There was a revealing coincidence of timing yesterday. Philip Hammond made a speech in which he pleaded with the EU to allow the UK continued free access to their financial services markets, on the basis of mutually recognised standards. At the same time, Theresa May met the Saudi Crown Prince in Downing Street and discussed specific legal reductions of those standards in the City of London, to allow for the stock exchange flotation of part of Saudi state oil giant Aramco.
It is symbolic because the toxic addiction of the ruling classes to Saudi cash has been lowering British standards of basic decency for generations. The most blatant example was when Tony Blair as Prime Minister intervened directly in the justice system to prevent the pursuit of corruption charges against the stench-ridden arms dealers of BAE, on grounds of “national security”. The myths about the impartiality of British justice have seldom been so comprehensively exposed. Where there is really dirty money, Blair is seldom far away.
The use of British supplied weapons by the Saudis to maim and kill children in Yemen on an industrial scale has penetrated public consciousness despite the best efforts of mainstream media to sideline it, and Jeremy Corbyn was absolutely right to highlight the involvement not just of arms manufacturers but of the British military. The government and royal fawning has been accompanied by an extraordinary deluge of pro-Saudi propaganda from the mainstream media this last two days for Saudi Arabia and its “reforming” Crown Prince.
There is no doubt that Mohammed Bin Salman has shown a ruthless genius in internal power consolidation in Saudi Arabia, with rivals arrested, shaken down or dying by accident. That he is seeking to end corruption appears less probable than that he is seeking to monopolise its proceeds and thus concentrate power, but time will give a clearer picture. There is no evidence whatsoever that Saudi Arabia is stopping its funding of Wahabbist jihadism across the Middle East and South Asia; indeed it has been stepped up by him, as has the bombing of Yemen.
Bin Salman may have a slightly different take on religion to those previously controlling Saudi Arabia, but in fact he is a much more dangerous fanatic. He is an extreme Sunni sectarian, driven by a visceral hatred of Shia Muslims. This is expressed in an aggressive foreign policy, causing a further destabilisation of the Middle East which threatens to tip over into catastrophe, as Bin Salman seeks to turn up the heat against Iran in proxy conflict in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere. That he is doing so in active and functional alliance with Israel is the world’s worst kept diplomatic secret. Saudi/Israeli cooperation in Lebanon and Syria is to my mind the most dangerous global flashpoint at present.
But despite his fawning reception in London, Bin Salman is not having it all his own way. I returned from Doha two weeks ago and in Qatar, Bin Salman has seriously overreached. Angry at Doha’s lack of hostility to Iran, including revenue sharing agreement on cross-border fields, Saudi Arabia has blockaded the small Emirate of Qatar for six months now. The excuse given to the West – that Qatar funds jihadist terrorism – is perhaps the worst example of the pot calling the kettle black in History. But the Saudi demands, including the permanent closure of Al Jazeera, expulsion of Arab dissidents and removal of a Turkish military base, reveal an altogether different agenda.
Qatar has proved much more resilient than anybody expected. The blockade has caused some economic damage but it has been survivable, and the effect has been entirely counter-productive for Bin Salman. Qatar has become closer economically to Iran and has developed new port facilities which reduce import reliance on Saudi Arabia and its satraps. The Saudis had massed troops on the border and threatened invasion, but the Qataris vowed to fight.
Then something remarkable happened which the world mainstream media has almost entirely ignored. Despite Saudi sponsored adverts all over US media portraying named senior Qataris as terrorist sponsors, and despite strong Israeli pro-Saudi lobbying, Donald Trump suddenly called Bin Salman to heel. With Saudi troops massed on the Qatari border, on 30 January the United States signed an agreement with Qatar “to deter and confront any threat to Qatar’s territorial integrity”. This was a massive slap in the face to Bin Salman from Donald Trump, and a result of Tillerson recognising the real threat to the world from Bin Salman’s extreme ambition.
I can only conjecture this received none of the publicity it deserved from the corporate media because it went against the prevailing narrative that Trump can never, in any circumstance, do anything strikingly good, and because it was a blow to Israel. The uber-hawk Clinton would certainly not have crossed Saudi Arabia and Israel in this way. It is an important sign that there is more to Tillerson’s Middle Eastern diplomacy than the stupid decision, motivated by US domestic politics, to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The elite loves Saudi money all around the world. But the UK is unique in allowing that to blind them absolutely to human rights abuses, the appalling bombing of Yemen, and the extreme dangers posed by Bin Salman’s hyperactive regional aggression towards Shia Muslims. We should be used to seeing Tories kowtowing to money by now. But this week makes me still more sick than usual.
The British government will be able to agree access to the rEU market for City of London-based financial service firms…if they sacrifice enough of the rest of the British economy.
How much are they prepared to sacrifice?
As much as it takes, that’s how much.
Really, what’s your source for that? The British government have accepted that they aren’t going to get passporting. That means it’s game over for the city of London based financial service firms and a significant proportion of those services will go overseas.
“London based financial service firms” They are nothing but parasites.
This is what they have always been about.The Red Dagger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN_pBKhftkg
That may be so (although I don’t have time to watch the video). I am not commenting on whether financial services companies are a good or bad thing. What’s certain is that without the billions of tax receipts that go to the government each year from the financial services sector the country will be in a bind. If we were to have a strategy in this country to get rid of immoral business and replace it with ethical business then that’s fine, but it would have to be phased in gradually in a way that doesn’t harm the economy.
That’s a myth, far more billions are removed from the economy by these parasites and much of their tax burden comes back to them in subsidies.
Game over for the City? Really? There are other forms of access to the rEU market than “passporting” or SM membership.
The point stands anyway – if the prospect loomed of game over for the City, they would send the rest of Britain back to the Stone Age – perhaps while relocating – before they “accepted” it. Britain rests on the Square Mile.
“There are other forms of access to the rEU market than “passporting” or SM membership.”
What are they, for finance?
I don’t mean that all financial services companies in the City will leave, rather that they were waiting to find out whether the government would by some miracle negotiate a deal that includes passporting. May has now admitted that they are not going to get passporting as it is impossible outside the SM. Therefore financial services companies will export some of their operations to other EU countries that aren’t planning on leaving. The treasury is set to lost £80bn a year in tax receipts, I doubt that will send us back to the Stone Age, but it’s not good.
http://eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=86674
British have no economy besides finance.
Britain has been declining since 1870s. Why? I think Will Hutton best explained it- elites are too wedded to status quo.
I recommend reading Tom Brown’s book about British business.
See related links:
https://www.standard.co.uk/ business/anthony-hilton- british-business-and-what- went-horribly-wrong-a3640336. html
Anthony Hilton: British business and what went horribly wrong
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Qxd2wfXQdgg
Tom Brown discusses his new book “Tragedy and Challenge”
The result is:
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/ 2016/10/18/brexit-death-of- british-business/
The Death of British Business
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ neweconomics/uk-economy- hooked-rising-asset-prices- happens-bubble-bursts/
The UK economy is hooked on rising asset prices. What happens when the bubble bursts?
