A particularly sickening trick from the BBC a few weeks back raised my blood pressure whilst in hospital and almost finished me off. A French Euro MP was asked for “the French view” on Scottish independence. She said that France would oppose it and the French government takes the view that an independent Scotland would be outside the European Union. I was absolutely astonished that the BBC had managed to find the only French person in the entire world who is against Scottish independence, and that she was telling an outright lie about the position of the French government.
Then I realised who she was – the former research assistant (and rather more) of New Labour minister and criminal invoice forger Denis Macshane. She worked for years in the UK parliament for New Labour, in a Monica Lewinsky kind of way. All of which the BBC hid, presenting her simply as a French Euro MP. There are seventy million French people. How remarkable that the one the BBC chose to give the French view of Scottish independence was a New Labour hack!
Today the news came out that Scotland contributes a net £3.6 billion a year to the UK government finances. Scotland’s fiscal deficit is an extremely respectable 2.6%, compared to 6% for the UK as a whole, or 6.3% for the rest of the UK excluding Scotland.
But even that is not the full story. These figures are based on a geographical allocation of oil revenue – but that geographical allocation is based on New Labour’s incredible gerrymandered 1999 England/Scotland maritime border which gives eight major Scottish oil fields to England, including two North of Dundee.
On a realistic maritime boundary, which an independent Scotland would undoubtedly win from the International Court of Justice, Scotland would actually have a budget surplus of £1.9 billion. Hurray, boys and girls, we are in the black! Remember I was Head of the FCO Maritime Section and I personally was involved in negotiating most of the UK’s maritime boundaries, including with Ireland, France, Denmark and Belgium.)
I know it is hard to believe, but that really is the England/Scotland maritime boundary which the revenue figures in the GERS report are based on. That is why England’s oil revenues are surprisingly high in the report – and Scotland’s surprising low.
But even on that boundary, the GERS report shows beyond any argument that Scotland’s public finances would be much better outside the Union.
Yet this morning the BBC choose to present the report as showing that because Scotland has a fiscal deficit, an independent Scotland would not be viable. Despite the fact that deficit percentage is less than half that of England. Despite the fact that every country in the Western world has a budget deficit.
The BBC have simply become addicted to the Big Lie when it comes to Scottish Independence. Talking of big lies – now they are even wheeling out Blair!
Villager referred to Claire Perry the wannabe next female PM! More retweeting than tweeting. What’s her obsession with her followers and unfollowers? Desperate to be popular I suppose.
https://twitter.com/claire4devizes
She asked a question in PMQs yesterday about domestic violence.
Claire Perry (Devizes, Conservative)
Last year, more than 100 women were killed by men in the United Kingdom. We know that domestic violence happens behind doors across the entire country. Will the Prime Minister take the opportunity of international women’s day to pay tribute to the outstanding work of Wiltshire police in trialling new ways of reducing this appalling crime and to the victim support centre in Devizes, which provides services for those who suffer in my constituency?
David Cameron (Prime Minister; Witney, Conservative)
I am happy to do that. Fighting domestic violence is an important part of international women’s day, as my hon. Friend says. I commend not only the police in Wiltshire, but the local authority because it has done very good work to bring all the agencies together to ensure that there is a joined-up approach to cracking this difficult problem which, as she says, has often been hidden from view.
~~~
That would be the Wiltshire Police where a custody officer was caught on closed circuit TV throwing a woman to the ground in a police cell. He was suspended from duty and later reinstated.
My source in Salisbury tells me that her des res (reported as a £2.5m old rectory in one of the puff pieces about her) has been on the market for ages and remains unsold.
Thank you Craig for fighting this nonsense and highlighting the absurdity of our maritime boundary. Are you sure an independent Scotland wouldn’t start at Carnoustie? 🙂
Scotland’s Oil is the Elephant in the room the BBC and the Unionists are scared of. You can tell most of the people at the Beeb don’t make it past the Central Belt, Scotland’s oil is much more than a simple commodity such as coal, it has spawned a huge multi-layered industry, Aberdeen is now one of the worlds great oil centres, there is scarcely an oil field in the world that will not have some form of operation or project being ran from Aberdeen.
I also remember also being told as a wee boy in the 80’s that, ‘the oil’s going to run out soon, we can’t rely on it.’
This is another piece of propaganda that has become an established fact of Unionism. Yet a feasibility study by Aberdeen University last year has estimated there is still £1.5 Trillion worth of extractable oil to be exploited. And even that doesn’t take into account technological advances that will increase the yield percentage of any oil removed.
http://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/aberdeen-oil-and-gas-bonanza-with-1-5-trillion-still-under-the-north-sea/
So, why would any French people have any real opinion on Scottish Independence ?
