You would never guess it from the media but Lord Ashcroft’s latest major polling effort strips bare the entire lie about a Tory and Unionist bandwagon rolling in Scotland.
You would never guess it from Lord Ashcroft’s Tory agenda-driven report of the findings either. This tendentious nonsense ignores Scotland completely – indeed I do not think he even mentions the nation’s existence. No paid media journalist would ever dream of reading more than the executive summary of the report, and certainly would never comb through the data tables, which contain the actual information on which the report is just a gloss.
But the data tables break down the sample by “region”, of which Scotland is one, and thus give us a very great deal of information. The Ashcroft polls have a 10,000 sample and the Scottish sub-samples of over 900 are more than used for many standard Scotland only polls.
So here are the highlights:
It is indeed true that Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is more popular than Nicola Sturgeon – but only in England.
Contrary to constant media propaganda, Nicola Sturgeon rates over 12% higher than Ruth Davidson. Invited to rate their performance from 0 to 100, Scottish voters gave Nicola Sturgeon a mean rating of 52.91% (Table 47) and Ruth Davidson 40.52% (Table 48). Despite Davidson being proclaimed by the media as the new Jim Murphy/Jesus Christ, including constant lying claims that she is the more popular.
But Ruth Davidson is very much more popular than Nicola Sturgeon – with the English. In every region of England, Davidson is widely preferred to Sturgeon.
There is no Tory Revival in Scotland.
Asked whether they would consider voting Conservative at the next Westminster election, on a scale of likelihood from 0 to 100, 65% of Scots voters answered 0-10 “there is no chance I would vote Conservative” compared to only 10% who answered 91 to 100 “I will definitely vote Conservative”. (Table 8)
The mean Tory score in Scotland on this scale was 23.84. This was narrowly behind Labour. (Table 9) Typically Ashcroft’s poll does not even ask about the SNP. But note this methodology gives a mean result that is higher than a party’s actual percentage vote: totaling the party mean scores for England gives you more than 100%. So Tory support in Scotland is running below 23.8% and below Labour.
Again this is completely contrary to the media propaganda that has been blasted constantly across Scotland.
Tory Britain is Totally Alien to Scots.
In answer to the question “Do you think Britain is on the right track, or heading in the wrong direction” Scots stated by a resounding 67% to 33% (excluding don’t knows) that Britain is heading in the wrong direction.
This compares to a clear majority in England that Britain is heading in the right direction. (Table 15).
Again contrary to constant media propaganda, Scots are much less obsessed than the English with controlling immigration. Only 28% of Scots named controlling immigration as one of the top three political issues, significantly lower than any region of England. (Table 19) A tiny 4% of Scots think immigration is the most important issue (Table 20).
But more revealing still is the ability to discern continued Scottish support for more left wing approaches to the economy. Here Ashcroft accidentally does us a favour by his exclusion of the SNP from the question.
Asked who would “have the best approach to growing the economy and creating jobs”, and not given a chance to answer SNP, Scots favour Labour over the Tories by a conclusive 46% to 36%. This compares to an equally strong preference for the Tories across England. (Table 25). Interestingly an extraordinary 15% of Scots plumped for the Lib Dems, presumably in reaction to no SNP choice being offered.
Again this is a devastating disproof of the media narrative that Scots have swallowed Torynomics. The Scottish preference for Labour over the Tories shows up in later tables on schools, the NHS, the environment etc.
Tory Scotland is a Myth the Media are Trying to Propagandise into Reality
As we gear up for the next referendum, I am cheered that the poll clears up the difference between empirical observation of the Scottish public and the picture portrayed by the media.
The media are lying.
The Blairite leadership of Scottish Labour betrayed their party by close collaboration with the Tories in Indyref1. As a result the party is in meltdown – but there is still a strong public sympathy for what might be described as real Labour values. This mantle has been taken up by the SNP.
But because the Scottish Labour Party as an organisation is a laughing stock, and because the Tories are highly hubristic and have convinced themselves of their own propaganda about their popularity, in Indyref2 we will face an open clash between Independence and Toryism. The Tories will no longer be lightly disguised behind Gordon Brown. Hard-faced anti-devolution unionism and City of London economics will be shoved down voters’ throats.
I have no doubt at all we will win this battle and finally achieve national independence again. If Ashcroft has the honesty to look at the message hidden in the unused data of his own poll results, the Tories realise it too. Which may explain their aversion to a referendum.
Applicants for nursing courses down 23% in England. Just down 2% in Scotland. The explanation. The Scottish Government has retained the NHS Bursary unlike the Tory privatising privateers.
KRISHNAMURTI FOUNDATION TRUST LTD
Certainly a money spinner.
£5m in the bank !
£2.06m income and £1.97m expenditure.
Does this blog charge for advertising btw?
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends65/0000312865_AC_20160731_E_C.pdf
May’s Easter speech about “shared values” is her equivalent of Thatcher’s St. Francis of Assisi speech. Equal in hypocrisy.
Erdogan declares victory in the Turkish referendum and so overcomes the reactionary Nazi and Fascist remnants in Germany and Holland that sought to impede his forward march to absolute power.
A great victory for all liberals and progressives everywhere. Turkey is now freed from the shackles of its western imperial masters and is now free to return to its Ottoman roots where it can celebrate historic cultural achievements such as the Armenian genocide.
Sadly I have an incomplete grasp of history and just hope that bevin can explain to me how the Armenians were really killed by the Mississippi branch of the KKK.
