Tony Blair may have zero moral sense, but he has great commercial acumen, and there is no doubt he spotted a gap in the market in proposing his own return to British politics. The gap is for a pro-EU political leader who does not accept the EU referendum result as the end of the debate, and will stand against the horrifying tide of racism, both on the streets and coming from the Tory party, that Brexit has unleashed.
Where Blair is deluded is in thinking that he can have any role to play. If you have not watched The Killings of Tony Blair yet, I urge you to do so. Apart from the damning verdict of even the ultra-Establishment Chilcot Report on the Iraq War, Blair’s record ever since in whoring himself out as PR man to any rich dictator has damned him forever in public opinion.
I should set out my stall from the start and say I remain strongly pro EU. I don’t see a 52/48 vote as definitive or closing off debate. I am indeed happy that Brexit is giving a boost to prospects of Scottish Independence, but it cannot be in Scotland’s long term interests to have an isolated, impoverished and xenophobic large neighbour, so I shall continue to argue that Brexit should not happen.
While Corbyn has taken an admirable stand against popular chauvinism, he plainly has no interest in trying to keep the UK in the EU, which is consistent with his long term scepticism. That is fair enough. But it means that the 48% who voted against leaving the EU, and are generally aghast that government is now moving to draw up lists of foreign workers and to get primary schools to check birth certificates, are feeling unrepresented. Blair and super-Blairite Jonathan Freedland have genuinely identified a political vacuum. Their folly lies in imagining that they and their chums might fill it.
Freedland’s disconnection from reality is nowhere more starkly revealed than in naming Nick Clegg as a “serious asset” in a pro-EU campaign. Outside the delusions of the Westminster bubble, Clegg is nearly hated as much as Blair. Clegg and friends took Charlie Kennedy’s large left wing party, and turned it into a small right wing party. It says a great deal that in considering leadership for a continued pro-EU campaign against xenophobia, the anti-Gay pipsqueak Farron is a complete irrelevance.
What Freedland does not understand is that it was hatred of his political bubble chums which caused Brexit in the first place. The official Remain campaign director was Jack Straw’s son Will. Peter Mandelson was Vice-President. The top-down campaign was devoid of popular enthusiasm with an almost total lack of popular engagement and community events. It continually paraded figures like Blair, Cameron, Osborne, Straw, Clegg, Kinnock and others, which gave ordinary people a chance to give those they rightly despise a political kick in the pants by voting against their will. Brexit has been caused by a justified hatred of the UK political class.
That those who caused the disaster see themselves as the answer to it is laughable. I remain hopeful that the English in particular will recover from the wave of jingoism which appears to have swept over them like a plague. But resistance must be organic and arise from the people themselves. I hope to see the emergence of a new, untainted and dynamic generation of young activists. My generation have bequeathed a terrible legacy.
The production team on Have I Got News For You let Clegg off far too lightly.
Didn’t they just? HIGNFY has zero bite these days. Merton is perpetually woeful and plainly bored and Hislop’s stance against pig-gate last year, which was to simply dismiss it out of hand rather than see the humour inherent in the accusation, was defensively pure establishment and ex Oxford as opposed to the satirist he is supposed to be. Only Kevin Bridges and Roisin Conaty dared to give Clegg a few digs, with Hislop throwing a couple in for good measure to show he’s still capable from time to time.
Hislop has always struck me as an apalling toady.
Trouble with Hislop (and Merton) is he’s been too long in the job. Both jobs in fact, when you consider Private Eye. Ingrams was forced out in the 80s for new blood in the shape of Hislop because they feared the Eye had become toothless after twenty years. Hislop’s been there for thirty or so now, and whilst I enjoy the Eye’s journalism, the humour is tired and third rate these days.
Whatever else you may be, Mr Murray, you are clearly not a democrat. Your disdain for the masses, your contempt for the referendum result, and your call for the UK to stay in the EU at any price, is extremely disappointing.
Should we re-run the referendum until the ‘correct’ result is obtained. Should we tell millions of our fellow citizens that their vote was worthless? That path leads to civil unrest disorder on a scale not seen on this island for centuries.
With each passing day, I am glad I voted to leave, because the reaction of EU supporters has been something to behold. The mask has slipped, their contempt for the leavers and their hatred of the democratic process has been an eye opener.
Appeals to the courts to overturn the result, appeals to parliament to ignore the people…Good God almighty…
illiberalism runs writ through the so called ‘progressives’ like writing in a stick of rock, and yet, they have the nerve to call us leavers fascists!
This is the EU that crushed Greece. This is the EU that created a massive protection racket called the Common Agricultural policy, which also enriches millionaire landowners, this is an EU that pays African dictators money to keep black migrants away from Europe, this is an EU that imposed its own man on Italy as the Prime Minster, this is an EU that helped destabilize the Ukraine…
I could go on and on, but remain in that corrupt racket? Never.
As I’ve said many a time on many a blog, I see little point in winning our freedom from one corrupt racket in Westminster, only to hand it over to another corrupt racket in Brussels…
“Should we re-run the referendum until the correct result is obtained?” Yep. That’s the S.O.P. 🙂
” I am indeed happy that Brexit is giving a boost to prospects of Scottish Independence, but it cannot be in Scotland’s long term interests to have an isolated, impoverished and xenophobic large neighbour, so I shall continue to argue that Brexit should not happen.”
Scotland has one of the lowest immigrant populations in western Europe. At 7% it has almost half the immigrants as England on 13.8% yet it’s England that is called xenophobic.
Every in Scotland is an immigrant or an ancester of an immigrant as Scotland was covered in ice during the ica age.
By immigrant I mean someone not born in Scotland.
You know fine well immigration ISNT a devoved matter.
Scotlands’s population has remained small due to poor economic conditions, mostly brought on by Westminster,and the lies (the McCrone report and the fixed devolution vote of 1979) many Scots had no choice but to emigrate or gravitate to the blackhole of London seeking employment. Some down South see, Scotland as a hunting and fishing lodge, the over privileged chinless wonders, don’t want Scotland’s population to grow.