Simply, because, as our enemies, they have been agitating for the breakup of the union and promoting the odious “Little man” politics of division for a few centuries.
Shame you are too stupid to realise this, or that your impartiality has been bought by the thought of you or your friends getting their snouts in the fat trough of yet another layer of Government.
United you stand, divided you fall.
Habba,
As Craig has indicated it is Westminster squeezing Scotland by fair means or foul, not the other way around. Please thoroughly examine the issue of oil revenue before making any bold statements on Scotland’s financial feasibility.
Yes some difficult decisions would have to be made, but that’s part of the appeal of Independence for me, encouraging us to grow up as a nation and remove the chip from some of my countrymen’s shoulder.
ps – Tha Betha Math (life is good Scotland) 😉
@Fred
“Craig dismissed a BBC report purely on the grounds of the reputation of the person interviewed without giving any actual evidence that the facts were actually untrue. So I googled it to check and found that French interests lie with a united Britain, they would be very unlikely to support Scottish independence and the combined military and nuclear might was one of the reasons given.”
Even supposing that I believed everything that I read in the Herald, the support or otherwise of the French government for Scottish Independence is totally immaterial – and rightly so.
Actually, I live in France, and, to my knowledge, little has been printed in the papers about it. One search turned up an news article in Libération just stating that there would be a referendum – not much more. Interesting to note, however, that they seem to think that Scotland is a “province” of England. If that’s the extent of their knowledge of Scotland any opinions they have aren’t worth noting.
I actually remember when the government altered the sea boundaries. Interestingly, the government of the day was condemned by the UN and if I’m correct ordered to reinstate Scotland’s boundaries. This included countries such as USA an Russia, so universal condemnation.
Halfwit – so the French are “our” enemies! What “our” do you mean – they are not the enemies of the Scots – unless you know different. If you mean enemies of England i’m astonished as England is so lovable. Like your pseudonym!
I can only praise the BBC for their unbiased news reporting. I wholeheartedly agree with the views expressed about the Scottish. I hope they get their independence so they no longer freeload off the English.
But do Scotland want to be in the Eu if they voted yes? They would still likely get shafted by the EU corporations if they chose to be…
Vicky Pryce has just been found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Taimoshan, by our, I simply mean us, the British, Scottish, English, Welsh, inhabitants of these fair Isles. I do not subscribe to retarded Racist politics our enemies use to try and separate us. Think about it.
If you seriously believe that the French have some magnetic attraction to all things Scots, I would suspect you are deluded. They have always tried to cause us domestic problems as part of our ongoing battle with them.
Tied to this is the risible lie that Scotland will be better off, no, it will be ruined, unless you are one of the thousands of scumbags hoping to get fat jobs or financial gains from the new layer of Government.
BBC Scotland has got to the point they don’t even bother trying to pretend they are neutral any more. They seem to have an ‘I can do what I want’ attitude now, and are almost taunting people as if to say what are you going to do about it.
CE
7 Mar, 2013 – 2:05 pm
“Habba,
As Craig has indicated it is Westminster squeezing Scotland by fair means or foul, not the other way around. Please thoroughly examine the issue of oil revenue before making any bold statements on Scotland’s financial feasibility.”
CE, thank you for setting out some more homework for our Habitual Babbler. I said much the same thing to him above about the books not being in balance. He usually sits here bombarding people with rhetorical questions and, once in a way, when he opens his mouth he usually gets it wrong. His life is so good that he cares less for the trodden or for injustice. He is a copy-and-paste Establishment parasite delighted with the status quo. I ask what can a man like that create or contribute.
Lets see what he has to say on the matter once he’s done his assignment.
Hullo Craig, good to see you up to speed on the true financial position for Scotland….but its actually worse, (in the sense that being robbed of a million is worse than being robbed of a thousand). Total typical Scottish tax take; about 54 billion. Scottish government hand out, about 34 billion. So 20 billion “Spent in UK on behalf of Scottish people”…plus about 8-12 billion a year in lost oil and gas revenues. plus Scottish pound would be a petro-currency, so would need severe deficit budgeting to keep its value from soaring like the Swiss Franc……(can easily stand indefinite decifits of about 10 billion a year, its a fiat petro-currency) I make all that about 40 billion thats missing, if the vote is no. plus an independent sovereign state could sell off some blocks of oil fields and raise 100 billion for a sovereign wealth fund to develop Scotland economically…….it goes on and on./….what is happening at the moment is sheer thievery.