Looney.
If Erdoğan consolidates the publics vote in Turkey, then he’ll strengthen his position.
In my opinion Turkey will then move away from being a democracy. Erdoğan already has control over the media and the army.
The Gülen coup, if indeed it was sponsored by him and the US (could just as easily have been Erdoğan) has given Erdoğan an opportunity to remove his opponents, the vote could create a autocrat, and severely impinge on liberalism in Turkey.
Syria recognizes the genocide perpetration by The Turks.
Not just Armenians but almost all Christians.
Even “Saint” Shimon Peter himself was from Syria, The Golan.
https://www.channel4.com/news/shocking-footage-of-syria-evacuees-attack
at 2.50 in you can see The White Helmets.
I smell a RAT.
This has the tell tale signs of trying to blame ASSAD
and bring in Regime Change
Btw Loony, this is the K video I referred to in my reply earlier this afternoon:
On guilt and its relation to the ego
Published on 15 Apr 2017
Ojai 1985 – Question #1 from Question and Answer Meeting #1
‘Can you explore further into the mechanism of guilt and its relation to the ego?’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7-xfpF1rxQ
For the Easter Bunnies:
Putin Addressing G-A-S Attack Using Logic & Facts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBCNilLOoO8
An Easter offer:
I have £100 which says that “President” Assad Jnr will be gone by the end of this year**.
Would anyone like to stake £100 on the proposition that I am wrong and that he will still be the boss man in Syria on 1st January 2018?
If so, I propose the same practical arrangements as I once proposed to “Professor” Herbie before he got cold feet, ie, the stakes deposited with Craig, who will guarantee anonymity and actual payment, etc…).
Let’s have some walking the walk!
________________________
** not, unfortunately, in the way tin-pot Arab despots usually depart but never mind, stlll good riddance to bad rubbish.
So Mr. Habbabkuk
would you be able to tell us in your own words, why you thin President Assad should be regime changed?
Michael.
You’re wasting your time, he’s toying with us on Assad. Habb is a conspiraloon on Assad, making wild idle assumptions, without a shred of evidence.
Of course if Habb wants to repair his damaged credibility in here, he could quite easily explain how Assad will be removed, and by whom, since he appears to know the particulars.
I advise you and others to just ignore Habb’s mischievous jests over Assad. ?
Habbs, I think you haven’t squared this with your own political position. 🙂
I would expect that most of the sane commenters on this blog would hold that the powers-that-be in America want to remove the legitimate leader of Syria, illegally, as part of an imperialist strategy, using the media to propagate lies about the Syrian government, while funding all sorts of nasty sarin-toting terrorist groups to do their dirty work for them.
Given that assessment, and recognising that America is by far the richest and most powerful military nation on the planet, no commenter will want to bet on the survival of the Syrian government (GDP just above the Dominican Republic and Ethiopia) in this contest.
So as I imagine that you yourself utterly refute those sane commenters I mentioned, you’ll be wanting to bet that President Assad *will* remain in power until democratically removed by his own people.
I hope this helps.
Well said.
How many abuses of human rights does a leader of a country need to undertake before they cease to use legitimacy as a leader – or does a UN Security Council veto represent a get out of jail free ticket? Discuss.
When the Assad’s were occupying part of Lebanon and blowing up its elected Prime Minister was that an imperialist strategy? Was Mr Price taking to the barriers to complain? We need to know.
Habbabkuk,
Is there any human decency within your body, I mean, its Easter Sunday and your comments are a disgrace to Christians globally – as a Methodist I find your comment illustrates just how demented and nasty you are. Further, the head choppers don’t protect Christians, Assad as a secularist does though, which means you are asking persons to gamble on Easter Sunday to encourage head choppers to kill us – how Christian and caring!
How do you reconcile your Methodism to your desire to nuke ISIS – which I daresay would kill a few Syrian Christians as collateral damage. Habbs might be nasty but I don’t think he is quite that nasty.
Of course when Christians were supporting the Arab Spring against Assad they were just fair game and this blog’s Christians were silent.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/2884/assad-slaughtering-syrian-christians
We could of course talk about how Assad’s allies in Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard treat Christians – but let’s not.
“William Blum
Overthrowing other people’s governments: The Master List.” https://williamblum.org/essays/read/overthrowing-other-peoples-governments-the-master-list
” but let’s not.”
Tehran has a functioning Christian cathedral and guaranteed (albeit second class) rights for christians and other ” peoples of the book”. Most of what I have read on Syria indicates pretty solid unity among the non-Sunni population. On Hezbollah, worth reading William Dalrymple’s book “from the Holy Mountain”: Lebanese confessional politics are more complex than you seem to allow.
I should be very surprised if Assad is not the President of Syria, next year. But their are many variables involved, not, quite, the least of which is what the Syrian electorate wants. Then there is the consideration that the job is not one that he will probably care to have once he has done his duty, saved his country from the scourges of wahhabism and America and brought peace back to his people.
As to the temptation of making money from Habbabkuk’s mistakes, the truth is that he is almost invariably mistaken in his prognoses. The blame however does not lie entirely with him but in the sources of his ideas-The Telegraph and Guardian , for example, the Jerusalem Post and, most of all, asking himself “What would Tony Blair do?
What would be challenging, and of interest to readers, is an explanation of why the eminent troll feels that Assad. And something a bit more profound than “‘Cause The Donald doesn’t like him” would be welcome.