Independence is the ONLY answer that will allow Scotland’s growth, it must be obtained.
Why not go for another once in a generation referendum, do it now.
“You know fine well immigration ISNT a devoved matter.”
I see, those nasty xenophobes at Westminster are stealing all Scotland’s immigrants are they?
How does it feel to be a vehiment, supporter of blood and soil nationalism?
I bet it makes you feel proud, no doubt you’ll make your way back across the border, after the mass forced exodus.
You are the one supporting nationalism. I’m just wondering why, if Scotland is so welcoming to immigrants, they don’t seem to have too many.
Ask James Brokenshire, and Robert Goodwill.
“You are the one supporting nationalism”
Yes, but I’m only advocating independence.
I was reading about the letter the SNP has been sending out.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/snp-scaremongering-over-post-brexit-letter-to-eu-nationals-1-4176986
Does the SNP have a list of the names and addresses of foreign nationals living in Scotland?
I’ve no idea, but reassuring foreign nationals that they are welcome in Scotland is a good thing, unless of course you’re the Mad Hatter, Adam Tomkins.
I wonder what Tomkins a Tory thinks of Frau May’s xenophobic stance on foreign nationals. I wonder what Tomkins makes of May’s future, expulsion of foreign doctors, or the cataloguing of foreign nationals.
I wonder what Tomkins thinks about Frau May’s intention to force businesses to list foreign workers.
Nobody has suggested expelling foreign doctors and it was Amber Rudd, not Teresa May, who suggested firms declare the percentage, not a catalogue, of foreign workers.
Yet the SNP, a National Socialist party, actually has made a list of the names and addresses of foreign nationals living in Scotland which seems far worse to me than just knowing the percentage.
“Should we re-run the referendum until the ‘correct’ result is obtained”
It would be interesting to rerun the referendum. My guess is that the Leave vote would increase its share. Many people who voted to remain did so reluctantly. Now that we’ve seen that the sky didn’t fall in after all many of those would now be less fearful of following their better judgement. People seem generally happier these days, post-referendum, in my opinion.
My guess, is that the Referendum would be won for Leave with a stunning majority.
Saint Theresa could hardly stand for Remain now could she?
“My guess, is that the Referendum would be won for Leave with a stunning majority”
Do you suppose the leave campaign will roll out the “let’s give £350 million to the NHS instead” line again? Worked a treat last time.
Well its rather early days to say leaving is fine- we’ve had a 19% drop in the value of the pound- I imagine that is going to have a negative impact on people’s lives, its just taking a little while to become apparent. I’d suggest that quite a few people who voted leave on the basis of the outright lies of the leave campaign might, if allowed to vote again, vote to remain.
If people are pulling money out of sterling they’ll be looking to sell property assets. the big US banks that invest in the U.K. housing market through the backing of smaller mortgage providers just saw a return on their investment dwindle thanks to a weakening pound. Credit streams could very well dry up for british mortgage providers which of course will have a knock on effect on the building trade.
Brexiteers like to point to the theory – and it is merely a theory – that British export orders will go up. This may be the case however as my good friend who manages a major electronics supplier in the U.K. Britain just don’t make enough component parts so most are imported from the Us and China meaning they production costs have risen considerably, so much so that he is concerned that turning an acceptable profit per unit will be extremely difficult when place in a global market place.
Just as the 2007 collapse of Lehman brothers took until 2010 to see any significant damage in the economy a major market shock in a major financial centre the ripples and repercussions have yet to make themselves known. But it will be nasty I can’t see a way that it couldn’t be, and the chanceller may find great difficulty in selling bonds at the knock down price he has been to bail out another banking collapse.
But hey we’re British not European so the devestation is worth it.
And before you kippers all jump on me as you’re want to do, may I say that I voted remain not for any love of the EU, in fact I struggled greatly, so concerned about the treatment of Greece was I. However in the end I chose remain simply because the Conservative party is stuff full of incompetent Blairites who haven’t go a bloody clue what they are doing and I do not trust them to be able to handle something as complicated as Brexit.
Ever since June 23rd, this is the message I have been receiving from the so called ‘progressives’ in newspapers, blogs, and social media.
You voted leave, so you’re racist, xenophobic, white, unemployed, ill-educated, you believe anything said in the Murdoch press, and you spend your days off attacking Polish builders…
That’s what progressive politics has been reduced to: That nobody ever did anything until the EU was invented.
Keir Hardie and the early Labour party never fought and struggled for workers rights and trade unions.
Chartists never marched by the million on London for voting rights for working men.
Suffragettes never fought and died for women to have the right to vote.
Nobody on this island ever did anything without the EU holding their hand, and with us out of the EU, we’ll return to being some racist backwater, and children will be working down the mines again…
That is the ‘progressive’ message I hear these days, and quite frankly, it’s an insult to those groups above who struggled for many a year, and only highlights how feeble the Left has become.
No wonder UKIP and Boris Johnson ran rings round them. They’re bloody useless!
“You voted leave, so you’re racist, xenophobic, white, unemployed, ill-educated, you believe anything said in the Murdoch press, and you spend your days off attacking Polish builders…”
In my case…
Voted Leave – yes
Racist – nope
Xenophobic – nope
White – yes (awfully sorry about that)
Unemployed – well, retired if that’s the same (but I keep busy)
Ill-educated – Cambridge degree (but only a BA – I didn’t shell out the £10 for the upgrade to MA)
Believe Murdoch – There seems to have been a slight error here. I DON’T believe anything I see in the Murdoch press (which I don’t read anyway)
Polish builders – I have never actually met a Polish builder, but I think builders in general are the cream of humanity. Polish people I have met have usually been hard-working, kind, polite and generally the salt of the earth (although occasionally a tiny bit over-exuberant for British taste)
Same here, except I’m not retired (yet), and got a BSc rather than a BA.
Whilst I voted Remain personally, I appreciate and sympathise with your comment ‘My Cocaine’ I actually think a lot of progressive journos and bloggers etc are doing the Brexit mob a huge service in just taking the fight to those perceived reasons for voting Leave that you highlight (essentially the ‘you must be racist’ argument) rather than actually challenging the likes of Boris and Gove on the fraudulent claims they made regarding the NHS which was nothing short of a disgusting vote rigging lie.
