombardments of civilians are under discussion. Shows that something being said here is worthy of suppression and disruption by at least one troll with close UK government connections.
Habbabreak Making the unspeakable speechless.
Agreed with Harry about Standard Life’s shareholders. I remember that News Corporation’s shareholders gave that company at very rough ride at their 2011 agm. Same with Barclays a year or so later. Not enough yet, but this is the only democratic control on free enterprise. It is pleasing (and probably ordinary citizens best hope) to see small shareholders challenging the assumed large investor “stitch up” in a PLC.
“Switzerland? Austria? Ireland? None of them are members of Nato, none of them have been attacked by anyone who decided to use unconventional warfare’”
Palestine isn’t in NATO either.
@ Ba’al Zevul “That’s unlikely, right?”
Unlikely is right. I don’t seriously see October 1917 in Russia being repeated in Scotland, nor 1973 in Chile.
However Salmond’s wish to hold on to the pound bothers me, because it raises doubts about the economic viability of an independent Scotland, and IMO the break-up of the UK is liable to be bad for everybody.
The common sense answer about threats to Scotland is it might become of interest to countries who might want to seize its assets… like oil. Inside NATO, they are part of the club, so assets are available. Without NATO they wouldn’t have that protection. What do you think of that, Fred.
Another view of defence is that not every country wants to seize the oil-based assets of other countries, so Scotland’s only threat would be from the leader of NATO itself: “You’re either with us or against us”. Interesting to see what will happen. I think NATO will want to keep Scotland. Of course, Ireland isn’t part of NATO, but it doesn’t seem to be under threat.
Sorry, but here’s Standard Life stepping out of its corporate octopus role – that may be the AGM you’re thinking of, Peacewisher.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/apr/11/bp-pay-row-agm-standard-life
Ironic, considering BP has now joined hands with SL in the corporate independence fearfest.
They’re cacking their pants – hope the suits are expensive.
However Salmond’s wish to hold on to the pound bothers me, because it raises doubts about the economic viability of an independent Scotland, and IMO the break-up of the UK is liable to be bad for everybody.
Does it hell. Jersey has both its own currency and sterling. Doing fine, last I heard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_pound
@Ba’al Zevul “Jersey has its own currency..”
That’s misleading because Jersey has the population of a small city. If the Jersey pound collapsed it wouldn’t cost the UK much to shore it up. Scotland is another matter. I’m not in favour of a currency union with an independent Scotland for this reason – but better for the UK to remain intact anyway.
Didn’t know about that, Ba’al. So if Standard Life were so ethical (maybe their shareholders had a hand with BP vote?), why the sudden volte face? Clearly politically motivated.
No Fred . Palestine is not permitted by the International community to be part of much.But the 3 party leaders who went to Scotlands rescue yesterday support a country that uses unconventional weapons against civilians, civilian infrastructure,kids playing football,schools,hospitals,even old folks homes.If ever a country needed a NATO it would be Palestine.
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/moving-powerful-mustafa-barghoutis-speech-destruction-gaza/
“The common sense answer about threats to Scotland is it might become of interest to countries who might want to seize its assets… like oil. Inside NATO, they are part of the club, so assets are available. Without NATO they wouldn’t have that protection. What do you think of that, Fred.”
I think things have changed a lot in my lifetime, enemies have become friends and friends have become enemies. The wheel is constantly in spin it never stops turning. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and the only certainty is that things won’t stay as they are.
“Palestine isn’t in NATO either.”
If Palestine were in Nato, it wouldn’t do it any good. Nato would look the other way like the UN does. Genocide? What genocide?
I must admit that when I asked you for an example of who the submarines on the Clyde were protecting us from I was hoping you wouldn’t answer “Israel” – they were the only candidates I could think of. However, since the Israeli-controlled USA has the firing codes they still wouldn’t be any defence.
Not for the first time when arguing with you, Fred, I find myself eventually debating the number of angels on a pinhead. I believe I’ve made a strong case that the submarines on the Clyde do us more harm than good. I rest my case. I’ve got a shed to build and the sun’s shining.
Trouble is, Abe, there’s a continuum of arrangements between total subservience and total independence. If that had been at any stage in the current debate been taken into account, I would have personally favoured Crown Dependency status for Scotland (like Jersey, and regardless of the population difference, which is not a major sticking point). This would have given Scotland the administrative and legislative freedom it needs, and would have been flexible enough to allow adaptation of both parties during the transition process.
It’s never been suggested, as far as I know. (Happy to be corrected) And it would not have been a strong seller in Scotland, if only because of the word ‘dependency’. Salmond and his party are committed to independence….so it goes, and if a tenth of the tearful promises made by Conlib and Nulab eminences in the last couple of days have any validity at all, Salmond’s now in a win-win situation. It may even be that, in the event of a ‘no’ vote, the arrangement may be allowed to evolve in the direction of a Jersey-style setup thereafter.
