David Folkerts-Landau, Chief Economist of Deutsche Bank, who has claimed that Scotland would have a “Great Depression” if independent, has a second home he bought for US $11.6 million dollars. His first home is in London – where he would have been well-placed to notice that Deutsche Bank was at the very heart of the LIBOR interest rate fixing scandal. Naturally neither Folkerts-Landau (he and his wife are friends of the Camerons) nor any other senior banker was jailed for that long term criminal illegality.
Folkerts-Landau must, you might assume, have great powers of economic prediction to have accumulated a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars from banking salary and bonuses. Yet he failed to notice that Deutsche Bank was running up 92 billion dollars of US sub-prime mortgage junk that would be written off in the actual great crash, in which Deutsche Bank was again in the centre. Why a man who failed to notice that his own work was contributing to an actual great depression, should be taken seriously in ridiculous prognostications of a new one, is rather beyond me.
It is interesting that Folkerts-Landau states that Winston Churchill’s return to the gold standard was a major cause of the great depression. From the German Deutsche bank, that dismissed its Jewish directors in 1933 and denounced Jewish employees, and received expropriated Jewish assets through direct cooperation with Hitler, this criticism of Winston Churchill might be thought culturally insensitive.
Folkerts-Landau is just another example of the super-rich who realise that the people-based movement for Scottish independence is currently the most potent threat to the neo-con hegemony that has resulted in the destruction of social-democratic society and the massive gap between the super-rich and real people. If you look at the other boards on which sit members of the board of Deutsche Bank, it reads like a catalogue of corporate dominance:
Coca Cola
Pepsi Cola
Microsoft
Accenture
IBM
Bayer
Daimler
EON Energy
Thyssen
XL Group
Alliance Trust
Bilfinger
BMW
That is an illustration of the fact that mega corporations are not really competitive, but part of an interlinked web of capital interests all sharing directors. Those interests have bombarded Scotland with apocalyptic threats the last few days. There will be a great depression, major businesses will leave, energy bills will go up, interest rates will go up, oil will run out, shopping bills will go up, call charges will go up, terrorists will run round unimpeded, Russia will invade. These nonsensical claims have been hammered home relentlessly in perhaps the most concentrated stream of mainstream media propaganda in history.
The extraordinary resilience of the Scottish people, in face of these ludicrous levels of threat and intimidation from “authority figures” like Folkerts-Landau, is something of which I am very, very proud.
RoS
Scots will vote No, that is certain, it’s just a question of by what percentage.
Personally I would like to see them vote Yes. But if they can’t do it, give the vote to the English and we’ll do it for them.
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Scots will vote YES, its just a question of how much we win by, thanks for the offer but we don’t need the English to kick Westminster into touch.
If the polls are really 8 points in front of the Yes vote then, BT can stop their campaign of fear and threat.Deutsche Bank can refrain from ridiculous statements and begin worrying about their 80 Trillion in Derivatives. It should be 6 days of non threatening behaviour,even a wee pre victory celebration or two.
But it won’t happen,cos the Nose are shitting it.It’s not just close,its touching cloth.
The clincher is the Orange March with Union Jacks all over the place.There’s a small proportion of Protestants that go for that sort of thing,but most not,and no Catholics.
The OO against Nationalism with all those flags ? Not divisive ? Duh !! Whose idea was that ?
And in Edinburgh of all places….. they should have started on Gorgie Road.It doesn’t surprise me that the BBC wouldnt report it.It would’ve been called an unforced error in Tennis.
Ba’al @ 6.15pm
“Richard: nothing stops trade
Absolutely. Key point. The trick is to keep it socially useful, no?”
Yes, but how do you do that? The drug trade isn’t socially useful; if anything it is environmentally damaging, but people demand what they demand and there isn’t much that others can do about it, even if they want to. Governments can curb trade a bit, but their efforts generally just end up pushing the price up and any attempt to make trade ‘socially useful’ is probably futile. It may sound nice, but the practicalities of it would seem daunting and nobody ever lost any money by underestimating the common sense of the general populace. My main point was that unless one or the other state (Scotland or rU.K.) get particularly stupid (can’t be ruled out given the calibre of the leaders of both), they aren’t even going to try to stop trade and commerce, so it will continue apace. Ergo, while on balance the economy probably is better – certainly conditions are more stable and certain – under Unionism (at least most of the time) any attempt to suggest doom and gloom as a result of separatism is almost certainly tosh. The same could be said for Jim Sillars’s “day of reckoning” remark; well, there will be if people stop buying stuff, otherwise not. Unionism vs. Separatism isn’t about the economy, it is about sentiment: do you have fraternal sentiments and feelings of kinship with the other residents of a very small island or don’t you? Those who don’t should be honest with themselves and others and vote ‘Yes’. Trade will continue anyway. Similar arguments apply to membership of the E.U.
Great Post Craig
i must share on fbook… good info for many souls working their arse off…Cheers.
Mary thanks for the Finian Cunningham piece. Great writer.