Whilst I voted Leave, personally, so did almost everyone I know.
Nobody i have spoken to who voted leave has changed their mind, in fact they want Brexit now more than ever, and they want it hard and fast.
Craig- Re the ‘horrifying tide of racism’ on the streets to which you allude, do you have in mind the murder of the Polish man in Harlow ? Reports at the time alleged that he was attacked by a group of teenagers, who took exception to his engaging in a mobile phone conversation in his native tongue- and if this murderous attack was indeed precipitated by the victim identifying himself as a foreigner in this way, it is a murder which must be deplored and condemned in the strongest possible terms.
However, initial press reports of such incidents are often confusing, with contradictory testimony from different witnesses- and the press often seize on the most ‘newsworthy’ snippets of eyewitness testimony and then regurgitate them ad nauseam- regardless of whether they later turn out to be reliable.
It would be instructive, for all those pundits exacerbating the current moral panic about violent racist incidents on our streets, to compare and contrast the reports of the murder in Harlow with what on the face of it appears to have been a very similar murderous incident- this time invoving a Czech citizen, that occurred in east London a few weeks after the Harlow murder-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3803724/City-businessman-chased-street-beaten-death-metal-chain-BMX-teenage-gang-chicken-shop-row.html#ixzz4L4w15VAx
You’ll note here that the Mail report (and all the other reports which I read at the time) made no mention at all of a ‘racist’ motive for this murder- despite the unnerving similarity with the Harlow murder, namely, the eastern European origin of both of the victims, the fact that both murders occurred after ‘altercations’ in the vicinity of fast food outlets, and that the assailants in each case were simply described as ‘teenagers’- with no further descriptions given in both cases.
There was undoubtedly a spike in verbal abuse directed at UK residents of an immigrant background in the immediate aftermath of the referendum- and such incidents must be condemned. However, it is worth highlighting that eastern European immigrants are probably still far more likely to be victims of criminal and anti social behaviour which has lacks an obvious zenonophobic motive, as they are likely to fall foul of racist inspired abuse or physical attack.
BTW Craig I make the assumption I do because, as you are an Edinburgh resident, and thus a resident of the most inclusive and immigrant friendly city in NW Europe, you wouldn’t of course have any direct experience of immigrants being abused on the street within your own earshot, would you ! You have, in other words, arrived at the conclusion that there has been a horrifying increase in racist incidents purely on the basis of press reports about the same.
The Headless European Union ripe for Head choppers
Acting on a tip-off from the domestic intelligence service, police raided an apartment but failed to find the suspect, Jaber al-Bakr, 22, who was born in SYRIA. He remains on the run.
Several hundred grams of explosives were found at the property, they say.
Further evacuations are now necessary, authorities said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37596829
German Chancellor Frau Merkel’s popularity has waned
since her decision to open the borders to millions of refugees and migrants last year, admitting more than a million people, many of them Syrian.
In July, an axe attack on a train near Wuerzburg and a suicide bombing in Ansbach wounded 20 people and were claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS).
The good voters of the United Kingdom do not want to live with Head Choppers, let Germany keep them, not for us, we are casting off.
Indeed, there has been an attack on a Polish shopkeeper where I live that was milked by the media and politicians as a racist attack. The two people now on trial for the attack are a husband and wife with a Hungarian surname who are also on trial for a firearms offence as well. As the saying goes, a lie goes twice around the world before the truth has got its boots on.
“Brexit has been caused by a justified hatred of the UK political class”
Nothing to do with the people of this island wanting to reclaim their sovereignty then?
‘“Brexit has been caused by a justified hatred of the UK political class”
‘Nothing to do with the people of this island wanting to reclaim their sovereignty then?’
Why can’t it be both? In my case, I value sovereignty first. But I do also feel a justified hatred of the entire UK political class. (Which, I hasten to add, I do not see as including people like Craig or Nigel Farage, both of whom seem honest and decent).
It’s not that they see themselves as the answer to it, they see an entire cumulo- nimby, deep cloud, political administration class as totally redundant, starting with Cameron. The EU created vast quantities of political hot air, upon which many hot-air basket cases are hanging. Mrs Thatcher got rid of the miners and we have now got rid of them.
Craig, if you and all the other Bremainers insist Brexit should not happen then none of you have the right to demand democracy again. You cannot say damn democracy today but we might honour it tomorrow. Deny it once and your democratic credentials are all gone.
I think Craig “and the other Bremainers”, like the rest of the establishment, believe only in the “defanged” version of democracy. That is, we the people are allowed to vote every few years, electing representatives from a pool of candidates all of whom belong to the major political parties. Then, as explained by Edmund Burke, the representatives go off and vote as they see fit – not necessarily taking any account of the wishes of their constituents.
This may or may not be a good system in practice. But, apart from its name, it has nothing to do with democracy. Indeed, it was devised very carefully to prevent any risk of democracy.
Hence the hostility to Corbyn?
I fail to see how anyone on the left can support being in the EU it appears to me to be nothing more than a corporate club, with little or no interest in working people. the so called ‘workers rights’ on offer ,once they are challenged in a European court , the companies win every time.
“It’s the economy, stupid!”
The dysfunctional nature of European (i include the UK) economic policy stemming from neoliberalism is leading to the wilful impoverishment of an entire generation of Europeans in a post-financial crisis world. Few understand the complexities of how the macro-economy operates, least of all the mainstream economics profession; however, many perceive that something is terribly wrong. Europeans are searching for an alternative political narrative that will serve their economic needs. Inevitably, they are falling for the vacuous rhetoric of a more extreme politics that apportions the blame for these economic failings elsewhere. Hence the pan-European rise of xenophobia.
