A particularly mendacious lie by Danny Alexander puts the institutional start-up costs of Scottish Independence at £1.5 billion. That is a cool half billion pounds cheaper than Scotland’s share of the costs of the Iraq and Afghan wars, even on the Westminster government’s blatant under-estimate of the war costs.
So Scotland can afford criminal invasions killing hundreds of thousands to ‘bring freedom’, but cannot afford the smaller cost of its own freedom!!!
The £1.5 billion estimate is mendacious in two ways. Firstly, it is a simple recycling of a Canadian lie at the time of the Quebec independence referendum, apportioning with no argument 1% of GDP to startup costs.
Secondly, as nearly all the money will be spent in Scotland it is not a loss at all, but actually an increase to GDP, as any but the most nutty neo-con would be forced to acknowledge. And it would be the precursor of government money spent annually in Scotland rather than England for ever thereafter.
Thankfully Alexander won’t have a job much longer – and if he thinks a penny of Scottish public spending is going in future to support his huge arse and deceitful mouth, he is very wrong.
Not played up in the UK media…at all… here’s Prince Andrew celebrating his, and Mum’s family connections. Does the word ‘Hanover’ ring a tiny bell? The 300th anniversary of the Personal Union between Britain and Hanover, in fact. And you so nearly missed it.
He also spent three days schmoozing Hanover’s business types, it’s only fair to add.
Dear Christ, Rose, that absolutely sucks. JB Morton did that kind of tosh so much better:
Alone on the lawn
The cabman dances
In the dew of dawn
he kicks and prances
His bowler is set
on his bullet head
for his boots are wet
and his aunt is dead
There on the lawn
As the light advances,
On the tide of the dawn,
The cabman dances.
Swift and strong
as a garden roller
he dances along
in his little bowler
skimming the lawn
with royal grace
the dew of dawn
on his great red face
To fairy flutes
as the light advances
in square black boots
the cabman dances
O, sorry. Link for Cumberland’s descendant here –
http://www.stern.de/lifestyle/prinz-andrew-feiert-in-hannover-party-zu-ehren-der-queen-2115324.html
I’m sure Nevermind will help you with the translation…
This might interest you Brian.
Why is Glasgow the UK’s sickest city?
‘Harry Burns, who until recently was the country’s chief medical officer, has his own theory. He raised a few eyebrows when he compared Glaswegians to Australia’s Aboriginal people. Yet he believes deindustrialisation in a city where tens of thousands once worked in the factories and the shipyards has deeply wounded local pride. As a result, people here have much in common with demoralised indigenous communities.
“Being a welder in a shipyard was a cold and difficult and dangerous job,” he says. “But it gave you cultural identity in the same way as native peoples in Australia once had a very intense history and tradition.”
He scoffs at the cliches about people suffering coronary attacks after eating those infamous deep fried Mars Bars. “No one is saying that Glaswegians are models of healthy behaviour but the evidence that we are where we are because we eat vast amounts of fat or smoke vast amounts of cigarettes just isn’t there. That’s not the explanation.”
Instead he is convinced that the social and economic problems that Glasgow has experienced over the past few decades have come together in what he calls “a perfect storm of adversity”. Burns points to a succession of graphs which show Scots do not smoke more than other Europeans nor do they suffer more heart disease. In fact, under his stewardship, Scotland was the first part of Britain to ban smoking in public places.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27309446
Why Glasgow should be under the BBC microscope is another question. Perhaps part of the Vote No Borders campaign? ‘Leave things as they are and we will improve matters’? I don’t know.
John Goss @ 8:12 Idiot! Fool! “it’s intended purpose” should be of course “its intended purpose”. Stand in the corner!
There is no need to be so dismissive of Rose’s personal choice, Ba’al. Each to his/her own.
I see Gove’s plans for the curriculum are not without justification, John.
Meanwhile, Tony Blair, with his Africa Governance Initiative ™
scamcharity, may be seen in London on the 8th. July. As fatcat Nigerians plead for more globalisationBugger. Link:
http://www.codewit.com/nigeria-news/20231-obasanjo-foundation-plans-economic-summit-july-8-in-london
thanks for the excellent poems, I felt as if Im sitting right there in the heather Brian.
‘Prince Andrew visited a ‘traditional’ birthday party in honour of the queen in Hannover. The occaision, attended by the great and good in Niedersachsen, was somewhat halted by a ‘strong rain storm’.
So something positive happened there, ploants got watered to grow. Sorry, I’m not very royal at all.
Look away Resident Dissident. Pretend it isn’t happening.
https://twitter.com/ProfessorsBlogg/status/474452973540900864/photo/1
Ba’al Zevul (In The Bleak Midsummer) 5 Jun, 2014 – 9:41 am
But if that was the outcome of Bilderbergers’ item “The challenge of Africa” why did those who pull the strings not invite the puppet along?
Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !