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ article/britain-grew-at-the- slowest-pace-of-any-of-the- world-s-advanced-economies-in- q1-of-2017-zmz6tfnhr
Britain becomes slowest growing economy in G7
http://www.independent.co.uk/ news/business/news/uk-workers- have-had-the-worst-wage- growth-in-the-oecd-except- greece-a7773246.html
The chart that shows UK workers have had the worst wage performance in the OECD except Greece
The LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance shows that average wages for British workers, when adjusted for inflation, fell by more than 5 per cent between 2007 and 2015
“In this respect, Britain has echoes of other declining nations over the centuries – Venice in the 16th century, Spain in the 18th, Austria-Hungary and France in the 19th. All knew full well that their political, economic and social systems had become dysfunctional, but reform was impossible. Too many at the top had stakes in the old order, reinforced, as in today’s Britain, by being at the apex of the social pyramid.”
https://www.theguardian.com/ commentisfree/2017/sep/09/do- we-have-will-to-reform- society-or-are-we-in-terminal- decline
Like fading powers of the past, Britain shows signs of being in terminal decline
The case for reform is plain to see but it won’t happen because too many at the top have stakes in the old order
Myth, the USA, Germany etc grew faster that’s all; much of the money that paid for it was exported from London and much of the profit flowed back.
According to Mark Curtis the British have been a client state of Saudis since 1970s:
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/why-uk-must-rethink-its-support-saudi-arabia-2062603761
Why the UK must rethink its support for Saudi Arabia
#SaudiStruggle
British policy since the 1970s has to an extent appended the UK economy to the Saudi economy, making Britain a de facto client state
Willing to endanger British lives for it:
http://markcurtis.info/2017/05/24/the-british-establishment-is-putting-our-lives-at-risk-our-states-key-ally-is-a-major-public-threat/
The British establishment is putting our lives at risk: Our state’s key ally is a major public threat
I like this story in the Guardian about the UK government giving UK taxpayers’ money to the Saudis.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/mar/09/national-disgrace-fury-over-100m-aid-deal-between-uk-and-saudi-arabia
Fair enough I suppose, as the Saudis are going to give us $65 billion for some more bombs and bombers. Doubtless the union leaders will tell us that this secures jobs. A half of the £100 million will presumably be used to produce Wahabi propaganda to convince poor people that strapping explosives to their sons and daughters bodies on behalf of Islam is a good thing. The other half will disappear into a Caymans Islands bank account. £100 million seems a bit stingy on the one hand, but on the other hand why on earth do the Saudis want this paltry amount from the poverty stricken UK taxpayers. Corruption doesn’t even begin to describe the stench emitting from this relationship. Still, as long as those rich Bae shareholders get richer, that’s all that matters – as long as they contribute generously to Tory party funds.
Surely, this £ 100 million will not be paid. It’s just a cashback scam. May can write it down as a charitable donation, but it won’t be paid to charity, it is in fact a subsidy for the arms deals. It’s traditional for Europeans to think that Muslims expect customers to bargain. I’d have offered him a deal on the NHS, 50% extra value on male circumcision for all supporters of Islamist jihad.
Please understand that there is no such thing as `Tax Payers Money`
A bit Ot…
But . Robert is a hero of mine…. LOOK at this foto..Closely
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156298946607533&set=a.473988682532.275330.741127532&type=3&theater
Is that a cloud of nerve gas in the background?
The brainless Islamists, the Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Salafists have a theory, which is not drawn from Islam, that the Muslim side should attack its opponents because they have already had enough time to consider the truth of Islam. They have now forfeited the right to peaceful negotiation. We can see a similar strand of aggression in the very right wing Tories over Brexit, the really stupid ideas of Liam Fox, Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson. At no stage have we heard the right-wing Tories ever consider the implications of the EU position, no cherry picking, no special deals for a country outside the EU on any form of trade or movement of people.
We all know what the consequence of this type of brinkmanship is: WAR. USUKIS has been continually at war since the right wing took power from the post-war socialist concensus. The stark reality is that it only took a single generation, between 1945 and 1979 to forget what brinkmanship, stubbornness and gung-ho ignorance had nearly done.viz. handed power to fascist totalitarianism.
The fruit of that 34 year generation of commonsense was seen in international law, in industrialisation of third world countries and in the EU. These events came from the mindset of the post-war generation. The Thatcher “radicalisation ” which is a euphemism for ” recidivism ” forgot our promise to stop persecuting foreigners and our own population. We have now witnessed 30 years of continual war against foreigners, and 30 years of continual restriction on the real wages of our population.
My point is, that if a country can go through an extreme tribulation, twice, and forget the lessons of that near-catastrophe in one generation, nobody can claim that the proselytization of an idea, such as Islam is a once in a100 year necessity. “They’ve had enough time” is not a valid argument. My generation believed that by the time we got to retirement age the state would give us a living wage pension. We had enough time during the Thatcher years to understand that this was not going to happen. No, we only realised that this was not going to happen when arch-toff slime-bag Nick Clegg shoe-horned the Tories back into power under arch-toff David Cameron.
The process of education of civilised values , or faith, or social justice, is not a one-off thing. The collapse of Carillion is the first time in nearly 40 years that the Thatcherite stupidity of privatisation has been officially questioned. I hear the semi-bonkers Tory supporters arguing now that even though some people lost money ( tough ! ) in a capitalist system there are plenty of others waiting to benefit from their probably deliberate destruction. That’s like Jaish Al Islam, who fight on behalf of USUKIS in the re-colonisation of Syria, saying as they get bussed by USUKIS out of the suburbs of Damascus how much better a place Syria is now than it was when they began.
Education is a continual process. Fascism, nationalism, hardcore communism, Islamism are always ready to quick-fix a seemingly insolvable problem. Trump with his 25% steel and aluminium tariffs. Water privatisation. Banking de-regulation. If Saudi despotry is the solution, why in Saudi Arabia do they have a massive drug and alcohol problem? If privatisation was the answer why is that in a normal English town like Nottingham the very comfortable, gardened, 3 bedroomed council houses now sell at £130,000, which is impossible price for this present generation of young people to raise on the kind of wades they are living on.
The answer is that you have to give some temporary benefit to a small part of the community in order to enslave the whole society into debt and slavery. Fascist quick-fix always works like this, they bribe Al Qaida with power and women, to wreck a society and a culture, for them. Then they release their own gewads/ sellers of their own country and countrymen and women, who have imprisoned the population for 7 years to act as human shields, from the suburbs of Damascus when the going gets heavy and the Syrian army is approaching.
What injustice. The injustice that houses built by the state for ordinary people have been privatised, making the new generation homeless. The injustice that the proxy Islamists terrorists get airlifted or bussed to safety after 7 years of torturing the ordinary Muslims. Islam does not allow anyone to ally themselves with the enemies of Islam,; it does not allow civiilans or animals or even vegetation to be harmed; it does not allow anybody to intimidate the people with weapons; it does not allow the infringement of religious or political liberty The only justice is that they will definitely inshallah serve their time in hell for what they have done, knowing the teachings of Islam and flouting every single one.
giyane
Calm Down Atz All
P.s Giyane..