Correction:
“What would be challenging, and of interest to readers, is an explanation of why the eminent troll feels that Assad will be gone by the New Year. And something a bit more profound than “Because The Donald doesn’t like him” would be welcome.”
This is more surreal than Dali
British MPs want to strip Assad’s wife of U.K. citizenship
https://www.rt.com/uk/384957-assad-wife-uk-citizenship/
The British-born wife of Syrian President Bashar Assad may have her citizenship revoked due to a social media post in which she accused western countries of lying about the use of chemical weapons by her husband.
British MPs have put forward a suggestion to deprive Asma Assad – who hails from west London – of her British citizenship, after one of her social media posts that blamed western media of lying and propaganda stirred too much controversy, according to the Sunday Times.
“The time has come where we go after [President] Assad in every which way, including people like Mrs. Assad, who is very much part of the propaganda machine that is committing war crimes,” Nadhim Zahawi, a Conservative MP on the Commons foreign affairs committee, told the newspaper.
The Lib Dems are planning to file a letter to the Home Office officially stating their request to consider the matter.
“If Asma continues defending the Assad regime’s murderous actions, the onus will be on the UK Government to deprive her of her citizenship,” the letter seen by The Telegraph says.
The party is also reportedly pushing for a debate considering Asma Assad’s citizenship next week in the House of Commons.
The question was raised after Assad’s wife posted a photo accompanied by text which came in response to the US missile strike on a Syrian airfield. The attack killed 14 people, including 9 civilians.
I do hope the mods don’t straight away remove this piece, yes it is copy and past
but it is essential reading.
You’re not too bright are you Michael, I told you about Asama at 12.48pm today, and what was your reply to me?
You said.
“Asma al-Assad,
is a Citoyen of The United Kingdom,
therefore she will, after Hard Brexit, be is the same position as any Scot.
She has the automatic right to live in any part of the United Kingdom, including Gibraltar.”
Stick to cut-n-paste over Scottish SNPBAD stories, it’s definitely your forte, if you have one that is. ?
Actually, Gibraltar is not part of the United Kingdom. If it were, then it would be covered automatically by any U.K./EU deal. The point is that Gibraltarians want to be British in every sense, except actually being part of the the UK, especially for tax purposes
It was Nadhim Zahawi who was involved in dodgy oil deals.Maybe he should have his
citizenship removed.He is a disgrace.
According to various stories on the Internet and social Medias and the BBC’s Jiyar Gol reports, Nadhim Zahawi, a British-nationalized Jewish Iraqi and a member of the UK Parliament has been accused of playing a pivotal role in ISIL terrorists’ black market oil business.
Reports say ISIL controls nearly a dozen oil fields in northern Iraq as well as Syria’s Raqqa province.
Born in Iraq to Kurdish parents, the Tory MP is believed to have significant influence in the region.
Known as millionaire MP, Zahawi owns shares in Genel Energy, another Kurdish oil explorer. Reports say Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, has been buying crude at a very low price (between $12to $30 per barrel) from ISIL terrorists and transporting it to Israel and European markets through Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea.
http://awdnews.com/political/uk-mp-nadhim-zahawi-behind-isil-oil-trade
Regulars here will know that I largely stay out of Scottish affairs (because I’m no expert on them), and say good luck to Scots who want to be independent.
I will point out, yet again, though, that with a totally ignorant and cowboy President threatening all and sundry, no one quite knows what The Donald is going to do next.
There’s every danger of a first strike by the Russians and Chinese. You lot up in Scotland are a prime target, because of Faslane.
As far as I’m aware, the SNP have said zilch about this, about something that threatens the very survival of the nation of Scotland.
Rob.G
Glasgow Scotland’s largest city, is less than 30 miles away from Faslane, a strike point for any nuclear weapons. A hit on Faslane would be disastrous for Glasgow.
Scotland would definitely be on the radar of any nuclear nation that could hit it.
As for the SNP and Trident, defence is a reserved matter to Westminster, though a majority of Scots oppose nukes in Scotland, only Scottish independence will see those WMD’s removed.
Westminster are so blasé, in Scotland regarding nukes, that the MoD openly transports nuclear warheads through major cities in truck, it’s sheer recklessness. There have a few near misses involving those trucks over the years.
But it’s only Scotland, Westminster wouldn’t be particularly upset at the loss of Glasgow, Stirling or Edinburgh, or a odd million or so people in the process.
I have to add that Westminster, almost detonated a nuclear bomb in the village of Skipsea Yorkshire, in 1953, partly due to it convenient position for access to a RAF base at Hull.
They had already tested a nuke at Monte Bello island, however that was a undersea test and a land test was required.
They eventually opted for Maralinger in South Australia, detonating several nukes on land.
Glad to get a little rain today, but his coming week will see frost return for a last bite at the spring cherry. My neighbours bees are going full out for Norfolk rape and its encouraging to see them drink water, enmasse, from our birdbath. The sparrows are somewhat miffed that the bees have taken over their waters, just when they need to get rid of bugs, hosts in their plumage, to carry on sitting on those eggs.
I have provided another bath and am looking at the alarming rate of exhausted bees that are drowning in my bird bath.
enjoy a cold week to come.
