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.
Republicofscotland @ 3.51 pm. An excellent litany of false promises to which others will I hope provide additions (and perhaps amendments if the commitment had some attached small print). Can anyone provide a source for “Will work to eliminate nuclear weapons” (updated Trident)?
Here’s a good article about language and politics:
http://www.newleftproject.org/index.php/site/article_comments/remaking_scotland
” Can anyone provide a source for “Will work to eliminate nuclear weapons” (updated Trident)?”
Is this what you’re looking for?
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/09/standard-life-far-right-board/#comment-478605
Republicofscotland @ 3.51 pm. An excellent litany of false promises
————
Thanks Ian I’m sure if we had a mind to dig a wee bit deeper we’d find many more broken Westminster government promises, any incoming Westminster government should have the disclaimer, “We promise to break any promise, we made before we came to power.”
The giant Behemoth, that is the media has swung into action over the last 48 hours, to counter the possibility of Scottish independence. Sky news and BBC news in particular have been pushing, the unionist agenda, coupled with the press,and several banks,and financial services, it all seems well, a bit staged.
A panic charge towards Scotland by just about every, Westminster MP, is a sign that the government are indeed desperate to hold onto Scotland, not because they care about its people, god forbid, no its a plain and simple case of retaining assets and taxes,and Scottish cannon fodder for up and coming illegal wars around the world.
If you could compare Scotland to Reeva Steencamp, and Oscar Pistorious, to Westminster,then you would no doubt find the latter guilty of their crimes, alas Westminster and Pistorious could yet prevail.
@Iain Orr,
Things seem pretty conflicted here, middleclass & farmers mainly NO, working class mainly YES. The Libdems only just held their seat at the last election, going to be tight I reckon.
Here we have Glasgow city centre overflowing with newly arrived Westminster Labour politician.
It seem the Empire has sent a whole battalion of Stormtroopers, with Darth Vader arriving on Monday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiMXuEmqAHA
Hey there! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone!
Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your
posts! Keep up the fantastic work!
For thirty years “independent Scotland will not joing NATO”
In 2012 the SNP decide that Scotland will join NATO
2006 “We will re-regulate Scotland’s buses”
2007 Promise quietly dropped from manifesto; and we’re all convinced it had nothing to do with Graham Souter’s £500,000 donation.
2007 “We will free Scottish banks from Westminster’s gold plated regulation”
2009 “An independent Scotland could’ve tightened banking regulations”
I’m sure there are plenty more.
That giant in politics, (well in his own mind) Gordon Brown,and habitual prevaricator,on any subject that advances his position in life, has hit a stumbling block. His hefty tome,”My Scotland our Britain” can now be bought with 75% off,why anyone would buy his book at all is a wonder to me.
Brown also wrote a book about the great James Maxton the Scottish socialist politician, and leader of the Independent Labour party.
Unfortunately none of Maxton’s ethics have rubbed off on Brown, a man who’s completely morally bankrupt.
————————
http://munguinsrepublic.blogspot.co.uk/
RepublicOfHolocaustDeniers
“and the Royal arse licker Nicholas Witchell”
_____________________
Well, I always thought he was the BBC’s Royal correspondent, but if you say he’s an arselicker then of course an arselicker he must be.
Just like the Holocaust never happened because you told us so.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“there’s no end to the stream (sic)nonentities making their way to Scotland”
_______________________
How patronising. After all, who are you? Are you an entity?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the way, I’m surprised you have to gall to show your face on this blog after your Holocaust-denying comments (which got two entire threads deleted). Sheer chutzpah!
RepublicOfFakeSentiments
“Boris Johnson, a Bullingdon Boys club member, has as much in common with the people of Scotland as the residents of Beverly Hill California, have with the starving kids of Ethiopia.”
_____________________
Ah yes, the starving kids of Ethiopia – just like the massacred kids of the Congo and Sudan, about whom neither you, nor Mary, nor any of the other faux jetons on here have EVER posted (while at the same time wailing about “Man’s inhumanity to man….11-year-old boy dies from Gaza war injuries” (cf Mary at 15h39).
You are a fucking hypocrite as well as a Holocaust denier.
Medialens has acquired a Scottish Referendum Bitter Together troll by the name of ‘Illuminati’.
•Alex Salmond spanks Nick Robinson – Tony S Today, 4:11 pm ◦Re: Alex Salmond spanks Nick Robinson in full – Tony S Today, 4:20 pm ◾Re: Alex Salmond spanks Nick Robinson in full – Illuminati Today, 5:57 pm
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http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/thread/1410448287.html
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This is interesting from the Grauniad’s Live coverage：
10.11am BST
Carney accused of ‘scaremongering’Comments by the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, that a currency union between an independent Scotland and the remainder of the UK would be incompatible with sovereignty have been described by a prominent Irish economist as “scaremongering”.