You seem to be a writer
But Why Obscure My Post
ttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156298946607533&set=a.473988682532.275330.741127532&type=3&theater
Facebook sucks Brian. You want us to be traceable through your link? I suppose you’re a tweeter as well. Take your capitalist instruments of surveillance and exeunt.
Take no notice Brian and keep going. They don’t Robert Martin mentioned on here. He supports the Pals.
Here he is on YT speaking to Ahed’s dad. His child has been imprisoned since 19 December 2017. It is now March 10th. What is happening to her and how is she? Please tell us more Bibi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnx6fWyTyOI&feature=youtu.be
The IDF, disguised as news reporters, invaded the Palestinian Birzeit University, located in what is laughingly called the ‘West Bank’, assaulted and arrested the leader of the student council. What thugs. What cowards. Six of them against one young man.
I think Mr Netanyahu should tell us more about his current agenda. Does he feel that Trump and Pence have enhanced his position as PM in this cruel Occupation?
https://www.rt.com/news/420829-undercover-israelis-abduct-student-leader/
Brian
Yes. I think the strategy of the political is first to wind people up and then to steal.
To a normal person a new-born baby would have had more logical co-ordination than Mrs May and her maypole dancers, each equipped with seven bells on each of them ignoring the key points of the Brexit negotiation. Similairly, the Saudis deliberately targeting the Muslim populations of Afghanistan, Libya and Syria is a strategy of wilful disobedience to the methods and teachings of Islam.
it is obvious to most intelligent human beings that this strategy of ignorance is designed to create anger and frustration , in an attempt to bamboozle and defeat the opposition. We are immensely fortunate to have a coalition of the wise, in Russia and China, that understands the atheistic nature of Islamism and have overthrown it in Syria. Question is whether they could be persuaded to intervene in the bonkers posturing of the Nasty Party over Brexit. The Tories seem to be genuinely scared of commonsense entering the equation.
So it’s a case of Jeremy Curbyn immigration.
What would Keir Hardy have made of it?
Keir Hardie would have seen a permanently open door to half a billion low wage workers for what it is. He fought for the working class not the capitalist class.
Why be a warrior for any supposed class? Why not just fight for people? Immigrants are people.
Because Johnny Foreigner, isn’t quite British enough.
Ros
Looks like Hugh Gaffney is more of a mainstream Corbynite than we supposed.
Immigration has been deliberately fostered by employers to divide the working class and reduce wages. That was the role that was once given to Irish workers in the building sector on the British mainland, and now the role has been given to workers from Poland, Romania and elsewhere. The answer to it is extremely clear. The answer is stronger trade unions that accept immigrants. We should not accept scabbing and the undercutting of wages, and we should not accept the divisions that the bosses are causing. Unfortunately the left is so pathetic that it doesn’t begin to understand this. They have no sympathy for the British worker with a mortage and therefore large financial commitments whose job is now being done by a Polish worker for a third of the wages and who is living with three other guys in a caravan, with no mortgage. They call the British worker “racist” if he mentions what’s happened. The unions have been absolutely pathetic too. The unions should organise a massive recruitment drive. They should say to Polish and Romanian workers “Here’s your union card. We protect each other, and we don’t undercut wages. Get it?”
I tell you something. The IWW would not have stood for this shit.
Really the Labour party can fuck off if all it can say is “We love immigration” and “Remember the Huguenots who came 300 years ago and the Jews who came to the East End from Russia in the 1880s. Some of them did very well for themselves, you know. And it’s good to care for the disadvantaged”.
You can seriously understand why that isn’t going to cut much ice with a British building labourer whose wages have been cut by two-thirds because Romanian immigrants are able and willing to work for a third of the wages he used to get.
Remember what the answer is. You may be reading it here first. Here it is again: “IMMIGRANTS ARE WELCOME: HERE’S YOUR UNION CARD.”
This got stuck in a mod queue, so I’ve edited by inserting asterisks.
Really the Labour party can *uck off if all it can say is “We love immigration” and “Remember the Huguenots who came 300 years ago and the *ews who came to the East End from Russia in the 1880s. Some of them did very well for themselves, you know. And it’s good to care for the disadvantaged”.
You can seriously understand why that isn’t going to cut much ice with a British building labourer whose wages have been cut by two-thirds because Romanian immigrants are able and willing to work for a third of the wages he used to get.
Remember what the answer is. You may be reading it here first. Here it is again: “IMMIGRANTS ARE WELCOME: HERE’S YOUR UNION CARD.”
What of US and Australian workers here? and the German, Swedish, French and Italian citizens who have made their life’s here with family, children and grand children?
Now to a sore subject here in the flat lands, who wants to work in agriculture in the UK?
work unsavoury hours, every day, incl. sundays, and that’s just animal husbandry, then spent your meagre funds on labourers, seasonal workers from Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland to get your crop picked and to the market? Farmers are so controlled by the retailers, many small and medium farmers in debt up to their eyeballs, a profession with the highest suicide rates.
They are being ignored and their form of uncertainty has only begun. What is now possible, still within the EU, will be soon finished when we loose EU trade with some fifty other countries that have access deals with the EU. WTO rules will pose even more regulative framework on already challenged minds and the proposal this Government comes up with, is to cut their most eager workforce?
Hard work should be done by those who want to do it, not lemons who can’t be bothered, who have no understanding of the consequences, what it means if they are just coasting along rather than working hard.
I call some racist N_, but the majority I call work-shy and lazy.
@Nevermind
I’m not sure what you’re asking about workers from the countries you mention.
I have little time for “farmers”, who are mostly moneygrabbers who’d sell a bag of rotten potatoes for twice the price of bag of decent spuds if they could get away with it, before cursing their customer for not paying treble rather than double. Then while cackling as they banked the money they’d moan about having to “give” their workers tea breaks and pay their tax.
They are always moaning about Tescos but it smacks of jealousy because they’re the same kind of rip-off merchants themselves, only smaller. They want food prices to be as high as possible, they hate the “general public”, and they also exploit low-paid immigrant labour to the max, rather like many Tesco branches and I haven’t even mentioned the semi-slaves who wash cars in Tesco car parks. Generally speaking, farmers’ only interest in life is amassing money – they don’t care about education, cleanliness, other people’s happiness, intellectual honesty, honour, social wellbeing, whatever. Dirty, dirty petty bourgeois public-haters.
There is nothing new about shipping in lowpaid immigrants to undercut the wages of workers already in a job. It has been a well-known capitalist strategy for more than a century, and is written about for example by Frederick Taylor the founder of “Taylorism” in his famous book on the “scientific organisation of labour”.
But I think we may have a point of agreement on one thing: do you agree that there are likely to be major problems bringing the harvest in this year?
“Farmers are so controlled by the retailers, many small and medium farmers in debt up to their eyeballs, a profession with the highest suicide rates.”
Do you have sympathy for buy-to-let merchants too? The poor souls. Peter Rachman was in a lot of debt too.
“I call some racist N_, but the majority I call work-shy and lazy.”
