The Fringe Meeting at which I am speaking will be livestreamed on Saturday from 12.30 on IndependenceLive.
Meanwhile, Emily has started her own blog.
I had a busy day today moving a lot of stuff to move into my new home in Edinburgh tomorrow. But I must briefly comment on a fascinating opinion poll by IPSOS/Mori tonight, which puts the Tories on 32 and Labour on 29 UK wide – and astonishingly the Lib Dems UK score of 9% only just ahead of the SNP’s UK wide score of 8%, even though the latter is concentrated entirely in Scotland. One reason that SNP figure is so high is that IPSOS MORI weight by certainty to vote, and are predicting a much higher turnout in Scotland than England at the next election.
The scenario leading straight to independence – a Tory/UKIP coalition at Westminster and a crushing SNP victory in Scotland – is looking increasingly probable. One thing I do not rule out at all is a unionist Con/Lab coalition in Westminster after the next general election. There are almost no real policy differences between them, and if coalition becomes the swiftest way to satisfy personal ambition for power and money on both sides (the only thing that drives both parties), I so not think it is in the least improbable. We have seen Lab/Con coalitions against the SNP in Dundee and Stirling Councils, and they were extremely happy together during the referendum campaign. I do not yet see a Lab/Con coalition as the most probable outcome of the next Westminster election. But it is entirely possible.
http://new.livestream.com/IndependenceLive/events/3589902/videos/68194661
Speech at 13 mins 30 secs in
http://new.livestream.com/IndependenceLive/events/3589902/videos/68196705
http://new.livestream.com/IndependenceLive/events/3589902/videos/68197880
Interview at 9 mins 30 secs in.
With a very narrow majority of some 19.000 votes the Swiss populus decided to severely restrict immigration, giving air to Nigel’s urges here. Europe has failed to stop the wars of aggression/steal of resources in the middle east and its energy future has been stifled. We are already singing to NATO’s and the TTIP’s tune and soon we won’t be able to avoid the unknown regulators that impssed their rules on us.
“The French political philosopher Pierre Manent is a central figure in the resurgence of the country’s liberal tradition. In a series of recent essays, he locates current turbulence in the widening gap between a nation state that is supposed to be consigned to the past and a European state that is proposed as the future. The European political class, he says, has assumed the responsibility of constructing a united Europe, but, in doing so, it has sought to discredit all opposition as reactionary.
“If this process continues — the financial crisis of the euro has put extraordinary pressure on it — we will soon leave behind the regime of representative government and return to one of speechless commandment,” he writes. “The commandment will no longer be that of the state, which at least occupied a place of a certain elevation, but that of regulations. We do not know the source of regulations — only that we must obey them”
http://blogs.reuters.com/john-lloyd/2014/02/10/switzerland-says-were-full/
Cameron is appalled at the latest beheading.
Has he ever said he is appalled at the USUKIsNATO
extra judicial killings by drone in Afghanistan, North Waziristan, Yemen and now in Iraq where men, women and children are vapourized into thin air?
No he hasn’t.
Has Mary ever said she was appalled at the murders committed by Hizbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda, Saddam, Assad, Ghadaffi, Putin, Stalin etc.
No she hasn’t.
Thought offered in the interest of balance, taking a rounded view etc. Some of us are appalled at all abuses of human rights regardless of the perpetrator.
Rather like this photo as it is synonymous for so many missed opportunities to talk.
beware if you have your head in the sand, it will leave you most vulnerably exposed to the ravages of…who/whatever.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/13/g20-australians-bury-heads-in-sand-to-mock-government-climate-stance?CMP=fb_gu
I was appalled at the murders committed by the IDF, CIA,MI5/6, Mossad, Treblinka, the allies, Svoboda, Hitler, IS, Hizbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda, Saddam, Assad, Ghadaffi, Putin, Stalin, Bush, Cheney, Blair, and many many more
But I’m not anymore, because I now know that these are all failed humans who have not even once considered others humanity, who failed to use their intelligence to communicate.
Should we, who let them get away with it, without having the means to resolve or stop them, be feeling guilty?
Most probably, and that include you and me Res Dis. there there, enjoy your wet sunday chum.
Fred
15 Nov, 2014 – 8:19 pm
“Before the referendum Alex Salmond told us that oil prices were going to average $110 a barrel and not go lower than $99.”
“This week Brent crude was selling at under $80 a barrel and it’s forecast to fall further.”
“The sums don’t add up now.”
……………
Fred, haven’t you heard?
Saudi Arabia has refused to cut back on production in an effort to deliberately lower oil prices, perhaps to undermine Russia and Iran, whose economies are more reliant on higher oil prices.
Alex Salmond can do nothing about that.
“Fred, haven’t you heard?”
Yes. I heard Alex Salmond saying oil prices would not fall below $99 before the referendum.
I heard that oil prices are now below $80.
If Westminster had made claims before the referendum which turned out to be so far wrong so soon after I know what I would be hearing now. But they didn’t, they warned oil prices were volatile and they got accused of scaremongering.