In a blog post today, David McWilliams writes:
Mark Carney claimed yesterday that a currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK would be at odds with sovereignty.
This is simply scaremongering. After all, an independent Ireland had a perfectly functioning currency union with the UK from 1922 to 1979. It lasted 57 years and was only broken when we decided to hitch our wagon to Germany.
This is also interesting:
As for the EU – a friend of mine in the EU told me they have the new Treaties in a drawer marked Scotland. All this about the Spanish veto is scaremongering, too.
There’s one country that should be worried however, he adds, Ireland.
An independent Scotland will play the Irish card all over the world in terms of investment.
With sterling as its currency, it will probably be more flexible than us in the Euro – and when England leaves the EU then Edinburgh as an investment location for all those fleeing American banks could look a much more attractive alternative to Dublin.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/scottish-independence-blog/live/2014/sep/11/scottish-independence-referendum-alex-salmond-holds-press-conference-live
The UK establishment are spouting nonsense. Scotland, say YES!
Fred you asked if I have been to Sutherland. Yes twice and its lovely. Also been invited a few times for shooting but have not gone as I don’t feel like killing for sport, spot of wild fowling is okay if justified. Not sure though why you ask. Are you from Sutherland?
Habbabkuk 6:04pm – you hit the nail on the head there mate.
I particularly enjoyed this from Mary earlier:
“Do Standard Life operate within Israel. If so the directors might like to read this.”
So obsessed about Israel she finds the most tenuous of excuses to get it in to a post about Scottish independence.
But shoehorning Israel into every thread is clearly not enough for Mary, so she starts on her other major obsession, the Jooooz:
“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.”
Poor Mary. All these posts on Scots independence won’t allow her much of a Jew angle, but she deserves credit for the effort.
A good piece of Agitprop in Glasgow following behind the NuLabour contingent up from London. That took some doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiMXuEmqAHA
and here’s Limmy
Weekly Wipe – Limmy! – Scottish Independence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuyVlWbcfgQ&app=desktop
Any 9/11 deniers here? BTIM, is everyone on-board with the 9/11 commission? How about JFK conspiracy deniers, you know, folks who believe in magic bullets and lone-shooter scenarios?
“Benefits” to middle England of independent Scotland:
1) Conservatives in power for a considerable period
2) Conservatives in long term power assists in and ehm “restructuring” of welfare state in England & Wales
3) Immediate saving on public sector wage bill for Scotland
4) Part of former UK remains in EU whilst another part leaves (assumes Scotland in England out) (further assumes old model of remote control and influence of a former colony)
5) Scotland reduces taxes in competition with Eire justifying tax reductions in England and even Russian style flat tax in England
6) Extension of devolved power to regions of UK resulting in reduced central government subsidies for poorer regions of England and Wales as devolved poorer areas given “freedom” to tax themselves if they feel like continuing with welfare etc.
So head says be suspicious stay together and keep the union.
Heart says independence is exciting and if offered the challenge how can Scots say they are not up to it.
???
Ref http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/09/standard-life-far-right-board/comment-page-2/#comment-478634
I think we know enough about Lord Brittan to be going on with. This is the all powerful Lord Levene.
The Lord Levene of Portsoken KBE
Name Peter Levene
Party/group Crossbench
Joined the Lords 22 July 1997.
Contact details
House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
Tel: 020 7398 5087
peter.levene at starrcompanies.com .
Biography
UK Parliament
Committee House
Date Personal Service Companies Lords 2013-14
National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) Lords 2013-
Economic Affairs Committee (L) Lords 2008-13
Professional life
Job title Organisation Date
Chair Starr Underwriting Ltd 2012-
Chairman Lloyd’s 2002-11
Chairman General Dynamics UK 2001-
Chairman Canary Wharf Ltd 1993-96
Chairman United Scientific Holdings plc 1968-85
Public life Post Organisation Date
Chairman Ministry of Defence Reform Group 2010-
Adviser Prime Minister on Efficiency and Effectiveness 1992-97
Chairman Docklands Light Railway 1991-94
Chief of Defence Procurement MOD 1985-91
Member’s focus
Policy
Business, industry and consumers
Defence
Economy and finance
International affairs
Transport
UK
London
Scotland
World
China
Europe
Middle East
South East Asia
USA
Register of Interests
1: Directorships
Chairman, General Dynamics UK Limited
Director, Haymarket Group Ltd (publishing)
Director, Eurotunnel SA
Vice Chairman, Starr International Co Inc
Director, China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Limited
Chairman, Tikehau Investments Ltd
4: Shareholdings (b)
Barclays plc
Apple Computers
Colgate (personal care)
BP
British Gas
Shell Petroleum
Scottish & Southern Energy
GlaxoSmithKline (pharmaceuticals)
Tesco
Goldman Sachs (investment banking)
Total SA (petroleum, France)
Televisa Mexico (cable tv)
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc (consumer goods)
Research in Motion (mobile phones)
Deutsche Bank
Suncorp (petroleum, Canada)
10: Non-financial interests (b)
Governor, City of London School
10: Non-financial interests (c)
Chairman, Bevis Marks Synagogue Trust
Ben – Tower 7 somewhat difficult to avoid thinking about at times.