Are we talking about the same group? People whose jobs have been taken by those who are able and willing to work for much lower wages. You have no sympathy for them – is that right?
We have to acknowledge the extent to which the working class has been crushed. I’ve talked to guys and women working the tills in supermarkets, and none of them seem to understand that their employers introduced automated tills in order to raise profits by employing fewer staff, making them work harder, or both. I’ve even had some of them say the bosses’ plan with introducing them was to employ MORE staff. I’ve had young prats tell me that, as though *I* was stupid. Thirty years ago practically no-one in the working class in large workplaces would have been so moronic, except the village idiot who would generally have been looked after by his workmates. I’ve also had some who give me such dirty looks full of hatred for choosing not to use the automated tills, as if I am some kind of extreme anti-social element.
Does he want to “curb” immigration with barriers or enforce equal pay so that employers have not subsidy? Perhaps he also wants to opt out of smashing countries and setting off stampedes of refugees?
Whatever Corbyn’s precise attitude to immigration, to enthuse about it the way he did, at a time when there is rampant xenophobia, is a big let down to many of his supporters.
To enthuse about curbing it that is.
Not to mention that there’s to be no open discussion about Brexit at the branch office meeting in Dundee. Labour are a joke.
Indy 2 is coming sooner than later.
Yes Ros. A tiny handful of people in the party decided that a major issue of the day was not to be debated at conference even though many motions for it were submitted.
For the Few, Not the Many.
They’re turning on their own now at Labour they’re in a right state as MP Danielle Rowely tells Duncan Hothersall to get out the party if he doesn’t like what he sees. Hothersall a die hard unionist told a joke about Cornyn.
The thing about Richard Cranium Leonard is he thinks he can lie and twist his way out of anything put to him. Believing if he keeps smiling with a reasonable tone in his voice all he has to do is keep words coming out of his mouth . . . . And it’s job done.
He exists souly to supply lobby fodder for Jeremy.
This is what the Tories are. New Labour were the same, as you point out. What’s most sickening is the self-styled liberal media, continually pointing the finger at east Aleppo, east Ghoutta, Crimea, etc, while British bombs rain down on civilians in Yemen and contracts to keep supplying them get renewed.
George Galloway this morning. Second half
..’we discuss the Royal visit of Prince Charming with Dr @SamiRamadani. Coming up at 9.30 on @RT ‘
https://www.rt.com/schedule/uk/ Repeated today 1.30pm and 7.30pm
Sami Ramadani سامي
Imperialism feeds on Terrorism, GlobalPoverty, Racism, Oil, ArmsTrade &War: #Iraq #Palestine #Syria #Lebanon #Libya #Yemen #Egypt #Iran #Venezuela #Cuba #Africa
London سامي الرمضاني
Guardian profile – Ramadani is an Iraqi-born lecturer in sociology and writes on Iraq and Middle East current affairs. He was a political exile from Saddam’s regime but campaigned against US-led sanctions and the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He is a member of the steering committee of Stop the War Coalition. Find him on Twitter at @SamiRamadani1
I see the Guardian have not employed him since 2014. That fits. The date of arrival of the new editor, Katherine Viner, was June 2015.
Dr Ramadani has a photo on his Twitter of Treeza seated, facing MBS and another. She is wearing red and is showing her unsightly knees. That must have upset the Chief Headchopper elect greatly.
Sharp Ears
Don’t worry, he’s seen enough ladies’ knees in his time, and quite a few in the groin, which is why his eyes look shifty and slanty and his face has an immobilised rictus grin.
I thought you were talking about Gorgeous George for moment there, Giyane! 🙂
‘Tis done.
What the stupid Tories have failed to realise with their power grabs from Holyrood and the Senedd is that over the last two decades these institutions have built up good relationships with all organisations and the third sectors in the two countries. All these groups know the value and importance of having parliaments in Edinburgh and Cardiff and how much more can be done than have full Westminster rule.
Most of those who regularly and happily work with the Scottish Parliament, yet who regard themselves as unionist, are not going to stay unionist under enforced direct rule from Westminster.
The 2014 independence referendum can now be seen to have been won, not by No, but by Yes. Not directly won of course. But the No arithmetical win set in motion a naively arrogant Tory British Nationalists project to trash devolution. Thereby setting in motion the turning of the big majority in Scotland in favour of devolution into an independence majority.
And set it in the context of Scotland’s enforced leaving of the EU and the ultra-unionists have left themselves with few cards to play.
Agreed the Tories are naively arrogant British nationalists. Had they any sense at all, they would have funded large-scale symbolically important cultural events, e.g. a heavily subsidised festival of Scottish art, music, etc., each year in part of England or Wales or Northern Ireland, and a similar one from Wales, from Northern Ireland, and from each of X regions of England, always held somewhere other than where its roots are. They’d actually build friendship between the home countries. Few Scottish musicians offered a chance to bring their work down South or to Wales, expenses paid, have a good time, create a good feeling, etc., would turn it down. There are other things that could be done too. But no – the Tory attitude was “We’ve won, and now you call eat shit”. As soon as Scottish unionists won the referendum and David Cameron had the Saltire taken down from over No.10 Downing Street, that was the Tory attitude. I’m a unionist and I can recognise that.
The Labour left are a bit Alf Garnett.
The Labour right are a bit Milton Friedman.
The Tories are very Mariano Rajoy.
While Lib Dems want to put up a statue to Maggie Thatcher.
Independence for Scotland. Independence. With our own parties. Get away from that degraded Westminster bunch.
And ScotsGnats are slightly less of a concern than midges.
MJ,
The worst midges I have ever encountered in order, almost always just before dark.
1. Campsite 50p a night between Aberdaron and Whitsling Sands, Porthor, North Wales Llŷn Peninsula It was biblical in ferocity, but accordinfg to the locals, it only happens about once in 10 years, but I don’t believe that (love the place – much nicer than Cornwall, and the sea is crystal clear)
2. Norfolk Broads on a boat (again, extremely rare – but when you get that cloud of swarming biters, it is very hard to cover up, or even see.
India and the Rest of The World – was nowt compared with Wales and Norfolk…but I bet you get the buggers in Scotland too. I suspect The Salmon and Trout and the Birds love ’em.
Don’t forget your Deet, now they have banned the cheap stuff that works – DDT.
Tony
Deet can damage your clothes, watch strap, glasses, etc. Other than that, it’s the best, yes. But in practice I prefer Smidge, which is also pretty good. Avon Skin So Soft is much less effective.
I’m sure a new party will be along soon that people south of the border can turn to. Hey, why not TWO new parties, one for leavers and one for remainers, all ready and in place for a GE in November/December?
No need, there was a referendum. Disgruntled remainers however already have a party, it’s called the LibDems I believe.
The LibDems are part of the status quo. In order to reverse Brexit (which could very much be what is planned) a new party winning a GE would be the mandate that is needed. We are heading to a point where we have a choice between remaining and leaving with no deal. If the talks collapse or the withdrawal agreement doesn’t make it through the UK parliament (either of which is likely) then we could be looking at another election. If the people are faced with a choice of remaining or no deal (and it would be a scenario where we leave with no special trading arrangements in place), then I can’t see no deal winning.