4 Jun, 2014 – 4:05 pm
“…other circumstantial evidence pointing that way is your frequent statements on here that Israel has no right to exist…”
You keep repeating the lie Habbabkuk but I will keep correcting you: Israel does not have the right to exist as a JEWISH state but as a state of ALL its people.
“…you would be in the slightly curious position of being more concerned about the rights of a large number of now adult people than those people themselves…”
It’s too late to help the adults Habbabkuk its todays and future children that need help.
The stark reality of what has not been reported on any mainstream media channel is captured in this blog by Professor de Noli, a human rights’ activist living in Sweden, who was himself imprisoned under Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile. WARNING: There are images in this blog which are not for the squeamish. No wonder Resident Dissident, who supports these murderers, has left the blog. All those labelled in the past as trolls have obviously been told to keep a low profile. The BBC, as ever, is disgusting.
http://professorsblogg.com/2014/06/03/what-responsibility-does-sweden-have-in-the-massacres-of-civilians-perpetrated-by-ukraine-junta/
I wondered, too, John. He’s been to several, with or without Blair International ™ as a justification. And once, apparently, without being visible, except to one reporter:
http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/conspiracy/coverups/sleazeblair.html
“Mr. Christopher Gill MP: To ask the Prime Minister which members of his Government have attended meetings of the Bilderberg Group. [34298]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 16 March 1998]: None. ”
Might the PM have forgotten the trip? This reply is a lie. Blair attended the 1993 Bilderberg Conference.
At the time of the visit he was Shadow Home Secretary – getting those contacts already. Bilderberg reporting restrictions are tight, and it didn’t come out until Rees-Mogg broke cover some time afterward.
And he may have been there this year. He was certainly buzzing round Scandinavia near the date.
Currently his usual transport is somewhere on a four-hour flying time arc from Heathrow. Landed 6.33 BST yesterday. But I don’t know where. Could put him in Ukraine, but I doubt it as he is gunfire-averse.
Whoops –
Earlier I wondered why Blair was visiting Malmo. Should have looked at the map. It’s just an energetic spit away from Copenhagen. He was there.
The fascisti are in action. A secret trial is set to take place.
Secret trials: judges should be trusted to make right decisions, says Grayling
Justice secretary’s comments come after it emerges that case involving two terror suspects is set to be heard in secret
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/05/secret-trials-judges-trusted-make-right-decisions-chris-grayling
Lord Carlile was apparently defending it on Radio 4 Today earlier today.
BBC Radio 4 Today @BBCr4today 3h
A secret trial is “not justice”, and undermines fairness and public confidence – Shami Chakrabarti #r4today
Mary this new law, the Justice and Security Act is the thin edge of the wedge. Private hearings and secret trials. Welcome to the world of Kafkaesque world of George Orwell. Sorry about that.
Anybody have dealings with UK Mail? You phone them there is a recorded message and after a long wait it automatically hangs up on you. You send them an email you get an automatic response and that’s it. I put it down to private industry. It’s shit.
For what it’s worth, if anyone has anything left to say about Blair, and as if everyone didn’t know already:
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thepeoplesdocumentary
‘S been a while since I heard anything on The Killing of Tony Blair: any news?
Where Blair probably isn’t – although physically could be –
http://www.wafa.ps/english/index.php?action=detail&id=25409
The Palestinian hunger-striking prisoners will feature as the top key-issue on the conference’s agenda among other issues, including the legal dimension of Palestinian prisoners issue, Israeli legislation that violate human rights conventions, as well as exploring mechanisms necessary to provide legal and humanitarian protection to prisoners.
The conference comes as part of Palestinian attempts to internationalize the prisoners issue and appeal to the public opinion in Europe and all over the world to intervene to bring the Israeli actions, in violation of Geneva Accords, to an end.
My local hospital is using UK Mail for their outgoing mail John. When I worked there was a lovely Geordie called Geoff in the Post Room. He sorted all the incoming mail in the mornings and delivered it round the hospital to each department with the internal mail. He knew all the faces and greeted us all with a smile and a friendly greeting.
In the afternoons, he and another chap franked all the outgoing mail as it was delivered to the Post Room. If something was urgent or otherwise important, he would put it through with First Class postage. He was a lovely man and his hard and probably unsung and unrecognised work for the general good contributed to the feeling of working in a cohesive team. I expect that has disappeared.
Sadly he has left. I met him and his wife in the town and he looked very ill.
~~
You have to dig deep on this website to find the directors of UK Mail.
https://www.ukmail.com/
https://www.ukmail.com/investors/corporate-governance pp 27-35
A Peter Kane is the chairman and there in the list is a Bill Cockburn who retired in Dec 2012. That name was familiar. He was the MD Royal Mail of course. A trougher.
https://www.gov.uk/government/people/bill-cockburn
Buswell, Kane and Glew are the three current directors.
http://companycheck.co.uk/company/00965783/UK-MAIL-LIMITED/directors-shareholders
These are Kane’s seven other companies and 8 dissolved companies.