Mr Scorgie and Fred
Yes, and what makes the thing even more comical is that Mr Salmond is an economist by training and even worked for several years as an oil economist!
With that background, should he not have known better than make predictions about the future oil price?
Of course he should.
Which leads one to think that he was selling the electorate a false prospectus in order to win the referendum.
Which in turn renders nugatory Mr Scorgie’s whine (above) that Mr Salmond “could do nothing about that””, doesn’t it.
In any case the books were balanced, Scotland more than paid its way in the world, even without the addition of oil revenues -but by trusting Westminster to do the accounting they’ve managed to hide that fact for decades and continue to plunder Scotland still. Central government spending per head is greatest of all, by a huge margin, in London. I think I did respond to Fred’s lame-brained argument in my poem: repeating themselves, lustily raping, bowing and scraping … It’s the too poor, too wee, too stupid argument, but really it’s English nationalism of the BNP, EDL sort, not to be taken seriously.
Israeli thugs, US welfare recipients, try to arrest a two-year old for terrorism:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/11/13/israeli-forces-raid-home-of-palestinian-toddler-try-to-arrest-him-for-terrorism/
Rwo days ago, Mary posted the followiçng:
“Israeli Universities are an intimate part of the Israeli regime, by active choice. While Palestinians are not able to access universities and schools, Israeli universities produce the research, technology, arguments and leaders for maintaining the occupation.”
_____________________
I answered as follows, by asking a couple of what are really qiuote simple questions:
“That sounds bad. But I believe in verifying statements made about serious events. With that in mind, could anyone tell us
1/. in respect of Israel “proper”, whether
– Israeli Arabs are not able to access Israel’s public education system (schools and universities)
– there are schools and universities attended by Israeli Arabs (Palestinians)
2/. in respect of the West Bank and Gaza, whether there are schools and universities which Palestinians can and do attend.”
________________
Two days on, no elucidation from Mary or even any of the other Israel-deniers on here.
The conclusion must therefore be that Mary’s comments were – as so often – BOLLOCKS.
Two days ago I asked Skotsinorge to give us just a couple of names to back up his assertion that
“dozens of BBC employees have resigned over the years at what they perceive as bias”
___________________
Two days on, Skotsinorge has failed to come up with even ONE name.
The conclusion must be that “newbie” Skotsinorge was following in the footsteps of so many of the Original Trolls by posting BOLLOCKS.
“2/. in respect of the West Bank and Gaza, whether there are schools and universities which Palestinians can and do attend.”
Those schools which haven’t been destroyed by Israeli bombing are mostly housing refugees.
Gaza does have a university, the Islamic University of Gaza, it was completely destroyed by Israeli shelling in August.
And here was me thinking that the Saudis were trying to undermine the U.S. shale oil industry, or is that the wrong conspiracy.
Nearly a century after the Revolution Russia has a more primary product economy than Saudi Arabia? Putin needs to invest in something other than weaponry.
House of Sod claiming they don’t have production impact as they did when OPEC first formed. You be the judge.
http://www.juancole.com/2014/11/waging-russia-dakota.html
“Craig has turned into an idiotic, parochial, self-aggrandising arse.”
Shamefully true, but there’s lots of us. Lots and lots. Reminds me of my youth, swaggering down the street with the Mental Young Team in our bottle-crusher boots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmVtu4Mnemc
Sounds like Scotsman in Norway is following your lead Habba
, months go by and you never answer questions.Only pose them.
No answers ? You’re so sharp that if you fell down,you’d cut yourself.
“Two days on, Skotsinorge has failed to come up with even ONE name.”
______________________________
Hmmm! Two days on and the sterile hen, has still to post a link, come to think of it’ is he even capable of such a task, old droopy chops will be disappointed.
So why do you think people are not answering your school masterly question, begging for the cane, eh socket, why do you think that is?
If you’d like to repudiate the posters here, why don’t you look it up yourself you lazy sod.
Now please leave and don’t forget to take your pills.
PS housing and university places are denied to Palestinians, indeed their children are rather ‘shot up’ about it.
The ignorance of this cyber stalking coward, hiding behind his petrified moniker, is breathtaking.
No wonder Putin left the G20 summit early, If I’d had to listen to Cameron and Hollande’s lying propaganda, I would have felt sleepy as well.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/11233894/Vladimir-Putin-claims-he-is-leaving-G20-early-because-he-needs-more-sleep.html
Israeli authorities have banned the foreign minister of Colombia from traveling to the West Bank after they found out she was not planning to visit Israel as well, the Colombian foreign ministry has revealed.
According to a statement on the ministry’s website, foreign minister Maria Angela Holguin submitted to the Israeli government — which controls all crossings in and out of the West Bank — to travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki as part of a tour of the region.’
________________________________
Looks like Netanyahu’s thrown the dummy out of the pram.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=740062
“Fred, haven’t you heard?
Saudi Arabia has refused to cut back on production in an effort to deliberately lower oil prices, perhaps to undermine Russia and Iran, whose economies are more reliant on higher oil prices.”