https://news.vice.com/article/campaign-mounts-to-declassify-911-reports-references-to-alleged-saudi-involvement
“The 28 pages make up part four of the report, a section titled “Finding, Discussion and Narrative Regarding Certain Sensitive National Security Matters.” They are widely believed to implicate Saudi officials or describe support from Saudi intelligence for the hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi citizens.
“On the one hand, it is possible that these kinds of connections could suggest, as indicated in a CIA memorandum, ‘incontrovertible evidence that there is support for these terrorists [—————————],’ ” states an introductory note in the section. “On the other hand, it is also possible that further investigation of these allegations could reveal legitimate, and innocent, explanations for these associations.”
Former Senator Bob Graham of Florida, who co-chaired the joint Senate-House investigation, dispensed with the equivocation and told VICE News that the redactions are a “cover up.”
“I’ve said this since the first classification of the 28 pages,” he remarked. “It’s become more and more inexplicable as to why two administrations have denied the American people information that would help them better understand what happened on 9/11.”
Why are they so protective of the House of Sod?
Fool; WTC 7 is an honest engineer’s nightmare. It’s too easy to piffle denialism. But the Bush/Saudi love affair is easy to unmask with those 28 pages. Someone here suggested Saudi’s not DIRECTLY funding Isis, because so many independent outliers exist we can’t hold them personally responsible. They have their dirty fingers in most of these pies
That pathetic excuse of man, (no not Habb though he fits the bill as well) David Cameron, not content going around the known universe with cap in hand begging, every country to intervene, on his behalf to thwart Scottish independence, has pled with every supermarket boss to side with him on the independence debate.
Like Oliver Twist Cameron, keeps asking for more from big business, in a pathetic attempt to instill fear and uncertainty in voters. Unfortunately for Cameron only ASDA has mentioned, a possible rise in prices, with other supermarkets chastising the beleagured and bewildered Westminster prime Minister.
This is getting ridiculous. Here we have the spectacle of Asda CEO trying to scare tje horses ..
“Here’s the key quote from the Asda CEO Andy Clarke about the impact of Scottish independence on its operations. I posted the text earlier in a tweet, but some of you may have found that hard to read.
If we were no longer to operate in one state with one market and – broadly – one set of rules, our business model would inevitably become more complex. We would have to reflect our cost to operate here.
This is not an argument for or against independence, it is simply an honest recognition of the costs that change could bring. For us the customer is always right and this important decision is in their hands.”
FFS, Asda is still a wholly owned subsidiary of America’s Walmart!!
In 2009, Walmart ‘sold’ Asda for £6.9 billion to their Leeds-based investment subsidiary Corinth Services Limited.[17] The deal, which took place in August, was described as part of a “group restructuring” and means Asda remains under the control of Walmart, since Corinth are themselves a subsidiary of Walmart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asda
The No mob are a couple of slices short of a sandwich, off their supermarket trolley,Scotland, just say YES!
Such is the desperation of the Westminster parties, that a 100 more politicians will set foot in Scotland on Monday, those acolytes who can’t make it to Scotland to spread fear and loathing, must have a good excuse for not doing so.
Of course (Friends of Israel) Ed Miliband is already in Scotland spewing his deceitful rhetoric, and a sob story about his parents hard up bringing (pass the Andrex) Miliband was in Glasgow with Alistair (The worst treasurer this century) Darling, and at least 50 stormtroopers, redeployed by the Empire, to paint a picture of support.
Sorry, forgot the link for that latest bit of agitprop from the unionists:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/scottish-independence-blog/live/2014/sep/11/scottish-independence-referendum-alex-salmond-holds-press-conference-live
@6:45
LOS ANGELES: Saudi consulate official Fahad al-Thumairy allegedly arranged for an advance team to receive two of the Saudi hijackers — Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi — as they arrived at LAX in 2000. One of the advance men, Omar al-Bayoumi, a suspected Saudi intelligence agent, left the LA consulate and met the hijackers at a local restaurant. (Bayoumi left the United States two months before the attacks, while Thumairy was deported back to Saudi Arabia after 9/11.)