Jeez, Corbyn’s gaff strewn jaunt north of the border must’ve been very poor, when the unionist rag the Scotsman is having a go at him.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/splits-and-rows-laid-bare-during-gaffe-strewn-labour-opening-day-1-4703455
Ros
LOL. They don’t know the name of the party’s founder and they don’t know how many seats they have.
“Liz Lochheid”. Jeez, ignorant English grammar school boy patronises the Jocks in the worst possible way. Whilst seeking to deny us democratic rights over avoiding an EU exit.
Barclay bros and Andrew Neill’s old paper, now in the hands of these radicals:
http://www.johnstonpress.co.uk/investors/shareholder-services/major-shareholders
It’s having a go at Corbyn you say? No wonder you’re shocked.
frankywiggles,
I am not shocked. I just didn’t understand what you just wrote and implied. You seemed to be suggesting that The Telegraph, and The Times were now owned by Johnston Press PLC.
Whilst you may be correct, its news to me, and I could find no evidence of it in your link.
Maybe you can explain further.
Thanks,
Tony
The Scotsman newspaper.
frankywiggles, That’s a local rag. So far as I can see, they haven’t bought The Oldham Chronicle yet. I doubt they could afford it.
Oh I’m not that shocked at the unionist wolves attacking each other. However they’ll all be singing from the same hymn sheet again. Once Sturgeon announces the date for indyref 2 – including Johnstonpress.
Readers of Craig’s excellent blog who will be in or near London on Monday 19 March may wish to attend the Cafe Diplo (Friends of Le Monde Diplomatique) talk at 18.45 that evening by Kim Sharif on “The complicity of the Saudi Coalitionin the starvation & destruction of the Yemeni people”.
According to the flier for the event “Kim Sharif is a London based solicitor, human rights activist and Director of ‘Human Rights for Yemen’. She has given talks about the worst man-made humanitarian catastrophe in the world today at UN Human Rights Council Side Events, as a panelist, and has spoken and written widely about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen and the involvement of the UK through its crucial air command support and arms contracts.”
The talk (entrance fee £3 or £2 for concessions) will be at The Gallery, Alan Baxter & Associates LLP, 75 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EL. The nearest tube/overground station is Farringdon and from there you head up the hill into Cowcross Street. On the right hand side you pass the “Three Compasses” Pub and about 50 metres further on you will see some iron gates with a small Cafe Diplo sign. Inside the gate you will find the reception area.
According to the Independent (proprietor: Evgeny Lebedev):
“one UK Government minister has revealed Britain will be discussing the (Skripal) case with its Nato allies“.
That is a scary thought. If Britgov invokes NATO’s Article 5, we could be in deep shit here. The article has only been invoked once before – by the US in 2011.
The Russian presidential election is in eight days’ time. I doubt Britain could cyber-attack Russia, but who knows, perhaps they might try something.
The EU has a similar clause of “mutual defence” – Article 42(7) of the Lisbon Treaty. As far as I know, that too has only been invoked once, by France after the Charlie Hebdo shootings in 2015. It’s unlikely Britgov will invoke that in the present shambles.
N_, I very much doubt the Russians will be too concerned, about being cyber or otherwise attacked, by a puppet show. Tony
@Tony – I agree. But don’t doubt that some in the puppet show can provoke a war with Russia if they want to, and there might come a point where they can’t turn back. Sounds like we both know who would win.
The Skripal case has got too complicated to simply attribute to Putin. Checking the house out for traces? Doesn’t fit with the story. Wife died of cancer. Helped by nerve agent? Possibly, but it’s making a very complicated story, which implies Russian intervention over a number of years.
Some in the armed forces and the police are wondering why the police officer who was injured by the nerve agent went to the house. They are saying that under normal procedures that wouldn’t have happened if events had only reached the stage of two people being taken seriously ill, or if they’d reached the stage of the above plus a “former spy” flap. They are also saying there was an awful lot of “response” early on, including an air ambulance.
The bust-up that Sergei Skripal is said to have been involved in in the restaurant requires explanation.
It could also mean that the right answer has not come up yet.
This is an insight as to how the Home Office will treat non British citizens after Brexit – if you’re a EU or Commonwealth or other person of non British origin, be afraid, be very afraid, for they may be coming for you in the future.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/10/denied-free-nhs-cancer-care-left-die-home-office-commonwealth
This is why those people of similar origins in Scotland must vote for Scottish independence, when the next (soon to be) referendum comes around.
What is galling about Mr. Thompsons position is that he received a cancer operation, but then was denied the after treatment that could prolong his life.
Add to that the stress it causes having been landed with a 57.ooo plus bill for his treatment. He is a Jamaican who came here as a young lad when Britain ask for help from the Commonwealth countries.
Now the Victorian winds of the Tory’s are sweeping away more than decency and understanding, just because he has never applied for residency, was never bothered to become a British national, after all he was from a long standing and manifoldly robbed Commonwealth country, part of the family…. that is one reason why he is being picked on.
I hope somebody savy sets up some crowd funding for him, help him to become a naturalised citizen and pay off his treatment which he so dearly needs.
The privatisation, cuts and deliberate short falls, with EU surgeons doctors and nurses leaving due to the deliberate uncertainty, created in the NHS, is were the blame should fall. Those self serving 206 Parliamentarians who have a vested interest in the privatisation of the NHS and they voted for it, are all responsible for the situation and I wonder whether his Afro Caribbean origins have something to do with the situation.
BTW. RoS, you are well aware of the reciprocated health care arrangements that still exist with the EU countries, it is to be seen whether this Government wants to carry on looking after its subjects health, despite them living in the EU, there is quiet a few of them.
Nevermind.
Re your last paragraph, good point.
“After all he was from a long standing and manifoldly robbed Commonwealth country”
But one that nevertheless believes it would be better off today had it remained under colonial rule.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13952592
‘Is the Continuity Bill the Most Boring Constitutional Crisis in History?’ is the heading of an article by Murdo Fraser MSP in the online Tory website Think Scotland.
Yep, the Tory line is going to be that us plebs shouldn’t and can’t get interested in all this politics stuff which is really boring and beyond us anyway. So despite four of the five parties at Holyrood voting for the Continuity Bill we should just decide that Maister knows best and let the Tories do what they want to Scotland’s devo settlement.
This hubris is really going to sink the Scots Tories’ support. Colonel Davidson will be left standing like Ney at Waterloo as the Tory troops retreat past her in a panic.
Another Labour MP scaremongering over immigration.
“Former Shadow Cabinet minister Rachel Reeves has warned that Britain could “explode” into rioting if immigration is not curbed after Brexit. ”
Tories, Labour, no difference.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rachel-reeves-brexit-immigration-labour-mp-riots-uk-conference-speech-a7334266.html
Ros
Rachel Reeves, an Enoch Powell for the 21st century.
[Mod: “Max Petitpierre” is a Habbabkuk sock puppet. Comment therefore deleted. This is the fifth example found of a breach after a previous warning.]