Similarly, the UK-Europe referendum was debased by distortions, misrepresentations and omissions leaving the population ill-informed about the true nature of Europe’s ills. It would therefore be a travesty if a new political movement that elevates Europe to the centre of its political manifesto misrepresented or omitted to inform its followers of the current short-comings of the European project and sold the UK back into an unreformed Europe on spurious grounds. Indeed, any such political movement would have to support an overhaul of current European institutions and much deeper political integration that would enable the creation of the institutions, specifically a European treasury, that would allow Europe to function properly and thereby serve the European public purpose. I would support such a movement as long as Blair, Cameron, Osborne, Straw, Clegg and Kinnock were nowhere to be seen!
The EU referendum was deeply flawed because it did not ask whether Brexit should be hard or soft. May has no electoral mandate to take the UK out of the European Single Market, since the referendum made no mention of the ESM and membership of the EU is not essential for membership of the ESM. Yet leaving the ESM is potentially a much more dramatic change than leaving the EU, in terms of the potential harm to the UK’s economy.
A hard Brexit without a referendum on membership of the ESM will be undemocratic.
“the referendum made no mention of the ESM and membership of the EU is not essential for membership of the ESM”
Yes it did. The instance of Norway (member of ESM but not EU) was discussed ad nauseam.
Stuff the ESM and negotiate a new trade deal I say. Britain can produce at least one trump card for additional leverage: all that fish that the EU countries will need to buy.
Referendums don’t have any status in law. A referendum is merely advisory and the government is not compelled to carry out the wishes of the people, as is obviously the case with Brexit.
However, things are now moving so dangerously on the international stage that I wouldn’t like to predict what’s going to happen.
“Referendums don’t have any status in law. A referendum is merely advisory and the government is not compelled to carry out the wishes of the people, as is obviously the case with Brexit.”
Absolutely.
And Blair should be in prison, simple as.
which prison you suggerst?
FAST HARD BREXIT
is what the voters want
stop delaying.
How do you know the voters want a hard Brexit? This is just your interpretation of the result.
During the campaign I came across two campaigners from the official leave campaign. One was a local kipper, the other was an earnest young lady who told me she was a NHS worker who wasn’t interested in Europe and was campaigning to save the NHS. The leaflet she had was headed “Save our NHS” and had the £350m a week claim. I know others who voted Brexit because of this promise.
They were not voting for hard Brexit.
I would say most of us who voted Brexit never gained from it so we’ve no stocks and share prices to worry about. We want out and quickly.
I will never except a Brexit vote that chimed 48-52%, by a voter ship that does not even register that their vote is outside the law, unfair and disproportional. Inept is another word for it.
Not a surprise really having duffed one’s cap to the lord of the Manor since Cromwell. Party politics has managed to genetically imprint its two party establishment lovey system on to society, which is far too polite and busy with other things to bother about the perilous pseudo democratic state they live in.
Everyone I talk to thinks Brexit is wrong and self defeating, its ignores historic ties and past trade, relationships that have developed over hundreds of years, not just decades and our laws are now so entwined, that our learned friends think its easier to accept them into UK law, the only control one is taking back it seems.
D.Davies, Liam Fox and Bojo should be fired for speaking rubbish and for trying to overreach themselves, they will not act for the leavers but for all the scared billionaires that will loose some of their money.
The massive fall of the pound last week, after May’s hard Brexit speech, is just a start, now comes the exodus of expertise and knowledge followed by international companies who want to trade in all of Europe.
I do not think that Mrs. May or her team have the brevity to speak on behalf of their interests, whilst serving the working man as stated.
She’s full of BS. just as the three mentioned above.
ACCEPT BREXIT? NEVER!
“Tony Blair may have zero moral sense, but he has great commercial acumen…”
Odd, isn’t it, how very often those two qualities go together?
“Outside the delusions of the Westminster bubble, Clegg is nearly hated as much as Blair”.
Well, the British are sentimental suckers, and I am sure Clegg would be hated even more if he were thought worthy of it. As it is, I think public sentiment is more or less evenly divided between contempt and pity, leaving less room for hatred than might otherwise be the case. Imagine, if you will, a rat with a broken back.
I’ve just seen Clegg at the Cheltenham literary festival today. The event was a sellout and the queue afterwards for a signed copy of his book stretched out onto the road outside.
Didn’t look that unpopular to me.
Maybe they were just queuing up to tell him to his face what a bastard he was, and how jumping into bed with Cameron had destroyed the Lib-Dem party and put the filthy Tories into an undeserved position to punish the less fortunate in this country.
And then told him where he could shove his self-serving apologia for the damage his miserable dance with the devil had done to the entire country.
Definitely not. There was no abuse.
The atmosphere was very pleasant. Even got a signed copy myself. Junior parties in coalitions always get hammered but the Lib Dems will recover. A good result in Whitney would be a good start.
Why would you want a signed copy of the autobiography of such a traitor?
Clegg campaigned as a progressive, yet enabled the most reactionary hard-right administration in many years – possibly to date – and arguably worse than Thatcher’s. The man is an outright liar, at the very best he let down everyone who admired his stance in the run-up to the election.
The result in all subsequent elections bear out this brief but pertinent analysis. What can there possibly be that you admire about this miserable lackey, unless you’re some stooge of his of course?
Pretending that Clegg was some sort of resistance to the people he opted to put in power has to be the weakest excuse for a politician in living memory.
For those that don’t know, I’ve lived in France for years and am very pro-Europe.
However, I’m a Brexiteer, because the EEC/EU, which was originally created by America, has become totally subservient to America. The EU is one of the most powerful economic blocs on Earth (depending on how you view the figures, it’s the most powerful economic bloc), yet no European leader has got the balls to stand up to America (because European leaders are all bought and paid for by Washington), an America that’s gone completely insane since 9/11, the “new Pearl Harbour”.
Endless wars to feed the military-industrial complex have now led to these complete psychopaths openly provoking Russia into an all out war, all egged-on by the biggest propaganda machine in history (aka the MSM).
How anyone can remain pro-EU under these circumstances beggars belief.
‘How anyone can remain pro-EU under these circumstances beggars belief.”
________
Rob.