For those with the leisure to read it and the critical self confidence to dare to visit a Trotskyist website there is an important reminder of why it was that we used to worry about the prospect of nuclear war.
this is an excerpt:
“…The US and Russia each have about 1,000 strategic nuclear weapons of at least 100 kilotons, all ready to launch within two to 15 minutes. Since it takes about nine minutes for a missile from a US submarine to hit Moscow, this means that the Russian government could retaliate. And these are only the missiles that are on a hair trigger alert.
“The US and Russia have 3,500 deployed and operational strategic nuclear weapons (each with a minimum explosive power of 100,000 tons of TNT) that they can detonate within an hour. They have another 4,600 nuclear weapons in reserve, ready for use. There are about 300 cities in the US and about 200 cities in Russia with populations greater than 100,000 people. Given how many nuclear weapons there are, it’s a large chance that most large cities would be hit.
“Probably 30 percent of US and Russian populations would be killed in the first hour. A few weeks after the attack, radioactive fallout would kill another 50 percent or more….”
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/04/15/nucl-a15.html
Yes, the weather is lovely. And Spring is wonderful. And may there be many happy returns.
“The US and Russia have 3,500 deployed and operational strategic nuclear weapons (each with a minimum explosive power of 100,000 tons of TNT) that they can detonate within an hour.”
Don’t worry they’re all pointing at Glasgow.
A Tory candidate has been forced to apologise over Facebook comments in which he referred to
Nicola Sturgeon as a ‘poison dwarf’.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/tory-candidate-apologises-for-calling-nicola-sturgeon-a-poison-dwarf-1-4421311
Not very politically correct, Ian James, who is standing in the Strathtay ward of Perth and Kinross Council
should be ashamed of his schoolboy humour
or he could give up politics and become a stand up joker.
It must have caused outrage in the Dwarf community. Stick this in the PC bin please.
Don’t worry they’re all pointing at Glasgow.
Yes, if only there was some way that Scotland could appear less of a strategic target in the event of nuclear war.
At least they aren’t pointing at Russia, the Mother of all Fears.
I’m so glad Hillary isn’t fomenting war in 6 or 8 latitudes. Trump’s da Man.
I had a swarm of bees arrive in my garden yesterday afternoon. I am waiting for one of the many local beekeepers to come for them. Absolutely fascinating to watch them.
Sharp Ears
April 15, 2017 at 17:19
” Excellent news here.
Neil Clark has started legal proceedings against Oliver Kamm and The Times
Following a large donation Neil has reached his target and posted this today:
‘Thank you to everyone who has helped me reach my target of £10,000 to enable me to start legal action against my obsessed stalker and his complicit employers. etc ”
I followed the link to the sordid details about Oliver Kamm’s persecution of Neil Clarke. Immediately you read it, it becomes obvious that Kamm is backed up by a whole office of GCHQ trolls whose job is to monitor and defeat counter-information to the government’s neo-con agenda.
This weekend we have been wound up to the limit about Kim Jong Un. The North Korean leader is western educated at UK public schools and university and represents no threat whatsoever to us sitting at home enjoying the bank holiday rain. Yes he has a business to run, the foolish worship of visible wealth and power by his loyal citizens. Our government does the same , and our Tridents do the same. Our City of London is an accounting system by which vast sums of wealth are created for our worship, really on a much vaster scale than North Korea’s population. This vast wealth dropping down from our Tory masters gives us a glowing feel-good which makes us vote for them.
Let me give you an example from my own witness. I am working for a students housing association, which excels in management bullshit about caring for students ‘ needs, What is actually provided for them for social care is a Bargain Booze shop a Tesco and other students . Like the Australian joke. One farmer invites his distant neighbour to a party, ‘plenty of booze, sex and music’. When he gets there the neighbour finds nothing but a cd player and beer. ‘What about the sex? he asks. ‘There’s me and you’ is the answer.
So the care costs, nothing, just 2 staff on duty 24.7, cleaners, managers and administration.. What about the upkeep? Obviously council tax and electricity bills cost something. The building is 15 years old so it was built to the now obsolete 16th edition of the BS 7671 Electrical Installation Regulations. There are only a handful of safety tripping RCDs in the whole building. What about the electric boilers, ovens , extractor units, lighting? Every room generates £6000.00 per annum and the cost of replacement of worn out equipment is £95.00 per annum plus the cost of the maintenance team, i.e. me.
By accounting rules the company could write off all the working electrical equipment 100% every 2 years because it is in use full-time. But it all gets replaced in reality only every 20 years If the cost of the kit per flat is £5000.00 the accounting cost for depreciation over 20 years is £50,000.00 while the actual cost including labour is about £15,000.00. By this means, just by occupying the building and underspending on the contractual duty of care to maintain the building properly the holding corporation can buy a brand new building.
This is corporate Thatcherism. It’s your system, so I hope you love it and cherish it because corporate Thatcherism will cost your childrens’ lives one day very soon.
A glimpse into the economic/financial/political structure around Trump:
POLITICS | Sun Apr 16, 2017 | 3:45pm EDT
Wall Street banker Cohn moving Trump toward moderate policies
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-cohn-idUSKBN17I0RD
You *have* to see this photo:
“After the massacre of shiite refugee families in Syria yesterday let’s recall the Western media’s original CIA backed “moderate rebel”
https://twitter.com/JulianAssange/status/853743095372009472/photo/1
Jim Stone was right. That man on the left of the page is not Julian Assange. It’s a looks-a-bit-like Julian Assange. He has been replaced by a stooge. Do they think we’re idiots? It makes you wonder how sinister things have become and how sinister is it going to get.