SAN DIEGO: Bayoumi and another suspected Saudi agent, Osama Bassnan, set up essentially a forward operating base in San Diego for the hijackers after leaving LA. They were provided rooms, rent and phones, as well as private meetings with an American al Qaeda cleric who would later become notorious, Anwar al-Awlaki, at a Saudi-funded mosque he ran in a nearby suburb. They were also feted at a welcoming party. (Bassnan also fled the United States just before the attacks.)
WASHINGTON: Then-Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar and his wife sent checks totaling some $130,000 to Bassnan while he was handling the hijackers. Though the Bandars claim the checks were “welfare” for Bassnan’s supposedly ill wife, the money nonetheless made its way into the hijackers’ hands.
Other al Qaeda funding was traced back to Bandar and his embassy — so much so that by 2004 Riggs Bank of Washington had dropped the Saudis as a client.
The next year, as a number of embassy employees popped up in terror probes, Riyadh recalled Bandar.
“Our investigations contributed to the ambassador’s departure,” an investigator who worked with the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Washington told me, though Bandar says he left for “personal reasons.”
FALLS CHURCH, VA.: In 2001, Awlaki and the San Diego hijackers turned up together again — this time at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, a Pentagon-area mosque built with funds from the Saudi Embassy. Awlaki was recruited 3,000 miles away to head the mosque. As its imam, Awlaki helped the hijackers, who showed up at his doorstep as if on cue. He tasked a handler to help them acquire apartments and IDs before they attacked the Pentagon.
Awlaki worked closely with the Saudi Embassy. He lectured at a Saudi Islamic think tank in Merrifield, Va., chaired by Bandar. Saudi travel itinerary documents I’ve obtained show he also served as the official imam on Saudi Embassy-sponsored trips to Mecca and tours of Saudi holy sites.
Most suspiciously, though, Awlaki fled the United States on a Saudi jet about a year after 9/11.
As I first reported in my book, “Infiltration,” quoting from classified US documents, the Saudi-sponsored cleric was briefly detained at JFK before being released into the custody of a “Saudi representative.” A federal warrant for Awlaki’s arrest had mysteriously been withdrawn the previous day. A US drone killed Awlaki in Yemen in 2011.
HERNDON, VA.: On the eve of the attacks, top Saudi government official Saleh Hussayen checked into the same Marriott Residence Inn near Dulles Airport as three of the Saudi hijackers who targeted the Pentagon. Hussayen had left a nearby hotel to move into the hijackers’ hotel. Did he meet with them? The FBI never found out. They let him go after he “feigned a seizure,” one agent recalled. (Hussayen’s name doesn’t appear in the separate 9/11 Commission Report, which clears the Saudis.)
SARASOTA, FLA.: 9/11 ringleader Mohamed Atta and other hijackers visited a home owned by Esam Ghazzawi, a Saudi adviser to the nephew of King Fahd. FBI agents investigating the connection in 2002 found that visitor logs for the gated community and photos of license tags matched vehicles driven by the hijackers. Just two weeks before the 9/11 attacks, the Saudi luxury home was abandoned. Three cars, including a new Chrysler PT Cruiser, were left in the driveway. Inside, opulent furniture was untouched.
http://nypost.com/2013/12/15/inside-the-saudi-911-coverup/
The April 4 document is significant for three reasons: (1) it demonstrates that the authorities are aware of the Saudi link, (2) it demonstrates that the FBI previously lied when it declared that its inquiries in the matter found no links to the terrorists or the plot, (3) it has the FBI asserting that no more disclosures should be made in order to protect “national security.”
The FBI’s practice of finding evidence tied to Saudi Arabia, then denying it had such evidence, then reluctantly admitting that it did (but only as a way of blocking still more disclosure) is telling. The apparent willingness of the FBI to brazenly lie and then reverse itself—seemingly with no consequences—is now beginning to look like standard operating procedure.
– See more at: http://whowhatwhy.com/2014/07/20/classic-who-fbi-knew-about-saudi-911-hijacker-ties-but-lied-to-protect-national-security/#sthash.Nq5xJ6XD.dpuf
Asda’s parent company Walmart and how they exploit their workers.
eg
Global Sweatshop Wage Slavery
Feb 25, 2010 … Impressive as they are, however, they’re no match against agribusiness giants or companies like Wal-Mart, a ruthless exploiter of worker rights.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/02/global-sweatshop-wage-slavery/
Walmart Fails As Wehrmacht
Aug 26, 2011 … Walmart can boast that it has more than 8500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names, that it is the largest employer in the United …
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/08/walmart-fails-as-wehrmacht/
Pages more here
http://dissidentvoice.org/search/?cx=004699754223191941067%3Adjkep-0myaa&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=walmart&sa=Search