Yes there’s plenty wrong with the EU, I agree on that, but in my opinion it’s worth saving. The EU saved Scots fish stocks using legislation, when Scots fishermen brought cod in the North sea to near extinction levels. The EU has given you freedom, to move across the continent, to live work, and raise children. It has given you maternity and paternity rights, the ECHR protects you, and your family, EU funding has helped millions of people throughout Europe, and it does in my opinion more good than harm.
The core principles are there for all to see, but mainly we tend to gravitate to the negative actions, like lobbyist corruption or falling in line with Nato and the USA, on unjust wars.
The modern EU was only founded in 1993, it will take time to hopefully reform it. I think there are more good men and women working in the EU, than there are corrupt individuals, but we very seldom hear about their achievements because, it doesn’t make for good reading in the parochial press of the dis-United Kingdom.
History wise Europe has provided, probably the greatest classical music composers, some fabulous painters, stunning architecture, great minds of science and literature, among a whole host of other fields. The right to live, work and travel across such an engrossing continent, is something the rUK (Scotland and NI aside) shouldn’t throw away lightly.
“The EU has given you freedom, to move across the continent, to live work, and raise children. It has given you maternity and paternity rights, the ECHR protects you, and your family,”
Freedom such as this RoS?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3828511/We-don-t-want-Mayor-leads-hundreds-French-villagers-streets-protest-against-arrival-migrants-Calais-Jungle.html
Those nasty racist French villagers…aren’t you going to get angry about this?
Republicofscotland, I used to think like you, but look at recent events; ie, the three most powerful leaders in Europe: Angela Merkel allowing in huge numbers of refugees into Germany, refugees fleeing American-led wars. François Hollande forcing through neo-con reforms to employment laws. David Cameron allowing a referendum on EU membership (which went badly wrong, because despite ‘project fear Mark II’ he lost).
All three of these leaders, Merkel, Hollande and Cameron, have gone against the best interests of their country, and thus have committed political suicide.
Why would they commit political suicide?
Because these creatures are all bought and paid for by Washington.
Rob.
The immigration crisis was brought on by the EU following the US, into illegal wars, we’ve destroyed their countries, at the very least we should offer them asylum.
You are correct at the heart of the problem, is corruption bought and paid for EU individuals. Does that mean the EU isn’t as a whole worth saving?
Over the years I’ve noticed the French people are capable of organising movements blockades etc. I’m sure that will come again, Hollande might not survive the elections in France, nor for that matter Merkel.
If Europe breaks up into single countries, do you honestly think that the USA wouldn’t hold influence over them? Infact it would be easier to influence a single nation, than a block, as the TTIP deal has shown.
Hollande has got more chance of being the next man on the moon as being president of France again.
Over recent days there’s been more major demonstrations in France (against the new neo-con employment laws). Once again, the MSM are playing the ‘Calais jungle camp’ card (HATE, HATE, HATE), instead of reporting what’s actually going on. I can’t at the moment find any footage of the latest demonstrations, so instead here’s a very brief and dry BBC report on what was a major riot in Paris last month, all tucked away on the back pages…
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37377390
If Europe breaks up into single countries, do you honestly think that the USA wouldn’t hold influence over them?
Kissinger would disagree with you on that point RoS- he was oft quoted as saying ‘If I want to influence Europe- who do I call?’ He clearly thought, and thinks, that having an ‘EU foreign policy’ operated by some overpromoted bureacrat as ‘EU Foreign Minister’ gives the US an easier ride in getting its message heard, and acted upon, over here .
During the 50s and 60s, both before and after signing of the Treaty of Rome, the US strongly supported the ‘European Movement’ in both the UK and mainland W Europe- and of course de Gaulle was wise to these US machinations, hence his double ‘Non’ to the UK in 63 & 67- he didn’t want the Common Market, as it then was, to become an instrument of ‘Atlanticism’- as Kissinger did, and does- along with the rest of the crew down in Foggy Bottom (and also Langley)
After de Gaulle’s demise in Nov 1970 of course the door was open for the ‘Common Market’ to move in an Atlanticist direction-and Heath duly obliged, getting the UK royally shafted by the wily Pompidou on our admission terms in the process; something which at least Thatcher mitigated later on in negotiating the UK rebate.
Europe isn’t in danger of fragmenting completely in the wake of Brexit- that is wishful thinking on the part of some gung-ho sceptics, but it is possible that 2 sets of members , firstly the wealthy Northern Europeans- Netherlands, Denmark,Finland principally, and secondly the Visegrad group of Eastern countries, may make serious efforts to loosen their EU ties as all of these countries (especially those where elections are in the offing- such as the Netherlands) are likely soon to contain a near or actual majority of parliamentarians who won’t want to assist Merkel in her attempts to get ‘burden sharing’ going to deal with the recent massive influx of ‘refugees’ to Germany. (The Visegrad group may however hold back completely on giving Brussels the finger until 2020 , when their EU subsidies, and thus their main raison d’etre for continued EU membership, are likely to be reduced substantially)
On the general point, and to flesh out Kissingers thesis, it is obviously of great assistance to the US if they are able to concentrate their diplomatic guns on pliant, greenhorn EU ‘Foreign Affairs’ commissioners ( eg along the lines of a Baroness Ashton!) and ministers, that to deal individually with each European country, several of whom (Orban’s Hungary springs to mind) would not be anything like as obliging towards the US as ‘consensual’ successful candidates for the EU Foreign Affairs sinecures would be.
What else has Europe given us RoS?
Hitler, Mussolini, Napoleon Bonaparte, The Spanish Inquisition, The persecution of men like Galileo Galilei…..
You have such a one-sided view of everything.
Well Alan, excuse the hell out of me for looking on the optomistic side of things, I guess it’s just not the British way of doing things, is it?
However Frau May’s frightening and cataloguing of non Brits, cannot be classed as a optomistic move, unless of course you see it differently?
“Well Alan, excuse the hell out of me for looking on the optimistic side of things, I guess it’s just not the British way of doing things, is it?”