There wouldn’t be anything to stop an imposter using an authentic photo of Assange..
What’s that mean? Surely you’re not saying because they could have faked it with a photo but didn’t that must mean it really is Julian Assange? Take another look at it. That’s a doppelganger and they’re trying to get us used to his face, same as they did with the phony bin Ladens. They’re passing off another man as Julian Assange, an extremely sinister development.
Alcyone
April 16, 2017 at 09:19
People come here to try to portray how especially compassionate they are, to vow support to ‘social justice’, declare there unstinting commitment to human rights and defend free speech.
Troll trash, but they still try it.
ISIS launches 2nd chemical attack in Mosul in 2 days, injures 6 Iraqi soldiers
https://www.rt.com/news/384995-isis-chemical-gas-attack-mosul/
This is the second time in as much days that IS terrorists have used chemical weapons in an effort to stop government troops’ advance on the old city.
I think we should question, why advisers persuaded The Donald to fire 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian Airbase, a couple of days after the chemical incident in Idlib Province.
It was so quick.
How could The Donald be so sure President Assad was responsible.
It is almost as if the warhawks were looking for any pretext to ramp things up, as the war was being won by Syria-Russia-Lebanon-Iran
Of Note: Iraq informs Syria of the goings on of Islamic State and gives the Syrians coordinates for targeting I.S.
Lebanon-Syria-Iraq-Iran-Russia & states of the former U.S.S.R. are interested in collaborating with hydrocarbon pipelines, from The Caspian to The Mediterranean.
Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E. Qatar, Kuwait & America are not quite so keen on this future,
they see a different future.
The western press managed to hide a recent US-led airstrike in Syria in which a chemical weapons dump was hit and gas released which reportedly killed hundreds. This is exactly what Syria claimed happened the week before and for which Trump illegally bombed it.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/228108
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-gas-idUSKBN17F18D
The Independent has pulled the story and surprisingly so has Sputnik.
Well Erdoğan did manage to strengthen his position, by creating a presidential executive, he now has the powers of the Turkish prime minister, to add to his, Turkey could be on the road to a autocracy?
Meanwhile Marine Le Pen’s campaign office suffered an arson attack, could she have taken a leaf out of Hitler’s book over the Reichstag fire?
Mark Rutte, moved into his right wing opponents field (temporarily) and stole the vote. Politicians need to add strings to their bows to win campaigns, maybe Le Pen has learned that lesson, to France’s detriment, hopefully not.
Have Police Scotland
found the £200000000
they lost yet?
Norton.
You’re like a broken record, yet you’re to stupid to see that England and Wales are on a slippy slope, with regards to policing as well.
“Police and Crime Commissioners in iEngland and Wales have said in their analysis of possible budget reductions for the next five years.”
“By 2020 police staffing levels could reduce to approximately 100,000 – the lowest level since the mid-1970s, and a further reduction of 17% since CSR10”
“The funding shortfall could be approximately £400 million in the first year and increasing up to as high as £1.2 billion by 2020.”
http://www.apccs.police.uk/press_release/budget-cuts-will-radically-change-policing/
The EU boosted his confidence by bribing him to hold the refugees. Let’s hope he floods them into the EU so they can escape his tyranny. Abandon hope all ye who enter here.
Apologies for linking to Daily Mail.
A British Attorney General has stepped in to try and prevent Tony Blair from prosecution, over events in the Iraq war.
“Attorney General Jeremy Wright has formally asked for the bid to prosecute Mr Blair to be rejected.”
“The private case is being brought by General Abdul-Wahid Shannan ar-Ribat, former chief of staff of the Iraqi army.”
The General also wants to see Jack Straw Foreign secretary at the time, and Lord Goldsmith the Attorney General at the time of the Iraq invasion, tried in a British court.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4416852/Attorney-General-court-block-Tony-Blair-prosecution.html
Jeremy Wright MP for Kenilworth , home of Coventry University. Mmmm. If he didn’t block Blair’s prosecution, it would pave the way for putting Cameron, Hague, Boris Johnson and of course himself in the dock for the same thing. Smart move.
There are suggestions that David Davis, was coerced by the “Hard Brexit Right” over exiting the EU. Davis was once in favour of the Single Market.
“Currently 44 per cent of the UK’s exports – £220bn out of £510bn – go to the EU which are currently tariff-free.”
44% that’s a huge chunk of trade, a no deal would be a utter catastrophe for HMS Brexitania. Leaving the EU will be a complete and utter disaster.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-david-davis-eu-single-market-customs-union-chuka-umunna-hard-right-a7685846.html
RoS. Shhh! Why can’t you just admire the pathos and artistic beauty of the dance steps of the nasty party.
Philistine! It’s supposed to be like that. Mrs May has it all choreographed and planned.
So the claim is that US cyber warfare successfully inflitrated and destablised North Korea’s latest missile test, causing it to fail within minutes. Well that’s the claim by Malcolm Rifkind, a one time UK Foreign secretary.
http://www.thenational.scot/news/15228002.Trump_silent_on_claims_that_US_sabotaged_missile_test/?ref=mr&lp=3
Thanks to Edward Snowden, we know that US cyber warfare is capable of damaging and even permanently halting programmes, that the US, finds, a possible threat.
The destruction of Iran’s centrifuges, seriously damaged their nuclear programme, is a prime example, using a notorious virus called Stutnex. Which was later modified by the Israeli’s, and caused extensive disruption around the globe. Putting fire in the hands of a child, inevitably ends up with disasterous consequences.