‘Peter Kane holds 7 appointments at 7 active companies, has resigned from 1 company and held 8 appointments at 8 dissolved companies. Peter began his first appointment at the age of 44 and his longest current appointment spans 23 years and 8 months at UK MAIL EXPRESS PARCELS AND MAIL LIMITED.
The combined cash at bank value for all businesses where Peter holds a current appointment equals £28,200,000, with a combined assets value of £95,200,000 and liabilities of £77,700,000.’
http://companycheck.co.uk/director/900681102
The thing that gets me about the secret trials is Lib Dem complicity in the legislation. For all their bleating about liberty over the decades, they get a whiff of power so they trample on what is supposed to be at the core of liberalism.
They deserve to be obliterated at next year’s election and I suspect they will be. From 2015 onwards it will be the wilderness years for them, for a long time, as no-one now believes a single word they say. The party may as well begin their next manifesto with “Once upon a time…”. It’ll be an incredible fairy story.
Meanwhile, back at Tony’s domestic hearth, or one of them, it may be remebered that a couple of years ago, Cherie Blair joined entrepreneuse and loony rightwinger Gail Lese in setting up Mee Healthcare, a UK private health provider. This operates on a low-overhead basis renting space in Sainsburys’ stores. Originally planned to provide access to a private GP and other professional care, for a fee, it appears currently to be selling spectacles. Lese and Cherie set up the Allele Fund (registered, Cayman Is) to raise the necessary capital, which it has so far failed to do. Anyway, long story short –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Allele_Fund
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Mee_Healthcare
Tut bloody tut, Cherie.
Mary, re UK mail, might just be my experience, or Birmingham. But when I checked with UK Mail and shit search it brought a few sites up with a lot of dissatisfaction.
They deserve to be obliterated at next year’s election and I suspect they will be. From 2015 onwards it will be the wilderness years for them, for a long time, as no-one now believes a single word they say. The party may as well begin their next manifesto with “Once upon a time…”. It’ll be an incredible fairy story.
In one sense, a shame, as they tended to have above-average constituency MP’s. That was what they were good at. The parliamentary party should have stood tactfully to one side, voted with principle, and watched the other two destroying each other. But…it’s that lust for power again. If anyone knows where Clegg is scheduled to be when he is burnt in a wicker cage by Southwestern voters, I’d love to come along, and will bring a bottle.
Yes, BZ, Clegg is a dead man walking, although the other big hitters have to take some of the blame too. Guys like Charles Kennedy should spoken out more. Call him the party’s conscience. But his silence on this as on so much else is pretty damning.
I’ll bring the sandwiches.
Letters from a) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ahmed Kathrada South African politician and former political prisoner, Alexei Sayle Comedian, Alice Walker Author, Angela Davis Author and activist, Breyten Breytenbach Poet and painter, John Berger Author, Ken Loach Director, Michael Mansfield QC Barrister, Mike Leigh Director, Miriam Margolyes Actor, Noam Chomsky Philosopher and author, Paul Laverty Screenwriter, Professor Richard Falk Professor of international law, Roger Waters Musician, Saleh Bakri Actor
and b)Jeremy Corbyn MP, Andy Slaughter MP, Grahame Morris MP, Richard Burden MP, Katy Clark MP, Chris Williamson MP, Alex Cunningham MP, John Denham MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Paul Blomfield MP, Crispin Blunt MP, Joan Ruddock MP, Mark Durkan MP, Roger Godsiff MP, Hugh Lanning Chair, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Geoffrey Bindman QC, Bruce Kent CND, Caryl Churchill Playwright, Victoria Brittain Journalist and author, Rev Canon Garth Hewitt Amos Trust, Professor Steven Rose, John Austin, Betty Hunter
G4S must end its complicity in Israel’s abuse of child prisoners
The Guardian, Wednesday 4 June 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/04/g4s-complicity-israel-abuse-child-prisoners
I would say that the actual imprisonment and abuse of the children must cease forthwith never mind bloody G4S.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Pisshead:
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/11897-emir-of-kuwaiti-sways-drunkenly-upon-arrival-in-tehran
Chop his hands off and stone him to death, I say.
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1907/mar/14/navy-estimates-1907-8#S4V0171P0_19070314_HOC_408
A bit of history for our Zionist supporters:
Zionist founder, Theodor Herzl, “the father of Israel” devoted so much time to his project that he neglected his wife and children. When he died at the age of 44 (probably from venereal disease) his family were left penniless.
His daughter, Pauline, had emotional problems from an early age and died through drug addiction.
Herzl’s son Hans had not been circumcised but the Zionist leaders, following Herzl’s death, saw to it that he was, at the age of 15.
Hans converted to Christianity in 1924 and as a result he was abandoned by the Jewish community and publically denounced.
He committed suicide following his sister’s death.
The World Zionist Organization decided to bury Pauline and Hans in Bordeaux despite knowing of their wish to be buried beside their father in Austria.