As you obviously lack the British way of keeping a stiff upper lip and realising most things look better after a nice cup of tea, maybe you should just fade away and class yourself as obsolete?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QYvqDr7kCo
In fact RoS, it seems like you are one of the 5,000,000 British idiots who believe this BS:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/719096/religious-apocalypse-nuclear-war-cause-end-of-world-human-extinction-YouGov-poll
Come on RoS, fess-up 🙂 Own up as an Express reader.
I did vote for Brexit, and I am glad that it happened.
My reason was not for any other than leaving the Europeans immune from the plottings of a near fascist far right UK government that has been in the company of the worst far right nationalist and right wing nuts in EU Parliament.
As it is becoming more and more evident as the days go, xenophobia and racism abound the Tory conference has been putting the crowning turds on their policies; companies submitting the names of the foreign workers they employ, primary school children being asked for their birth certificates, soon at this rate it will be scenes of movies; “Papiere Bitte” in the bus stops and train stations!
The mask of xenophobes and racists whim have governed through hate blaming the foreigners for all the ills befalling this country, has slipped and the ugly face of far right fascism is ever so glaringly evident more as the days go. when will the population start asking; what the fuck did we go to fight Hitler and hand over the planet on a platter to the yanks, when we were sure to follow his brand of politics to the extent that we have?
Blair and his support brigade are totally out of touch and have been manifestly left behind with the speed of the unfolding events, the senile efforts of those lickspittle if not comical is the stuff of tragedians.
I believe you are wrong about the EU. You say the Brexit vote was to give the UK political class a kicking. I think it was to give the entire EU political class a kicking.
The EU has gone badly wrong. It was a good idea, badly executed in the last three decades.
Political leaders must go with grain of human nature to achieve the beneficial result, not seek to run against it….and then blame the material they work with.
The EU must reform….or collapse. I believe it will collapse. Wellington’s mark of a good general was “to know when to retreat, and have the courage to do so…”.
The present EU leaders have neither such wisdom…or such courage. I very much regret that is the case, but it was almost inevitable.
The politicians whose formative experiences were the 30s and the Second World War, and in fact of all classes, had a greater understanding of people than those who came after.
I generally appreciate and agree with your politically analysis, Craig.. but if you think the UK should remain in the EU, I would recommend you read Michael Hudson’s book “Killing the Host”.
I got as far as, ” the horrifying tide of racism,” since this was created by the EU; not only in this country but across Europe. If you don’t see this your analysis is lacking.
Now, Craig, is “Headless” supposed to emote Fear?
Also, does the EU not want to sell into Britain? Buyers of British Products are already getting a near 15% discount, given the present exchange rates. So even if there were a 10% tariff today, British exports ought not to be affected.
The negotiations, like water, will find their own level. Whatever, I don’t need to have my Tesco’s Rhubarb Crumble or my Nivea lotion Made in Germany. So, Europeans could be motivated to invest in Britain. But I still don’t understand how Tesco’s can sell a darned-good Every day value bar of Made in France plain chocolate for 30p! Not that it need have any less taste if it were Made in Britain.
So for the depressed Remainers, I say eat more chocolate and drink less alcohol,it’s healthier.
Finally, Corporate Europe will be fighting Britain’s corner very hard as they don’t want to lose the Great British market. And why would Germany want to make it more difficult to sell their own BMW’s and Benz’s if Britain doesn’t want to import very many Romanians?
I can see beyond the end of my nose, while using my brain and keeping my emotions in check and it really doesn’t look that desperate. In fact, I would seriously be gung-ho and start that Investment Bank that Corbyn is talking about with billions of Pounds pumped into it. I would also start a scheme for young entrepreneurs to, with appropriate checks-and-balances, to get an initial grant to start new businesses and further direct the commercial banks to match it with low-interest loans.
What is required now is more action and less “headless” reaction.
For Heaven’s sake, have we become a country of wimps?
“For Heaven’s sake, have we become a country of wimps?”
You’d think so, listening to some of the dullards here and elsewhere, but it’s good to see how much happier and more confident people seem on the whole. England has become merrie again. It’s amazing how asserting your sovereignty can boost your self-esteem.
MJ.
I beginning to wonder if you’re reading the Express as well? Norton’s already a zombie.
BTW, this for Norton, he’ll salivate like Pavlov’s dog after seeing this.
https://munguin.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/c2a32.jpg?w=739
Anyway MJ, Brexit hasn’t been triggered yet, and already the likes of the Fraser of Allander institutue, forsee (on a hard hard Brexit) the loss of up to 80,000 jobs in Scotland, one wonder how many jobs will be lost in England.
There will be nothing “merry” to sing about for those people who lose their jobs, how will they support their families? Xenophobia doesn’t put food in the stomachs of children.
Craig, for all your flag-waving, I dare you to write a meaningful piece on the economic forecast of a Scotland outside the UK.
Alycone.
There’s already been one, the “White Paper” was a indepth economic forecast produced by the Scottish government in 2014, in the event of Scotland becoming independent.
It makes the British xenophobic governments fag packet scribbles over what to over Brexit, seem like a masterpiece.
Frau May for now hasn’t got a clue what will happen over Brexit, so sees focusing on immigrants, cataloguing them, making them feel unwanted, and alien like. Frau May has even sacked non Brits, involved in the Brexit negotiations giving no reason.
The British government are a nasty ugly xenophobic bunch, who’ll turn England into a parochial narrow minded imperialist empire. The sad thing is those with very little, will have even less under that regime.
LOL RoSie, any change to th oil price by any chance since then.
My challenge to Craig stands regardless of whether or not you choose to rise to the occasion. Btw what functional currence was the 2014 whitewash paper in? Any change to the fx rates since then? You know little about financial stuff don’t you? You would’ve been fired before lunch time if you were in the City and I’m banishing you now Mr Copy-Paste!
PS are you envious of Norton perchance for any reason?
“Btw what functional currence was the 2014 whitewash paper ”
_________
Alcyone.
Well, Sterling at the moment is going through the floor, so that would’ve been a non starter.
As for oil prices, the Chancer of the Exchequer will be hurting far more just now than Scotland, the tax receipts went straight into the treasury coffers.