[Mod: “Max Petitpierre” is a Habbabkuk sock puppet. Comment therefore deleted. This is the sixth example found of a breach after a previous warning. Habbabkuk’s ban is therefore extended, at a minimum, to 26th November 2019. Thank you.]
Le Point is of course a notoriously right-wing conservative Catholic magazine, unlikely to be friendly or even fair to Ramadan. I wouldn’t read it, even if you held a gun to my head.
I can believe his thesis was dubious. Activists don’t usually bother with trivia like academic accuracy. If his thesis supervisor, Charles Genequand, whom I have met, is correctly quoted, then it probably wasn’t good, though an interesting subject on his grandfather. However he did manage to get himself elected professor in Oxford. What more do you need?
Accusations of sexual impropriety? Well, we know a lot about that on this blog, don’t we? If he’s found guilty of rape, then that’s grave. I could believe it, as lots of professors are priapic, and until recently there was no bar. It’s quite common even today to find professors who’ve married their student.
This bloke who I have never heard of before, and know absolutely nothing about, today appears in the headlines of The Daily Telegraph, cryng with full face photo “I fear I am about to be assassinated by the Russians”
I have no idea what he has done. I know nothing about him…
Do The Russians know who he is?
Does the Daily Telegraph know who he is, and if so – why is he on the front page of The Daily Telegraph, instead of changing his appearence and hiding somewhere, where no one will recognise him…
He is almost certainly a naughty boy – but what has he done wrong…???
Am I supposed to believe this nonsense?
“Bill Browder, Putin’s No.1 enemy: ‘I live my life assuming they want to kill me’ ”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/bill-browder-putins-no1-enemy-live-life-assuming-want-kill/
I can’t recommend it, cos I haven’t seen it, but a bloke across the road, has recently played the part in some film, the name of which I can’t remember. I think he said he played the part of Lloyd George.
Good luck to him. He doesn’t seem worried. He can also play drums, and is also a Professor of Political Philosophy. I guess there is not much difference between teaching at a University, and Acting.
Anything to help make ends meet, and pay off the mortgage.
His kids are lovely.
It’s not easy when you retire too early or get fired.
Tony
Sure, the Russians know who Browder is. He co-founded Hermitage Capital with billionaire banker Edmond Safra, then fell out with some people in Russia, lobbied for the Magnitzky Act, and has been sentenced to jail in Russia in absentia for tax fraud.
Don’t forget there’s an election in Russia in eight days’ time, kids.
” And it wasn’t sprayed in the faces of the Hapless two Russians on a park bench. It was somebody who had access to their house, who put poison somewhere they imbibed, But How did detective Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey imbibe it, Presumably, having seen the crime on the park bench, of two people utterly incapacitated, he didn’t go into Skripal’s house, and help himself to some Scotch Broth “….
George. G –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUJHZxgHm64&feature=youtu.be
Thanks for this link. As Gorgeous says, it’s only a few days until the Russian election and a few months to the World Cup. I didn’t listen to the end because he was too shouty. Did he mention that around the time of the World Cup there is also the planned (annual) NATO exercise in the Baltic region, “Sabre Strike”?
Hi N_
No he did not..as far as I.m aware, I didn’t listen to the full two hours either, G.G would be talking to a couple of guests…and calls from public, So I can’t say for certain
Two drunks / druggies found on a bench
Detective Sgt first on the scene?
No!
A uniformed pointy hat would be sent, he would give them a shake and an ambulance would be called.
But not in Salisbury the CID? (SB?) turn up first and then make their way around to the home of one of the bench people.
Binary Toxin suggestion in GG’s comment section (Brian F link 23.05)
Diamonddavej in response to Angus McAngus
“Another possibility, which I personally think is plausible, is the attack involved the administration of two harmless compounds, that in contact, reacted to form nerve agent. An example of this is Soman, which can be generated by the reaction between pinacolyl alcohol and methylphosphonyl difluoride. They could have been exposed to pinacolyl alcohol at the home and hours later in town, someone released methylphosphonyl difluoride, may be in the enclosed walkway just before the park bench. Not only does this ensure that only those targeted are killed, it also ensures safety of those who carry out the attack, … they keep the two chemical separate. I think this is a brilliant weapon. An assassin can expose a victim a harmless chemical in the morning, then expose them to a second chemical a crowded room in the evening. Only the victim suddenly falls ill, spasming and foaming at the mouth, while everyone else thinks he’s dying of a stroke or heart attack.”
If they need propaganda for the monkeys it has to be designed and promulgated by monkeys for maximum impact
Looks like they’re playing the Skripal case down now.
No talk of a military response, which is what they unattributably briefed earlier. No talk of NATO allies either. (Invoking Article 5 wouldn’t be done lightly.) I mean in Amber Rudd’s statement after today’s COBRA meeting.
Someone’s told the pillocks to wind their necks in maybe? Generals or the area manager at the US embassy.
Interestingly one thing they haven’t said is the perps are on the loose and could people help catch them. Also there seems to be no firm story on where the attack took place. Got to wonder what the bust-up in the restaurant was all about. Did he threaten to kneecap the waiter for not bringing his meal sooner?
N_
This was pointed out by a listener in ‘Any Answers’ on Radio 4 yesterday. Unlike a lot of terrorist attacks where we are told to be vigilant and there would be a lockout of the town if there was an ‘assasin’ at large, non of this happened. The public was not told if there is a danger from the supposed perpetrator, or that the police was looking for a suspect. This was then followed by the ‘tanks in heathrow’ style overcompensation of the army occupying Salisbury. In fact the only suspect mentioned throughout was Mr Putin.
@SA – There was that video clip of the man and woman walking in the mall, the woman carrying a red bag. It’s not clear what that was all about.
There was a hint that they were in the attack team. Then there was a hint that the two were thought (by whom?) to have been Mr Skripal and his daughter before it was realised they weren’t.
There is absolutely no way in a case like this that the security in the mall is going to be able to get footage out to the media off their own bat.
Now…let’s say that those two were or may well have been perps. Then why aren’t we being told to look out for them? Why aren’t we being given more and better photos too?
When Moss*d murder a guy in a hotel room in Dubai, the British press publish articles with infographics showing the different countries that team members flew off to, and the Dubai (or UAE?) government publishes footage from the airport, showing the Moss*d killers communicating with each other, one of them carrying a “SALE” bag, and clips from the hotel, including one showing two guys with tennis rackets who now regularly get referenced by I*rae*i comedians.
In the Skripal case, there’s been almost nothing like that, no speculation about team member movements and actions.
Arguably of course the market for mass media is even stupider than it was a few years ago.
Or…perhaps the couple are not perps, they were nothing to do with the attack, they’ve told the police whatever crap they saw, which was probably very little, and that’s that. Well, if that’s the case, the police should tell the media that the two are not suspects and were not involved in anything. Why should they do that? Because if they don’t do it, then the cops are going to get loads of phone calls from people who’ve seen a couple who looked like that, “I think I might know who they are”, blah blah – and it’s all a waste of time. This is a big attempted murder case where a military weapon was used, not an ABH case.