If I were you I would keep quiet about your oil wealth – you are likely to get invaded by NATO if you are not careful. Preceded, of course, by Obama declaring Scotland has become a hotbed of Al Qaeda activity. And then the drones arrive…
Halfwit, so much wrong in such a short statement.
Scotland will be losing, not gaining a layer of government.
As for your laughable claims Scotland will be ‘ruined’, have you even read Craig’s post? Our Oil reserves(the largest in Europe), indicate that would have to have an unheard of level of misgovernance for us to be ‘ruined’.
If anything will be ruined, it will be the Treasury’s cash register.
I’ve lived the first half of my life in Germany and the second half in Scotland and even 30 years ago in Germany there were local German Newspaper articles about the fact that Scotland would be doing much better outwith the UK – if even they could do the sums and figure out that independence would be an advantage for Scotland I ask myself why it is taking the Scots such a long time to do the same. Germany is still all for Scottish independence from what I hear, so I hope Scotland will finally go for it. I know which way I’ll be voting! I saw the figures 30 years ago in a German Newspaper and they looked convincing even then.
Scotland currently has an extra burden to carry too. Scotland was allocated a share of that UK deficit, which was added to the nation’s debt balance, on a per-capita basis rather than being related to Scotland’s own finances. The per-capita share amounted to £11.4 billion, whereas as we’ve seen the actual Scottish deficit was £10.7 billion. In other words, £730 million that was not spent by or on Scotland has been added to our share of the UK’s crippling debt, in just one year.
This is an invisible annual subsidy by Scotland to the rest of the UK. It’s a bit like going out to lunch with your friend and getting a £9 main course, while your friend gets one that costs £11. When the bill comes your friend insists you split the bill at £10 each, thereby charging YOU £1 for the meal THEY ate.
That might be fine once in a while, but if it went on every week for 30 years, and all the time your friend was calling you a scrounger living off their money who should be grateful to be allowed to eat with them – after all they take you to all the nice places: the UN Security Council canteen, NATO’s sandwich shop, etc – then you might start to think it was time to get your own lunch.
“I ask myself why it is taking the Scots such a long time to do the same.”
Propaganda as we’re seeing now repeated over and over again, “you’re too wee, too poor, too crap, subsidised etc, etc”. It’s utter bollocks and people in Scotland are beginning to see through it. Which is why the media and BBC are going into overdrive with relentless lies, spin and negativity, about our country, our government, our electorate and people in Scotland themselves.
I hope to God that approach doesn’t win them the referendum next year because the idea of such lying, negative, abusive people still being in charge of us is unthinkable. They are essentially breaking what last bonds of trust and goodwill remained here.
Mary,
How about Bulldung Babble Conspiration?
I have never used that word ‘conspiration’ and even my spellcheck doesn’t like it. but it exists.
Definition of CONSPIRATION
1
: the act or action of plotting or secretly combining
2
: a joint effort toward a particular end
I think we have to get over the taint of the word conspiracy. And break through the barriers of truth and justice, which seems to be the most difficult thing in the World.
—
“There seems to be so little justice in the world. Philosophers have talked a great deal about justice. The social workers talk about justice. The average man wants justice. But is there justice in life at all? One is clever, well placed, with a good mind and is good looking; having everything he wants. Another has nothing. One is well educated, sophisticated, free to do what he wants. Another is a cripple, poor in mind and in heart. One is capable of writing and speaking; a good human being.
Another is not. This has been the problem of philosophy with its love of truth, love of live. But perhaps truth is in life, not in books, away from life, not in ideas. Perhaps truth is where we are and in how we live. When one looks around, life seems so empty and meaningless for most people. Can man ever have justice? Is there any justice in the world at all? One is fair, another is dark. One is bright, aware, sensitive, full of feeling, loving a beautiful sunset, the glory of a moon, the astonishing light on the water; one sees all that and another does not. One is reasonable, sane, healthy and another is not. So one asks, seriously, is there justice in the world at all?
Before the law all are supposedly equal, but some are `more equal’ than others who have not sufficient money to employ good lawyers. Some are born high, others low. Observing all this in the world there is apparently very little justice. So where is justice then? It appears that there is justice only when there is compassion. Compassion is the ending of suffering. Compassion is not born out of any religion or from belonging to any cult. You cannot be a Hindu with all your superstitions and invented gods and yet become compassionate you cannot. To have compassion there must be freedom, complete and total freedom, from all conditioning. Is such freedom possible? The human brain has been conditioned over millions of years. That is a fact. And it seems that the more we acquire knowledge about all the things of the earth and heaven, the more do we get bogged down. When there is compassion, then with it there is intelligence, and that intelligence has the vision of justice.”