One of the greatest dangers of the forthcoming referendum was always going to be a narrow ‘No’ vote. Now that the leaders (sic) of the three main parties in Westminster are running around like headless chickens, generally doing a Corporal Jones impression and flinging sweeties and bribes about like Willy Wonka on acid, it certainly is. The country, which was already heavily unbalanced by ‘devolution’ will be in an even worse mess. In order to re-balance it, more regional assemblies will have to be created – that’s more politicians with their expense accounts and their poxy little empires to protect and more taxes to pay for it all squeezing what is left of the productive part of the economy. If that’s not bad enough, the “one more heave” brigade will start smacking their gums north of Gretna and it will all be a bigger balls-up than it is now. The best option now is a ‘Yes’ vote with as large a majority as possible.
Having secured that result, those north of the border who want to cheer can cheer (and there will be one or two south of it, I can tell you), those who want to shed a little tear (that’s my camp, by the way) can go somewhere where the girls can’t see them and weep and then, having got that out of the way, we can look on the bright side:-
Firstly this whole pantomime will be over; we’ve wasted more than enough time on it.
Secondly, Northern Ireland; claims that violence was the only way “forward” towards unity were always spurious, but now they will have been demonstrated to have been so before the whole world; good! Anyone who wants to leave can vote for it.
Thirdly, an opportunity like this to rip the whole thing up and start again comes along only once in a few hundred years – especially in a relatively stable country like Britain. It could be the best opportunity we’ve had for a new beginning since the Glorious Revolution. Let’s get on with it.
Firstly we need to know who’s in and who’s out. Anybody who wants to get off the bus with Scotland can do so: quick referenda if necessary, make your minds up folks and, by the same token, any parts of Scotland which look as if they might want to stay can also have a quick referendum and pile in.
Next, a constitutional convention of whoever’s left to decide how we are going to govern ourselves for the foreseeable future. And, since I’m blithering on giving it large with the “everyone’s entitled to my opinion” trip, please allow me to make the following suggestions:
Get Britain out of the E.U., out of N.A.T.O., with no foreign bases on her soil and British troops withdrawn from where they shouldn’t be. None of that has a snowball in hell’s chance of being put on the agenda for a vote while the present lot of nincompoops and homicidal kleptocrats are running the show. They’ll have to go. Vote Monster Raving Loony if you have to, but get rid of ’em.
Encore!
They’ll have to go. Vote Monster Raving Loony if you have to, but get rid of ‘em.
This is getting ridiculous if Scotland goes independent, the cow’s milk will sour, mens’ bits will fall off, and women will go barren, as well as banks migrating (luck Scots, is this some kind of a threat?), and businesses will get and move, and the world will end, and ……..
The free loading carpetbaggers, and their parasitic economy cannot stand the notion of anyone making their own decisions, and getting rid of these free loading leeches, once and for all.
PS. to debate economy with those whom have no idea about the economy is a novel approach. Although there are those whom contend the economist have not a clue, as Russell put it; “we don’t understand mathematics, and any time we are stock we rush to explain it through maths”.
On this 13th anniversary of 9/11 it’s worth thinking ahead to the aftermath of 9/18. Are civil servants in London and in Edinburgh are already being asked to work now on post-referendum contingencies. And, if so, whether the emphasis is equally on the separation negotiations and on making sure that the Flying Devomaxman can fire up and start moving on 19 September.
Worth looking at both the Peter Oborne (whom Craig generally respects as an honest commentator) and Nigel Farage articles in today’s Telegraph; and also Seamus Milne in the Guardian. All raise important issues, but all seem also to argue from at least some questionable assumptions. Much of what is British is so irrespective of political nomenclature – from the weather to universities and the geographical location of the castles of the present (and future, however the vote goes) Queen of Scotland, England and Wales and Northern Ireland – not to forget the Crown Dependencies).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11087292/Scottish-independence-Britain-is-facing-its-greatest-constitutional-crisis-in-300-years.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11087302/Scots-wont-get-independence-from-a-Yes-vote.html
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/11/salmond-scotland-no-escape-tory-britain [The content is neatly summarised in a sideline: “Scots voting yes for social justice won’t get it from a party backed by tax avoiders, hedge funders, privateers – and Murdoch.”]