Good posts all…well nearly all 🙂
P.s
54% NO
46% YES
This is 100% False.
P.P.S… Here’s a wee Saturday Heart warming video for you Craig…
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152543495572745
So it never occurs to you that this huge range of organisations and individuals opposed to separation might be right and Salmond might be wrong? They can’t all be acting under orders of Westminster/the City.
I’m afraid Salmond looks to me like a devious and dangerous egotist, who would lead Scotland back to the days of tribalism, not someone with a plan to make Scotland a modern state at ease with its neighbours and the world.
And it wouldn’t be the rich that would suffer from his half-baked and deceitful plans, but the poor, when these ‘evil’ corporations decamp somewhere else, taking the jobs and taxes with them.
I think you’re overanalysing my response, Richard. Or maybe I understated it. I share your pessimism only so far. If – big if, sure, but on independence it has to be a major option – if Scotland can prioritise productive enterprises earning foreign exchange for actual goods (I am prepeared to include tourism) over magic money trees growing in leveraged buyouts and subprime loans, that will be a different, sustainable and honest trade paradigm playing to Scottish strengths. It will minimise the malign influence of monetarists. And since ‘nothing stops trade’ – which means that people sufficiently interested in money will invariably find a way of making it within any economic environment – then….job done.
’m afraid Salmond looks to me like a devious and dangerous egotist, who would lead Scotland back to the days of tribalism, not someone with a plan to make Scotland a modern state at ease with its neighbours and the world.
You really don’t want to believe everything you read in the Daily Express.
So it never occurs to you that this huge range of organisations and individuals opposed to separation might be right and Salmond might be wrong? They can’t all be acting under orders of Westminster/the City.
I’m afraid Salmond looks to me like a devious and dangerous egotist, who would lead Scotland back to the days of tribalism, not someone with a plan to make Scotland a modern state at ease with its neighbours and the world.
And it wouldn’t be the rich that would suffer from his half-baked and deceitful plans, but the poor, when these ‘evil’ corporations decamp somewhere else, taking the jobs and taxes with them.
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Jesus Tom where have you been living on the moon, the UK is BROKEN, millions jobless, foodbanks growing everyday, disabled people dying in their 1000’s because of unjust Westminster policies, 1000’s left in debt or made to move due to Bedroom Tax, jobless folk sanctioned by jobcentres for the slightest thing, because it Westminster policy.
New categories of poor arising called the working poor, they can pay rent but can’t eat due to low wages and zero-hour contracts. Meanwhile Westminster lets its buddy big business of with paying billions in tax, Westminster, also wants to replace Trident at a cost of at least £100 Billion, and renew 7 Astute class subs.
Add to this the 2 new aircraft carriers, one which was launched with a plastic plane on the runway, because no planes exist yet for the carrier, and you one totally f*cked up union.
Scots need independence from a corrupt, and useless Westminster government.
Rupert Murdoch is in Scotland.
http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/291934-rupert-murdoch-in-scotland-amid-speculation-on-referendum-backing/
Tony Blair is, as promised, in Ukraine. (WHY? WTF is his relevance to that?))
And has opened his yap on independence. No, since you ask.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/13/tony-blair-scottish-independence_n_5815082.html
Could be the breakthrough Yes needs.
Use of the nazi is not such a good idea, going back seventy years to prove how rotten DB is, perhaps is over dramatising the notoriety of a bank that is already considered as yet another one of those “banks” the same robbing, cheating, over charging, money laundering bunch of thieves who can get away with it, time and again.
However it is yet again the reference to the standards of the Evil which seems to have come to be cast as the absolute evil, while in reality there have been more evil since, and the degrees of evil perpetrated have far surpassed the nazi efforts. Alas the lexicon of those weaned on the movies, and stories will not let the nazi to rot away and keep breathing life into the dead carcass of the nazi to illustrate and portray evil and unacceptable standards of conduct.
The Last Night of the Proms
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2014/september-13/15146
Bitter Together. There are two large Union flags behind the orchestra and the conductor Sakari Oramo (a Finn) is wearing a silk waistcoat made in the design of the flag!
However Matthew Arnold’s Peterloo has just been performed so maybe a little subversion has been woven in to the programme.
The Peterloo Massacre (or Battle of Peterloo) occurred at St Peter’s Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 that had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterloo_Massacre
Gavin Higgins
Velocity (3 mins)
BBC commission: world premiere
Arnold
Overture ‘Peterloo’ (9 mins)
new choral version with lyrics by Sir Tim Rice: world premiere
Walton
Façade (3 mins)
– Popular Song
Chausson
Poème (16 mins)
Tavener
Song for Athene (7 mins)
Richard Strauss
Taillefer (18 mins)
INTERVAL
Khachaturian
Gayane (3 mins)
– Sabre Dance
Ravel
Tzigane (9 mins)
Kern
Show Boat (2 mins)
– ‘Ol’ Man River’ (arr. R. Williams)
Traditional
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho (arr. R. Williams) (3 mins)
Richard M. & Robert B. Sherman
Mary Poppins (8 mins)
– medley
Ansell
Plymouth Hoe (8 mins)
Arne
Rule, Britannia! (arr. Sargent) (7 mins)
Elgar
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major (‘Land of Hope and Glory’) (6 mins)
Parry
Jerusalem (orch. Elgar) (4 mins)
Janine Jansen violin
Elizabeth Watts soprano
Ruthie Henshall vocalist
John Daszak tenor
Roderick Williams baritone
BBC Singers
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo conductor
Israeli soldiers from elite wire-tapping unit refuse to use ‘extortion’, ‘blackmail’ on Palestinians.