What can be done to North Korean missiles can also be done to U.S. missiles. I wonder if that’s why so many of the 59 cruise missiles didn’t hit their targets.
I would have thought that this hacking technology was one that should be kept secret and held in reserve until it can do something that really matters, like during an actual shooting war. Well, we Yanks already made that kind of mistake with Stuxnet.
As a rule of thumb, if Malcolm Rifkind says something, believe the opposite.
Boris keep chatter nonsense, what wrong with this man?
Russia could join US-led coalition with ‘prospect of more productive relations with President Trump’ – Boris Johnson
https://twitter.com/RTUKnews/status/853628103662481408
What’s wrong with him? He can’t get his nob into reverse.
Jeremy Corbyn has reported Labour MP Neil Coyle to the Party Chief Whip for allegedly harassing him with aggressive e-mails. It just gets worse. Next conference they should sing about keeping the Red Rag flying seeing as they keep provoking each other so much.
The other lot have just treated us to hard brexit propaganda dressed up as a Christian message.
Let Us Pray May would have us believing that Jesus would have thrown the EU Commissioners out of the temple.
Scotland can do much better without either lot of these no users.
We’ve all marvelled at those youtubes showing foreign legislators riot in session throwing punches and chairs like pro wrestling.
I want to see blood, real lacerations, in Congress.
Not much chance of fighting in the House of Commons though. The SNP MPs are too civilised and the Tories and Labour MPs too much in cahoots.
Heh. That’s the way of old Congress as well, but times change.
“Duels in Picadilly Circus at 11”
It would be quite a popular spectator sport.
N. Korean leader writes to Assad, condemns US missile strike on Syria
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un condemned the US on Monday for its recent missile strike on Syria, in a message sent to Syrian President Bashar Assad, North Korean media reported. The message celebrating the 71st anniversary of Syria’s independence from France, cited by the Korean Central News Agency, said Kim took the occasion to lambast the US for its “reckless act of invasion” on Syria. Kim also expressed “strong support and solidarity to the achievement of justice held by the Syrian government and people,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports.
from Russia Today
Well said , our Kim!
Meanwhile the humanitarians in the EU, Nato, US, MSM approve the war-crimes, what a disgraceful world we live in.
This short and simple article by Mike Whitney explains the essential background to the sad story of North Korea and its long persecution by the US and the jackals that accompany it on its bloody adventures.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/04/17/the-problem-is-washington-not-north-korea/
North Korea’s poverty and militarism are the direct results of US policy. As Whitney argues no country on earth needs nuclear weapons more than North Korea.
” North Korea’s poverty and militarism are the direct results of US policy. ”
No they’re the choice of a little tin pot dictator and his descendants. There’s no chance of the US attacking North Korea whilst it has China as an ally, other countries have borne the brunt of US displeasure without resorting to the same level of oppression and posturing or spending millions on undeliverable nuclear weapons whilst the population starves.
The Korean War should have seen the same kind of protests and expose in the US that the Vietnam War did, but McCarthyism was so dominant in the 1950s and the left were intimidated.
The fig leaf of it being a UN sponsored police action was fake as the US completely dominated the early years of the United Nations.
All this allowed one of the most vicious and criminal wars ever launched by a democratic nation. It has all been airbrushed out of western public awareness. People think napalm was first used by the US in Vietnam but as Bevin’s link shows was used in huge quantities on civilians in Korea.
Still nevermind. Hawkeye and BJ will raise some money in a poker game to send some poor Korean kid to the States before dastardly Frank Burns can stop them in the next hilarious repeat of MASH.
Good link Bevin.
It would appear the only way to avoid the murderous eye of the Great Satan, is to obtain nukes.
If Russia and China were to give every nation on earth half a dozen nukes each, the Great Satan would have nowhere to invade next.
The world’s armed forces would be in a permanent Mexican Stand-off. ?
Just a thought.
” If Russia and China were to give every nation on earth half a dozen nukes each, the Great Satan would have nowhere to invade next. ”
Elsewhere you’ve been claiming that the presence of nuclear weapons in Scotland makes Scotland a target and that you wanted rid of them.
Please make your mind up.
Kempe.
Oh please give me a break, it’s just a quirky thought, as if it has a hope in hell of coming to fruition.
I still want to see nukes out of Scotland.
You establishment type wooden tops sure do suffer from a lack irony.
More simplistic garbage.
It is no wonder that Trotskyites are cossetted and tolerated by the powerful – they provide such useful cover.
Check out AQ Khan – his activities explain how the DPRK ever came into possession of nuclear weapons technology. Check out the fact that the Dutch had Khan until the US ordered them to stand down. Ask why. and try and draw some conclusions about the EU.
Check out Switzerland – land of cuckoo clocks, chocolate, good schools (including those that educated Kim Jong Un) and ABB. Recall that between 1990 and 2001 one Donald Rumsfeld sat on the board of ABB. It is during the period of Rumsfeld’s association with ABB that they won a contract for the design of North Korean nuclear reactors together with the provision of key components.
Bill Clinton smoothed the way for both Mr. Rumsfeld and ABB by striking a deal the DPRK such that if they dismantled their heavy water reactors then they would be supplied with both oil and new and better light water reactors. The type of reactors described by a reactionary, sexist, racist, xenophobic Senator as “nuclear bomb factories” Remember the pejorative description is very important as it serves to distract attention away from the fact that North Korea was armed by Bill Clinton.