But no doubt the self appointed world teacher Krishnamurti, would’ve held the answer somewhere in his, if nothing else, prolific book production. One that would’ve given Mills and Boon a run for its money.
Alcyone, what a good idea.
Haggis,
Loganberries,
whiskey,
coal,
oil,
gas,
renewable energy,
shipbuilding,
hunting,
shooting,
fishing,
trees/wood,
lucky heather.
If you go Independent but remain within the European Union, there will have to be a HARD BORDER with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom will order no more ships from Scotland.
We will not be needing your over priced Oil, Gas or Renewable energy. You can keep it.
We will still require Whiskey, Loganberries, Lucky Heather & Salmon.
The border will be the same as that you have to sort out now between the northern and southern bits of Ireland. The Government is telling everyone nothing will change
The government may be saying that in public now, but anything short of EEA membership along Swiss/Iceland lines will necessitate the reintroduction of some border controls between RoI and NI and, if Craig, RoS & Mr MacLean get their wet dream of an independent EU Scotland actualised, the same rules would apply on the reintroduced Anglo Scots border.
http://www.businessforscotland.co.uk/independent-scotland-could-be-aaa-rated-standard-poors/
This might be of interest to you.
I despair of the bigotry in England. I despair of Scotland breaking free of this and being an independent European nation which we once were, For the centre of Enlightenment in the British Isles to be dragged down like this is intolerable.And dispiriting.
,
As I said, eat more chocolate and thank the miracle of Nature for the Joy of it! If your Spirit depends on such laughable, superficial constructs you need to make the marvel of Nature your friend, ever more!
“To sit under a tree
You see, you are not educated to be alone. Do you ever go out for a walk by yourself? It is very important to go out alone, to sit under a tree—not with a book, not with a companion, but by yourself—and observe the falling of a leaf, hear the lapping of the water, the fishermen’s song, watch the flight of a bird, and of your own thoughts as they chase each other across the space of your mind. If you are able to be alone and watch these things, then you will discover extraordinary riches which no government can tax, no human agency can corrupt, and which can never be destroyed.”
J Krishnamurti
Therefore, You are the Centre of Enlightenment, if you can rid of the centre — that’s the paradox of human life!
Yeah John, Scotland once was an independent European nation, Why not tell everyone what happened to change that particular status quo.
Here is a hint: It had to do with Scottish imperialist overreach. No doubt at the time many Scottish people were looking up the location of the Gulf of Darien and describing their fate as intolerable and dispiriting.
Still who cares about Panamanians when we can all shed tears of blood for the fate of the “centre of Enlightenment”
Good to know that a nation ending failure in Panama only has negative connotations for a completely separate country. Also good to know that such a conclusion could only be reached by the application of logic and reason and could not possibly involve bigotry or ignorance.
Well doesn’t just life suck and then you die? Have you ever considered consulting a qualified health-care professional about your problems as opposed to trying to gain sympathy on the internet?
And just look at the buffoons who post on here glorying in their idiocy. Against such deep down dumbness reason can’t prevail. But we must break free of the hate mob somehow.
Pipsqueak?
Majority vote is not definitive?
You’re unnecessarily abusive, as usual.
You’re anti-democratic, as usual.
Why don’t you just admit that you have all the characteristics of the ‘privileged few’?
Whilst I have not yet seen the film, “The Killings of Tony Blair”, I have had to endure the effects since Easter 1999, when I was flying back home with my wife and kids – after no news at all for two weeks – they passed us the newspapers – and we were bombing the hell out of Yugoslavia. I was completely shocked and very upset- cos my Ex’s Family come from Yugoslavia…and they were just so welcoming to me (we nearly got married))
So as not to bore you all, I will make this brief.
Craig Murray – (and his articles here) are being quoted everywhere – all over the internet. He is probably one of the most respected people in the world…but he has not yet made my journalist of the year…(could be in with a chance this year on current form)
Joe Quinn has – he just squeezed in at the last minute in 2009 – for this completely brilliant article.. (and he’s still at it). It was like Northern Ireland were doing really well against England but behind – and in the last 10 minutes minutes George Best is sent on…and they win.
Joe Quinn Sott.net Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:30 UTC
https://www.sott.net/article/200106-The-Underwear-Bomber-Crushing-Freedom-With-Phony-Arab-Terrorism
Joe Quinn Sott.net Thu, 06 Oct 2016 22:58 UTC
https://www.sott.net/article/330357-Russia-Checkmates-US-in-Syria-Expect-More-Terrorism-Not-Nuclear-War
Tony
“I don’t see a 52/48 vote as definitive or closing off debate.
so I shall continue to argue that Brexit should not happen.”
What precedent would that set if Scotland manages to win an independence vote 51/49?
Your view is totally undemocratic and makes you appear to be the same sort of person as “Blair, Cameron, Osborne, Straw, Clegg, Kinnock and others.”
Like it or not, the democratic will of the people must be respected.
[ Mod: Caught in spam-filter ]
—-
At the risk of sounding like the record’s stuck, Brexit ain’t going to happen.
As soon as a government sets-up a ‘committee’ (as they have done for Brexit) you know it’s going to be a complete whitewash.
The Westminster child sex abuse scandal being a case in point.
It’s called The Mayfly, and its not far from the truth.
http://wingsoverscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/img260.jpg
Courtesy of Chris Cairns.
Why not
go for yet another Scottish Referendum, straight away?
Have one every two years until you get the result you are slavering for?
Norton, surely your crystal ball the Express, knows when Scottish independence will happen?
I’m hoping it will occur, before Frau May’s goose stepped xenophobic plans are fulfilled.
Norton, you’d better make sure your papers are in order, by that I don’t mean the piles of Express newspapers, under your bed.
He’s beating the keyboard up again. When will the steam start coming out of his ears? 🙂
I’m hoping it will occur, before Frau May’s goose stepped xenophobic plans are fulfilled.
That ‘hope’ is pure pissing into the wind RoS!
What papers are you meaning RoS.
I recently renewed my lapsed passport and now have one of those new fangled biometric ones.