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Well well well so some of the Neo-Nazi’s (Israeli’s) are rebelling against the system, what will Der new Fuhrer Netenyau, do about this.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0b4_1410628411
“Murdoch and Salmond, the Scottish first minister have always had a friendly relationship. In February 2012 Murdoch tweeted: “Alex Salmond clearly most brilliant politician in UK. Gave Cameron back of his hand this week. Loved by Scots.”
In notable contrast to the aloofness which characterises how Westminster MP’s now deal with Murdoch and News UK, Salmond is still (even in this post-Leveson and phone-hacking environment) ready to admit to affection for the media magnate – who had a Scottish grandfather.”
http://theconversation.com/how-rupert-murdoch-is-sticking-his-oar-into-scotlands-independence-referendum-31531
I think if they are good friends, he’ll convince Murdoch to keep his vote confidential.
“Rule, Britannia! (arr. Sargent) (7 mins)”
Well at least they’ve managed to get some Scottish music in there.
Mary: “Bitter Together. There are two large Union flags behind the orchestra and the conductor Sakari Oramo (a Finn) is wearing a silk waistcoat made in the design of the flag!”
Gosh. Union flags at the last night of the Proms? The unionists are really pulling out all the stops.
Thanks for the Inverness clip Brian.They’re tuneful as well.
roS, good news about the IDF refuseniks.Where there’s humanity there’s hope.Even for Israel.
RoS Thanks for that link. It must take a lot of courage to stand up like that in the entity. I expect they will be ostracized.
~~~
Cheers Brian. Thanks for your link.
~~~
Any royals watching the proms on the box will have been squirming in their seats. Sir John Tavener’s Song for Athene has just been performed. It was played at Diana’a funeral.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II_QgNkG5jg
Fedup
I’ve noticed you get very upset about negative portrayals of the Nazis. Is it a sense of missed opportunity, of what might have been, perhaps even a longing for a different outcome? Or is it that they murdered a lot of Jews and you’re thoroughly pissed off that antisemi will forever be tarnished by their deeds?
Fred 8:01pm, lol – good call!
RoS
“Scots will vote YES”
Have you put money on that?
RoS
“Scots will vote YES”
Have you put money on that?
——————
Of course, have you?
RoS Thanks for that link. It must take a lot of courage to stand up like that in the entity. I expect they will be ostracized.
————
Thanks Mary, some of the people who live in the most evil terrorist state of Israel, are beginning to realise, that they’re now looked upon as the new Nazi’s, with their slow genocide of the Palestinian people.
Loads of flags about the place means nothing… except brightening the place up and showing that Nationalism is in town. Apparently Mariupol is literally covered in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags at the moment but an estimated 80% of the population would vote for joining Novorussiya.
If Scotland does vote No, would it be the first country ever to refuse independence?
Alex Salmond’s response to BBC’s Nick Robinson’s question re RBS etc.. – apparently not shown on BBC News, which only included Nick’s question:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHmLb-RIbrM#t=80
“If Scotland does vote No, would it be the first country ever to refuse independence?”
It sounds close, and I remember hanging chads circa 2000. OSCE ?
You noticed? How can a jaundiced world-view notice anything other than reasserting/revalidating the narrative that it is drilled in so rigorously?
Ergo the vomitous speculations, in the way of “assailing” the perceived enemies.
Reasserting the narrative, in order of revision of history; world war two was about “Jews”!
What was the reason for this on paragraphed brain fart passed as comment?
There is a change of guard and the freshly arrived keyboard offence unit is busy sniping at the targets as per the directions of the last batch of the assigned keyboard fighters.
Back to debating how many angels fit on a pinhead.
“Of course, have you?”
Not on Yes – that would be foolish. You won’t get good odds on a No vote but luckily I have a hundred pounds with Craig. 🙂
“Jesus Tom where have you been living on the moon, the UK is BROKEN, millions jobless, foodbanks growing everyday, disabled people dying in their 1000′s because of unjust Westminster policies, 1000′s left in debt or made to move due to Bedroom Tax, jobless folk sanctioned by jobcentres for the slightest thing, because it Westminster policy.”
The standard lefty twaddle. How many times does this stuff have to be rebutted? Unemployment is down, foodbanks on the rise because you offer free food and people take it, shock, bedroom ‘tax’ is no such thing. The only people being ‘sanctioned’ by jobcentres are the feckless who do not want to work. Why does virtually every illegal immigrant make a beeline through Europe straight to this country?