Donald Trump is unstable and unpredictable – and Bill Clinton was….?
Kempe
Classic neocon meme. Sure NK could be condemned for alot, however they havent started wars after wars compared to the US and their right to defend itself should be supported full on in this grave situation.
“other countries have borne the brunt of US displeasure without resorting to the same level of oppression and posturing or spending millions on undeliverable nuclear weapons whilst the population starves.”
You clearly dont understand that they do that because of an obvious threat, have you missed that US have sanctioned NK since the 50s? Invaded them? Impoverished them? Threatened them? Put their fleet outside their nation? Have just attacked Syria and got away with it? Do the math!
“And why are they developing nuclear weapons altogether? I mean, the economy is in bad shape. They could certainly use the resources. Everyone understands that it’s a deterrent. And they have a proposal, actually. There’s a proposal on the table. China and North Korea proposed that North Korea should terminate its further development of nuclear weapons. In return, the United States should stop carrying out threatening military maneuvers with South Korea right on its border. Not an unreasonable proposal. It’s simply dismissed.”
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/4/extraordinarily_dangerous_chomsky_on_how_trumps
Kempe usually makes points worth dealing with. But the notion that “There’s no chance of the US attacking North Korea whilst it has China as an ally,…” is clearly wrong.
North Korea has been kept under military and economic pressure for decades- there are tens of thousands of US troops, nuclear armed planes, missiles etc on its borders. There is also the South Korean Army, founded and armed by the US as well as numerous US bases within range of the country. All this is intended to starve the place into submission, a policy which is characteristic of US strategy and includes (and did include in Korea) using biological agents to kill livestock by spreading swine, cattle and poultry diseases.
The idea is that first you make it impossible for the country to escape poverty-brought about by war- then, when the people are starving, you point to their plight as ‘proof’ that ‘socialism’ doesn’t work. Venezuela is being accorded a similar treatment, as was Chile, to soften the population up for the coup.
The Kims, about whom I know much less than wankers who believe any nonsense the BBC comes up with, are descended from the commander of an army which fought Japanese imperial forces, in Manchuria and China, as well as Korea for more than a decade, while America’s allies in the South fought alongside the Japanese in a war of a ruthlessness and cruelty comparable with that waged by the Germans on the eastern front.
They fought for independence, they fought on the same side as the UK and their right to be independent, rather than a satellite of the US Empire, is one that, perhaps only the very old people in Britain can understand.
Craig seems to be at odds with Julian Assange.
As he tweets:
Craig Murray@CraigMurrayOrg Apr 11
Greatly honoured to be the guest speaker at the Gala* Dinner in Doha this coming weekend of the annual Al Jazeera Forum on the Arab World.
Julian observes:
Julian Assange @JulianAssange 22h22 hours ago
Are some babies more beautiful than others?
See https://twitter.com/JulianAssange/status/853688377849384961
and
Future of Syria: Ethnic cleansing turns into genocide as over 108 shiites (including 68 children) are massacred http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKBN17H04Y
————
I am a little worried about Craig getting all excited about AJ, but I shall wait and see till one hears his talk.
*can’t stand this word ‘gala’ except perhaps for children in a village setting in which case it’s fine. Else it has such a cheap, classless sound to it. I mean what’s the difference between a dinner and a gala dinner? Talking about politics and conflict for God’s sake. But I don’t want to detract from the key messages above.
And then there’s this from Craig:
“My speech to Al Jazeera Gala Dinner. I said next time they invite me to Doha, I will travel on a Scottish passport. Arab audience cheers!”
But really what a lot to get a cheer from. I fear he may be losing the plot. The speech is not there btw.
https://twitter.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/853631758738313217
Glad to hear that got a cheer from our Arab friends.
If that offends you Alcyone then tough.
And yes, Julian again:
Julian Assange @JulianAssange 22h22 hours ago
More
Replying to @JulianAssange
Over 100 shiites massacred during evacuation but Qatar’s Sunni rebel aligned al-Jazeera won’t say the world “shiite”
AJ+
https://twitter.com/JulianAssange/status/853695176849731585
So the answer to my question was ‘Yes’.
April 15, 2017 at 09:25
Is Craig in Doha?
‘Saturday 15 April, Doha, Qatar, Al Jazeera Forum. Speaker on “State Crisis and the Middle East.”’
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2017/02/upcoming-speaking-engagements/
He’s here @ 31mins but with an Arabic translation!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izdUixZek00
.
Rotterdam gathering ‘to work for Palestinians’ rights
Palestinians in Europe conference ‘a success’ despite attempts from pro-Israeli activities to block it, organisers say.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/rotterdam-gathering-work-palestinians-rights-170416070946890.html
French intelligence agency, the General Directorate for Internal Security, has warned the main candidates over
“a specific threat on their security and on their campaign headquarters”.
This comes only days after an alleged arson attack took place on the Front Nationals’ headquarters. Ms Le Pen was quick to accuse “leftists” for carrying out the damage on the building’s ground floor.
bloody Leftists
Returning to this blog to see if there have been any takers re my offer to bet £100 that “President” Assad (Jnr) will be gone by 1st January 2018, I notice with some interest that there have been none.
There have however been several diversions, usually taking the form of requesting me to explain why I thought Junior would no longer be the boss man on 1st January 2018.