J Krishnamurti
The link for site from where above quote extracted and in case anyone is interested in digging deeper into K.
http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/index.php
Nice one Villager. BBC. I know a little of Krishnamurti and will look further on your link. His humanity comes across in the quote you gave.
I am feeling sorry for Vicky Pryce. I know she lied but she has been betrayed first by her husband and now by people within the LD party such as Miriam Clegg who are denying that they knew what had gone on. A shallow self serving bunch if ever there was one.
Look at the treatment Clegg is allowing to be handed out to David Ward The LDFoI will reeducate him. Jenny Tonge is in the wilderness. Menzies Campbell supported what Straw said about secret courts. Another nasty party.
Israel Flag Wavers Plan to ‘Re-educate’ MP David Ward
by Stuart Littlewood
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
If reports are true, UK Liberal Democrats have appointed the pro-Israel lobby as ‘probation officers and educators’. They will judge if David Ward is ‘salvageable’ and lay down precise language rules.
http://www.deliberation.info/israel-flag-wavers-plan-to-re-educate-mp-david-ward/
CE 7 Mar, 2013 – 2:05 pm
Habba,
ps – Tha Betha Math (life is good Scotland)
He’s having you on, Habbabkuk.
Put “Lan dhen cac” after your name. Trust me.
How about this move for bare faced cheek? In my opinion, those making the profits should take the responsibility for their staff pensions, whatever their previous status.
Ex the log from Keep Our National Health Service Public
http://www.keepournhspublic.com/newsroundup.php
Health Service Journal
DH opens door to NHS pension for private sector
Private companies providing NHS services are being allowed access to the NHS pension scheme ahead of anticipated Treasury action to widen eligibility, HSJ has learned. The Department of Health confirmed it had begun issuing legal directions to allow profit-making firms to access the scheme for staff transferred from the NHS.
The approach is being used as an interim solution while the Treasury considers implementation of its Fair Deal policies, it announced last July. Under the Fair Deal proposals, public sector staff who are moved to the private sector under outsourcing arrangements would be allowed to retain their public sector pensions.
The Treasury’s most recent consultation on that proposal closed earlier this month, but it is not clear when it will be implemented. However, HSJ understands firms are already being given access to the NHS pension scheme by the DH, which has been issuing legal directions to allow companies in. The department has been able to give hospice and social enterprise staff access to the pension scheme since 1967 under the Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. Until recently it had not been used for profit-making organisations.
When the DH used a direction in March last year to give access to Virgin Care community services in Surrey, the company had to set up a social enterprise called VH Doctors to employ its 2,500 new staff. However, HSJ understands the DH has changed its policy in recent months. Sources with knowledge of the process estimated up to a dozen firms had already sought access under the new approach. It means the arrangement developed for the Surrey community services would no longer be necessary. The change is likely to be welcomed by independent sector providers.
Companies have previously said changing the pension system is essential for creating fair competition for NHS contracts. Neil Bhan, partner at healthcare lawyers DAC Beechcroft, said: “It helps to level the playing field for private sector contractors in competition with NHS providers, which have historically been burdened with much higher pension costs because they have been unable to access the NHS pension scheme. As a consequence, this will undoubtedly promote competition within the NHS market.” A separate government-led review of access to the pension scheme, which could recommend extending it to independent sector staff who have not transferred from the NHS, is ongoing. A DH spokesman confirmed it had been giving access to the scheme to private companies.
Read more … from Health Service Journal. Registration required.
http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/dh-opens-door-to-nhs-pension-for-private-sector/5055398.article
Levelling the playing field indeed Mr Bhan and giving the privateers a dozen free goals first off.
Predictable contents of his CV http://www.dacbeachcroft.com/people/directory/neil_bhan
6 posts from Mary so far (out of 54 total), all of which have nothing to do with the topic of this thread.
Are you a disrupter, just providing light relief, or incontinent?
The news presenters are saying with a straight face that the BoE have decided today not to print any more money, adding helpfully that £375billion ‘has been put into the British economy’ so far. YCNMIU.
@ CE (14h05)
“Please thoroughly examine the issue of oil revenue before making any bold statements on Scotland’s financial feasibility.”
I believe I wrote as follows:
“However, I remain to be convinced that an independent Scotland would be financially viable,”
That’s hardly a bold statement, is it?
It can count.
@ A Node Re. “Lan dhen cac”. Does ‘cac’ have the same meaning as the English word?
and now 7 from Mary (still O/T).