I recently flew by British Airways from Heathrow to Edinburgh for a family event, now need to show my papers, it is done Biometrically.
Or maybe we can all beat each other up after too many drinkies in Brussels.
Rob.
I’m sure Frau May’s admiration for UKIP, won’t be tainted over a little fist fight, its not uncommon for racist xenophobes, to fall out spectacularly, afterall that’s why the Brexit vote, came about in my opinion.
Blair’s apprentice, Cameron, is 50 tomorrow. Instead of the big bash planned at Chequers, he is making do with a small party at the grandiose home of another one of the Tory donors, a property developer by the name of Tony Gallager who has given the Tories £300k.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3827953/Cameron-celebrates-50th-ultra-exclusive-party-Just-23-guests-invited-Dave-s-low-key-birthday-albeit-26million-country-pile-owned-favourite-Tory-donor.html
The location is the Oxfordshire mansion which Gallagher bought for £24m from Shaun Woodward, a one time Conservative MP who crossed the floor to Labour. Woodward was married to a Sainsbury heiress but his partner now is Luke Redgrave the son of the late Corin Redgrave.
Gallagher has prospered massively during the Cameron era and has risen from No 19 in the Birmingham Post’s 2013 rich list to No 11 last year to No 8 this year.
http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/commercial-property/rich-list-2015-no11—8480301
http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/all-about/tony-gallagher
See the Mail article on the standing of the Cameron May relationship. Once chilly, now icy.
PS Never forgive Clegg for colluding with Cameron in the passing of the Health and Social Act 2012, now destroying OUR NHS.
I knew Corin Redgrave – he was the first person to invite me to dinner after I got sacked by the FCO. How terrible to hear that his son is with that dreadful cad Woodward. I am delighted to say that my children seem more radical than I am.
Sounds a bit homophobic to me, something everyone, especially parents, should learn to live with.
Don’t be ridiculous. I am objecting to him being with a careerist right winger, not to the sex of his partner.
Ridiculous indeed.
Woodward, an alleged careerist right winger, was sacked as a Conservative minister for attempting to allow homosexuality to be taught in school, and resigned from the party, and joined Labour.
And you sound a bit like Clinton about what constitutes sex.
IMHO as soon as somebody starts saying “Don’t be ridiculous” you can lay money on the fact it’s the truth.
He would’ve been a better person had he been to Brockwood Park, don’t you think?
One of the sanest videos you’ll find on the net, all of 25 mins or so:
(1975) J. Krishnamurti at Brockwood Park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPVUKvcfsws
Should be essential viewing for Lifeboaters! 😉
The Wikipedia page for Woodward makes entertaining reading.
Chris Mulliins had him taped and there’s a strange coincidence in that he was Cameron’s predecessor in Witney.
‘In the June 2001 general election, Woodward decided not to contest his Witney seat as a Labour candidate and instead found a safe Labour seat in St Helens South. Chris Mullin wrote with shock of “the awful Shaun Woodward” defecting to Mullin’s own side, calling “the New Labour elite parachuting [Woodward] into a safe seat … one of New Labour’s vilest stitch-ups … made my flesh creep”.[7] His successor in Witney was David Cameron, who subsequently became Prime Minister in 2010.’
BLiar gave him a job as PUS in the DCMS and he went on to become pals with Broon.
‘After the 2005 election, Woodward was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office.
In the May 2006 reshuffle, Tony Blair named Woodward Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport with responsibilities for the digital switchover for TV. On 28 June 2007, in his first cabinet, newly appointed Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed Woodward as the Northern Ireland Secretary, replacing Peter Hain. Woodward chose not to receive a ministerial salary because of his personal wealth. As Northern Ireland Secretary, Woodward reportedly became a close confidant of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. This was largely due to Woodward’s previous first hand experiences of the beleaguered Conservative government of John Major.’
PS I like and admire all of the Redgrave family. They are talented and speak out against injustice. Sadly the Farnham Redgrave theatre, named in honour of Sir Michael, has lain closed for many years, awaiting demolition for a ,massive property development which is highly unpopular with the people.
http://www.farnhamtheatre.co.uk/RedgraveTheatre.html
They are putting up a fight. Now expensive with High Court legal fees. Monstrous.
http://www.farnhamtheatre.co.uk/Documents/Newsletter_48.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Redgrave A litany of his work.
There are some interesting observations on Britain, Brexit and identity in this podcast by an American journalist who worked in Asia for 25 years:
http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-10-06/britains-undergoing-identity-crisis
More pro EU drivel infused with ludicrous racist aspersions and a dripping contempt for democracy.
The EU is as dead as Monty Pythons famous parrot. It was killed by the British – who in an act of munificence toward all of humanity arose from their torpor and slayed the beast.
Sure it writhes in its death throes and spits the last of its venom and seeks to besmirch and smear the honesty and purity of those who voted to kill the beast.
Your problem is not with the imagined racism of the British but with the very real looming catastrophe that is Deutsche Bank and the rising wave of nationalism that is sweeping Europe. Once Trump assumes the role of POTUS there will no longer be the dulcet sounds of “His Masters Voice” instructing y’all as to what to say and what to think, You will have to think for yourselves and you will soon realize that what you think is not what the people think.
For the times they are a changing. Will you provoke the final war just so it provides cover for the vacuity of your thinking?
Loony
I’d just read the article at http://www.pri.org which was linked by Smiling Through when I returned to Craig Murray and you, here.
The link, or association formed in my mind is the imagery of your words here (slayed the beast…) and the reference in the pri article to the flag of St George.
Some years ago I asked myself why the flag of St George is such a powerful symbol of Britishness. My understanding is that George of Lydda was a Palestinian-born soldier who was persecuted and tortured to death for his Christian loyalties by a certain Roman emperor.
So inspired was Constantine by George’s faith, that Constantine and his mother built the first Christian church at the place of his martyrdom/burial.
My point being on the imagery of “slaying the beast” and how this imagery continues to symbolise the “facts” of Empire and human relations through the aeons.
I have long appreciated your measured comments on the fragmenting (as they must) systemic structures.