The conclusion which suggests itself is that even “President” Assad’s usually most vocal supporters on this blog do not believe he will be “President” for much longer.
That sudden outbreak of rationality is to be welcomed in the hope it establishes a precedent in other matters.
Your analysis would appear flawed.
Assad will likely stand down as President in the event of a comprehensive peace settlement that is acceptable to both the US and Russia. Given Russian mistrust of the US then they will surely look for on the ground verifiable actions from the US. Gaining Russian confidence will likely take longer than the balance of this calendar year. Additionally there is a paucity of public domain evidence that the US has any interest in presenting itself as a rational player – so all in all this is something of a long shot and makes the odds (evens) you are offering attractive.
The alternative is the forced removal of Assad by the US or by one of their many proxies. This is possible but would likely trigger thermo-nuclear war. So whilst you would win the bet you would not be around to collect – thus in purely monetary terms your offered wager translates into a simple gift for staying alive. Who would not take that.
Make it $10,000 and I am interested.
Assad will only stand down if he’s allowed to run as a candidate in the elections to follow, which he will win resoundingly.
There is a marked difference between standing down and being thrown out.
keep your petty change for a real bet.
For example, oncoming fight between UK bricklayer, now professional boxer, Anthony Joshua and Vladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian prof. and unsuccessful wannabe candidate, round one to six Joshua to win, round 6-12 Klitschko to win.
I can think of few more pathetic indications of political impotence than coming on a blog like this to insult someone like Assad.
These ‘challenges’ ‘wages’ and fulminations are a waste of time, bandwidth and patience.
Kindly leave the stage!
Insults seem to be the main purpose of the comments section of this blog, which rarely bears any resemblance to the posting above it. And I doubt that Assad cares either way about what’s said here
Assad insults seem a necessary pejorative.,but Progressives screams of pout-rage are an insult to double-digit IQs.
What is this ongoing PutinAssad bromance?
Is it sexual?
“And I doubt that Assad cares either way about what’s said here”
____________________
but by the look of it certain commenters certainly do…..
That aside : Junior cares very much about remaining “President” – after all, being Boss Man in Syria is a family business, isn’t it (along the lines of the North Korean family business but less long-lived). But fortunately he won’t for much longer.
21.12 & 21.07
Do one why don’t you.
21.12 has gone rather fast. I think that he must have posted it in the wrong place. It doubtless reflects his other interests
It is a comment ‘reply’ to the comment immediately preceding it @21.07
But by all means exercise your conjectural abilities.
I am so glad the locals don’t follow the sectored threadbare monoculturalism.
I actually mean that sincerely. There are a lot of blogs where the host is mostly absent.
If course, there are exceptions to multiculturalisms.
I have a modest proposal. That all Tories elected to public office be made to prove – by way of filling in an eight page questionnaire – that they are the genuine offspring of two human beings before they are eligible for their taxpayer funded salaries. This would ensure that those fully human Tories who are most in need of the state’s help will receive it.
I submit that all sides take a DNA test to establish terrestrialism. Alien hybrids should be proscribed! !!
Lol!
Or was your drift more Simian?
No. Monkeys are way too clever to be related to Tories.
Best All For the Frst Born Ben
It’s all so mad at the moment with world affairs that it’s barely worth commenting.
But I will comment on what’s going on in the Korean peninsular and Uncle Sam threatening World War Three.
This is all about the former President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, who was recently impeached over a corruption and cronyism scandal. Park became the first woman president of South Korea in 2012, and to begin with she was quite popular. However, the recent corruption scandals brought millions of South Koreans out onto the streets calling for Park to be prosecuted. Park will be in the dock next month, and her successor as President will most likely be Moon Jae-in, who wants re-unification with North Korea, closer ties with China and wants to kick all American forces out of the Korean peninsular.
You get the picture?
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2060040/how-park-geun-hyes-impeachment-can-heal-seouls-rift-beijing
Oh, and for those interested in World War Three (which of course is not as interesting at the Great British Bake-Off, et al), I should have mentioned that the Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is the acting leader of the country, inbetween a convicted President (neo-con) and a newly elected President (socialist)…
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a406297f013a494ea06d39a3e2d7e3b9/s-korea-acting-leader-turns-down-resignations-park-aides
The South Koreans vote for their new President in early May. Likewise, the French presidential election will also probably be decided at this time.
It’s highly likely that both votes will go against the wishes of the American Empire, in which case the petulant and psychopathic child known as Uncle Sam will react with extreme violence, as always under the pretence of a false flag.
This one is for you Rob- here is an excerpt:
“…So we have both sadism and paranoia as widespread symptoms of mental illness in our political class – and with these two usually come another unattractive personality trait: delusions of grandeur. This form of craziness often accompanies both sadism and paranoia, and we can see it manifested in the assumption that a country which is nearly bankrupt, and which hasn’t won a war since the end of World War II, can fix the world’s problems by dropping some bombs.
“In Syria, for example, we have what is at least a six-sided war, involving the Syrian government, the Turks, the Kurds, the “moderate” Islamist rebels, al-Qaeda, and ISIS, and our political class stands up and cheers because President Trump launched 59 missiles at Syrian military base. The real effect is almost nil, although it does make the situation a bit worse, and yet with all the applause one would think we actually accomplished something. Oh, but we’re told that it “sent a message”! Like lobbing the MOAB into Afghanistan, it was a purely symbolic act….
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2017/04/16/is-our-political-class-mentally-ill/