So that’s a bit odd.
It has also been said that a red bag was found by the bench: it’s in this photo in the Standard. Was it the same red bag that the woman was carrying?
I was going to finish this comment by saying “Let’s not kid ourselves that what’s in the MSM about this case isn’t totally under control.” HOWEVER, it must be recalled that some of the British press is Russian-owned. And there is so much Russian money in London that senior Tory circles and the ~KGB aren’t exactly separate spheres nowadays.
I find it hard to believe that the timing hasn’t got something to do with next Sunday’s Russian election. We all know Britain’s “finest” “queen and country” boys with their Range Rovers and their brats at Clarendon schools aren’t going to be able to affect that election. Russia isn’t Upper Volta. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a possible propaganda opportunity. In what markets, I’m not sure. Or they could be testing order of battle, seeing who runs to whom, that kind of shit.
Could it have been that the Brit plan was for some of the perps to get caught? Could the idea have been to do a Gary Powers? “You say you don’t do that? Well who the fuck is this, then?” But the ~KGB was about 20 steps ahead? Just a thought.
But it still begs the question: is there a killer on the loose? Are the police looking for someone? Should we all be afraid?
The Russian election special season continues with a rather clumsy hatchet job on Putin by the BBC broadcast on Friday
http://www.bbt.co.uk/programmes/b09vb7m3
This one sided propaganda piece was extremely poor. It sank so low as it only to misrepresent the events in Georgia 2008 orchestrated by Sakhashvilli, but had extensive interviews with this man who is wanted in Georgia for corruption and has recently been expelled from Ukraine where he had been given citizenship. These facts were of course never mentioned. There was a running analysis by a Scottish neuroscientist expounding the theory that Putin was a narcissistic power grabber, with one of those self fulfilling expositions. The troubles in Ukraine started of course by a western assisted coup, were presented as Russian invasion of Crimea. Again, the Russian intervention in Syria was merely presented as aggression with no context. There was really no mention of the Eastern expansion of NATO as a a trigger for some of Putin’s actions merely a portrayal of how he just had a hatred (envy) for the west. His long speech on March 1 st was reduced to sounding like a threat to the west with no context, and his display of the recovery of Russia with improved life expectancy and so on, totally ignored. Very poor use of taxpayer’s money.
“Neuroscientist”, lol. Probably too scared to analyse who says what and why in his own workplace, so long as his fees keep coming in. I doubt that’ll make them crap their pants at the Russian embassy!
‘Sergei Skripal: who was behind the Salisbury poisoning?’:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/10/sergei-skripal-salisbury-poisoning-putin
This was a ‘Comments Are Free’ article; but it was only posted 21:00 yesterday (Saturday), and comments were closed about 01.30 today!
(I just checked, and the mod had written ‘comments will be closed shortly’, and that was nine hours ago. It’s just a PR gimmick – ‘well, we allowed comments’ (Sure, for 4 1/2 hours, 21:00 – 01:30 – big deal).
Today’s revelations by one of the victims of Marc McDonald leaves several questions to be asked.
The most obvious is how come this man is still an MSP? By his own admission he is not fit to be a minister, by his own admission he is not fit to be a member of the SNP so how come he is considered fit to be an MSP?
This man was SNP Minister for Chidcare, the SNP who are implementing a law giving the Scottish government more rights over children than their parents, appointing a state guardian who has legal rights of access to vulnerable children.
How come no independent investigation? Just a secret SNP internal investigation allowing cybernats to play down the offences, to trivialise the crimes, to blame the victims, to try and pass it off as McDonald being victimised by a biassed media.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/enough-enough-victim-sex-shame-12165509
From the Daily
MosleyMail:“Was Russian spy poisoned by flowers? Chemical experts examine bouquet left by the double agent at his wife’s grave”
“A bouquet of fresh flowers laid by former Russian spy Sergei Skripal at his wife’s grave has become a primary focus of the forensic inquiry into his poisoning, according to a source close to the inquiry.”
“Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, visited the cemetery where his wife Liudmila is buried just hours before they collapsed in Salisbury city centre last Sunday.”
“It is believed the flowers may have been contaminated with the ‘rare’ nerve agent – yet to be publicly identified – that has left the pair fighting for life.”
“The highly placed source, who was briefed yesterday about the inquiry’s latest developments, told this newspaper that one extraordinary new line of inquiry is that the bouquet may have been laced with poison. ‘It can’t be ruled out,’ he said.”
“This possibility centres on the idea that the flowers, now being examined by chemical experts, were sent to Mr Skripal’s home by whoever targeted him. It is thought they may have been accompanied by something – a card perhaps – to suggest they came from a friend of his wife and a request to take them to the cemetery.”
“The source said: ‘It’s all about the flowers at the moment… the fresh flowers along the grave, and it appears he [Skripal] went there just before he went to the car park [in Salisbury centre].’”
“Contact between the flowers and furnishings at the house would explain how traces of the agent were absorbed through the skin of anyone who touched surfaces there – including Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey who became ill following a visit to the Skripals’ home. He may also have become contaminated after rushing to the scene of where they collapsed to treat them.
That’s interesting. Flower distribution is controlled by some very “tasty” characters. I wouldn’t want to mess with the guys who run the lorries that go to flower shops. Aren’t they Dutch mafia?
On the other hand, this might only be about using nice flowers, respect for deceased family and a peaceful-seeming cemetery as a contrast, to emphasise the wickedness of the clever foreign devil Putin.
Interestingly if there was contact with poison by Skripal and his daughter earlier why did it take so long for the agent to work after they went to Zizzi, i thought the action was instantaneous?
Don’t look here look there
Picture: “The moment police were scrambled to the scene of Sergei and Yulia Skripal slumped unconscious on a bench in Salisbury city centre* after being poisoned on Sunday”
* (sic) centre, who’s wring this stuff?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5485677/Poisoned-police-sergeant-Nick-Bailey-says-Im-not-hero.html
Forget about the two red-circled; members of the public / assassins / shop workers told to do one.
Look at what isn’t in the red circle and consider against two scenarios, and NB no hazmat gear, number of marked vehicles and has hero det sgt left the scene or is still to arrive?
1) Well known local spy just found slumped on bench
2) Two drunks / druggies just been spotted on bench on a Sunday afternoon.
Nope, it just doesn’t make sense.
“* (sic) centre, who’s wring this stuff?”
Someone who speaks English?
The CIA are writing this stuff not Mi5
Or the Air Ambulance would not have been called (for drama effect)
Has it been decontaminated. used since, destroyed.
You can’t get away from it this is US propaganda that the brits have washed their hands of.
Or do you have the answers Freddie? Are you a CIA nark? Thought so!
Protect the yanks at all costs, get Putin with anything that’s left
If these people had a few millilitres / milliliters of the stuff they could have gallons, they could be poisoning our water holes now, preparing tho turn Britain into a toxic wasteland and all you do is whistle the stars and stripes and polish your Trump idol.
The CIA would use the American spelling “center” not the British spelling “centre”.
Which begs the question which country did you learn spelling in?