______________________
If that is indeed the case then well done Saudi Arabia. Of course, fracking in the US has also played a rôle; I read the other day that the US is now a larger oil producer than Saudi Arabia.
This sort of economic action is far better than military and probably more effective than diplomatic action in bringing home to states like Russia and Iran the consequences of their behaviour on the international scene. After all, why should the West and the world community underpin Russian action through paying a too-high oil price? The lower price will assist Russia (and others) in the process of getting real.
Fred
““2/. in respect of the West Bank and Gaza, whether there are schools and universities which Palestinians can and do attend.”
Those schools which haven’t been destroyed by Israeli bombing are mostly housing refugees.
Gaza does have a university, the Islamic University of Gaza, it was completely destroyed by Israeli shelling in August.”
_____________________
What about the West Bank, Fred? Have the Palestinian universities and schools there been destroyed?
And would you like to answer my question about Israeli Arabs can and do attend schools and universities in Israel proper?
Just to get the complete picture rather than just regurgitating stale propaganda.
Republicofscotland, DonnyDarkSide and NeverHadAMind
Good of you to “answer” on Skotsinorge’s behalf, but why don’t you let him answer for himself?
Tag-team at work again, by any chance? 🙂
KAFR KANA, Galilee – Rauf Hamdan admitted to one small consolation as he sat in his mourning tent, greeting the steady stream of well-wishers paying condolences nearly a week after his son was gunned down in the street by Israeli police.
“At least his death was caught on camera,” he told Middle East Eye. “Otherwise the police would accuse me of lying when I said that he was executed in cold blood. The police can claim whatever they like. The truth is there for all to see.”
The killing of 22 year-old Kheir Hamdan – and the footage of it caught on security cameras that quickly went viral on social media – set off a firestorm of protests in Palestinian communities across Israel this past week that has yet to die down.
Hamdan instantly became a symbol: a victim of Israeli brutality and oppression, merging the experiences of Israel’s large minority of 1.5 million Palestinian citizens with those of their kin in the occupied territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
________________________________
Here is the footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPlOPgp7424
http://www.globalresearch.ca/galilee-town-boils-at-israeli-police-execution/5414178
____________________________
They could have easily restrained him, instead they shot him.
**Website Alert** the above website doesn’t meet Haab-itual Liars standards, but then again as he never posts a link how would he know the difference.
“Israeli authorities have banned the foreign minister of Colombia from traveling to the West Bank”
__________________
Perhaps the Colombian Foreign Minister’s energies might be better deployed in sorting out a few of her country’s problems nearer home – eg, putting an end to border skirmishes between Colombia and Venezuela?
Fred
“Gaza does have a university, the Islamic University of Gaza, ”
__________________-
Does that mean that only Muslims are allowed to attend, Fred?
Even the “Jewish” State of Israel does better than that with its own universities, right?
Not to mention the Christian Universities of the United Kingdom.
Israel has barred a Norwegian doctor from entering the Gaza Strip through its territory after he severely criticised its military campaign while volunteering at a Gaza hospital during the devastating conflict over the summer.
There was no immediate Israeli confirmation of Norwegian media reports that Dr Mads Gilbert, a trauma surgeon and far-left political activist, had been banned for life from entering Gaza for security reasons.
Dr Gilbert told The Independent yesterday that he did not know how long the ban was for. He said that when he tried to enter Gaza via the Erez crossing last month he was told he could not do so for “security reasons”.’
____________________________________
What next Habb-itual liar, I suppose you’re going to say it would suit Norway better if they sorted something out as well.
Next excuse!
The mistake, commonly made is assuming that the 1970s OPEC price rises, the so called ‘Arab Oil Weapon’ was being used against the west, rather the opposite is the case, the producers of the Arab world, who sought to raise prices all did so at the urging of the western governments, who controlled them, they in turn being controlled themselves by oil companies and other corporates. Demand however was inflexible, US passenger car fuel economy, still dire, did not meet the easy targets then set until quite recently, helped by the growth in use of diesel usage, for gas-guzzlers still prevail, almost 40 years after the event. The price rise hardly impacted on demand for oil and oil products, but there was far greater demand for US dollars, of which supply is infinite, required to purchase crude oil. The intention was to create a recession, in and by the countries who would be most affected by it, in any case all the money madeall ended up in the New York or London banking system. The reality is Saudi oil is near finished, only dregs remain, water separation facilities cannot cope and more must keep being added as even from the big fields, for several years now, whats coming up is greater than 90% water, put in elsewhere to pressurise what, without such intervention, would be dry holes. Costs are low as all that remains of an oil industry there is relatively unskilled low-wage work.
Regardless of original intent, it’s obvious market manipulation is taking place. Aren’t their international trade laws? I digress.
Yes the tag team is in operation, with Fred lobbing easy stuff at Habbaduk, who then replies with answers and retorts both had prepared earlier. Seen it before, nothing new.
Trolls and the anti-trolls, each as bad as the other, the former would waste away from lack of attention without the latter supplying sustenance. Good job this is only the ‘outer forum’, the trolls playground, the real place thankfully inaccessible to them.