I don’t share either the utopian or the dystopian visions of what would result for Scotland and for the rest of the UK from a Yes vote. But I would vote Yes if I were convinced that the outcome would be significantly closer to a utopian vision than the status quo. However, there is no one-dimensional scale along which that can be measured. There is the added difficulty that the status quo is itself unstable. Thus, one needs to have an estimate of whether post-No the theoretical Flying Devomaxman displacement would move the status quo in a utopian or dystopian direction. UK politics have become as difficult to compute as quantum mechanics. There is also a European dimension. So the Referendum is a political Large Hadron Collider. Has Alex Salmond found a missing political boson? Will the Higgs/Salmond field, dreamt up in Edinburgh, impart more gravity to the whizzing Yes or No particles? The experiment is in progress. For the present it’s at least clear that both particles are spinning powerfully, in opposite directions.
Grateful for further thoughts from those with the maths and physics that I lack to make confident calculations.”
“Jersey has both its own currency and sterling. Doing fine, last I heard”
Jersey isn’t exactly independent. It is a possession of the Crown. It has a currency union with the UK because that was formally agreed – a notion that seems to flummox Salmond.
The UK is responsible for Jersey’s defence, an arrangement that an independent Scotland might wish to pursue. It would probably be cheaper than having to start from scratch but would still take a big chunk out of oil revenues
George Galloway has been banned from the BBC Scotland televised debate (apparently at the instigation of the SNP). The Women For Independence campaign chimed in on the basis of Galloway being a “rape apologist” for Julian Assange, and say they are going to make a formal complaint against Galloway to BBC Scotland. I guess they’re a radical feminist outfit.
I have always worried that organisations fighting for women’s rights – especially the rights of rape victims to be heard – might potentially be shooting themselves in the foot by using this particular case (Assange’s) as a cause celebre. What happens if evidence eventually emerges that proves – as Galloway puts it – “the women are lying”? With so many feminist writers and organisations taking such a strong stance against Assange, and his supporters like Galloway, prior to him even being questioned let alone charged, the backlash against them if this evidence comes out and it is as Galloway describes will be immense. Feminists will be seen as having conducted a witchhunt of an innocent man based on women making false allegations (it does happen sometimes, we all know that) and the people who will suffer most from that backlash are genuine rape victims trying to report their crimes.
I refer people back to the 25’40″ part of Galloway’s podcast about the Assange extradition, in which he definitively states he has the withheld SMS evidence of “texts between the women and between the women and Julian Assange”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B4I5F05jNg
These feminist orgs really should know better than to try to slander someone like Galloway. He doesn’t make definitive public statements unless he is very very sure of his facts. He whupped the arse of the US Senate when they tried the same thing.
(I’m a ‘Yes’ on #indyref myself, but I’d fight to the death… etc etc… for Galloway’s right to make his case for ‘No’)
Feeling discombobulated by everything to do with the 18th?
Let’s try to imagine the political-economic-media System as an orchestra; each power-centre being an individual musician, each one backing up the other reciprocally in a combined effort to keep the music going. No-one wants to stop, or indeed CAN stop the music, or change the tune, as there is no conductor on the pedestal.
Some musicians -if the tune is stable- might even feel comfortable enough to improvise a little, but they can’t stray too far from the score as the tune would then collapse, so they keep their improvisations to an acceptable minimum. “Don’t swing it!” shout the other musicians, who are trying to be faithfull to the original score.
There are other musicians who would like to play (waiting stage left perhaps) but there is no place for them on the stage, so they form their own small bands & strike up other tunes. This results in the Main Act having to increase the tempo and volume of its performance, anything and everything to keep the tune going & the audience enthralled. This pressure begins to affect the musicians one by one, resulting in a progressively disharmonious performance, which every now and again returns to the main theme of the score.
Phrase by musical phrase, the audience becomes increasingly restless. The musicians sense this, and not wanting the conductor to arrive (and replace the score with something new) they pull themselves together in a concerted, virtuoso performance; the aim being to rouse the audience once more with a grand return to the main theme, and keep the music playing.
An audience is a delicate thing; it can be by turns fickle, contradictory, anarchistic & conformist. It might concentrate its ears on the voice of the violin, or be listening to the barely perceptible ‘jam’ happening backstage.
On most occasions -as the conductor approaches from the wings- the orchestra is overcome with a kind of ‘collective panic’ & tries to convince the audience that the music they are listening to is in fact another song completely, on most occasions the audience is convinced by the performance. They are, after all, consumate musicians.
In very rare circumstances it is all to no avail; the conductor still walks onto the stage, taps his baton & calls the orchestra to turn to a new page. At once, the music is transformed, some musicians are replaced and the process begins all over again.
orkneylad
I enjoyed the metaphor but I’m still slightly discombobulated …. who’s the conductor?
Meanwhile, is Blair about to arrive in Edinburgh and deliver a racing certainty to the Yes campaign? Sadly no. He’s in Malaysia, spinning globalism. He gives the (usually well paid, standard) sermon tomorrow.
http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2014/09/11/17203471/Tony.Blair.Kunjungi.Rumah.Dinas.Jokowi.di.Menteng
Shame.