It’s not my spelling that counts, the Daily Mail has specific US output for 1) DM US and 2) US / CIA interests to be placed in the DM UK editions (online & print)
Things changed for UK security services support of US propaganda operations in Britain in 2003 (NI had strained the relationship, Thatcher confused it further, Blair spoilt it by not knowing the difference between lies and truth).
Anyway on the day Dr David Kelly’s body was discovered his home was filmed by a Sky news helicopter, there were 8 black SUV’s parked outside the Kelly home each bearing a US Diplomatic plate.
From that moment on US propaganda enterprises in the UK have been given very limited support.
Jeez oh, the media and radio stations are really pushing the “poison attack” on Skripal today.
Sky news has had on it today all manner of head honchos and so called experts. Yet I’m not sure amongst all the flotsam that they’ve even named the nerve agent used in the event, or the fact that Porton Down, is just a few miles down the road.
Still the longer they can string it out (without concrete evidence) the more profound the innuendo towards Russia can become.
One should add that there’s a long running propaganda war going on between the west (including the British government) and Russia.
I’m not saying that if the Skripal event is genuine, or not (debatable) or that the nerve agent came from Porton Down, (again debatable).
However the MoD does have a rather lax history with deadly nerve agents such as Sarin B.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/deaths-inquiry-at-nerve-gas-plant-278506.html
First Fentanyl , briefly polonium
Then quickly onto nerve agents
VX, then VX binary hibrid
Then binaries sarin and a soman camio
But my money is going on QL
All good US go-to’s
I still think it may be carfentanil, which would go with the initial symptoms and thier timing. Any nerve gas would have much more immediate effects which cannot be explained by the fact that they were not found where this was administered. Also the advice by the Chief Medical officer would sound rather hazardous if it was a nerve agent. The identity is being kept secret for a reason.
On the day of a Rangers v Celtic match in Glasgow there are street disturbances as a large group of Rangers fans calling themselves the Union Bears throw flares and display very sinister sectarian banners.
So well done Ruth Davidson MSP and James Kelly MSP. Davidson has cosseted these types and encouraged them to join the Tory Party in Scotland. Kelly has emboldened them with his OBFA repeal project.
Two decades of the Scottish Parliament brought forth a new forward looking Scotland. Now the thugs are taking to the streets as the xenophobic ultra-Brexiteers already have in England. As a Labour leader talks negatively about immigrants. And the Tories scheme to take that progressive Scottish Parliament away.
Scotland has to be free of political dross like Ruth Davidson, James Kelly, Corbyn, May and Rees-Mogg.
Yes reel guid, masked knuckledragging unionsts marching down the street, waving banners and singing religiously intolerant songs about Catholics.
Why didn’t the police do anything about it? Swap out Catholics with say the word Muslims or J*ws or even black folk and it would be widely condemned as a hate crime.
Thanks to James Kelly and the buffoons who backed his inane campaign to have the OBFA repealed these die-hard neanderthal knuckle dragging unionists have been emboldened and are once again behaving in a meancing fashion.
It’s as if the unionist parties at Holyrood want to keep religious division among Scots alive. Divide and rule so to speak.
Meanwhile one of the thirteen Judas Tory MP’s who have betrayed Scotland at every turn ran the line at Ibrox foitball stadium.
Douglas Ross, a linesman incited the crowds by screaming outloud penalty and waving his flag vigioursly. I’ve never seen anything like it. Of course Ross is a die-hard unionist and Tory MP from Scotland, whose sold his soul to Thersa May.
The Scripal case is beginning to look like an informative instruction on how to play cluedo.
Did they ingest poison on the park bench? or was in his house? the wifes and sons grave? or was it in the restaurant?
then there are the numbers infected, today the figure of ‘potentially over 500’ was banded about and the Putin blasting messages are being churned out by the dozen/day.
It seems to me that this was discussed and decided upon in Washington two weeks ago when our juvenile defence secretary boldly talked of cutting social care and NHS funding and spend it on soldiers and more bang,
This action was well prepared, hence the crescendo in the house when the police had barely made any sense of it.
Not a word about Porton Down, today the weekends i lists various forms of nerve gas and whilst they are eager to point out that Sarin and Tabun come from German labs, VX was not made there or anywhere (except in Porton Down), Novichok is Russian off course and Soman and Thallium, again, are not made anywhere according to Levgeny’s rag.
That said, the nerve agent is yet to be named….. not that this stops us accusing all of Russia, Putin and cold war tactics, whilst our conduct in Ukraine is never talked about, unless it causes Russia discomfort.
Victims are still in serious condition….. says Amber Rudd Plc. Well, we want to keep it that way so they can’t say a word, if they ever will. Have other family members been informed? has the Russian embassy got access to their citizen? Are the people of Salisbury as bored with this theatre now as Putin professes he is?
Is this how we deal with/look after our ex spy’s, just to make a point/ to start an aggressive campaign and compromise the Russian elections? or start a war in one of the Baltic states?
Why did Skripal not receive a new identity? given that he was exchanged he must have been of immense value to us, and the US for that matter.
More to come out under the US freedom of information act in 10 years, if we are still here that is.
@N_ you should be picking your own veg for your needs and if you think that all farmers are rich gits you haven’t got a clue how much they are up against the wall.
When I mused that many are too work shy or lazy, I did not mean workers who lost their jobs because Unions have failed to stem such OBN board behaviour during the 70’s and 80’s.
I have also talked to some homeless workers, who lost their houses, their wife’s left them and they are sleeping in tents in fellow workers back garden. I talked to Portuguese and Phillipino nurses, a German and a French doctor, one being a surgeon, both now gone back to Europe as they could not fathom being in charge of people’s life’s after having worked non stop for ten hours and more, they saw the risks and uncertainties growing, due to lack of staff, creeping privatisation of auxiliary services and more. Some 10.000 plus went in two years.
“the nerve agent is yet to be named”
I think it’s called “Deadly”, although no-one appears to have died. I’m coming to the view that this feeble psy-op was intended as a pre-emptive response to the imminent liberation of E Ghouta, when all those British agents holed up along side the heart-munchers will get named and shamed in the UN
An advertising campaign by the Normandy region of France to encourage businesses to relocate there before Brexit, has been turned down by Transport for London. The adverts will not be displayed on London’s buses because they might cause “public controversy and sensitivity”.
Are the descendents of the Anglo-Saxons still smarting from the Norman Conquest ten and a half centuries later? Unlikely. No it’s just 21st century foreigner hating ultra-British nationalism which cannot accept it is the author of its own misfortunes.
The unionists attempt to turn Scotland into the streets of Belfast. Thank you James Kelly, any blood spilt will be on your hands.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/2345849/rangers-celtic-old-firm-ultra-union-bears-march/
Kelly’s Zeros.
Indeed, it was a completely unlawful march, they didn’t have permission. The police were overwhelmed, balaclavas and flares, I think the idea was to intimidate.
Ros
One of the few occasions when unionists have shown flare.
But seriously, an insight into what the Scottish version of Brexit Britain will be if we don’t leave the union.